Why do we need to know about the best film cameras of the 2020s? Well, analog photography is far from dead in the digital age. While it may be slow, unpredictable, and costly for many photographers, analog photography has a certain magical, vintage touch that all the megapixels in the world cannot replicate. Its imperfections, latitude, and richness keep both young and old photographers falling in love with analog photography, and that's before we even get to the wonderful, reliable machines that are the best film cameras.

Today there are countless used film cameras for sale. Lovingly maintained and in perfect working order, they can be bought from quality stores like ours or from private sellers; it may take a bit of savvy to make sure you're getting a good deal for your money, but at Camerashopbcn we guarantee that for you.

BEST ANALOG CAMERAS TO BUY IN 2026

Olympus OM-1

The 1970s were a golden age for 35mm SLRs and one of the best models of the era was the Olympus OM-1. It was a purely manual SLR, flanked by a more expensive OM-2 and a cheaper plastic OM-10 with additional aperture-priority exposure modes. The OM-1 was designed by the same team that produced the PEN and PEN F, the models that inspired today's digital PEN models. The OM-1 was small compared to other larger, heavier SLRs at the time, but still featured a large, bright optical viewfinder that even had interchangeable focusing screens. Unusually, the shutter speed was adjusted via a ring around the lens, while a large dial on top of the camera was reserved for setting the ASA (ISO) value for the built-in light meter; this was before the introduction of DX coding on film canisters.

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Nikon FM2

The Nikon FM2 came to light at a time when other manufacturers were launching smaller, cheaper SLRs and new electronic controls, so it seemed like a throwback even then. But its attractive looks and reputation for longevity and durability attracted many fans and kept it in production until 2001. If you think the current Nikon Df looks good, you should pick up an FM2. It used a vertical metal shutter instead of the horizontal rubber cloth shutters in most rival DLRs, but it was completely mechanical, so the FM2 could work without a battery; this was only needed for the internal light meter. Its top shutter speed of 1/4000 sec and its tough copper, aluminum, and silicon alloy body made it sought after by professionals, not just enthusiasts.

BEST USED MEDIUM FORMAT CAMERAS

Yashica Mat 124G

Twin-lens reflex cameras use a unique dual-lens design, with the camera and its taking lens on the lower half and a combined viewing and composing lens on the upper half. The viewing lens projected an image of the scene onto a ground glass screen that was viewed by lifting the hood, which opened into a sort of light box. The image was reversed, which took some getting used to, but the combination of a square image (long before Instagram!) And waist-level viewing encouraged compositions and angles that you just don't 'see' with other cameras. It is a simple and reliable design that records 12 frames on a roll of 120 medium format film, with shallow depth of field effects that we pay a fortune to achieve with modern cameras.

Mamiya C330

While the Yashica Mat 124G was an affordable twin-lens reflex camera with a fixed lens, the Mamiya C330 was a professional version with interchangeable lens pairs, introduced and popularized in the 1970s as a less expensive and less complex alternative to the Hasselblad 500, THE professional medium format camera of the era. The C330 was a true system camera, with interchangeable lenses (55 to 250mm), interchangeable focusing screens, and a variety of viewfinders. It's a big, old lump to carry around, but it's still possible to see analog camera fans and photography students still using them today.

Hasselblad 500 C/M

Looking at the Hasselblad 500 C/M now, it's hard to believe that the design of this camera first arrived in 1957. Its utilitarian box-like design looks like it could have been designed yesterday, and modern high-end medium format cameras still use its flexible, modular design. The camera is the central box, onto which you can attach a wide variety of lenses, different viewfinder accessories, and different film backs. The interchangeable backs deserve special mention: you can swap backs in moments, with your assistant loading new film into a spare back while you shoot, switch between the square 6x6 cm or 6x4.5 cm formats, or even attach a Polaroid back to test lighting and composition – this was instant (or near-instant) playback before digital capture was invented.

Mamiya RZ67

An evolution of the RB67, introduced in 1970, the RZ67 retains the rotating back that gave the earlier system its name, and the 6x7 cm image area just off square. To put this in context, this is much larger than the 6x4.5 cm area of today's largest digital medium format models. Like the Hasselblad 500 C/M, the RZ67 is a modular camera with interchangeable lenses, viewing systems, and backs. However, it is a bit large and heavy for prolonged handheld use, and is best used on a tripod. High-quality medium format film cameras hold their prices quite well right now, and you may have to shop around to get a good, affordable, working example.

 

Fuji GW690

The best thing about film, and especially 120 medium format roll film, is that it is very flexible, both literally and metaphorically. Film rolls are 120mm wide, but it's up to the camera manufacturer how much of that width they want to use. 6x4.5 cm medium format cameras took rectangular images 'sideways' on a roll, standard 6x6 cm cameras took square images so it didn't matter which way you turned the camera, but other cameras like the RZ67 above and the Fuji GW690 took extra-wide images. You got fewer exposures on a roll, but extra-large negatives and transparencies. The GW690 is a no-frills, fixed-lens, manual exposure camera that delivers huge images in a comparatively portable package.

