A Simple Guide to Buying Second-hand & Vintage Cameras
There is something special about using vintage film cameras and shooting with both black & white and colour films! But with so many makes and models on the second-hand market — each of different age and with different capabilities — it’s difficult to know where to start if you are thinking about buying your first vintage film camera. And with this in mind, here is my guide on buying your first vintage film camera. Whilst not intended to be comprehensive, through this guide I aim to share a little of my personal experience working with vintage cameras and give you the confidence to get started in the wonderful world of vintage cameras!
I have been using old film cameras throughout my career as a photographer and teacher of photography. My first experience using old 35mm film cameras was when my parents introduced me to their old Pentax Spotmatic cameras in the late-1990s. Since then, despite immersing myself in the world of digital cameras and the latest technology, I have continued to use 35mm and medium format film cameras, and to process and print my black and white photographs. Over the years, I have built a small collection of film cameras and have access to more, many of which I still use to this day!
Holding my Nikon F2 which I purchased in Moscow when teaching photography and graphic design at the British Higher School of Art & Design. The Nikon F2 is a professional level system camera, meaning the pentaprism and finder can be removed.
The different types of vintage cameras
Before you dive in and purchase your first vintage camera, it is important to know what you are looking at and what type of camera you want. Different types of cameras have vastly different capabilities, advantages and disadvantages. So here I will briefly cover the different types of cameras you can consider purchasing. The idea behind this is to choose the right camera for you and the kind of photographs you want to take.
Single-lens Reflex Cameras
Single-lens reflex cameras have a mirror mechanism and a pentaprism/waist level finder to project what the camera sees up into the viewfinder, a bit like the periscope on a submarine. So what you see through the viewfinder is what you get in the photograph. The advantage single-lens reflex cameras have over their rangefinder brethren is that they do not suffer from parallax errors caused by not having the viewfinder perfectly aligned with the camera’s lens. Single-lens reflex cameras also usually have interchangeable lenses and a plethora of accessories, making them highly versatile and great cameras for photographers who want to get the most out of their photography. Single-lens reflex cameras usually shoot with 35mm and medium format films.
If you are shooting outside and/or on location, then you’ll probably want the added flexibility a single-lens reflex camera with a built-in pentaprism provides. Medium format cameras are typically built as a system camera and therefore often come with a waist level finder. However, some premium models of medium format cameras have pentaprisms and system cameras can use a prism finder, usually purchased as an accessory.
Waist level finders
Cameras with a waist level finder were a precursor to cameras with built-in pentaprisms, which became popular after the Second World War. However, cameras with waist level finders have continued to be produced because they are often cheaper to manufacture and popular, particularly with medium format photographers who are used to working with system cameras.
Compared to cameras with pentaprisms there are several obvious disadvantages in having a waist level finder, chiefly everything you can see through the viewfinder is reversed, which can make composing images rather difficult if you don’t have a good sense of balance and direction. Light through the viewfinder can also be an issue, with some cameras with waist level finders struggling to get enough light through the viewfinder to make composing and focusing the image easy! Another difference with waist level finders is that you typically have to shoot from the hip, or use a special magnifying element to hold the camera near eye level.
If you decide to go down the route of getting a camera with a waist level finder, be prepared to have a very different experience when composing your images compared with a camera with a built-in pentaprism.
A post-war single-lens reflex camera with a waist level finder. This camera belongs to my father and I have used it on several occasions. As with many cameras of this period it does not have its own in-built light meter, so you have to use a separate Weston light meter to calculate exposure times.
Rangefinder cameras
Rangefinder cameras were instrumental in the development of photography: small lightweight 35mm rangefinder cameras in the 1920s and 30s enabled photographers to get closer to the action in an era when many cameras were still quite large, bulky, and slow to use! Many famous photographers in this era — like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa — used rangefinder cameras. However, after the Second World War, developments in camera technology and the rise of the Japanese giants like Canon and Nikon meant that pentaprism clad single-lens reflex cameras superseded rangefinder cameras during the 1950s and 1960s.
Rangefinder cameras have, nevertheless, continued to be produced, primarily because they were cheaper and easier to use. They do, however, have one obvious advantage: because they do not have a pentaprism or complicated mechanisms, they can be made smaller than their single-lens reflex counterparts. There have been many iconic rangefinder cameras produced like the Olympus Trip 35, Leica’s venerable M-Series and Ukraine’s FED series cameras.
