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5 Cameras for Beginner Film Photographers

I’ve tried out a LOT of cameras over the years. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve met a camera that I didn’t like. However, there are a few that tend to make it into my camera bag more often than others. I’m always looking for cameras that are capable of meeting all of my personal needs as a photographer. Every photographer is different, but for me those personal needs are: simplicity, multiple exposures and lightweight body. I travel quite a bit and I hate carrying around a super heavy camera bag. I’ve learned to fill my bag with cameras that are light and small, instead of gigantic and heavy. I’m always jealous of those photographers that just have one camera in their bag with an assortment of lenses. MUST BE NICE. I just like to have options and I like to allow myself creativity in as many ways as possible. I’m just not a minimalist, as much as I wish I was! I wanted to share the top 5 cameras that tend to make it into my camera bag more often than not. All of these cameras are GREAT for beginners because they offer a TON of different features but are also all very simple to use. Not to mention, they’re affordable, collectible and fun!

HOLGA GCFN 120 CAMERA

You guys KNOW I’m obsessed with the Holga. I believe that every photographer should have one of these on their shelf and try it out at some point. To me, it’s a great way to begin understanding photography from a very basic level. It’s reminiscent of an older time, but has that cute, quirky style and is still being produced today. Sadly, it’s only being produced in the solid black color today, but you can find the fun, colorful ones on eBay. It’s essentially a pinhole camera, but with a few more features and easier controls. I love this camera so much that I’ve dedicated an entire blog post and YouTube video to it. This is the camera that always makes it into my camera bag no matter what. If I’m walking around town with only one camera, it’s this one. There is a 35mm version of this camera too (I just recently made a YouTube video about it!) but I prefer the 120 version. 120 film is slowly dying (for some reason!) so as a photographer, I beg of you to continue supporting 120 film. The negatives are much larger than 35mm which allows you much more detail and capability for printing. KEEP 120 FILM ALIVE!

CAMERA:

Purchase a Holga 120 GCFN on Amazon

Purchase a Holga 120 GCFN on eBay!

Purchase a Holga 120 GCFN on KEH Camera

FILM RECOMMENDATIONS:

Lomography 400 120 film

Kodak Portra 160 120 film

Kodak Portra 400 120 film

#CommissionsEarned

MINOLTA MAXXUM STSI

The Minolta Maxxum STsi is actually a newer camera to my collection but it has moved up to the top VERY quickly. It just has every single feature I like in a 35 mm film camera. A zoom lens, autofocus, panorama mode, multiple exposure mode, lightweight body, flash and auto setting. This is a PERFECT choice for any beginner 35mm film photographer. I have the AF 28-85mm 3.5-4.5 Zoom lens, which I purchased separately from the kit lens. This lens is a little bit sharper and better quality than the kit lens. Also, this camera is SUPER affordable and makes a great gift. I’m truly in love with mine and it’s my number one choice now for traveling when I’m grabbing my 35mm cameras. You can read more about this camera in my blog post here!

I purchased the body ($18) and the AF 28-85mm 3.5-4.5 Zoom lens ($25) separately, both on eBay. Browse through the available options here for the body or here for the lens!

But you can also find it on Amazon or KEH Camera. There are a ton of different versions of this camera, so if you ever have questions, I recommend calling KEH Camera and asking them what they’d recommend if they don’t have the STsi version. They’re always great with giving advice on film cameras.

FILM RECOMMENDATIONS:

Kodak Gold 200 35mm film

Kodak Portra 160 35mm film

Lomography 100 35mm film

#CommissionsEarned

NIKON FE2 OR FE3

This is probably the most expensive camera on this list but if you’re looking for a tad bit nicer camera with an amazing lens, I recommend the Nikon FE2 or FE3. These are on-par with the Canon AE-1 (which is also an incredible camera but doesn’t have a multiple exposure feature). I went into Blue Moon Camera in Portland, Oregon one day, asking if they had the Pentax K1000 or Canon AE-1. However, after chatting with the sales associate for a while, we decided the Nikon FE2 would be more my speed. I absolutely need a multiple exposure feature and I prefer to have an aperture-priority setting as well, especially when shooting weddings. The Nikon FE2 met all of my requirements. However, it is manual focus which takes some getting used to. Once you get the hang of it though, the photographs are incredibly sharp and beautiful, with a lovely bokeh blur and crispness that you won’t get with cheaper cameras like the Minolta Maxxum I mentioned above. The Nikon FE2 is more on the professional side and is really a collector’s item. It’s a beautiful camera with that classic old-school look to it. You can’t go wrong with this camera. I’ll never ever get rid of mine. I have a YouTube video and full blog post about this camera too!

CAMERA:

Purchase a Nikon FE2 on Amazon!

Purchase a Nikon FE2 on eBay!

Purchase a Nikon FE2 on KEH Camera!

