Do you want to start shooting film but don't know where to begin? The first thing you'll need is a film camera. Now finding one is the easy part, as the world is full of secondhand and even new film cameras. The problem comes with choosing the type of camera.
Before looking at brands, prices or specific models, you need to understand what kind of camera you're actually looking for, and just as importantly, what you actually want out of shooting film in the first place.
Before You Even Look at Camera Types
A few honest questions will narrow this down faster than reading about every camera type on the market.
What's your budget, including film and processing, not just the camera? A cheap body is not the whole story. Medium format film costs more per roll and gives fewer shots, and processing costs add up whichever format you choose.
Are you trying to learn photography, or just want good looking photos with minimal effort? These point towards very different cameras. One rewards manual control, the other rewards staying out of your way.
Will this camera live in your bag every day, or come out for planned shoots? Size and weight matter far more in daily use than they do for the occasional outing.
How patient are you with a slower process? Loading film, waiting for a roll to finish, waiting for it to be developed. Some cameras add even more deliberate steps on top of that, like a TLR's waist level finder or a medium format SLR's weight and bulk.
Do you have somewhere to actually get your film developed and scanned? This matters more than people expect. A gorgeous camera is not much use if there is no lab nearby you trust with it (DarkLab has got you covered, even if you’re not from Malta or Gozo 😉).
Keep these in mind as you read through the types below. The right camera is the one that matches your honest answers here, not necessarily the one that looks the most appealing online.
1. First: 35mm or Medium Format?
Perhaps this is the biggest hurdle one has. Even though medium format produces more resolution due to the larger film size, it is more expensive, less accessible and considerably more difficult than 35mm. Most medium format cameras are slow, fully manual cameras without so much as a light meter. This can be an advantage when it comes to usability, since it doesn't require electronics to work, but you will find it quite difficult if you're just starting out.
35mm is more accessible, with plenty of feature packed cameras alongside a huge range of fully manual bodies for those wanting a total disconnect from the digital and electronic age. One of the biggest advantages of 35mm is also its size, as medium format cameras can be a pain to travel with, I'm looking at you, Mamiya 67.
In practical terms, a roll of 35mm gives you 24 or 36 shots and costs less to develop than medium format, which typically gives you 8 to 16 shots depending on the camera and frame size. If you're still working out whether you enjoy the process at all, 35mm lets you make mistakes and experiment without each frame costing quite as much.
2. SLR: Single Lens Reflex
The Single Lens Reflex, or SLR, is the camera most people picture when they imagine "a proper camera." Inside the body sits a mirror, angled at forty five degrees behind the lens. Light travels through the lens, bounces off this mirror and up into a prism, then out through the viewfinder. What you see is, quite literally, what the lens sees. Press the shutter and the mirror flips up out of the way for a fraction of a second, the shutter opens, and light lands on the film.
This mirror and prism arrangement is what separates an SLR from a rangefinder or a simple viewfinder camera. There is no parallax error, no guessing at framing. You are looking through the actual lens, seeing the actual depth of field, the actual composition.
SLRs rose to dominance through the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and manufacturers such as Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Minolta built entire ecosystems of lenses, flashes and accessories around their mounts. Many of those lenses are still around today, still sharp, and still compatible with the bodies they were made for decades ago.
Why it is an excellent choice
For anyone starting out in film photography, or returning to it, the SLR is difficult to beat.
You see exactly what you get. Through the lens viewing means your composition, your focus and your depth of field preview all match what lands on the negative. There is no learning curve around compensating for a separate viewfinder window.
The lens ecosystems are enormous and often affordable. Decades of SLR production means a huge secondhand market. Fifty millimetre lenses in particular can often be picked up cheaply, and many mounts have a full range from wide angle to telephoto to choose from.
They are mechanically robust and repairable. Many SLRs from the film era were built to be serviced, not replaced. A well looked after body from the 1970s can easily still be shooting reliably today, and parts, knowledge and repair technicians are more available for SLRs than for almost any other camera type.