The main difference between rangefinder cameras and single-lens reflex cameras is that the image you see through the camera’s viewfinder is produced using a separate viewfinder next to the camera lens. This can lead to an error in parallax, whereby the image you see is different or offset from what you actually photograph. This is more so a problem with cheaper rangefinder cameras. Many rangefinder cameras come with interchangeable lens, however, these often use different lens mounts, making sourcing second-hand lenses problematic.
Due to their simpler mechanics, and because a great many were produced, you can easily find vintage rangefinder cameras on the market today. Popular models, however, usually sporting iconic looks, like the Olympus Trip 35, tend to command a premium price. And if you want a rangefinder cameras from the 1920s or 30s, for example a Leica, then you’ll need very deep pockets! On the other hand, cameras like the Ukrainian FED 3 which was produced in the Soviet Union are considerably cheaper and have all the same functions and features, but without the premium price tag!
A Ukrainian FED 3 rangefinder camera from the Soviet Union. Note how the viewfinder port is situated above the lens and to its left: this would inevitably cause parallax errors.
Compact cameras
Cheap and cheerful ‘point-and-shoot’ or compact cameras are typically easy to use, with simplistic controls and lightweight due to the use of plastics in their construction! This does not mean, however, that there has not been some great compact cameras over the years, like the Ilford Sprite 35, which is now being produce again!
Owning a compact camera can be a lot of fun, but you have to accept that you will not have as much control over your photography compared with a top of the line single-lens reflex camera or premium rangefinder camera. You should also be careful when purchasing some 1990s compact cameras which use the now discontinued APS film format: whilst it is still just about possible to get these film processed, this film format is no longer produced. Also watch out for models which use motors and gearing to power zoom lenses because there is more to go wrong. Simple is best!
Lens mounts
Another thing to consider is the camera’s lens mount. This can be an important decision because it may limit your options when buying lenses in the future. Unfortunately, there is a plethora of standards within the photographic industry. Older vintage cameras often tend to use a screw-threaded mount like the M42 or M37 standards. In this case the number refers to the diameter of the mount’s throat.
Screw-threaded mounts, however, had their limitations; chiefly that as camera equipment developed and lenses became more complicated, and electronic information needed to be transferred between the lens and the camera, the lens mount could not be developed further. Bayonet mounts are more secure and offer a consistent locking for electronic terminals.
Some popular lens mounts include:
Nikon F (bayonet), a popular lens mount with lots of aftermarket lenses produced by both Nikon and other manufactures. Been used by Nikon for over half a century.
Pentax K (bayonet), replaced Pentax’s earlier threaded lens mounts. Also used by Ricoh, Agfa, Vivitar and KMZ Zenit cameras.
Canon EF (bayonet), first introduced in 1987 and used on later single-lens reflex cameras and Canon’s EOS digital camera systems. Derivative Canon EF-S used for their APS-C DSLR cameras.
Canon FL & FD standards, used on Canon SLRs from the 1960s and 1070s.
M42 (threaded), used by older Praktica, Pentax and Zenit cameras.
The main thing to consider when purchasing a vintage film camera is the availability of additional lenses. Major manufactures like Pentax, Nikon and Canon had a plethora or aftermarket lenses available. If lenses are important to you then go with Pentax (K-mount onwards) or Nikon, because these two companies have kept the same lens mounts and there is some level of inter-compatibility between their older and newer lenses.
You can find a full list of lens mount standards here: wikipedia.org/wiki/Lens_mount
Film speed
With older cameras you will find different designations for film speeds, whereas nowadays with modern camera equipment it is simply referred to as ISO (International Organization for Standardization) or digital ISO. Most countries around the world today have standards bodies which recognise the ISO standard and have ISO voting rights, hence why this designation is nowadays the unified standard for film speed. However, typical standards you might come across when looking for a second-hand vintage camera include ASA (American National Standards), DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) and GOST (which was the standard used in the Soviet Union). DIN and ASA are intercompatible and were combined to create ISO in 1974.
Other rarer historical standards you may come across include BSI (British Standards Institute), Weston (the same as the light meter manufacturer), General Electric (pre-1937, same as ASA), Scheiner (pre-1934 German system, incorporated into DIN), and Hurter & Driffield (which was used in the USSR before GOST replaced it in 1951).
