10 Best Vintage Film Cameras For Beginners In 2024📸

[@HelmutWFanck]

Hi Jacques, thank you very much for this really great post! Very nice cameras included. 👍 I've been a Nikon fan boy for decades. I use the good old AF-D lenses digitally and have been on an F5 for a very long time, not small and definitely not light. :-)) But stable and reliable. I develop monochrome films myself and scan the negatives. Pure fun! People dare to take analogue photographs, it's a beautiful journey. Have a great time everyone and take great photos. Best regards from Germany🖐👍🍀

[@JacquesGaines]

An F5? Holy sh!t you are in business.

[@GONZOFAM7]

I'd say a Canon EOS Rebel meets all those criteria best. The PASM knob is the original that all digital cameras have now. Easy to use. Auto focus and fantastic lenses that are forward compatible to later Canon cameras. The EOS 2000 is quick takea good shots, light to carry and cheap enough if it breaks you can buy another without too much heartbreak.

[@JacquesGaines]

Agree and disagree. What I will be showing in my buyers guide is rhat I omit cameras that are to electronically and "electrically" dependant. Those EOS cameras often have an automatic winding system that tends to break over time.

[@tomislavmiletic_]

Hello, nice to see ya around 😁 Can't tell you how many times I've fixed devices with crusted batteries inside, mostly successful, but not always... Leicas are out of my price range. But if I wanna shoot rangefinders I'll grab either my newly acquired Olympus 35RC or one of my dad's Zorkis that recently sprang to life by themselves (yep, Russian cameras are weird). I had Nikon FM2, bought new, and as idiot that I am, I've sold it. Recently I've acquired a beautiful Olympus OM40, but it already crapped on me. And all photo mechanics are on summer leave 🤬 It's not a total loss, course the lens I got with it (50mm macro) is usually worth more than the whole set I've got. So for a while I'll keep shooting my old trusty OM1n. Fully mechanical film cameras are still the best in my mind. And for people that are coming from FF DSLR-s cameras that never shot film before (rare breed, I know) but wanna try it out, it wouldn't be the worst idea to look for cheap film SLR autofocus cameras, course they wouldn't need to buy a whole new set of lenses. For example, both Canon 500n or Nikon F601 can be obtained between for $20 to $40 in good condition. Just saying. Cheers

[@JacquesGaines]

First of all "Russian cameras a wierd" So relieved to hear that I am not the only one that thinks this. Second, you bring up some cool alternatives to my list. Can you share the links? By the way. I agree on the Nikon F601. But I wanted to keep cameras that were too electrically dependant. Thanks for the input. Cheers!

[@fxarts9755]

recommending hasselblad or leica to a beginner is like recommending a bugatti as a great first car to learn driving in

[@JacquesGaines]

More like recommending a Mercedez 450 SL to someone who likes to drive older cars, has the budget to afford a collector edition, and craves "loveliness" and "coolness". Is "coolness" a factor? Hell yes it is! Your Bugatti example talks about a more recent car and not a vintage car. Your example should be the reaction to me recommending the camera that was on the U2 spy planes, which I did not do. Also, list numbers 1 through 5 are in the easy and affordable range guy. The list goes from more expensive and complex to easy and affordable. Get the Blad or the Leica and you have the advantage of never needing to upgrade if you like film photography. They are great choices for beginners. Definitely not cheap but I also mention these cons at the end of each recommendation. Cheers!

[@IreneHidalgo-x2b]

Hello! :) Have you tried Canon T-70?

[@JacquesGaines]

Yes. I owned one but unfortunately it goes in the category of gear that was too electronic. The odd of it bering broken down or breaking down are high.

[@angelinakubica4949]

Hi there- thank you for the informative video :) I was wondering, as I'm looking for a film camera just to have a go with film rather than take professional photos, do you know if there are any simple vintage cameras that could be in the $15-40 range that work ok?

[@JacquesGaines]

Hmm. You might want to go the way of the point and shoot cameras from the 90s and early 200s. The Powershots and Pentaxs were parrticularly good. Remeber to check that battery compartment!

