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Analogue Photography Buying Guide
Kamera Express
Analog Photography Buying Guide
As a complement to our Musthaves, we offer this Buying Guide. Do you want to shoot analogue but are not sure which equipment suits you? What clicks with you?
Follow the step-by-step plan below and you will soon find out.
Step 1: Choose a camera
Second-hand cameras
Our selection of second-hand analogue cameras and lenses is quite extensive. We have fantastic original models from 40 or 50 years ago. Are you a true enthusiast? Definitely take a look here.
Instant cameras
Another great option for hobby photographers: the instant camera. Still affordable as a starting point, and you can skip the extensive developing process because the camera does it for you.
Polaroid fans
Are you completely smitten with the hip retro cameras and photos of Polaroid? Head straight to the Polaroid page. Here you will find new cameras as well as refurbished older models.
Disposable cameras
If you are new to analogue photography, we recommend starting with disposable cameras. These cameras are very affordable — a perfect entry point into the world of analogue photography.
Step 2: Choose your film
The type of film you use with your analogue camera can determine the mood of your image. It affects the colours, contrast, sharpness, grain and much more. Finding the right film is therefore essential for your photos.
If you love black and white, consider the Agfa APX400. This film roll delivers cinematic black-and-white photos with beautiful grain. All the sharp details and deep contrast make this film suitable for all kinds of black-and-white photography.
If you want more true-to-life photos with a slightly dreamy atmosphere, the Kodak Gold series is a great choice — a perfect all-round film for a variety of lighting conditions.
Finally, we have selected the Lomography Lomochrome Purple XR. We are huge fans of the beautiful purple glow this film gives your photos. Details remain clear so your photos will develop sharp.
There are many more film types available on our website. Visit filmtypes.com for an overview of various films with examples. Check out our film, photo roll and tape page!
Step 3: Choose the right chemicals
If you develop yourself, you essentially need three types of liquids: a developer, stop bath and fixer. The chemicals can, just like the film type, affect the result of your photos. Be precise when working with them. Remember: you cannot use all chemicals with every type of film. As a beginner, it is easy to buy a starter kit. Many developers come in powder form and you need to find the right ratio with water to mix them properly — which is why there are also many standard pre-mixed chemicals available. Perfect for beginners.
Step 4: Choose a scanner
You have taken your photos. The film rolls have been developed. What now? With a slide or negative scanner you can easily digitise all your shot film, so you can always keep your photos safe. Scanners can be divided between professional scanners and scanners for everyday home use. The latter type is considerably more affordable and the quality is perfect for the amateur and hobby photographer.
A very fun and practical scanner is the Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner. Together with the free LomoScanner App, you create beautiful scans of your 35mm negatives that are saved directly to your phone.
Step 5: Choose suitable storage
As explained in step four, you can scan the developed negatives and store them digitally. You can do this on your own computer, but if something happens to it you will lose them all. The solution? Cloud storage or external hard drives. In the Cloud you always have access to your photos wherever you are. With a hard drive you can store lots of photos at once without them going online.
Finally, you can print the digitalised photos yourself or send them to our photo lab so we can print them in the best quality. You can then store all your photos in a luxury photo album — because physically browsing through an album with beautiful pictures remains more enjoyable than clicking through a digital photo album. It is also more relaxing than swiping on your phone.
