My friends often ask me about which cameras to get or what film to try so I decided to write this to consolidate my thoughts on all the cameras and film I've tried so far... also this is WIP but I wrote this for u Mehak bro anything for u bro<3
Point & Shoots:
Olympus µ[mju:]-II (Stylus Epic)
By far my favourite p&s. I got this one quite early on for around $400. Used to have quite a love-hate relationship with this camera because if you don't take care to focus it properly, it's very easy for the camera to focus on the wrong thing - i.e. my first roll was mostly blurry because I didn't focus it correctly (you focus the camera by half-depressing the shutter on the item you want to be in focus. After doing this, you can change the frame with that item in focus as long as your finger remains on the shutter button.)
Pros:
Easy to use - the sliding cover acts as the power button for this camera
The smallest of the MJU series
Photos are very sharp
Retracting lens
Takes photos really fast
Carl Zeiss 35mm f3.5 lens
The design of this camera is so nice
No option to zoom in on things
Cons:
Your photos may come out blurry
Expensive because they became a cult favourite
No hole for a strap
Olympus µ[mju:]-III
Basically the same as the µ[mju:]-II but much cheaper. I got mine for around $150 on eBay. There are no focus issues with this camera and the colours of the film it takes are the most vibrant out of all the cameras I have. It's slightly larger than the µ[mju:]-II but functions the same and honestly a lot more worth the money.
Pros:
Not too expensive
Sharp and vibrant photos
Uses the same Carl Zeiss 35mm lens
Easy to find on eBay
Comes with a hole for a strap
Cons:
Not as small as the µ[mju:]-II
Doesn't take photos at the same speed as the µ[mju:]-II
Most useless zoom to exist any photo you take with the zoom will be blur
Canon Autoboy 3
The flash on mine doesn't work but it's become one of my most used cameras because I love the colour of the photos it takes. I only use it in brightly lit settings because of the broken flash but it seems to work even in museums (even though the photos taken have more muted tones they are still very sharp).
Pros:
Personally I like how the photos turn out even with the muted tones
Comes with a hole for a strap
Cons:
It's big (but not heavy)
Quite noisy when you take photos or turn it on, a lot of whirring
Honestly quite ugly in my opinion
Canon Autoboy Zoom Super
Bought this for around $35 only because it came as part of a set so I thought it was a steal and it had this self-timer remote control that is attached to the camera I wanted to try. The camera is so bulky and almost as heavy as my SLRs so I don't use it much but the one roll I did take on it turned out really nicely.
Pros:
Cheap cheap cheap
Photos are super sharp
Flash is very bright
Self-timer remote is part of the camera and is quite cool and useful
Cons:
Heaviest thing ever so it's not something I'd bring out often or at all
Contax TVS
I think this was around $400/500. For some reason all the photos I take on this turn out GREEN its so ugly but my friend has one and gets really nice photos out of it so maybe I'm just doing something wrong. If I had to come up with a reason why I'd say it's the flash that's useless because if I take photos in very very bright outdoor settings the colours are not bad and the photos come out super sharp.
Pros:
It's a cheaper alternative to Contax T2/T3
Carl Zeiss lens
Camera is metal not plastic so it feels expensive
The zoom works and doesn't make images blurry
Cons:
The metal body of the camera makes it heavy
Flash sucks (maybe it's just this camera)
Doesn't have a lens cap and to buy one is like $50 on its own
Minolta AF50
My mom's old camera that she gave to me so I don't know its price exactly but I think I searched for it once and it wasn't expensive at all.
Pros:
Batteries for this are easy to find and you'll probably have them at home
Lightweight
Cons:
Lightweight but not in a good way... it feels plasticy and cheap
Photos turn out really overexposed but I don't hate it
Depressing the shutter button is hard so it takes time to take photos
SLRs:
Canon AE-1
My first ever film camera and one of the first things I ever bought online so this has a special place in my heart.... I got it for $150 with an extra lens and stayed up till like 2am to make sure I won the bid hahah I think these are a bit more expensive or harder to find for so cheap now but they are still quite inexpensive for an SLR. Because this was my first camera it also came with so much pain because I loaded the film incorrectly on three different occasions which means I had three rolls that were completely empty because I just wasn't taking photos at all. After a while you can kind of tell whether it's been loaded properly or not by how resistant the lever is when you try to advance to the next frame.
Pros:
Sturdy (metal body) and nice to hold
Easy to use for an SLR, just have to get used to loading the film manually
Images are very clear if you focus it properly
Not hard to find online and quite affordable
Looks cool lol
Cons:
Quite heavy but it's metal so
May take a while to get used to loading the film
Nikon F65
Minolta 404si
Rollei 35
Film:
Fujicolor 200
Probably the most common film used. Easy to find and one of the cheapest you can find for $6.50/7 at most places. Tones are slightly cooler.
Kodak Colourplus 200
Also super common and easy to find for $6.50/7 at most places.
Kodak Portra 800
Best film I have ever used but it's like $18/roll so I can't afford that sad but it's so good for portraits.
Agfa Vista 200/400
This is my favourite film to exist but it has been discontinued which is so sad because I have never seen colours so vibrant on any other film. This also has a special place in my heart because it was the first film I ever used and I bulk bought like 80 rolls when I was in Hanoi.
Ilford HP5 Plus (B&W film)
First and only B&W film I’ve used. It's quite nice I guess but I don't really know how to tell. The only thing is that it's more expensive to develop so I don't know if its worth it nowadays since you can turn basically any photo black and white
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