You would think that digital photography overcame analog film a long time ago. Today, corporations are striving to automate shooting and post-processing so that users don’t have to worry about settings to get outstanding pictures. But film photography is not giving up, and some photographic giants are still producing their iconic cameras. Besides, the secondary market is always crowded with all kinds of vintage cameras.
If you want to discover the world of film photography, my rating will help you not get lost in such a huge diversity of film cameras. Today I will tell you about the best film cameras that are still relevant and which can be found at flea markets and in stores in the year 2021.
Zenit-412
Approximate price on eBay = $120.
One of the latest cameras from the glorious Krasnogorsk Factory was named after A. Zverev. Few people know that Zenit had its first mirrorless digital camera some time ago, but it had an extremely high price and poor features compared to its analogs. But let’s get back to that wonderful film camera. It was released in the early ’90s and had two versions with prefixes DX and LS designed for DX-coded film. It’s kind of a bridge between full digital automation and analog photography. In a nutshell, such a film helps you properly expose your shots. The camera itself most often comes with a pretty good regular 50mm Zenitar lens – a tool of true photographers.
+ Large range of inexpensive lenses.
– Wide step between exposures.
Features:
Body made of aluminum alloy and plastic, shutter speed from 1/30 to 1/500 sec, frame counter, M42 lens mount, 530 g.
Leica M-A
Approximate price on eBay = $5000.
If you are looking for a mechanically perfect film camera and you are not stingy with your device for the sake of an idea – you definitely need this Leica film camera! The company had already released it in recent history as a kind of crowning achievement. There was also a formal occasion – the 60th anniversary of the proprietary M mount – a type of lens mount. Note that this camera is devoid of any automation, so you have to use an exposure meter or carry a shutter speed to aperture ratio chart. The film here is 135 format. Curiously, despite trying to make a camera from the ’50s, the developers couldn’t help but introduce lens recognition and modern flash support.
+ Build quality.
– High price.
Features:
Body made of aluminum alloy, plastic, eco-leather, shutter speed from 1 to 1/1000 sec, burst mode, M lens mount, 578 g.
Canon AE-1
Approximate price on eBay = $200
You can also find a model with a “Program” prefix on the market – an even more advanced camera with a refined automatic exposure system. At the turn of the ’70s and ’80s, it made a revolution because it was the first film camera where the Japanese integrated a processor. This innovation was precisely what made auto-exposure metering possible. Canon AE-1 is called the most popular film camera in history because of this feature.
This camera will be a great tool in the hands of creative people who aren’t ready to dive headfirst into different exposure schemes. The automatics work just like in today’s cameras, except you end up having to select the final settings by hand and press the shutter release. However, if you can find a motor drive on sale, you will be able to shoot in bursts.
+ Electronics to help beginners understand film photography.
– FD lenses (not modern EF lenses) that you’ll have to hunt down on the market.
Features:
Plastic body with copper flecks, shutter speed from 2 to 1/1000 sec, FD lens mount, 590 g.
Nikon F90
Approximate price on eBay = $100
And again, in the beginning, I remark that this camera can be found with the prefixes “S,” “N,” “X” – all these are the same camera but with some technical modifications. Its era was in the ’90s, and it already has some standard Nikon features in its body controls. Many photojournalists have used this camera worldwide. It has a 3D matrix exposure metering – the beautiful name is nothing more than a marketing trick of those times. But the automatic exposure metering is excellent. This camera is as close as possible to the next generation of digital cameras, so it’s easy to use for those raised on today’s Nikons.
+ All of the features are the same as in modern digital cameras, except for digitalization.
– Noisy and slow focus.
Features:
Plastic body, shutter speed from 30 to 1/8000 sec, F lens mount, 755 g.
Minolta X-700
Approximate price on eBay = $100
Those who are just starting their photography career may hear about this brand for the first time because nowadays, products with such a name have remained only in the medical field. In fact, Minolta’s photography division has merged with Sony and is conquering the modern mirrorless camera market. This model has all the necessary features available to film cameras these days, except for autofocus. It was considered one of the best in the ’80s and was assembled in factories until the early 2000s. It had an aperture priority mode where the shutter speed was suggested by the lens blades closing.
+ Sophisticated ergonomics.
– Does not work without batteries.
Features:
Plastic body, shutter speed from 2 to 1/1000 sec, MD lens mount, 505 g.
Pentax K1000
Approximate price on eBay = $160
Highly reliable camera at a low price – it was in the list of the best film cameras both in the ’80s – ’90s and nowadays. When other photo giants tried to cram more electronics into their cameras and deprived the user of the opportunity to shoot without batteries, this corporation followed the beaten path of full mechanics and didn’t go wrong. Today, the Pentax K1000 has become the benchmark among other analogs.
For a long time, the camera was considered a perfect teaching tool for beginner photographers. The Pentax K1000 is most often sold with a standard 50mm lens with a light f2 aperture. Interestingly, on the market, you can find lenses for this camera not only from Asians but also from the Krasnogorsk factory.
+ Rugged and durable.
– Uncomfortable shutter speed dial.
Features:
Depending on the year of production, the camera has a metal or plastic body, shutter speed from 1 to 1/1000 sec, K lens mount, 600g.