You can find out more about film speed and all of the different standards here: wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_speed
Examining 35mm negatives in our studio.
Cameras to avoid
There are many interesting vintage cameras available, however some cameras and technology from the past is simply best avoided unless your purchase is intended for the museum shelf!
Archaic film formats
Throughout the history of chemical photography there are a lot of different film formats and gauges, most of which are now archaic and long since discontinued. When looking for a vintage camera you should stick to the film formats which are still produced, e.g. 135 or 35mm, 120 medium format and some sheet films like 4x5 inches. Some cameras, like Kodak’s popular Brownie series camera used film formats similar to 120 medium format film, but have a different slot key design meaning modern 120 films cannot easily be used in these cameras and consequently they are of little use beyond creating a nice shelf display!
Advanced Photo System
APS or Advanced Photo System is a now discontinued film format introduced by Kodak in the late-1990s prior to the mass-market adaptation of digital cameras. This system allowed amateur photographers to select different aspect ratios for their photographs on location. Whilst it is still possible to get APS film processes in some laboratories, film stocks have long been discontinued. APS failed to supplant 35mm film and itself was supplanted by digital technologies.
Newfangled technology, now old!
As consumer electronics became more advanced in the 1980s and early 1990s, so did the features and technology incorporated in many point-and-shoot cameras including motorised zoom lenses and winder mechanisms. These technologies, whilst great at the time, increased the chances that something might go wrong years down the line. On the other hand, cheap compact cameras produced in the 1960s, like the Ilford Sprite 35 are mechanically very simple and therefore extremely reliable.
A beautiful example of a Kodak Popular Brownie. Box cameras were a precursor to compact cameras and nowadays smartphones. They were easy to use and allowed the masses to take photographs with relatively little experience and at a minimum of cost. These cameras however are an archaic format and of little use nowadays as a functioning camera. Only buy one of these cameras if you want a nice ornament to sit on your bookshelf.
Things to check when buying a camera in a shop
If you are looking at a vintage camera in a shop, speak to the sales assistant and have a good look at the camera. Before purchasing, it is essential you check all the camera’s controls and make sure everything works. Of particular importance is the camera’s light meter as these can stop working or provide inaccurate readings if the camera has not been regularly used. If the light meter does not work it is possible the batteries are flat, but the trader should have replaced these when preparing the camera for sale. A good frame of reference when checking a light meter is your typical gloomy day (outside the window) in the U.K. should equal approximately f/5.6 at 1/125 with the ISO set to 125. Comparing against a camera or light meter which is known to be accurate is the best way to quickly check a light meter.
Also check all of the controls and find out as much as possible about the camera’s recent history, for example has it been recently used. Have a good look inside the camera to make sure there are not obvious rough surfaces which might scratch your film. This problem can be quite common on old 35mm cameras where a chrome surface may have been used for guiding the film over the film plate. Sometimes the outside of the camera has some cosmetic wear, particularly on the corners and edges. Personally I find these add character, so long as the camera has no obvious dents and/or major scratches. A few slightly worn edges where the brass shows through are part in parcel of buying an old camera!
I once purchased what appeared to be a mint condition secondhand Nikon F2, but when I started playing with the camera’s controls and selecting different shutter speeds I discovered that the shutter speed dial did not match the shutter speeds selected! As the Nikon F2 is a system camera, the problem was with the camera’s head unit which can easily be replaced. However this invariably involves taking the head unit from another camera, so after negotiating with the sales assistant I opted to go with a different Nikon F2 instead.
When looking at a second-hand camera check the following:
Have a good look at the camera body. Despite the usual cometic marks which show its age, the camera’s body should be free of any dents, major scratches and/or cracks. How the camera body looks will give you a good indication as to how the camera has been treated over the years by its owners.
Check that the camera’s light meter functions and gives realistic readings. Remember that with some vintage cameras, like the Pentax Spotmatic series, you will need to stop the lens down to get an accurate meter reading. If you doubt the light meter’s reading, compare it with another light meter or the exposure reading from a digital camera. They should all give a similar reading when set to the correct ISO and meter pattern type.
