So, the day has finally come to take the plunge and buy a film camera, whether you’re switching from digital/phone to film for that unique aesthetic or you’re tired of using disposables it can be very tricky to know where to start!
The fact is, you’re probably not going to find your ideal camera first time of trying. Like everything analogue, the key to learning is experimentation, and unless you know exactly what you’re trying to do with your photography it’s hard to know what camera to choose. The best way to start is to decide which camp you’re in: the happy snapper or the budding pro.
If you just want something to take out with you that won’t let you down, and won’t leave you disappointed, wasting money at the lab on blank rolls of film, you need a point and shoot. Something that does the thinking for you - automatic focus, automatic exposure, automatic winding… automatic everything! There are literally hundreds of these out these out there and you can get something great without spending more than £30-£50 (even less if you’re willing dig through charity shops and car-boots!)
If you’re more on the side of wanting full control of your photography, or want to understand more about exposure and how a photograph is made, you’d be better with a manual camera. For this, an SLR is a great way to go. Thankfully, like point and shoots, these are super common and you can pick something up for around the same price as one if you’re lucky. An SLR will give you full control over your photography, and some more recent ones will even let you use them like an automatic camera too, so if you’re feeling lazy you can let the camera do the work.
Most importantly, whatever you decide, go and experiment, challenge yourself and if you want to know more, book yourself onto one of our Intro to Film Cameras workshops!