Camera, Lens, Film and Peripheral Kit Reviews

19 May, 2019

Post Categories:

35mmc Reviews

Below you will find a list of all of the reviews on 35mmc organised by type and then alphabetically. If you don’t quite know what you’re looking for there are a couple ways to navigate the content.

First, as you will see, there is a table of contents for this page. Click the items in that table and it will take you to the list you clicked on.

Once you start clicking reviews, you can either keep coming back to this list and working your way through it, or you can let yourself fall further into the rabbit hole of content by clicking the tag links that you’ll find at the end of the various articles. The latter option is especially useful for finding any more content that can be found on 35mmc about the particular subject you are reading about.

Write for 35mmc

If you can’t find something you’re looking for, or maybe feel like your favourite camera, lens etc is conspicuously missing from the list and you would like to review it for 35mmc, you can find out more about how to write for 35mmc here

Buyers guides/help

For those who are a little less sure about what some of all this means, or indeed those looking for help about what camera they should buy, I have prefaced each section below with a small introductory paragraph or two.

If you are really new to film cameras and photography, you might find this guide helpful: Which film camera should I buy? A guide to anyone asking this question

I would also recommend reading this article to anyone who’s thinking of sinking a lot of cash on any of the types of camera listed below: Thinking about spending a stack of cash on a film camera? Read this first!

You can also find more Buyers Guides on 35mmc here

All of this is subjective!

One final, and I would say very important note: ALL of this is very subjective. Just because one person who reviews something well or badly here, does not mean you to will like or dislike it respectively. If you read a review and disagree, please feel free to comment on the individual review pages. Regardless of your opinion though, it is important to know – especially if you are a beginner – that there is no “best” camera. If you would like to know more about what I mean by that, there is a section in one of the aforementioned articles where I go into some detail here.

Point & Shoot Film Camera Reviews

Here you will find a list of all the point & shoot film camera reviews that have been published on 35mmc. Point & Shoot film cameras are small and mostly pocketable. They are the more basic variety that allow the photographer to concentrate on just framing/composition.

A lot of point & shoot cameras are still very affordable, but it’s fair to say that some have fallen foul of become cultishly popular – often for very little reason beyond buying trends perpetuated through social media.

If you find a point & shoot camera you like the look of that’s more money than you felt like paying, you might want to give yourself a bit of a reality check by reading this article first: Don’t Believe the hype – A tight-fisted photographer’s approach to compact cameras

Advanced Compact Film Camera Reviews

Advanced compact film cameras – like the point & shoots – are mostly quite small. They have more advanced features such as the option to change the aperture manually or switch to manual focus. In recent years, these cameras have become very much more expensive. They aren’t getting any younger either, and therefore come with something of a health warning. It is quite possible that if you buy one of these cameras it might irreparably fail. That said, it is hard to deny the enjoyment that can be found in shooting them.

A little while ago (when they were less expensive) I began writing a buyers guide specifically to this type of camera. I managed to tick a few off the list before they became too expensive for me to justify buying to review. My article documents some of the pros and cons of the models I did review and can be found here: The 35mmc (growing) Guide to the 35mm Advanced Compact Camera

Scale Focus Film Camera Reviews

Scale focus film cameras also tend to be quite small, but rather than rely on autofocus, they are manual and require the user to set the focus based on an estimated guess of the subject distance.

Many of these cameras are older, but are also a little more simple than the autofocus cameras above. In some cases this can mean they are more reliable, though this is by no means the rule.

Included in this list are fixed lens scale focus cameras and a few interchangeable lens cameras.

Disposable Film Camera Reviews

Some more recent disposable cameras can used more than once, but they are all very simple and very cheap.

Fixed Lens Rangefinder Film Camera Reviews

Fixed lens rangefinder film cameras are similar is size to many of the scale focus film cameras above. The main difference is that they have the added benefit of a rangefinder to help the user focus. If you are unaware of the concept of a rangefinder, you can find out more about them in this article: What is a Rangefinder Camera, and is one right for you?

Changeable Lens Rangefinder Camera Reviews

The same basic concept as above, but these rangefinder cameras allow the photographer to change the lens on the front of the camera. With this comes a series of different lens mounts. The most notable being Leica Thread (/Screw) Mount (LTM/LSM), Leica M-Mount, Nikon S Mount and Contax rangefinder mount. The latter comes in two varieties, internal (for 50mm lenses) and external (for other focal lengths). Sound complicated? It isn’t really.

It’s worth noting that LTM lenses can be mounted with a simple adapter on M-mount cameras, but not the other way around.

It’s also worth noting that whilst Nikon & Contax mounts are the same mechanically, Nikon lenses won’t focus perfectly on Contax cameras, or the other way round.

Leica Thread Mount cameras are sometimes known as Barnack cameras (after their inventor Oskar Barnack). If you find yourself interested in buying one of these cameras, here are 7 reasons you should, and 9 reasons you shouldn’t (both sets of reasons are subjective, but those guides might help determine if one is right for you.

Leica M-Mount Cameras are arguably the most successful and popular rangefinder cameras. I haven’t reviewed every single one of them, but I have most of them. You can find all my personal M-Mount rangefinder camera reviews here

One final note: most of these cameras are film cameras, but some of the M-mount cameras are digital

SLR Film Camera Reviews

SLR (Single Lens Reflex) film cameras are arguably the most versatile. They also range from very simple purely mechanical manual cameras, all the way through to highly complex and technologically advanced cameras with lots of automatic features. As with most the types of cameras listed here I talk at a little more length about the pros and cons of the different types of SLR film cameras here.

