If you want to take up film photography right now, you’ll almost certainly have to buy a second-hand (or third-hand) camera, or put a hurting on your bank accounts. New film cameras are either junk, or they cost thousands of dollars, and even used (newer) film camera prices are creeping up. It’s far less easy than you’d think to get an esoteric camera.

Popular models like the Nikon FE2 are now at around $200-300 for a good example, and the cult Contax T2—a 35mm compact rangefinder—is getting close to $2K. The good news is that this is mostly driven by fashion and looks. If you pick a less trendy model, it will be much more affordable. Older cameras are also mostly mechanical, so if you pick the right one, you can repair it yourself. It’s the best way into a fascinating hobby. That’s general advice you can get anywhere, though. In this post, and at least a couple more to come, I’m going to find, buy, and fix up a 35mm SLR camera, showing you how I did it along the way, step by step.