Modern film cameras are quite specialized. They are aimed at analog authors who simply love the look of film and the feel of film cameras, or technical specialists for whom large film formats, wide perspective-correcting camera movements, and the ability to mix and match a wide range of lenses, film types, and even digital backs are more important than the quick-shooting simplicity of normal digital cameras.

 

The Nikon F6 is like the missing link between old-school 35mm SLRs and modern digital SLR cameras. Many of its specifications will seem quite familiar to modern digital users, including its full program AE, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual modes, motorized film advance up to 5.5 fps, and an 11-point AF system backed by Nikon's 3D Color Matrix Metering system. Designed by Giugiaro, the aluminum alloy body looks like a dream, but the 5.5 fps continuous shooting speed is modest by today's DSLR standards. However, the F6 offers the opportunity to get a beautifully designed and manufactured, like-new film camera with modern controls and technology. The Nikon F6 is available new in some places, but has been discontinued in many countries.

BEST CURRENT ANALOG CAMERAS

Leica M-A

Leica M rangefinders will always be controversial. For some, they are overpriced and overrated throwbacks to an era long past. For others, they are wonderfully made engineering classics that have achieved a level of perfection. M rangefinders take a bit of getting used to. Rangefinder focusing is fast and accurate in the right hands, but requires some learning, while the pain of paying for an M-A body is just the beginning, because Leica lenses are equally expensive. But if you like your film photography stripped down to the basics, the M-A will please you. You will need to calculate the exposure yourself, you will need to apply the settings yourself, and you will need to focus, but for Leica M fans that is what it means to be a photographer.

Cambo Ultima 45 4 x 5" View Camera

The Cambo Ultima is a modular monorail camera. The Ultima 45 is not a complete camera in itself because you will also need a lens board and lenses and a film or digital back. It is a very interesting crossover product that handles very high-quality large format film photographs, but also modern digital backs with much smaller sensor areas. The point about a monorail system is partly its supremely modular and flexible (and, uh, expensive) design, and the way the rear and front standards can be moved and angled independently for unprecedented control over perspective, depth of field, and focus planes. It is very suitable for studio and architectural photography for those reasons, and harkens back to the days when high-quality commercial photography was done with 5x4" film.

Linhof Technorama 617s III

Some may remember Hasselblad's much-loved XPan panoramic camera and some more may know the Linhof Technorama. However, unlike the XPan, the Technorama is still in production. The Technorama 617s III is sold body-only, but several different lenses are available. It is a camera for experts, not only for its manual exposure, but for the need for precise manual focusing (it has no through-the-lens viewing) and the need to keep the camera absolutely level for those ultra-wide-angle images in a 17:6 ratio. The Technorama is designed for high-quality technical photography and shows the flexibility that the analog film format still offers.

Toyo-View 8x10 810MII Folding Field Camera

Film cameras are classified into different size categories, just like digital cameras today. 35mm cameras were "miniature" models, believe it or not, and medium format cameras were called "medium" because there was a "large" format above that. These use sheet film, typically 5x4", to deliver supreme image quality. Well, almost supreme, because there is also a 10x8" size with four times the negative area. The Toyo-View 8x10 810MII is an example of this type of camera that is still manufactured today. You will need to get your own lens boards and lenses, track down 10x8" film, and figure out how to carry a camera that weighs 15 pounds on its own, but with sublime image quality and a wide range of lens and camera back movements, it is an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Ansel Adams.

LOMOGRAPHIC CAMERAS

Lomography stores and the online store offer an Aladdin's cave of photographic curiosities, from re-releases from Russia to new wide-angle panoramic cameras and a 35mm camera kit you can build yourself.

Lomography Lubitel 166+

If you bought a Russian Lubitel in the 1970s/1980s, you probably paid around £8 and probably did well to get a couple of rolls of film through it before it packed up. We haven't tested Lomography's version, but we hope it lasts a bit longer, especially at this price. The modern Lubitel 166+ is unabashedly plastic in its construction and unapologetically basic in its features. You get manual aperture control (f/4.5-22), manual shutter speed control (1/25-1/15 sec plus B), and no light meter. But the Lubitel is not about engineering finesse; it's about rediscovering the imperfections and naivety of old snapshot photography.

Lomography Diana F+

If the price of the reinvented Lomography Lubitel 166+ is too high for your blood, then there is always the Diana F+. It is a celebration of brightly colored plastic and bargain-basement features, and a reminder of how cameras used to be and how conditions had to be just right to take a photo. With three-position zone focusing, only one shutter speed (1/60 sec) plus B, and apertures linked to lighting conditions (pinhole, f/8, f/11, f/16), you will need optimism and a willingness to experiment, for sure. On its own, the Diana F+ is very cheap, but if you fancy the full experience, there is a boxed accessory kit with flash, cable release, interchangeable lenses, and God knows what else.

