The film-look is something that so many photographers want to have. Beyond the nostalgia is delivers, it also gives us an organic look that phones can’t deliver. While many cameras on the market can give you a film-look, not all of them are full-frame. A full-frame camera will do it better than most because the sensor sizes matches what 35mm film looks like! So to help you make a better decision, we dove into our Reviews Index to find the best full-frame cameras with a film look.
This article is presented in partnership with LUMIX.
We’re going to say this right off the bat: this article is presented in partnership with LUMIX. But at the same time, we also are transparently stating that we don’t write anything we don’t truly believe in. Trust us, it has caused lots of friction in advertising campaigns. And if we don’t have the facts to back up what we’re saying, we won’t say it. These truly are the best full-frame cameras with a film look for good reasons.
Besides the 35mm film sized sensor, there’s the lens selection from L-mount. This includes lenses from LUMIX, Leica, Sigma, and others. There’s also the fact that LUMIX cameras have the Real-Time LUT feature that lets you load your favorite film presets onto the camera to get the great look that you want. From there, you can customize it without the need for excessive post-production.
Here are the best interchangeable lens cameras available now.
Why You Should Trust Us
The Phoblographer has been doing real-world photography gear tests longer than any other photography publication currently run. We also have the largest database of real-world lens reviews, amongst other things like straps, camera bags, lights, accessories, and more. Here’s why that matters:
- AI Can’t Do This Job: These days, other publications do roundups, sometimes using generative AI. That’s the same as a person researching products and then making a decision without actually trying it. All of our reviews and guides are written not just by humans but by working photographers — not AI. Computers don’t use cameras, so why would you trust AI to recommend cameras for you?
- Research and Practical Experience: Here at the Phoblographer, humans consult on what roundups to do with guidance from an editor. Then, a human goes through our database of reviews and selects the best products based on our own internal research. The human creating the roundup has practical experience with photography gear and will apply their knowledge of what’s best to the already human-based experience provided in our reviews.
- We Block AI Bots: The Phoblographer blocks indexing bots from reading our site, so what’s here can only be read here.
How We Test and Choose the Best Cameras With a Film Look
- The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed in these roundups.
- If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
- When we test lenses, we’ve got various things in mind. First off, we consider who might want to buy the lens and what they might do with it. With that in mind, we try to tackle at least three genres of photography with that lens in a variety of situations. If the lens has weather resistance, then we’ll test it accordingly with a weather-resistant camera. We also test the autofocus of the lens in continuous mode, single mode, with exposure preview effects, without those effects, and then with all the major image quality parameters. These days, no one really makes a bad lens — but some are far better than others. The same applies to working with cameras.
- In this specific roundup, we’re basing our findings on the reviews that we’ve done. We’re choosing a favorite, but we’re also giving photographers a bunch of others that they might like, depending on how they shoot.
Our Choice Among the Best Mirrorless Cameras: LUMIX S5II
It’s really hard not to pick the LUMIX S5 II; and there’s great reasons for that. Since it launched, the company has done multiple firmware updates to it in a way that we haven’t seen from so many other companies. Truly, every singe time they update the camera, it feels like you’re getting a brand new one. Features like Real Time LUT, Live Composite, AF Scope, autofocus improvements, scene detection tweaks, and the addition of the new LUMIX Lab app have made this camera one of the best hybrids on the market. If you’re a working photographer, this is a pretty easy decision.
In our LUMIX S5 II review, we state:
Further, it also maintained the animal priority when I went to go take a photo of the dog and his human. This all sounds like standard fair these days, but being able to have the s5 II track the dog’s eyes too is so much nicer when you combine it with all the other cool things the camera can do. I combined this feature with the Real-Time LUT option and used my Kodak film LUTs. I can’t do that with Nikon or Sony as easily.
Why Buy It?
- Beautiful image quality
- This camera feels really great in the hands.
- Lots of buttons to do whatever you need.
