How to buy film cameras – Tips and advices

Buying film cameras can be an exhilarating yet frustrating experience specially if it’s your first film camera. In a span of a few months, I’ve had owned and sold about 15 film cameras and around half of that I still own in my collection. During those months, I’ve had my fair share of wins and losses but luckily (with a lot of time spent searching, researching, and haggling) I’ve procured a good variety of working film cameras for very little cost. Owning a good film camera doesn’t have too be expensive, you just have to be smart and patient about it. So in this blog, let me share with you some tips and advices from the experiences I’ve gained buying used film cameras.

1. Do your research

When buying a film camera, specially if it’s your first one, research goes a long a way. There are lots of film camera types and options out there – point & shoots, SLR’s, rangefinders and many more – so doing your research can help you decide what film camera is best for you. Testing and experiencing a film camera by borrowing from a friend or relative is the best course of action, but if you don’t have that luxury, research is a must. A word of caution, film photography and camera gears can be “addicting”, but as long as you stay within your budget and put your gears to good use then by all means help save the film community by keeping film photograpy alive. 🙂

BONUS: Looking for less sought after cameras can help you save a lot of money because they are often sold cheaper. Still, the quality of photos you can get from both can be very identical. When it comes to film photography, the lenses and film you use bares more impact in the “quality” of your photos.

2. Consider CLA (Clean, Lube & Adjust) in your budget

Let’s get one thing clear, buying a “new” film camera is very different from buying a new digital camera. Film cameras, even if unused, are still decades old and will have to be serviced sooner or later. So having a budget for a CLA would save you from the headaches that may come once your film camera decides to act up on you. I’m not saying that you buy a broken camera and have it CLA’d, CLA is different from repair, but a good CLA on a working film camera will ensure that your camera works and performs smooth and reliable for a long time. If you can, buy a newly CLA’d camera with a good deal.

3. Inspect overall physical appearance

For me function is more important than cosmetics, but let’s be realistic here, cosmetics dictates a big portion of a film camera’s price. A camera that looks good will sell and resell more than its beat up counterpart (even if both cameras works and functions flawlessly). Also, the physical condition of a camera can give you an idea of the camera’s history and how it was taken care of throughout the years. A few dings and sratches wouldn’t bother me too much, in fact most of the time, a good thorough cleaning is all a camera needs to make it look prestine.

4. Check the battery contacts (and/or electronics)

One of the most common issues found in film cameras are in the battery compartment. A lot of film cameras are left unused for years with batteries still inside them, this makes the batteries leak and cause corrosion on the contacts making the camera useless. If your lucky, cleaning the contacts with alchohol and removing the traces of corrosion will spur your camera back to life. But that isn’t the case most of the time as corriosion can spread inside your camera causing more severe damage. If your buying an electronic film camera, be sure to check all its functions like autofocus, automatic film advance and rewind, buttons, and lcd panel to name a few.

BONUS: If you are experienced or have a good understanding of photography, buying a fully mechanical camera is your best bet. They don’t need batteries to function and are always easier to repair compared to cameras that relies on electronics. Another more common problem with older film cameras are the light meter, though with a fully mechanical camera, you can always use an external lightmeter or your phone to set proper exposure.

5. Test the camera’s shutter (and shutter speeds)

All film cameras have a physical shutter mechanism (no electronic shutter here) so making sure that the shutter is working properly and in good condition is one of the top priorities. Check if the shutter mechanism is in good physical condition (no oils, holes, or bents) and see if the speeds are accurate. It’s easier to check a shutter if the camera allows you to trigger the shutter even when the film door is open, if not, I would highly advice a test roll before putting any important film in your camera. Here is where a good CLA will be very beneficial.

6. Check the lens and aperture

Aside from the shutter, the other parts of the camera that will highly affect your camera’s function to take photos are the lens and aperture. Make sure that the lens is clean and doesn’t have fungus or haze. Check the focus and aperture rings if they are smooth. For the aperture, see if they closes and open properly and is free from oils and gunks that can potentially make them SAP (sticky aperture syndrome). Also, if buying a body and lens seperate, make sure that the mount is correct/compatible.

7. Look through the viewfinder

Having a clean viewfinder will make your shooting experience a lot better than shooting on a dirty one. Look in the viewfinder if it has some fungus or haze but a little dust in my opinion won’t be as bad. It is important to remember that dust or any dirt in the viewfinder won’t effect your photos in anyway, just the shooting experience. Also, if you are buying a manual focus camera, check if the focus screen is clear and accurate. There are diferent types of focusing mechanism depending on the type of camera, so research will be helpful in understanding and choosing the right camera for you.

8. Check the light seals

Light seals are important to make sure that your camera is… light sealed. Light seals prevents light leaks that will affect your photos depending on how worst those leaks are. Since film cameras are decades old most light seals are already degraded and dried up, which not only makes them useless but they can cause debris that can affect your cameras function. Having said that, light seals are the easiest to replace. You can also DIY replace them as long as you make sure you clean all the gunks the older light seals may have left.

9. Load a test roll

This one is highly optional since the prices of film can be expensive, but if you have or can procure some inexpensive film, I would suggest a test roll especially if the seller of your film camera can’t provide sample photos taken. Shooting on expired film is also a good idea as long as you know the cons of shooting with one.

There you have it, hopefully this blog will help you find your film camera that you can use for a long time. And just like Pokemon, once you’ve owned one now you’ve got to buy them all! I mean… Again, thank you for reading and if you did find this guide helpful, please share it with your friends. Also, be sure to follow me on my socials for more post like this one. Chao!