Best Beginner Camera for Film Photography: A Guide to Get Started (No BS)
Everyone walks into the shop asking the same thing. What camera should I get. What film should I shoot first. So we made a video that actually answers it instead of sending you down a Reddit rabbit hole for three hours. Here's the rundown. Full video below :
35mm vs Medium Format vs Large Format
Three formats exist. 35mm, medium format, large format. Bigger negative means bigger image, more resolution, and shallower depth of field at the same focal length, which is why medium format has that dreamy blurred background look everyone's chasing (yeah it's an oversimplification don't @me please lol). But for a beginner camera, 35mm wins. It's cheap, it's everywhere, and you get up to 36 shots a roll instead of 15.
Large format isn't for beginners. It's very expensive and unforgiving. Skip it for now, but if it's something you're looking forward to try, check out our other guide made with Austin.
Point and Shoot vs SLR vs Rangefinder
Point and shoots are small, dumb, and perfect. No settings, no excuses, just point it and shoot. Great for street photography, parties, whatever's happening in front of you.
SLRs are where you actually learn. You control aperture and shutter speed and you can change lenses. Start with a 50mm or go a bit wider with 28mm. Solid beginner cameras: Minolta X700, Canon AE1, Canon A1, Pentax ME Super, Pentax MX, Olympus OM1, OM2, Nikon FM, Nikon FE.
Rangefinders are not really a beginner camera. The rangefinder focus system takes real practice and the good ones (looking at you, Leica bros) will empty your bank account.
What Film to Shoot First
Color: Fujicolor 200 or Kodak Gold. Cheap, saturated, forgiving. Depending on where you live, you can also try cinema film like 250D or 500T, or CineStill for that same cinematic tone. Once you have a specific project in mind, that's when we'd recommend Kodak Portra 400 or 800 for better skin tones, or Ektar if you're shooting landscapes.
Black and white: Kentmere is great to start. Cheap and gets the job done. Double X is another solid, affordable option with a classic cinematic look. Ilford HP5, Kodak Tri-X, and Ilford Delta 400 once you want more control.
How to Load 35mm Film
For most point and shoots, line the leader up with the take up spool, make sure the sprockets catch the teeth, close the back, wind until the counter hits 1. If you see a blinking zero or an E, it didn't catch. Open it back up and try again. Don't force it.
For SLRs, it's mostly the same thing but manually. Check out our video guide for more precision.
Metering 101
An easy start is to meter for the shadows, every time. Negative film handles overexposure well but hates being underexposed, so leaning toward the shadows protects detail where it actually matters and keeps your blacks from turning muddy. You'll get most of your negatives right this way, but once you get the hang of it you can start being more precise about exposure and try different metering approaches.
Watch the Full Video
We go through all of this live on camera, loading and shooting a point and shoot and an SLR side by side, so you can actually see it instead of just reading about it.
Shot Your First Roll?
Bring it to us. We'll develop and scan it so you can see what you actually caught.