[@angelinakubica4949]

@@JacquesGaines Right- that definitely narrows it down! I was looking at 60s/70s/80s ones but they seem way too unreliable at that price range 😆. Thanks again

[@metalfingersfilm]

bruh you're recommending a Hasselblad 500c for a beginner in 2024..? lol

[@GONZOFAM7]

Yeah hahaha😂

[@JacquesGaines]

Yes I am. As you might not have seen, my criteria is durability over time, coolness, user experience. Where Blads excel is in the durability sector. 99% of these babies work perfectly after years of using them. Where they fail and stay at 9th place is with price, and learning curve. But I understand your concerns. How do you feel about the rest of the list?

[@doogster07]

@@JacquesGainesthis list IS definitely not for beginners. Nothing but high dollar cameras that a beginner shouldn’t even be considering if they don’t know the basics. Just seems like you put them in there just to have. You show a picture of an M3 with a leicavit???…😂 c’mon man! You wanna recommend a rangefinder for a beginner than show a canonet. Hell, even an FM2 are considerably over priced for a beginner. How about starting with an FM or an FTN and working your way from there. My lord, this list needs to be fixed.

[@JacquesGaines]

I knew I would get people who disagreed, but I stick to my list heart and soul. Remeber that the top 5 are relatively cheap. I also, think I adressed these in my cons section of each camera. I truly do feel that the K1000, AE1, A1, Ricoh GR1, and X700 adress your concerns though. My blog post goes into my criteria in more detail by the way. Here is the link: jacquesgaines.com/2024/07/10/10-best-vintage-film-cameras-for-beginners-in-2024/

[@metalfingersfilm]

@@JacquesGaines how is coolness a more important factor than price for a beginner when wanting to pick up a camera to learn to shoot?

[@pedrol.5417]

I should ad The Olympus OM2 and The Nikon FM3A.

[@JacquesGaines]

OM2 is totally amazing. The optics of those cameras were stellar!

[@brucetaylor607]

Why the hell did I gave my son my Minolta X-700? It's been sitting in my closet for over 20 years with the batteries out (Thank God). He's had the camera for 2 years now and it's in prime condition. He's added 2 Minolta lenses and a Minolta flash and he loves that camera. I KNOW I'M NOT GETTING THAT CAMERA BACK. LOL.

[@JacquesGaines]

I love that camera. To me, one of the best of its time

[@ericlarson6180]

A correction on the Nikon FM2 is your comment on the battery: You are correct that a battery corrosion could affect the electronics, but you are incorrect that there are a lot of electronics in the camera. The FM2 like the FM that I own is a fully manual camera. The battery only powers a light meter. The FE2 is fully electronic, and is a bit less popular because of this, but it, unlike the FM2, has aperture priority. Also, all of the cameras you mentioned that have light meters, have battery compartments, and several have much more electronics than a Nikon FE. Also, I had the Hasselblad 500cm, and I wouldn’t call it a beginner camera. My current film cameras are the Nikon F3, FE, and FM, all excellent, and those vintage Nikkor lenses are amazing.

[@JacquesGaines]

Point taken

[@ataboyboyboy8895]

My list: get a canon A1 and you are done even when you become an expert. Easy to find and cheap. If you want multi metering get the canon t90, if you want autofocus get the EOS 1 range. Got my a1, fully serviced for £130, 4 lenses 28, 50, 135, and 35-135 macro for £160, mint. If you have EF lenses go for the canon EOS range, I got 3 mint, canon 100 (£20), canon 1000fn (£23), and EOS 1n (£150).

[@JacquesGaines]

You are clearly a Canon film camera fan. That A-1 was excellent

[@ataboyboyboy8895]

@@JacquesGaines true, but I am not dogmatic about it 😀. It is just hard to change a system when you have invested so much in it. For any brand there is a similar A1. For my daily carry I have the Leica d-lux 7. See not cannon 😂

[@jordanjoestar8839]

1: Olympus OM1 2: Olympus OM1 3: Olympus OM1 I love the Canon AE1 and A1. But the build and accuracy to me has never lived up to the OM1. After thousands of shots, shooting in rain, snow and more my hit rate with the OM is well over 95%. In fact, id say in good faith I know every shot from my OM is going to be perfect! (Assuming the light meter is working, which even with the "wrong" modern battery is DEAD ACCURATE)

[@JacquesGaines]

Yes totally agree. Lets not forget that crazy amazing Zuiko glass.

[@tomislavmiletic_]

Yeeeeah, I just might buy myself ANOTHER one 😇

[@OrlandoBautista-m8z]

Nikon F5

[@JacquesGaines]

Agreed. Amazing camera