To the photographer of the 1970s, the Olympus camera brand was almost synonymous with miniaturisation. The Olympus OM1 single lens reflex, introduced in 1973, had shrunk the size of a standard 35mm SLR by about a quarter leaving other brands racing to catch up. Rangefinder cameras such as the Olympus 35RC were gaining a strong following among travel and adventure photographers for the same reason.

Despite, or perhaps because of, these developments there remained an almost untapped market for even smaller cameras. Many aspiring photographers who had started with something like a Kodak Instamatic 126 camera were looking to graduate to a more versatile and capable alternative. To satisfy this need, Olympus developed an interesting series of ultra-compact 35mm models based on a novel clamshell design, which could slide into a pocket and become truly “go anywhere” cameras.

The Olympus XA series

In 1979, the original Olympus XA was launched, and it was immediately obvious that this was something rather special. Despite its compact format – Olympus called it a “capsule camera” – it was a fully-featured 35mm rangefinder camera with aperture-priority automatic exposure and a number of other offerings which made people sit up and take notice. 

Olympus used plastic materials in the XA to a much greater extent than in previous designs, utilising the flexibility in design and manufacture which this offered. The sliding clamshell panel which protects the lens when not in use is the most obvious manifestation of this, and it gives the XA its characteristic look. In other areas, precision machined metals are still present, especially where this offers the opportunity for reducing the size or thickness of components. The camera back, pressed from thin but rigid metal, is a case in point.

The XA is powered by two SR44/LR44 button cell batteries, on which it is wholly reliant. Without them there is no manual backup, so it pays to keep a spare set handy. Having said that, the batteries supply power to the exposure meter, the shutter and not much else. So the lifetime of a set of batteries is very good, a year or more in normal use. Access to the battery compartment is via a coin-slot screw cover in the base.

Sliding the clamshell cover open reveals the protected elements of the camera – including the excellent 35mm f/2.8 Zuiko prime lens. This is an impressive “reverse retrofocus” design, where the lens-to-film distance is markedly less than the focal length. While this design is more complex than some traditional rangefinder lenses, it made it possible to keep the body of the XA surprisingly slim. In the early design stages, a simpler Tessar design was considered, but was rejected by the designers as it made the camera too bulky. 

The chosen design has 6 elements in 5 groups, and offers coupled rangefinder focusing from 0.85m to infinity. There is a focus lever below the lens and a distance scale above it. The shutter is electronically timed and will run from about 10 seconds to 1/500th – allowing for low-light long exposures of moving water and twilight landscapes. The shutter release is a recessed “sensor” type which reduces camera shake, but there is no cable release socket. 

Aperture is adjustable from f/2.8 to f/22 using a scale on the body, and the aperture itself is of the two-piece “diamond” type typical of automatic compacts of that period. Film speed is manually set, and can be between 25 and 800 ASA/ISO. As well as the rangefinder image, the viewfinder offers a bright-line frame to show the limits of the captured image. On the left hand side, a moving needle shows the shutter speed selected by the meter.

On the base of the camera is a small switch which offers backlight compensation of 1.5 stops, a self-timer function, and a battery tester which emits an electronic tone if the battery is healthy. There is no standard flash hot-shoe, but a dedicated flashgun can be attached with a captive screw to the end of the body – indeed a couple of versions are available with different guide numbers. While not as sophisticated as modern systems, this does a decent job of adding light to scene where there isn’t an alternative, and the location of the flash helps avoid “red eye” effects.

The back of the XA is opened in the traditional 35mm manner, by pulling up the film rewind knob, to reveal a fairly standard internal layout of film gate and pressure plate. Film is wound on using a ratcheted thumbwheel at the right hand corner of the body.

Over time, Olympus added some other versions of the XA to the range, but none matched the technical prowess of the original. The XA2, for example, is a much-simplified design, with zone focusing in place of the rangefinder and programmed exposure instead of aperture priority, which removes much of the creative flexibility of the XA. The XA4 launched in 1985 was interesting, featuring a wider 28mm lens and closer focusing. But again, it relied on zone focusing and programmed exposure.

The Olympus Mju series

As the 1990s approached, it was clear that the world was changing. The new technologies of autofocus and automatic film advance were rapidly becoming vital in maintaining and developing market share. Olympus answered these requirements in 1991 with the Mju series, which was called the Stylus in some territories such as the USA.