- Built well
- Incredible battery life
- Panasonic’s menu system is such a great thing to use
- CineLike V2 is god-tier for image quality
- Real Time LUTS are very fun to play with
- Beautiful JPEG output
- Weather resistance
- L Classic Neo is so gorgeous
- The little detail on the ISO button to find it in the dark is awesome
- Animal detection works with even horses!
- Autofocus is very reliable overall when shooting events outdoors
- When underexposed with the constant preview on, the autofocus is very good at under 3 stops. This is because the lens opens up to get focus. But it’s better without it.
- Constant preview can work well for events in low light.
- My favorite style of LCD screen.
- This is one of the few cameras on the market where you really don’t need to do post-production.
For Some Photographers, these Might be the Best Full-Frame Cameras With a Film Look
The LUMIX S5 II may be an excellent camera, but there are others that the brand makes that we’d recommend too. Thankfully, we’ve done our own independent reviews on all of them. And we can say that if you’re looking for the film-look, you’ll get it here. These are a few other options you’ll really like.
LUMIX S5IIx
For the most part, this is just a special edition of the S5II but with blacked out logos and such. At least, that’s what photographers will care about the most.
In our LUMIX S5IIx review, we state:
The LUMIX S5IIx is a very comfortable camera. My fingers can wrap all the way around the grip with a little room to spare. The viewfinder juts out enough from the body that I don’t have to squish my nose against the camera, even as someone who wears prescription glasses.
LUMIX S9
The perfect camera for stealth! The LUMIX S9 doesn’t have a mechanical shutter and foregoes several things that the high-end cameras have to keep the price down. But when it comes to getting the film look, it does it pretty perfectly.
In our LUMIX S9 review, we said:
The LUMIX S9 is fascinating. Although it’s targeted at “content creators,” most of the new features are for photographers. For example, they’re limiting the video features and pumping in lots of stuff for photographers. There’s a dedicated LUT menu for Real Time LUT. That means that you’re shooting more stills than video.
Using this Guide to the Best Full-Frame Cameras with a Film Look
If you’re considering purchasing anything from this list, consider the following:
- All the product images and sample photos in these roundups are shot by our staff. In fact, we don’t talk about products at length in roundups like this unless we’ve done full reviews of them. But you can surely know that we’ve done all the research ourselves.
- We’d never recommend a product to you that we haven’t tested or that we really didn’t like. You can reference our linked reviews, for more information on this.
Tips on Choosing the Best Cameras With a Film Look
The key to choosing a mirrorless camera — or really any camera — is to first identify what matters most to your shooting style, and then finding the camera that offers the best fit for those features. As you narrow down the list of potential choices, consider these features.
- Mirrorless cameras tend to prioritize either resolution or speed. The best cameras do a bit of both, but the best one in your budget may not. Genres like sports and pets will need a faster camera, while photographers who mostly shoot portraits can save a lot of cash if they don’t pick the fastest camera.
- Full-frame offers the most image quality for the money, plus greater flexibility in cropping in post-production. That’s why the cameras on this list all have a full-frame sensor. When you’re using the Real Time LUT feature, you really don’t want to lose out on quality.
- Megapixels aren’t everything. The cameras with a lower resolution tend to have faster performance, not to mention less grain at high ISOs.
- Mirrorless cameras come in a range of sizes. If you travel frequently, one specification that you’ll want to look at is the weight and dimensions.
- Lens choice matters. While most mirrorless bodies have an excellent range of lens options, some of the more obscure focal lengths are still hard to find. Before you make your final decision, be sure to take a look at the different lens options compatible with your pick.
Picking the Right Mirrorless Cameras for You
- What’s your budget?
- How will you use the product?
- What lighting situations are you in, and how will that affect what you’re doing? Our reviews hyperlinked in this article can help with that.
- Are you traveling a lot with it?
- Will you be using it in a situation that’s a bit rougher?
- Who else uses this product? How are they using it?
- What’s so appealing about this product that I can’t get from what I have already or something else?
- When will I really have time to use this product?
- Where will I bring this product?
- How will this product help bring me joy and joy in my photography?