Cameras
The Pentax 17 Is Proof Zone Focusing Never Went Out of Style
Ricoh's half-frame comeback camera skips autofocus by design, doubles your roll, and still costs the same $499.95 it launched at two years ago.
Section
Cameras
Film camera coverage for people buying, fixing or living with one: shutter accuracy, meter drift, light seals, viewfinder brightness and realistic service costs. Ranges across 35mm compacts, rangefinders, SLRs and medium format bodies. Written to help a shooter pick a camera that survives regular use.
Hands-on coverage of film bodies from SLRs to point-and-shoots, including shutter accuracy, light seal replacement and what a service actually costs.
Cameras
First Medium Format Camera: Start Here
Your first medium format camera should match how you shoot, not just your budget, because format choice decides weight, cost per frame and pace.
Cameras
Contax T2 Guide: Point-and-Shoot Gold
The Contax T2 pairs a Zeiss 38mm lens with true pocket size, and two decades of hype have done interesting things to its price.
Cameras
Nikonos V Guide: Underwater Film Pick
The Nikonos V is the amphibious 35mm camera divers still trust at depth, as long as its seals have been serviced rather than assumed.
Cameras
Leica M6 Buying Guide: Reality Check
The Leica M6 is the one film body whose price never really fell, so a careful buying checklist matters more here than anywhere else.
Cameras
Mamiya RZ67 Guide: 6x7 Workhorse
The Mamiya RZ67 makes 6x7 negatives with studio manners, and its used prices undercut anything digital that comes close in tonal depth.
Cameras
Yashica Mat 124G Guide: TLR Worth It?
The Yashica Mat 124G remains the cheapest credible route into square 6x6 film, provided you check the shutter and film spacing before buying.
Cameras
Olympus XA Buying Guide: Small Wonder
The Olympus XA slips into a jacket pocket and shoots full-frame film, which explains why clean examples keep disappearing from the used market.
Cameras
Pentax K1000 Buying Guide: The Truth
The Pentax K1000 earned its classroom reputation for one reason: almost nothing on it can confuse a beginner, and almost everything can be fixed.
Cameras
Canon AE-1 Buying Guide: Worth It?
The Canon AE-1 sold in the millions, which means cheap bodies everywhere, and a few age-related faults you must catch before paying.