|
I agree with the recommendation against the Holga. The Holga is more of a toy camera and won't let you learn the fundamentals of photography that your class likely
Decent used medium format equipment can be purchased used for under 300 (look local, beware of ebay, go on craigslist if you go with a friend who knows how to inspect. Or, search google for keh), but I think 35 mm is the way to go for two reasons: 1) You have more exposures on 35 mm per roll, which lets you experiment more (eg. bracketing, which you'll learn in class), and 2) medium format equipment is primarily designed for professional use, which is nice once you have the basics down, but because of that, you'll pay for much more than you really need right now, especially if searching for a camera with a built in light meter (which should be high on your list of things to look for). Once you get hooked on 35mm film, I'm sure you'll eventually want to jump into medium format, but you can wait.
As for 35mm, I bought into the Nikon system, just because I had old Nikon lenses from my parents that I could inherit. I'm sure Canon would be just as good. Don't be afraid of completely manual, mechanical cameras -- they help you slow down and think about your shots more carefully. Also, don't be afraid of older lenses. Their image quality is just as good as cutting edge modern lenses, and in many cases, give you much more bang for your buck.
|