LENS:

50mm f/1.4 AF Nikkor

35-70mm f/3.3 AF Nikkor (more affordable zoom lens)

FILM RECOMMENDATIONS:

Kodak Gold 200 35mm film

Kodak Portra 160 35mm

Lomography 100 35mm film

#CommissionsEarned

POLAROID 600 CAMERA

While I believe that every photographer should have a Holga, I also equally believe that every photographer should have a Polaroid camera. After a long and arduous process, the Polaroid brand is finally back up and running, producing new cameras and film. Thank the heavens above! Personally, I have the Polaroid One-Step 600 and Polaroid Impulse. Both of these are incredibly easy to use, sturdy and super cute on the shelf. I was lucky enough to receive them as heirlooms from my family members but you can still find vintage versions of the One-Step and Impulse on Amazon, eBay and KEH Camera. Or, if you prefer new cameras, Polaroid has recently released the Polaroid Now and Polaroid Go cameras. Everyone loves a Polaroid. They’re instantly gratifying, have beautiful color tones and are just plain fun to have at a party or event. I always bring a Polaroid camera with me to every shoot. It’s nice to have a physical print from each shoot as a keepsake. Check out my YouTube video from our trip to Japan where I took photos with the Polaroid One-Step 600! Or you can check out my blog post to see tons of sample photos I’ve taken with this camera over the years.

CAMERA:

Purchase a Polaroid One-Step 600 on Amazon!

Purchase a Polaroid One-Step 600 on eBay!

Purchase a Polaroid One-Step 600 on KEH Camera!

Purchase a Polaroid Now or Polaroid Go on Polaroid.com!

FILM:

Purchase Polaroid 600 film on Polaroid.com!

Purchase 600 film on Amazon!

CANON REBEL K2

The Canon Rebel K2 is another affordable 35mm film camera that I always recommend when friends and family ask me what camera they should get before they go on a big trip. This was my very first 35mm film camera and definitely holds a special place in my heart. There’s not really anything super duper special about this camera, but it just happens to meet all of my personal requirements for a travel camera. It weighs next to nothing, has a flash, zoom lens, multiple exposure setting, autofocus, aperture priority, shutter priority, and full auto setting. It’s not the sharpest camera in the world, but there’s a certain nostalgia that the photos seem to have, especially when shooting in black and white. I took this camera with me on my first trip to Paris, and I’m still obsessed with the photos I took on that trip. I even recreated those photos on a recent trip to Paris and made a YouTube video about it! I also have a how-to YouTube video and blog post about this camera too, with tons of sample photos. The Canon Rebel G is incredibly similar to this camera too, if you’re not able to find a Canon Rebel K2.

CAMERA:

Purchase a Canon Rebel K2 on KEH Camera

Purchase a Canon Rebel K2 on eBay!

Purchase a Canon Rebel K2 on Amazon!

FILM RECOMMENDATIONS:

Neopan Acros 100 35mm B&W film

Kodak Gold 200 35mm film

Lomography 100 35mm film

#CommissionsEarned

If you found this post helpful or if you’d like to see more of my work, I’d love it if you considered signing up for my Patreon! For as little as $1 a month, you’ll get early access to all of my YouTube videos, plus tons of photos that I don’t post anywhere else. Depending on which tier you choose, you could also receive seasonal prints and/or discounts! I always use all of the proceeds towards cameras, film & processing. Find out more here!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Feel free to leave questions and comments below.

Have a great day!
<3 Myles Katherine

I feel like I say this a lot, but I’m obsessed with the Canon Rebel K2. So much so that when my sister asked if she could borrow mine for our family trip to Italy, I had a brief freak out and then somehow convinced her to buy her own instead! It’s only $30-60 so it didn’t really make sense that I was stressing out so much about something happening to mine, except for the fact that it was my very first film camera and changed the whole trajectory of my life (no big deal). The first photographs I ever developed in the darkroom were taken with my Canon Rebel K2 and I’ve been a photographer ever since! I suppose I have quite the sentimental attachment to it that I wasn’t fully aware of until my sister’s inquiry.

I don’t typically bring my Canon Rebel K2 with me on trips because I have so many other cameras that are technically “better”, but I recently took it with me to Italy and France. On my first trip to Paris in 2010, I used my Canon Rebel K2 and Neopan Acros 100 film. I’m still in love with those photos so I decided to recreate that same camera set-up during my recent trip. I brought a few rolls of Neopan Acros 100 (version II - they don’t make the original version of this film anymore) and once again, this camera delivered. I think it’s going to be hard to leave this camera at home when I go on future trips - there’s just something special about it.

The Canon Rebel K2 has all of the features you’d want in a travel camera: a SUPER lightweight body, automatic and manual settings, a flash, a multiple exposure feature and an option for a zoom lens ( I use the 28-90mm f/5.6 kit lens). It’s also incredibly inconspicuous and is great for street photography. I’m quite a shy person, so the idea of bothering someone or making them upset with me if I took their photo would be my nightmare, so the fact that this camera doesn’t stand out or look expensive or distracting is a positive feature in my book.

I’ve included a few of my favorite photographs from 2010, followed by a few of my favorites from my recent trip. I still think that there’s something beautiful about the original version of the Neopan Acros 100 film - it seems sharper and better at capturing detail in the highlights and shadows. The new version of the film is still beautiful but just doesn’t seem to bring that same moodiness that I loved so much in the original version. I’d love to know your thoughts and if you notice a difference in the two films!

If you love this camera as much as I do, make sure to check out my YouTube video and review for the Canon Rebel K2 below, or you can purchase your own:

Purchase a Canon Rebel K2 on KEH Camera

Purchase a Canon Rebel K2 on eBay!

Purchase a Canon Rebel K2 on Amazon!

FILM RECOMMENDATIONS:

Neopan Acros 100 35mm B&W film

Kodak Gold 200 35mm film

Lomography 100 35mm film

Thanks so much for stopping by!

<3 Myles Katherine