Vintage film cameras have recently peaked my interest. I bought a Polaroid OneStep Land Camera, but have come to find that one cannot buy film for such a camera. What other vintage film cameras should I look for that are fairly old, but still "alive" in the photography industry. In other words, I’d like an old camera for which I can buy film.
Jay says
Yashica D TLR – TLRs are fun, with their waist level view screens, and the quality of a well made one is stunning (the yashica D’s lens is sharp, put in some nice film, and go to town)
Or a Minolta Autocord, both fantastic TLRs and about $100-$150
Briley says
I have a Diana+F that I got from Lomography.com It’s all plastic and takes "dreamy" like pictures.
It uses 120film, which you can still buy or you could get the Instant pictures piece so it works a lot like a polaroid camera.
littlealien says
A Holga.
They are super cheap and make great vintage looking pics!
Pooky says
You must be young. Polaroid, although out of business, is hardly a vintage camera.
How about a Leica M3? It’s a classic. (And not very old either.)
Fishmeister says
TLR’s are great, I own a Yashica A myself, but I think you should look at a 35mm SLR or rangefinder. If you could tell us what budget you have and what kind of photography you are interested in then it will be easier to give a better recommendation.
Here are a few you should consider..
SLRs
Canon A-1
Canon AE-1
Pentax K1000
Olympus OM series
Others..
Fujica Auto M
Voigtlander Vito B or C
Ricoh 500G or GX
That’s just a few I recommend off the top of my head (I own most of them)..
Another one to consider that is very cheap is an Olympus Trip 35, a great little camera. Zone focus, no batteries required, 40mm f/2.8 Zuiko lens (very sharp!) and available for around £20 on eBay. I always have one in my pocket. No manual options but hey, if I want those then I will just take an SLR out (but they do not fit in your pocket!)..
My Olympus Trip set..
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Jo says
I would get a 35mm, not a medium format (6×6, 6×7, 6×8 or any 120 film). I say this because buying and processing the film for a medium format is a huge hassle and more of an expense for these type of films. Some companies have already stopped making these sizes and you can only take 10-15 pictures per roll.
35mm, however can still be purchased and processed in any corner drug store. You can make a quality 11×14 or larger with that tiny negative, so there is no reason to use a larger film, anyway. It’s a good camera that makes a good photo, and a good lens that makes a good camera.
I would get a SLR camera (single lens reflex). This is a detatchable lens with a mirror inside that flips up to the eye piece. That way when you look through the camera you are looking through the lens itself and not a view finder. Good brands are canon, hassleblad, nikon, minolta.