If you asked any professional photographer in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s which was the best film camera, they would have said a medium format camera. This might have been a twin-lens camera like a Mamiya C330 or a medium format SLR like a Hasselblad 500 C/M. Light leaks - White or red streaks on film created by stray light that enters a camera body. While originally accidental, creating light leaks on images is now a well-known technique loved by many photographers. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{

Given its unrivalled popularity, we’ll be concentrating on 35mm film throughout our recommendations in this roundup, but it’s worth being aware of some of the other common formats available.It used a vertical metal shutter rather than the horizontal rubberized cloth shutters in most rival DLRs but it was fully mechanical so the FM2 could work without a battery – this was only needed for the internal light meter. Its 1/4000sec top shutter speed and tough copper-aluminum-silicon alloy body made it sought after amongst pros, not just enthusiasts. The same applies to all medium format cameras, which are the next step in your analog journey. Thanks to their bigger negative than 35mm, it opens up possibilities to enhance your images, as the bigger negative means higher resolution images with greater detail and sharpness. You are also treated to different format cameras that can shoot different dimensions on a roll of 120 film. For example, the typical and most commonly used ratio in medium format cameras is 6 x 4.5, or 645 for short, however, if you want to double or even triple the size of a 35mm negative you can get medium format cameras that shoot 6x6 square format, like the popular Hasselblad 500 system, or other ratios of 6x7, 6x8 and the highest you can go on a roll of 120 - 6x9 when using a camera like the Fuji GW690. But bare in mind that the higher the ratio, the fewer images you will fit on a roll of 120 film. For instance, 645 cameras can produce either 15/16 shots on a roll, while 6x9 can only expose 8 - so choose wisely. Aperture - The hole in which light passes through to expose the film – the lens opening. Aperture is measured in F numbers, the lower the number the bigger the aperture. A high aperture number means a smaller zone of sharpness within the shot. Another contemporary player in the analog space is Lomography, who produces a tonne of old-style cameras, lenses and films all based around recapturing an analog experience. We've included a section dedicated to the best Lomography cameras which include loads of resurrected old camera designs as well as newer models, using different film types. These aren't the cameras you want if you're hunting for technical perfection, but they're huge amounts of fun.

Key specs: Formats: 35mm, Medium format, 4×5, 8×10; ISO: 400; Shots per roll (35mm): 36; Processing: Colour negative (C-41); Double Exposure - A technique in which a piece of film is exposed twice. Double exposures can result in a dreamy, layered effect, or an upside-down, mish-mash world of your choosing! He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, holds a Foundation Degree in Equitation Science and is a Master of Arts in Publishing. He is member of Nikon NPS and has been a Nikon user since the film days using a Nikon F5 and saw the digital transition with Nikon's D series cameras and is still to this day the youngest member to be elected in to BEWA, The British Equestrian Writers' Association.As Lomographers we are passionate about the unpredictable beauty in film photography – the chunky film grain, light leaks, rich colors and surprising results. We know you’ll love it, too. Rest assured that we will help make your first foray into the analogue lifestyle comprehensive and fun. As you may imagine, 24-shot rolls tend to command a lower upfront cost, but given that most photo labs charge flat-rate development costs per roll regardless of the number of shots, 36-shot rolls almost always represent better per-shot value. F-stop - The numbers on the aperture ring that represent the size of the aperture in your lens (f/5.6, f/8, f/11, and so on). A higher f-stop suggests a smaller aperture, which means that less light is coming through. All you need to remember is: the bigger the number, the smaller the hole.