It is worth noting that most of the brands have different mounts which means it’s not always easily possible to mount different brands of lenses on different brands of cameras. For this reason, SLR cameras are sometimes called ‘system cameras’ – you buy into one brand’s system of lens mount, and you’re stuck with the lenses that were made for that camera. It’s also worth noting that some of the brands changed their mount over the years.

Despite the confusion that some of this can cause to the beginner, SLR cameras often offer the best bang for buck – especially some of the smaller-name brands which remain very affordable and versatile.

Lens Reviews

In this section, you will find reviews of lenses for all sorts of different mounts. As I have detailed in the various sections above it is often the case that lenses can only easily be used on the cameras they were designed for, so whilst reading through the reviews here, it is worth making sure any lens you might like the look of is compatible with your camera.

That being said, this is not always the case, and in sometimes lenses can be adapted or even hacked to fit on different cameras. This has become increasingly popular in recent years with some digital cameras offering a great platform for adapting some of the lenses listed below.

You can read more about lens adapting and modifications here

I am a particular fan of a type of lenses called Sonnars – you can read some of my experiences with these specific types of lenses here

Medium & Large Format Camera Reviews

Medium & Large Format Cameras, in simple terms, are cameras that take a larger format of film, or have larger digital sensors than the 35mm cameras otherwise found on this website. Like all types of camera, medium and large format cameras come in all sorts of different types. But, with the majority of content on this website being about 35mm cameras, I decided to lump all medium and large format cameras into one category.

If you like the look of one or another of the cameras reviewed below, you can navigate to similar cameras by following the tag links found at the bottom of the review.

Under-Water & Rugged Cameras

These cameras are all designed to be used either underwater, or in more inhospitable places – I always keep one of these cameras in my collection as they are great for taking to the beach.

Digital Cameras

Digital cameras have been increasingly and more frequently reviewed on this website over the years. What differentiates the digital camera reviews you will find on 35mmc from those you find on many other websites, is that they are often written by people who have more of a penchant for film cameras.

As such, the reviews might be a little more about the experience of shooting the camera than the objective quality of the results. You might also find reviews of digital cameras that are quite old but continue to be used by their owners for a range of reasons beyond which one has the most megapickles, or is better in lower light.

Instant Camera Reviews

Reviews of cameras that take instant films such as Instax or Polariod.

DIY and Pinhole Cameras

Reviews of cameras pinhole, 3D printed and DIY build cameras

Film Reviews

As with cameras and lenses, there is no “best” film. There is also an almost infinite amount of possibilities when it comes to any particular film emulsion. As such, one person’s experiences with one film can differ from the next persons. There is also something in the region of 200 different films on the market today. Below you will find just some experiences of some films.

Scanner and Digitisation Device Reviews

Once you have taken your film photo, in this modern world, it is often the case that you might want to digitise your photos to show them off on the internet. Below you will find a few reviews of products that aid in this process, but if you would like to know a little more about the theory and various practices, you can find more information in this section of the website about workflow.

Darkroom & Dev Kit Reviews

If you approach your film photography in a more traditional way by either developing and/or printing your photos, below you will find a few reviews of products that aid in this process. If you would like to know a little more about the theory and various practices, you can find more information in this section of the website about workflow.

Accessories & More

Here you will find reviews and experiences all of sorts of peripheral products. As with everything in this huge list of reviews, if you find some thing of interest, you can find more similar products by clicking on the tags you will find at the bottom of the reviews.

Share this post:

Find more similar content on 35mmc

Use the tags below to search for more posts on related topics:

Contribute to 35mmc for an ad-free experience.

There are two ways to contribute to 35mmc and experience it without the adverts:

Paid Subscription – £2.99 per month and you’ll never see an advert again! (Free 3-day trial).

Subscribe here.

Content contributor – become a part of the world’s biggest film and alternative photography community blog. All our Contributors have an ad-free experience for life.

About The Author

By Hamish Gill

I started taking photos at the age of 9. Since then I've taken photos for a hobby, sold cameras for a living, and for a little more than decade I've been a professional photographer and, of course, weekly contributor to 35mmc.

View Profile

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Daniel Castelli on 10 Shots from the Toronto Skate Scene
Skate heads are good kids. I’m a retired shop teacher, and we made more than a few skateboards our wood…
Zheng Li on 20 Frames on the Space Coast with Lomochrome Turquoise
Hi Ben, your choice of film emulsion matches perfectly with the space age subject matter. The orange brown sky almost…
Bill Brown on DSLR Scanning on a Budget: Unlock Stunning Results with an Affordable Enlarger Lens
The photographer I work with said the best lens is the Rodenstock Rodagon 75mm F4 D1 or D2.

Photography & Projects

Looking for some inspiration, or just want to flick through the project work and photos?

Reviews & Experiences

If you're looking for photography equipment and peripheral reviews, this is the place to start!

Theory & Reflections

If you're looking for photography equipment and peripheral reviews, this is the place to start!

Tutorials & Knowhow

If you want to learn or discover a new technique, build on your skills, or be inspired to have a go at a bit of DIY or camera modification, then you’re in the right place.