They suit almost every kind of photography. Portraits, landscapes, street, macro, sports. The interchangeable lens system and the accuracy of through the lens viewing make the SLR genuinely versatile in a way that fixed lens or rangefinder cameras are not.
They are a superb way to learn. Manual SLRs in particular force an understanding of aperture, shutter speed and focus that carries over into every other kind of photography. If you want to properly understand exposure rather than let a camera decide for you, an SLR is where that education happens.
What to budget for. A solid entry point SLR with a standard lens can often be found secondhand for a modest sum, though prices climb quickly for particular sought after models or fast lenses. Beyond the camera itself, factor in the cost of a battery for the light meter on most models, and keep in mind that older bodies may need their light seals replaced, something a good seller or repairer can sort out cheaply.
If you are choosing your first film camera, or building out a considered kit, the SLR earns its reputation. It is not the smallest option, and it is not always the cheapest, but for reliability, versatility and the sheer depth of what you can learn from one, it remains an excellent choice.
3. The Rangefinder
A rangefinder camera works quite differently to an SLR. There is no mirror, no prism, no through the lens viewing. Instead, you look through a viewfinder window set slightly off to the side of the lens, and inside that window sits a small secondary image, brought in by a separate optical system. As you turn the focusing ring, this secondary image moves. When it lines up precisely with the main image, the subject is in focus. This is the "rangefinder patch," and it is how the camera gets its name.
Because there is no mirror flipping up and down, rangefinders are quieter and simpler mechanically than SLRs. The viewfinder also shows a little more than the final frame, so you can see subjects entering the shot before they arrive. Leica built its reputation on this design, and other manufacturers such as Zeiss, Canon and Konica produced excellent rangefinders of their own.
Why it is an excellent choice
The rangefinder is not for everyone, but for the right kind of photographer it is superb.
They are quiet and discreet. With no mirror slap, the shutter sound is little more than a soft click. This makes rangefinders a natural choice for street photography and candid work, where a loud shutter draws attention and changes the moment.
Focusing is fast and precise, especially in low light. The rangefinder patch is often easier to judge accurately than a ground glass focusing screen, particularly once you have some practice with it. Many photographers find it faster for capturing fleeting moments than focusing through a lens.
They are compact. Without a mirror box, rangefinder bodies can be built smaller and slimmer than an equivalent SLR, and the lenses tend to be smaller too. This makes for a lighter kit that is easier to carry all day and less conspicuous in use.
Build quality is often exceptional. Many classic rangefinders, particularly Leicas, were engineered to extremely high standards and were built to last a lifetime of use. It is common to find bodies from the 1950s and 60s still functioning perfectly today.
They encourage a different way of seeing. Because you are not looking through the lens, you see the scene with your own eyes rather than the lens's exact rendering. Some photographers find this makes composition feel more instinctive.
What to budget for. This is where things vary enormously. A Soviet made rangefinder can be found very cheaply, while a Leica body and lens can cost as much as a used car. Whatever the price bracket, always check that the rangefinder patch is bright and aligns correctly, since a misaligned rangefinder means every photo is out of focus without you knowing why.
The trade offs are real. Rangefinders generally are not suited to macro work or long telephoto lenses, since the viewfinder cannot show precise framing at those distances, and there is no depth of field preview. They also tend to sit at a higher price point, especially for the well regarded brands. But for street, documentary and everyday photography, few camera types feel as immediate or as rewarding to use.
4. The Point and Shoot / Compact Camera
The point and shoot, often just called a compact, is built around simplicity. There is no interchangeable lens, no complex focusing system to master, and usually very few manual controls. Most compacts use autofocus and either fully automatic or program exposure, meaning the camera reads the light and sets the aperture and shutter speed for you. Many also have a built in flash and a fixed lens, commonly somewhere between 28mm and 40mm, which suits everyday and travel photography well.