Open the back of the camera and have a good look at the camera’s shutter. This is important because the shutter is often a complicated moving mechanism which can degrade over time, depending on how often the camera has been used or how it has been stored. When looking at the shutter in single-lens reflex cameras wind the camera on, this will prime the shutter and cycle its movement allowing you to inspect all of the shutter’s elements. In some cases, for example in the Pentax ME-Super, the shutter is made from multiple leaf parts which shift in a complicated pattern akin to the iris in a camera lens. Some older single-men reflex cameras like Pentax’s Spotmatic series have fabric shutters which can degrade over time.
Select and use each of the camera’s shutter speeds, these should sound right. With vintage film cameras the different shutter speeds make different sounds and a trained ear can tell the difference between a 1/60 of a second and a 1/1000 of a second!
When looking at lenses have a good look at the glass. Make sure there are no cracks or mould growing on the inside. The glass should be clean, mould and crack free because these will effect your image quality. Also check the lenses iris by cycling through all of the available apertures. As the iris opens and closes you’ll be able to see more of the blades, which should be rust free and move smoothy without any effort.
The Nikon F2 which I purchased in Moscow when I was teaching photography and graphic design at the British Higher School of Art & Design. I had left all my film cameras back in the United Kingdom when I emigrated and wanted to do some film photography because the school had a good darkroom, so I purchased a Nikon F2 at Moscow’s premier camera shop. However, I found that that camera had a fault in its head unit (the shutter speed dial was out of sync with the shutter speeds), so I returned the camera and purchased this one instead.
Where to buy retro and vintage film cameras
Beside your local camera shop, there is a plethora of vintage cameras available online, and to be honest the buyer’s protections on markets like eBay are nowadays fairly good and akin to the guarantees you should receive when buying directly from a shop. Also a lot of small camera shops which specialise in selling vintage equipment now also sell on platforms like eBay. Obviously check the seller’s ratings and make sure the item is as described.
The biggest issue with buying online is that you cannot physically hold and look at the camera before deciding whether to purchase it. This however does not have to be a deal breaker, but you should contact the seller and ask them additional questions about anything not described in the item’s listing. How well the seller responds will also give you a pretty good idea about whether they are a responsible seller.
When receiving a camera you’ve bought on the internet it is important you open the package carefully and check everything works as quickly as possible, because any problems (hopefully there are none) should be addressed right-away. Stick a cheap film through the camera to check all the light seals, shutter speeds and light meter work as described. This works better if you can process your own film at home because you will not be waiting on a laboratory’s service.
Ultimately buying from the internet is great — but where possible use a credit card or payment platform which provides enhanced buyer protections and know your local consumer rights.
My collection of vintage cameras
Other the years, I have built a small collection of vintage and retro cameras, some of which I still use on a regular basis. The first camera in my collection was a Pentax Spotmatic SP1000 gifted to me by my parents when I first became interested in photography. Unfortunately I no longer have this camera, which was broken in a car accident some years ago. That camera was replaced with a Pentax Spotmatic SP500, which is essentially the same camera, minus the dial on top of the camera indicating its fastest shutter speed!
Pentax made very good film cameras and over the years I have bought and been given several more Pentax cameras including my Pentax ME-Super an a Pentax 645 medium format camera. The Pentax 645 I used predominately when I was a photography student at Huntingdon Regional College and later at the University of Hertfordshire. I always found waist level finders slow and difficult to use, so enjoyed shooting with a medium format camera with a built-in pentaprism!
The Pentax ME-Super is a 1980s single-lens reflex camera and strikes the perfect balance between automation and traditional camera technologies. The camera is quick and easy to use, but still has manually focused lenses and a gilded aperture ring on its lenses. An important difference to note between Pentax’s ME range and its earlier Spotmatic series cameras is the lens mount, with the Spotmatic using a threaded M42 mount and the ME range using Pentax’s more modern Pentax K-mount. There are adapters available which allow you to use M42 mount lenses on a K-mount.
I also have in my collection a Nikon F2 with a DP-1 viewfinder and a 50mm lens. This camera I purchased in Moscow when I was teaching photography at the British Higher School of Art & Design and used for several years documenting my travels.
I hope that you have found this small guide both useful and interesting! If you want to learn more about film photography, I have several classes available on Skillshare where I teach black and white film processing at home, how to build a homemade matchbox pinhole camera and how to restore old photographs.
