Features

Reliable, Mechanical Vintage Cameras You’ll Want to Shoot With

Chris Gampat
No Comments
06/09/2017
4 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm GW690 III product photos 1

Last Updated on 06/11/2017 by Chris Gampat

Compact film cameras are a big thing more so now than they have ever been before. But one of the biggest problems with lots of them has to do with the fact that the electronics in them break down after a really long time. In a case like that, it’s sometimes just best to use an all mechanical camera with much better reliability.

So with that said, here are a number of (mostly) mechanical cameras that you’ll surely want to get your hands on.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t a definitive list, but instead one with cameras that we recommend.

Leica M3/2

The Leica M3 and Leica M2 are some of Leica’s first rangefinder cameras. They’re all mechanical, can still be serviced pretty easily, still use the Leica M mount, and are also very affordable when you’re speaking in terms of a Leica. These cameras shoots 35mm and are primarily designed for photojournalists and street photographers.

Canon F1

The Canon F1 is a pretty awesome camera that uses the Canon FD mount. There are loads and loads of lenses available for the mount and the these cameras are pretty simple to use. It shoots 35mm film and for years was the choice of many professional photographers.

Mamiya RB67 Pro S

Though it’s not as envied over as the RZ67, the Mamiya RB67 Pro S is all mechanical and built like a tank. You’re best off using it proper photography style: camera on a tripod, shooting landscapes or portraits.

Fujifilm GW690III

One of the largest format Fujifilm cameras shoots a healthy 6×9 medium format negative and has a rangefinder. The camera has a plastic exterior, but it’s also always been touted to have an overall very durable body. Because of its lightweight, it’s great for a variety of uses. But because it’s a rangefinder, it may not be perfect for landscape photographers.

Pentacon 6

There’s the Pentacon 6, and the Pentacon 6 TL; the only difference is that the TL can take a TTL viewfinder. But otherwise, the Pentacon 6 is an all mechanical camera that shoots a 6×6 negative. Watch out for some of the problems with it though! It’s called an SLR on steroids for great reason.

Olympus Pen F

The original Olympus Pen was an interesting camera. It shot a half frame of 35mm film and used a vertical shutter. They’re built well and still work even today.

Yashica GSN Electro 35

With a battery, this is a fully aperture priority camera. Without the battery, it is always locked to 1/500th or set to 1/30th when in flash mode. While it can still work without a battery, note that you won’t get all shutter speeds.

Pentax 67

This 67 medium format camera was designed to be handheld by fashion photographers. It’s great. Plus, Pentax has fantastic lenses.

Leica CL

The only reason why you’d ever need a battery in the Leica CL is because of the light meter. But honestly, the meter is pretty crappy. You’re best off just using Sunny 16 with this 35mm camera.

Mamiya C330

As one of the few interchangeable lens TLR cameras, the Mamiya C330 shoots 6×6 square format medium format images. That, and the lenses are fantastic.

Canon QL 17 III

Like the Yashica, this camera only really needs a battery for the meter and the shutter priority option. Otherwise, you’re really not going to need it. Years ago, it was easy to get one of these for under $100. Now though: that doesn’t happen any more.

Olympus OM-1

Olympus’ cameras were really oriented for the enthusiast; and the Zuiko lenses are really nice. If you want something with a nice ergonomic profile, go for the OM-1.

Rollei 35S

This is a really weird camera due to its design. The shutter speeds and apertures are knobs on the front and then the film advance is on the left side. So you’ll be loading this film in a different way.

Canon 7 Rangefinder

The Canon 7 rangefinder series are pretty great; though you may want more from a camera and therefore go for the Voigtlander Bessa R or something. These screw mount 35mm rangefinders are built well and overall very nice.

Nikon F

Of course, the Nikon F series of cameras are going to be on this list. One of the favorites of many photographers is the F2; but the other F series cameras are also great and can still be used with Nikon’s current F mount lineup.

Pentax K1000

35mm Film SLR

One of the longest made cameras in history, the Pentax K1000 is very reliable and was used as a camera for students for a really long time. They’re worth it; and the Pentax lenses are very beautiful too.

35mm camera canon format fujifilm leica mamiya mechanical nikon pentax
Shares
Written by

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.