Do Cameras Still Use Film

New picture show cameras in 2020? Yes, it'southward true. Believe it or non, there are nevertheless a few in-production film cameras bachelor, make new, today. And looking beyond the brand new, at that place is, of course, an active used market place for photographers looking to dip their toes into the film photography globe. Here'south a look at what's bachelor new, along with some recommendations for used classics.

New Cameras

Nikon F6

The only remaining film SLR in production. Information technology hurts to say that, but it's true. The Nikon F6 is the culmination of Nikon'south professional person 35mm SLR legacy, succeeding the large and beautiful F5, the revolutionary F4, the coveted F3, the refined F2, and the iconic F. The F6 has all the bells and whistles you could ever wish for from a film camera, including an 11-point Multi-CAM 2000 AF arrangement, 3D Color Matrix Metering, 5.5 fps continuous shooting (or up to 8 fps with the optional MB-forty grip), and 41 custom settings for configuring the camera to your ain needs. There aren't many other moving picture cameras, if any, with this level of configurability, precision, or but sheer amount of engineering. Information technology'southward a sophisticated way for Nikon to terminate its film-photographic camera production, and segues well into where its digital development began.

Leica MP

Leica is known for stripping its cameras down to the blank essentials and, even for a film photographic camera, the Leica MP is a highly pared-downwards model with just the essentials left. Uncomplicated, elegant, and streamlined, the MP—which stands for Mechanical Perfection—is, in fact, a mechanical camera and only requires a bombardment for the light meter. Moreover, the MP is characterized by its unencumbered appearance, sans a red dot and with just a simple Leica script on the brass top plate. Information technology is, of course, a rangefinder, too, with a bright optical viewfinder and accurate focusing machinery to suit working in whatever lighting conditions.

Leica M-A (Typ 127)

If the MP is fifty-fifty nonetheless a fiddling too technological for you lot, and then there is also the M-A (Type 127), which is, perhaps surprisingly, the nigh recently released 1000 film camera. Whereas the MP is "Mechanical Perfection," the M-A is "Pure Mechanical Excellence." Regardless of superlatives, the Yard-A differentiates itself from the MP in that it does not accept an internal light meter—it doesn't take a battery of any kind, for whatsoever reason. It is even more pure, if you will. Similar the MP, though, the M-A doesn't take a blood-red dot, information technology has very like all-metallic construction, same rangefinder pattern, et cetera. The selection is really about whether you want an internal calorie-free meter or non.

Leica Thousand-A (Typ 127) Rangefinder Photographic camera

View Cameras and Technical Cameras

The concluding type of new moving picture cameras bachelor today are the view camera and technical cameras, available in large format and medium format designations. These types of cameras accept always been niche to some caste during the final fifty+ years, only they continue to be made available due to their unique abilities that are still unmatched to this day. In fact, many of these cameras are currently used in conjunction with digital backs, making them the ultimate futureproof photographic camera. I won't cover everything bachelor, merely some highlights include the Linhof Technorama 617s 3, a panoramic photographic camera producing immense half-dozen x 17" images, and its 612 sibling that I had a chance to review; the classic Wista Field-45DX iv x 5" wooden view camera; the inimitable Arca-Swiss F-Metric series of modular monorail cameras; the trusty Toyo-View 45AX metallic field camera; and the iconic German field camera, the Linhof Master Technika (whose predecessor, the Super Technika V, I reviewed).

Linhof 4x5 Master Technika "Classic" Rangefinder Metallic Field Photographic camera

Additionally, and the consummate opposite of a technical photographic camera, it must be pointed out that, by far, the about popular types of new film cameras on the market are instant film cameras, toy cameras, and fifty-fifty pinhole and dispensable cameras. Notwithstanding, these types of cameras aren't included in this article because I feel they are meant for a unlike market and serve a different function than the loftier-precision nature of something similar a Nikon F6, a Leica rangefinder, or a large format view camera.

Classic and Used Cameras

I accept to start this second section with a quick plug for the B&H Used Department, which is where you can oft find some of the below-mentioned cameras. As used items are all unique, though, the stock is constantly shifting. Don't sleep on items you see and want, and don't worry if an particular y'all want isn't there now, every bit at that place'due south a expert adventure it'll be in stock presently. And for some inspiration on celebrated cameras to await into, bank check out our ongoing Classic Cameras Series, which features an array of reviews on some of B&H staff'south favorite and coveted camera gear. Here are a few of the more than popular cameras we've featured, and some of the easier ones to find on the used market place:

Canon AE-one

Ane of the almost popular 35mm cameras of all time is the Canon AE-1, which was also the first camera to feature an internal microcomputer. As an electronically controlled camera, information technology was unique in its time for beingness a pioneer in the shift from mechanical design to electronic designs that we're still using today.

Nikon F

Equally every bit popular, admitting for dissimilar reasons, the Nikon F was the offset SLR camera for Nikon and was the kickoff of its still evolving line of professional cameras. When information technology was released, in 1959, information technology was likewise one of the most technologically advanced cameras of its time due to its reflex design and, eventually, the immense breadth of the unabridged photographic camera system.

Pentax K1000

Another legend, the Pentax K1000 is one of the most prolific and popular 35mm SLRs of all time. It'south a camera I saw in all of my photography classes and a camera I still encounter people using today. It'south equally simple of an SLR as you can really become, making it incredibly intuitive, and it's been referred to every bit the ideal camera for students due to its ease of use and availability.

Hasselblad 500C/M

The Hasselblad 500C/M, or another variant of Hasselblad's immensely popular 500-serial, is probable the camera that comes to heed when someone says, "medium format camera." These cameras have received more accolades, have been used to capture more important historical moments, and have more enshroud than nearly any other camera available. And they're nevertheless highly coveted due to their indelible blueprint, ease of use, and modularity.

Mamiya RB67

A bit more than brutish than the Hasselblad, the Mamiya RB67 is some other fable of medium format, and an platonic archway into the formats across 35mm. It's a heavy and imposing camera, but incredibly intuitive to use and versatile, due in part to its genius rotating back design.

Which pic cameras are you in search of nowadays? What are some of your all-time favorites? Let us know your thoughts on working with newer and older picture show cameras today, in the Comments section, below.