How to Buy Your First Film Camera: A Beginner's Guide
A few months ago, I decided to buy myself my first film camera, and it’s honestly been one of my best decisions of the year! It’s been so fun to explore and learn and create in a new medium. And now I am ready to convince as many people as I can to also join the film photography club.
As such, whenever I talk about film photography on Instagram, I am happy to answer questions about how to get started. SO here we are.
I think there are a lot of great resources on how to buy a new film camera, but a lot of it is geared towards people more familiar with film and photography in general. So I wanted to create a really basic post on how to buy your first film camera— from one beginner to another.
This post isn’t necessarily for someone who is really into the nitty gritty details of gear and specs and chasing their dream, perfect camera setup, cause that’s not me. Rather this post is for someone who wants to simplified steps on how to easily buy their first film camera and just start taking pretty, film photos!!
1. Understanding (or ignoring) film formats
Film comes in a variety of sizes, but for the sake of ease, we’re just gonna stick to 35mm. It’s the most common, most affordable, and most readily available. It’s the film type that comes in disposable cameras and chances are, if you live in the US and walk into your local Walgreens or CVS, you’ll find a few rolls of it on the shelves.
2. SLR or Point & Shoot
35mm film cameras also come in a range of formats. The three main ones are rangefinders, point & shoots, and SLRs. Again, I’m just gonna ignore one of these from the get go— rangefinders. They require zone focusing which IMO, is a skill that needs to be learned aka not the best pick for your first film camera. And then there were two.
Pros of SLRs are that they will often have better build quality and will allow for more control and options when it comes to shooting. If you already had a DSLR, you might be able to use the same lenses on both your digital and film cameras. On the downside, on average they are bigger and bulkier. And more control and options can also lead to more confusion.
Pros of Point & Shoots are that they’re generally very intuitive. It’s the no thoughts, head empty of cameras. While some of them may allow you to control certain aspects of exposure, for the most part they allow you to take photos with the simple click of a button. They also tend to be lighter and smaller.
As to which one you should pick? That’s up to you to balance between the pros and cons.
3. Avoid the urge to google “BEST BEGINNER FILM CAMERA”
Not because those lists are useless, but because those lists tend to feature the same few popular cameras, out of the hundreds and thousands of different film camera models out there. But because they often have been out of production for a decade or more, their increasing popularity also means a diminishing pool of cameras which ultimately leads to increase in prices.
So instead of searching for a specific camera model, I kind of reverse engineer the process.
For example, let’s say I decide I want to buy a point & shoot camera. Instead of looking up a list of models, picking one, and then searching for said camera, I will work backwards.
Rather, I will go on eBay and searching “point & shoot film camera tested.” From there I will browse the listings, and if one looks promising, I will then go to google and search up info/ reviews/ videos on that specific model.
4. The one where I tell you to get off the internet
Me, an internet person, telling you not to use the internet?? Jail.
The internet is a wonderful place, but IRL stores do exist. It’s worth going to thrift stores or even dedicated used camera stores local to you to search for a camera. Especially at a dedicated camera store, there might be someone knowledgable enough to walk you through the process of buying your first camera! Sometimes the prices are near comparable to what you would pay online, but the whole process is easier and you get to patronize a local business.
Alternatively, you can ask older family and friends if they have any old camera or film equipment they never got rid of. I found an old video camera of my dad’s this way!
5. Where to buy film cameras on the interwebs
While there are plenty of spots to buy cameras on the interwebs, I honestly think the most beginner friendly place is a dedicated camera store. I bought my first camera off KEH camera and had a really good experience. Currently they’ve been running holiday sales so their usual stock is depleted, but I am sure things will be replenished in a few months times. They’re honest about the condition of the camera plus, they have a generous return policy. While their prices are greater than eBay, I personally found it worth it to pay the difference for the guarantee of purchasing a camera in good, working condition.
If you do choose to buy cameras off eBay, make sure you buy a camera that has been explicitly stated to be tested and working!!
6. Features to consider
Each camera comes with their unique set of features, but as a beginner there were a few dealbreaker, must have features I looked for in my first camera.
Reliable autofocus aka the ability to focus on the subject you want to shoot, automatically
A built in light meter.. A light meter will help you get the perfect exposure— aka make sure the photo will not be too dark or too bright. Really old film cameras often don’t have those built in, and that wasn’t a headache I wanted to deal with as a beginner.
Reliable autoexposure with variable shutter speeds. Without getting into all the technicalities, this was partly why I stayed away from the cute and cheap Kodak M35 plastic camera. The fixed shutter speed means it’s not the best camera for variable lighting conditions.
7. Buy film + shoot a test roll
Once you’ve purchased your first camera, all you need is film!! Like I mentioned in the start of this post, we’re looking for 35mm film (sometimes labeled as 135 film.) There are variety of brands and color options. They usually come in a roll of 24 shots or 36 shots.
It’s highly recommended you do NOT shoot your first roll at a once in a lifetime event which you want to capture forever. This is because you never know how your first roll will come out until you have gotten it developed and printed and/or scanned. Hence, the first roll shot on a newly acquired camera is commonly called a test roll.
Some commonly available, relatively affordable (film is an expensive hobby) to begin with are Fuijfilm Superia X-tra 400 and Kodak Gold 200. The numbers on the ends indicate the ISO (higher ISO = more flexible in low light conditions & more grain.)
One last note, after you insert your film into the camera (suggest going on youtube to learn how to do this with your specific camera model), it is absolutely IMPERATIVE you do not open the film door until you have rewinded the film. Opening the film door while the film is still in use will destroy your photos— you will literally be left blank.
8. What was my first film camera?
As I mentioned above, I don’t think searching for a specific model of camera is the most productive method for a beginner. However the camera I bought, the Nikon N90s, is not a particularly popular model so you can find it pretty cheap. The other cameras from that line (N50, N60, N70, N80, & N100) are also said to be similarly excellent.
It's a SLR from the 90s so it is very solidly built with a good number of features. As a bonus, I didn’t need to buy any new lenses as I have been a loyal Nikon digital user for the last decade.
Overall, I really recommend 90s film SLRs for beginners, or really anybody. They might not have that cool vintage aesthetic of earlier cameras but they are a) relatively affordable b) really easy to use c) built well d) put out beautiful photos!!