Lomography Konstruktor F

 

This camera is probably much more fun to build than to use. It comes as a surprisingly inexpensive kit, but there are many plastic panels, parts, screws, and springs to assemble, so a bit of patience and dexterity will be required. What you get is a camera with a plastic lens, a single shutter speed of 1/80 sec (plus B), a fixed aperture 50mm f/10 lens, and manual focusing (obviously). You will need patience to use it, plus a very exposure-tolerant film; we suggest a color negative for its latitude. However, it has a very interesting waist-level viewfinder, with through-the-lens viewing provided by the spring-loaded mirror lever.

Lomography Lomo LC-Wide 35mm

Yes, it's a lot to pay for a plastic camera, and you have to be a fan of the heavily vignetted, oversaturated, not-too-sharp Lomo look, but the Lomo LC-Wide certainly lives up to its name. Its 17mm lens is much wider than any kit lens can go on a normal camera and ventures into ultra-wide-angle territory. The LC-Wide has a pocket-friendly design that looks as contemporary as bell-bottom trousers (which is the idea, right) and has the luxury of automatic exposure, with shutter speeds from 1/500 sec to (it says here) infinity and apertures from f/4.5-16. However, it needs three (yes, three) LR44 batteries.

 Lomography Belair X 6-12 Jetsetter

Medium format panoramic cameras are usually very expensive, but the Belair X 6-12 is not. It can capture medium format images with three different aspect ratios, including 6:6 (square), 6:9, and an extra-wide 6:12 ratio. That's the beauty of 120 roll film, which has a fixed height of 6cm but allows camera manufacturers to choose all sorts of different frame widths. The Belair looks great, and the Belair finish is just one of several options. However, there is a lot of plastic, so don't expect too much from the finish and feel. However, this has to be the cheapest way to get into medium format panoramic photography, and it even comes with two (plastic) lenses.

DISPOSABLE ANALOG CAMERAS

It's film photography in its most basic form: low cost, low risk, and, well, perhaps low expectations. Single-use or disposable cameras come pre-loaded with 35mm film, include a basic fixed lens on the front, and have no photographic controls. If there is bright outdoor light, you're fine; if indoors, use the flash. Anything in between, well, you're on your own. The results are variable, but they are ideal for children, parties, holidays, and cheap gifts.

Fujifilm Quicksnap Marine 35mm

Yes, it costs a few euros more than your usual disposable camera, but you get a waterproof camera, for heaven's sake! Fujifilm says its plastic housing is waterproof to a depth of 10m, so you are likely to get into trouble long before the camera does. The Fujifilm Quicksnap Marine comes loaded with 24 exposures of Fujifilm ISO 800 Superia color negative film that should be developable at any usual chemist or online photo lab. Control is limited, obviously, in that there is none. The exposure is fixed at 1/125 sec at f/10, so you will really need good outdoor light for decent results, but that is true for any single-use camera.

Lomography Simple Use Film Camera Black and White

Here you get two new adventures for the price of one. You can return to the lo-fi land that time forgot with this super basic disposable camera and try the tonality of one of Lomography's black and white films. You may have to search a bit to find a lab that does the processing, but Lomography does have its own lab, so you can always send the camera in for processing when you're done. The camera is cheap, but analog processing, unfortunately, is not, but that is the difference between analog and digital: you are capturing the world on a physical medium, not just as a bunch of binary bits.

 

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Fujifilm Quicksnap Flash 400

The Fujifilm Quicksnap Flash 400 is quite ubiquitous and typical of 35mm disposable cameras. We haven't been able to find out anything about the lens, but it's pretty clear it will be a semi-wide plastic lens with a small fixed aperture and a single fixed shutter speed. This camera also comes with a flash, so it's a mystery how they make it for this money. Quality will depend on how well you choose the lighting conditions: it will work best outdoors in good light, although the flash has a 10-foot range, so indoor party shots are also possible, but expect eighties-style red-eye and deer-in-the-headlights facial expressions.

 

Ilford Single Use Camera XP2 C41

Ilford's single-use camera doesn't look any more sophisticated than any of its rivals, but what's inside is interesting. It is loaded with Ilford's XP2 black and white film, which is quite unique as it can be developed with the normal C41 chemicals used to develop color print film worldwide (other black and white films need chemicals formulated by people wearing thick glasses and lab coats). If you decide you prefer your black and white with traditional chemistry that you can use yourself (conveniently, it works at room temperature), you can get a single-use variant loaded with Ilford's classic ISO 400 HP5 Plus film.

LOMOGRAPHIC SINGLE-USE CAMERAS

Fancy trying analog photography but don't want to commit to a proper camera? Then these reusable Lomography cameras could be perfect, especially since you can try three different films from the Lomography range. One is loaded with a normal ISO 400 color negative film, one uses Lomography's Lady Grey ISO 400 black and white film, but the most exciting one is loaded with ISO 400 Lomography Purple, which gives images a surreal purplish-green infrared effect... sort of. With what appears to be a fixed shutter speed of 1/12 sec and an aperture of f/9, it seems these cameras will rely heavily on the legendary exposure latitude of negative film, but there is a built-in flash (with color gels, even).

 

Posted by Santiago Clavijo (Head of Communication)