Guide to Buying a Film Camera

If you hadn’t heard yet, I’m a bit of a film photography obsessive. I get a lot of emails and flickrmail from people asking me about my cameras, how I use them, which ones to buy, so I thought I would put up a little feature here on why I personally love film cameras and how you can too.
So you’ve decided you want to get into film photography for whatever reason. Maybe you took a photography class back in high school or at university and want to get back into it, maybe you’ve only ever used a digital camera and you’re intrigued by this weird thing called film (what do you mean I don’t plug it into the computer?) or maybe you just love the look of what film can produce.

To me film tells a story, it creates something that could be, may have been or quite possibly wasn’t there, it weaves magic that I still don’t think digital can do. Don’t get me wrong, I love digital (especially the time aspects) and I have used it to shoot my 52 weeks project mostly. However, film can spin that web, can create the magic of story telling, which to me, is what good photography is all about.

So what do you buy? 35mm? Medium format? Polaroid? Toy camera? So much choice.
I would recommend starting out with a 35mm if you just want a straight up film camera that is going to do the job. 35mm cameras are the kind that normal every day film goes into. All old school automatic cameras that our mums and dads used to use were 35mm point and shoots. I own quite a few different 35mm cameras.
35mm:
Pentax K1000
I don’t own one myself but lots of people in the photoblogging world and in my list of flickr contacts do use the Pentax K1000. You can pick one up on ebay for around $100. Perhaps I should buy myself one for my birthday in the coming weeks seeing as they were made in 1976 and so was I. The Pentax K1000 is a very typical camera used by film students at photography school.
Nikon FM
My workhorse 35mm camera is the Nikon FM3A. It sits in the Nikon FM family which are some of the greatest manual cameras ever made. They are strong, sturdy and built to last. The Nikon FM2 is a very popular camera and produces some gorgeous results. The special thing about the FM3A is that it is fully manual but nowhere near as old as the other FM cameras and it has an auto setting for when I’m feeling less than artistic.


The FM3A is a lot pricier than the FM or FM2 cameras, but I hear the FM2 is just as good.
Canon AE1
My grandfather owns a Canon AE1 and I really need to get my hands on it to have a play. It’s one of those cameras that I’ve always wanted to own and in fact, I was tossing up between it and the Nikon FM3A before I got her. The Nikon won out on newness which meant I wouldn’t be inheriting someone else’s problems. My aunt has shot some really fabulous Black and White portraits with the Canon AE1. I really should go and steal it from her. I know Pia Jane Bijkerk uses one of these babies!
Yashica Electro and FX
The Yashica Electro 35 G series cameras are also popular. Abby from Abby Try Again shoots with one if that’s anything to go by. I don’t know much about them other than over the years lots of people have told me to buy one. I never really had the chance, until I stumbled across a used camera store in Seattle a few years back. They didn’t have any Electros but I did find a Yashica FX3 which I’d also had my eye on. I use this camera for many of the 35mm photographs you see on this blog.
Olympus OM2
The Olympus OM2 has a cult following, as do many of the cameras listed here. This is one camera I have always been intrigued by, along with the Olympus Pen cameras. The king, Tommy Oshima has one, so you know they must be good.
Just remember that a lot of these cameras are fully manual. You can pick up auto point and shoot cameras that were made later but they don’t offer as much oomph. Any of these cameras would be a good choice to start your way in film photography. None should be too pricey, apart from maybe the Nikon FM3A, all costing you between $100-$200. Try ebay for a bargain or the safer KEH or B&H photo. I have bought from both online stores and have been very pleased with the results. If I ever get around to buying myself a Hasselblad, I will most likely purchase from KEH.

I hope you have enjoyed my little 35mm film camera feature.Posted in Photography and tagged Buying Cameras, cameras, Film Cameras, Film Photography by Amanda.