Buying guides
Read one of these before you buy. They cover choosing a first film camera, what eBay listing language means on a 40-year-old camera, SLRs against rangefinders and compacts, the medium-format systems, the faults each classic body is known for, and the battery and meter catches. If you’re new to film, start with the first-camera guide.
Your First Film Camera: Canon AE-1 vs Pentax K1000 vs Minolta X-700
How to choose a first film camera, with the Canon AE-1, Pentax K1000 and Minolta X-700 compared on batteries, exposure modes and the faults to check.
Read the guide →What eBay Listing Words Mean on a Vintage Film Camera
What tested, film tested, shutter fires, untested and for parts mean on a 40-year-old film camera, which claims to trust and what to ask the seller for.
Read the guide →SLR, Rangefinder or Point-and-Shoot? Picking a Film Camera Type
How a film SLR, rangefinder and point-and-shoot differ in focusing, size, noise and batteries, and which one suits the way you want to shoot.
Read the guide →Buying Used Medium Format: Mamiya, Hasselblad, Rolleiflex and Pentax
How the Mamiya RB67, Hasselblad 500C/M, Rolleiflex 2.8F and Pentax 67 differ, what each one is like to use, and what to check before you buy one used.
Read the guide →The Canon AE-1 Squeal and Other Common Film Camera Faults
The known faults on popular film cameras, from the AE-1 squeal and X-700 capacitors to the Electro 35 pad of death and light seals, and how to spot them.
Read the guide →Film Camera Batteries: Mercury Cells, 4LR44 and Cameras That Need None
Which film cameras need a battery to fire, why mercury-era meters read wrong on modern cells, what zinc-air cells and adapters do, and bodies that need none.
Read the guide →