Film Cameras for Advanced Shooters

For the purpose of this article, I’m defining “advanced” as photographers who are comfortable operating a wide range of film cameras. If you hand them a camera and they haven’t used it before, they’ll figure it out in a few minutes and produce good results. You don’t necessarily need to be a seasoned pro to be and advanced shooter — you just need a decent amount of experience and a good knowledge of how cameras work.
So here are a few types of cameras aimed at the advanced photographers.

Twin Lens Reflex

I considered placing the TLR in the intermediate group, but they have a few characteristics that make them worthy of advanced status. The main one being the age of most TLR cameras out there. The other being the amount of manual control due to the age factor and the typical design of these cameras. Even so, they’re not terribly difficult to operate, they just take a bit of getting used to. Most TLRs use 120 film to produce 6x6cm images, but some produce 6×9 with 120 film, 4×4 with 127 film, and a few take 35mm film. Most are fixed focal length and fixed lens cameras, though I know of at least one with interchangeable lenses.
A lot of these cameras originated between 1930 and 1970, so don’t expect too many modern features on them. Typically manual focus, manual exposure, and generally without a built-in exposure meter. This “fully manual” experience is mainly what makes a TLR more difficult to use than other cameras. If you’re comfortable with shooting fully manual using the sunny 16 rule, you’ll have no problem. They also have a quirky viewfinder that will catch you off guard if you’ve never used a waist-level finder before. The image in the viewfinder is flipped about the vertical axis — so left is right and right is left. The first few times using a TLR, you’ll catch yourself moving the camera in the opposite direction from where you intend. As you pan left, the image on the viewfinder appears to be panning right.
Aside from these little learning curves, the TLR cameras are a real blast to use. They’re very odd looking compared to a modern SLR and you’ll probably get a few old-timers commenting on your camera as you walk the streets. The image quality is generally very good if the lens has been taken care of — some of my sharpest images have come from my ’56 Autocord. Another great thing about a TLR is that the common 120 film is widely available today, so they’re not terribly expensive to shoot.
Here are a few examples of Twin Lens Reflex cameras:

Photo Credits: bea-t, Geoffrey Gilson, curlybob0161, Coleccionando Cámaras, pluzz

Large Format

Most of us know what a large format cameras looks like, but not many of use have actually used one. These cameras are big, expensive, and time consuming on many levels. The term “large format camera” is a generalization for cameras that expose a negative 4×5″ or larger. Most of these cameras are either monorail cameras, field cameras, or press cameras.
The physical size of a large format camera means that you won’t be taking one out for some candid street photography. They’re big, and you typically have to set them on a heavy duty tripod (though press cameras are more handhold-able). This also means extra setup time before you can pull the trigger. The camera systems can also be quite expensive, but there are some older sets out there for a decent price. The film is pretty spendy too — plus you have to take developing and printing into account. These cameras also bring a whole new meaning to the phrase “manual control”… introducing tilts, shifts, and swings that aren’t available on most other camera types.
But that level of control is what likely draws in most large format photographers. They aren’t limited to parallel lens and film planes, and they can control much more of the image outcome. Image quality is another perk of large format photography. The recording medium is so large, that even a small 4×5 is equivalent to about 200MP on the digital side. Large format cameras are certainly among the biggest and best out there.
Here are a few examples of Large Format cameras:

Photo Credits: Eusebius@Commons, Eusebius@Commons, amanky, Rafal Stegierski, gtrwndr87

DIY Cameras

I’m loosely associating DIY (Do-It-Yourself) cameras with the “advanced” group because they have such a huge range of complexity. You can have everything from a matchbox pinhole to a full blown large format. But the fact that you have to make the camera yourself is why I’ve placed them here.
Whether they’re made from everyday materials or manufactured raw materials, you still have to make them. Some amount of “how cameras work” knowledge needs to be there before you embark on your adventure. Sure, there are tutorials and how-to’s out there on the Internet, but that’s more of a kit camera than a DIY. A DIY is something that you design and build yourself, even if you take bits of ideas from other cameras or designs. Once your camera is built and operational, it’s likely going to be extremely manual (and somewhat limited) in the controls department.
The great thing about a DIY is the sense of satisfaction you get. It’s a proud moment when you expose some film, develop it, and find that it actually worked! The other cool thing is that a DIY can be built on a shoestring budget, so you’ll have plenty of extra dough for film.
Here are some examples of DIY Cameras:

Photo Credits: Miles Cave, makelessnoise, marcelaxavier, Random Acts of Photography, Goodimages
by: Brian Auer