Was looking to buy my girlfriend a new camera for christmas and was wondering if anyone knows of a good camera I can buy for her that is under $250 or less. It needs to be a film camera.
Are you looking to buy a DSLR? If yes then you can try Nikon D60.Its a good camera and you also will get 18-130 m lens with this camera which will solve your all purpose.
I'd be reluctant to go for most of the cameras you mentioned, Glass. Most have been 'shot out' by this time. Even a well cared for example of my choice, an A-1 (AE-1program + AV-1) will be worn out. Maybe a second addition F-1? You could even get a finder adding auto exposure. Lenses are another issue. Some were pretty good. The 'normal' lenses like the 50mm 1.8 or 1.4 are available and inexpensive. A 1.2 or even the f1 (.95?) will cost a bundle. Good luck getting any of it serviced. Vivitar Series 1 zoom was, originally pretty good for the money. Some individual stars exist in the Canon line...as well as Nikon glass. If they made 'L' lenses back than, any of those in FD mount would be a fine choice.
My neighbor showed up with a garage sale find....a AE-1 with a 3 lens kit. I never heard of the glass, but the camera itself? Once we replaced the battery the shutter made the most awful noise, but apparently worked. I give the camera 5 rolls of film before malfunctioning.
If you've got your heart set on one of these 'classics', it might be best to go to a camera store and check out the used. For me? One of the Canon F-1 or Nikon F-3 or F-4 level cameras would be on the list.
The D3100 is far superior to any mirrorless, superzoom or compact camera because it's a real DSLR, meaning you view and the camera focuses live directly through the lens optically, not via an electronic screen. The D3100 focuses fast enough to catch people and kids doing anything in any light, while other kinds of cameras get lost hunting.
As long as it is 'thru the lens' focusing, you're OK. But, you are right....the seek times CAN be a little long and tracking moving subjects is....or can be.....iffy.
I use a 35mm 1.8 on my Sony NEX-7 and I can work in very low light, indeed. With the 18-200, especially at the 'long' end, I'm inclined to crank up the ISO to 1600 or so to get the aperture to F8 and still maintain a good shutter speed of over say.....1/200th
I find the light weight, compactness and ease of handling of the mirrorless Sony to trump the really non-existant 'advantages' of a DSLR. Don't forget, the SONY has an APS 'C' sensor, just like all but the Full-Frame DSLRs do. And the 16meg sensor of all but the NEX-7 (24meg) is absolutely terrific at high ISOs. New glass coming, too.
The Nikon VR lens is probably still better than the same lens by Canon. And this coming from a guy who owned Canon cameras steadily since the early 70s.