Compacts had their heyday through the 1980s and 90s, when brands such as Olympus, Contax, Yashica, Nikon and Canon produced everything from simple budget models to genuinely high end compacts with excellent glass. Some of these, like the Olympus mju II or the Contax T2, have since become sought after precisely because they pair pocketable size with lenses that punch well above their weight.
Why it is an excellent choice
The compact camera earns its place for reasons that have nothing to do with technical sophistication and everything to do with how photography actually happens day to day.
They go everywhere. Small enough to fit in a jacket pocket or a small bag, a compact is the camera you actually have with you when something worth photographing happens. The best camera is often simply the one that is not left at home.
They remove the barrier to entry. With autofocus and automatic exposure, there is nothing standing between you and the shot. This makes compacts an excellent way into film photography for beginners, and an excellent second camera for experienced photographers who want to shoot without thinking about settings.
The better models have genuinely excellent lenses. Higher end compacts from the 1990s were often built around exceptional optics, sometimes rivalling much larger and more expensive systems. Size does not have to mean a compromise on image quality.
They are ideal for travel and everyday documentation. Light, unobtrusive and quick to bring up to your eye, compacts suit the kind of spontaneous, ongoing photography that larger systems can discourage simply through bulk and setup time.
They lower the stakes. Without the pressure of manual settings to get right, a compact encourages you to shoot more freely and focus on composition and moment rather than technical process.
What to budget for, and one thing to check. The famous compacts like the mju II and T2 have become genuinely expensive as their reputation has spread, while plenty of lesser known compacts perform almost as well for far less. The one thing worth testing before buying is that the autofocus and light seals are working, since a compact is entirely dependent on its electronics and battery. Unlike a mechanical SLR, if the electronics fail, the camera is simply dead.
Compacts are not the tool for someone who wants full creative control over aperture and shutter speed, and the fixed lens means no room to change perspective beyond your own feet. But for carrying every day, for travel, and for keeping photography simple and immediate, the point and shoot remains a genuinely excellent choice.
5. The TLR: Twin Lens Reflex
The Twin Lens Reflex does exactly what its name suggests. It has two lenses stacked one above the other, identical in focal length but serving entirely different jobs. The top lens feeds a mirror and a viewing screen, letting you compose and focus. The bottom lens is the one that actually exposes the film. Because the two lenses are coupled, focusing one focuses the other, so what you see on the ground glass matches what lands on the negative, at least closely enough for the format.
Where the TLR really sets itself apart is in how you use it. You look down into the top of the camera, into a waist level finder, rather than holding it up to your eye. The image on the screen appears reversed left to right, which takes a little getting used to, but composing this way changes your relationship with the subject entirely. Most TLRs also shoot medium format, typically 120 film in a 6x6 square frame, which brings its own character to the final image.
Rolleiflex is the name most associated with the format, having more or less defined it, but Yashica, Mamiya and Minolta all built well regarded TLRs of their own, often at a fraction of the price.
Why it is an excellent choice
This is where things get genuinely interesting, and where a lot of photographers fall properly in love with the medium.
The waist level finder changes how you shoot. Looking down rather than holding the camera to your eye is quieter, less confrontational, and often less noticed by the subject. Street and portrait photographers alike find that people behave differently around a camera that is not pointed straight at their face.
Medium format negatives are a different world. A 6x6 negative carries far more resolution and tonal information than 35mm. Grain is finer, prints can go larger, and there is a particular quality to medium format images that is difficult to replicate any other way.
The square frame forces new compositional thinking. Without the usual rectangular crop, you have to think differently about balance and framing. Many photographers find this genuinely improves their eye once they adjust to it.
They are mechanically simple and durable. With no auto everything, and for most models no light seals to worry about, and a design that has changed little in decades, TLRs are often remarkably reliable secondhand, especially the well built examples.
Slowness is the point. Between the waist level finder, the reversed image, and typically manual everything, a TLR asks you to slow right down. For anyone drawn to the deliberate, considered pace that analogue photography can offer, the TLR delivers that in full.
What to check before buying. Look closely at the focusing screen for brightness and any haze, and check that both lenses focus in sync with each other, since a misaligned pair means sharp on the screen but soft on the negative. Fungus inside the lens elements is also common on older examples and worth inspecting for.
There are real limitations. Fixed lenses, twelve frames per roll on 120 film, and a learning curve around that reversed viewing screen. But the character a TLR brings to an image, and the way it changes how you move through a shoot, is exactly why so many photographers describe picking one up as a turning point.
This camera is not usually a recommended starting point. However, if you are already handy with a digital camera, know the basics well enough, and have an appetite to challenge yourself, there is no reason you can't make a TLR your first film camera.
6. Medium Format SLRs
It is easy to assume that an SLR means a 35mm camera, but the through the lens principle we covered earlier is not tied to any particular film size. The same mirror and prism arrangement, or in some cases a simpler mirror and waist level finder, exists in cameras built around medium format film instead. The mechanics are familiar. The scale is not.
Names like the Mamiya 645, Bronica, Hasselblad, Pentax 67 and the Mamiya RB67 and RZ67 all fall into this category. These cameras still use a mirror to reflect light up for viewing, and the shutter still fires when that mirror flips out of the way, but everything around that principle grows to accommodate a much larger negative.
Medium format itself comes in a few common frame sizes, and it is worth knowing the names without needing to memorise the details.
6x4.5 produces a rectangular frame, roughly the same proportions as a 35mm frame but considerably larger, and gets you the most exposures per roll of the medium format sizes.
6x6 gives a square frame, the same shape a TLR produces, and is what a Hasselblad is best known for.
6x7 sits closer to the proportions of a standard print, which is part of why cameras like the Pentax 67 became popular with studio and portrait photographers.
6x9 produces the largest and most rectangular frame of the common medium format sizes, closer in feel to a large format image, though it means fewer frames per roll.
None of this needs to be memorised on a first read. What matters is understanding that the frame size shapes both how many shots you get from a roll and the character of the final image.
Why it is an excellent choice
Medium format SLRs bring together the best of two worlds, and for photographers who have outgrown 35mm, or who want image quality suited to large prints and serious portrait or landscape work, they are hard to beat.
The image quality is substantial. A larger negative captures far more detail and tonal range than 35mm, which becomes obvious the moment you print or scan large. This is the format professional studios relied on for decades for exactly this reason.
Through the lens accuracy carries over. All the benefits of composing and focusing through the actual lens still apply, just on a bigger stage. What you see in the finder is what you get on the negative, no parallax to account for.
The system depth rivals 35mm SLRs. Interchangeable lenses, backs, viewfinders and accessories mean these systems can be built out and adapted to almost any kind of shoot, from studio portraiture to landscape work in the field.
They suit deliberate, considered photography. Fewer frames per roll and a heavier, more involved setup naturally slow the process down. For portrait and landscape photographers in particular, this pace often produces stronger, more considered results.
Different frame sizes offer real creative choice. Whether you want the square discipline of 6x6, the classic print proportions of 6x7, or the efficiency of 6x4.5, the format itself becomes part of your creative decision, not just a technical spec.
What to budget for. These systems are usually bought body, lens and back separately, secondhand, which means the total cost can climb quickly even if the body itself looks affordable. When buying used, always confirm the specific back or lens you're looking at is genuinely compatible with the body, since mounts and back systems vary between manufacturers and even between generations of the same manufacturer.
The trade offs are size, weight and cost. These are not pocketable cameras, lenses and bodies can be expensive, and the mechanical complexity means more that can need servicing over time. But for anyone serious about image quality and willing to slow down for it, medium format SLRs remain one of the most rewarding directions film photography can take.
7. Folding Cameras
Folding cameras are one of the oldest camera designs still in circulation today, and they deserve a place here precisely because they rarely come up in the usual conversations about film cameras. Open one up and the lens sits at the end of a set of bellows, a concertina of light sealed material that extends outward from the body on a hinged frame. Close it, and the whole thing collapses flat, turning what would otherwise be a bulky medium format camera into something that fits comfortably into a coat pocket or a small bag.
Most folders were built around medium format film, and viewing systems vary. Some use a simple viewfinder, others a coupled rangefinder, and there are even a handful of folding SLRs, though these are far rarer. What unites them all is the bellows, and the sheer cleverness of the engineering that lets a camera this compact produce a negative this large.
What to check before buying: Folders are a genuine example of why our next guide, on buying secondhand, needs to exist. An old folder can look absolutely gorgeous, all brushed metal and leatherette, and still be hiding pinholes in the bellows that let light leak straight onto the film, shutter speeds that have drifted wildly from what the dial claims, or a rangefinder that no longer aligns correctly. None of this is visible from a photo online or even from a quick handling in person. It takes knowing what to check, and holding a lit torch inside the folded bellows in a dark room is one simple test that catches most pinhole problems before you buy.
8. Instant Cameras
Instant cameras, Polaroid and Instax being the names most people know, take a genuinely different route into analogue photography. Rather than exposing a negative that then needs developing and scanning or printing later, the chemistry needed to produce the image is built directly into the film itself. Press the shutter, the camera ejects the shot, and the image develops in your hand over the following minutes.
The appeal here is immediacy. There is no waiting for a lab, no negative to interpret later, no scanning. What comes out of the camera is the finished, physical photograph, and that alone makes instant cameras worth understanding, because anyone searching for their first film camera is going to run into them almost immediately. They sit slightly outside the rest of this list, since none of the language around negatives, development or scanning really applies, but the appeal of holding a real photograph within minutes of taking it is enormous, and entirely valid as a reason to shoot film.
What to budget for: This is the one place where ongoing cost matters more than upfront cost. Instant film runs considerably more per shot than 35mm or medium format, and because there is no negative, a shot you're not happy with cannot be reprinted or rescanned later. Worth factoring in if you plan to shoot often.
9. Disposable / Single Use Cameras
Disposable cameras are not something anyone chooses as their serious first camera, and it is worth saying that plainly. Fixed everything, a single roll of film built in, and once it is finished, that is the end of the camera's life. But they earn a brief mention here because they are arguably the easiest, lowest commitment way to find out whether you actually enjoy shooting film before spending money on equipment. Pick one up, shoot the roll, get it developed, and see how the process feels. If something about waiting for results and not being able to check the screen appeals to you, that is a good sign film photography might be worth pursuing properly.
So Which One Should You Choose?
Rather than naming a single winner, run through this checklist against the honest answers you gave yourself earlier.
If this sounds like you
I want to properly learn photography and understand exposure
I just want easy, reliable film photos with no fuss
I want something compact, quiet and suited to street work
I want the medium format look and I'm ready to slow down
I want a physical photograph the moment I take it
I just want to find out if I even enjoy this before spending money
Consider
An SLR
A point and shoot
Rangefinder
A TLR or a medium format SLR
An instant camera
A disposable camera
Because
Manual controls and through the lens accuracy give the strongest foundation
Automatic exposure and autofocus remove the guesswork
Discreet, precise focusing, and genuinely enjoyable to carry all day
Bigger negatives and a more deliberate shooting process
Chemistry built into the film means no negative, no waiting
Lowest possible commitment, no equipment to research or buy
The point of all this is not to push you towards buying anything just yet. It is to make sure that when you do start looking at cameras, you understand what you are actually looking at, what it will realistically cost you to run, and whether it suits how you actually want to shoot.
What Comes Next
Choosing the type of camera is only half the battle. Most film cameras you will be looking at have not been manufactured for decades, which means where you buy one and how you inspect it can be just as important as the model itself. In the next DarkLab guide, we'll look at where to buy a secondhand film camera, what to test before handing over your money, the warning signs to look for, and how to avoid getting scammed.
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