Slightly chunkier than the XA, but a good deal lighter, the Olympus Mju-1 employed a 100-step infrared autofocus system and motorised film transport in a much more sculpted body. The lens was still protected by a sliding plastic panel – one which operated rather more smoothly than the version on the XA – but a small LCD panel for frame counting and status indication had appeared on the top plate. The design employed plastics to an even greater degree, allowing the designers more freedom in the placement of various features. All the components of lens, viewfinder, autofocus and the new built-in flash were now protected by the sliding panel. Sadly, however, the 35mm f/2.8 lens of the XA had now become a less versatile f/3.5 version.

The shutter release had evolved slightly, with a good-sized button offering a more positive action than the sensor of the XA, while two smaller buttons on the top plate selected flash options and the self-timer function. With so much more automation, the Mju also acquired a power upgrade. In place of the button cells, a single CR-123 lithium or alkaline battery was required – and, once again, the camera is dead without it. The battery is housed behind a swing out panel on the right-hand end of the camera.

The Mju was very successful, with Olympus claiming sales of over 5 million worldwide. But to me it seemed like a stop-gap design, and lacked some of the unique charm of the original XA. Presumably, someone at Olympus was thinking along the same lines, because in 1997 they launched the wholly redesigned Mju-II – a dramatically improved offering.

Smaller and thinner than the original model, the Olympus Mju-II offered an upgraded multi-autofocus system, a more sophisticated flash support and restored the 35mm f/2.8 lens, which focused from 0.35m to infinity. The small LCD screen had migrated to the rear door of the camera, with buttons below to select delayed action and flash mode – which included red-eye reduction settings and a night-mode to allow “slow sync” long exposures with flash. Shutter speed and aperture were programmed, with no viewfinder information other than “flash ready” and “slow shutter speed warning” LEDs. Shutter speeds reportedly ran from 4 seconds to 1/1000sec, but I have measured exposures rather longer than that. The aperture of the 35mm lens, which was made up of 4 elements in 4 groups, was between f/2.8 and f/11.

The body of the Mju-II tapered almost to a point, making it very easy to slide into a pocket. This feature is explained when you open the back of the camera, as the 35mm film was designed to run in the “wrong” direction – from right to left – with the cassette being held on the right-hand side of the body. Loading is automatic and, in my experience, very reliable – with the film transport being rapid and very quiet. Rewind of the film into the cassette is automatic, although – as with the original Mju – there is a button to rewind a film part of the way through a roll.

The Mju-II was a sophisticated and highly developed offering, and I have a couple which I still use regularly. It is no surprise that Olympus sold over 3.8 million of them, despite it being part of a highly competitive marketplace.

Along with the Mju and Mju-II, Olympus produced a number of similar cameras with zoom lenses, to match the new market demands for versatility. Unfortunately, these models sacrificed some of the compactness of the originals and had much smaller maximum apertures, relying instead on the new, faster and sharper colour negative films to make up the difference. The Mju and Stylus brand names survived well into the digital era, but few of these offerings had the style or longevity of the film originals.

Olympus XA vs Mju – In the field

Both the XA and the Mju – especially the Mju-II – ultra-compact 35mm cameras are supremely portable and effective tools for capturing the unexpected image, or for use in situations where it does not pay to be conspicuous in your photography. 

I suppose I should confess at this point that I once bought an additional Mju-II because I was convinced I had lost the original one. A few months later, I found the one I’d lost in the phone pocket of my walking jacket – it really is that small and light! Mind you, having a spare one of these delightful compacts is never a problem, as it offers you the chance to have a camera in each pocket, one with high-speed black and white film for action, the other with slow colour transparency film for landscapes. This gives you great versatility with a lot less fuss than, say, a couple of 35mm SLR bodies, even Olympus OM1s!

Is that a fair comparison? Can these compacts really perform as well as an SLR? After using both cameras for many years I believe that – as long as you accept the restrictions of a fixed 35mm lens – yes, they can. The Zuiko optics of both the XA and Mju-II can deliver extremely good results if you treat them, and your photography, seriously. The weatherproofing of the Mju-II is especially useful in the UK climate, and I have used one in driving rain without problems – in conditions where I was happy to leave my DSLRs safely indoors.

Olympus XA vs Mju – Verdict

With the advent of digital compacts, many of these classic Olympus ultra-compact cameras were relegated to the dusty shelves of charity shops – which is where I got most of my examples from. In the past, I have seen them on sale for as little as £5, which is a bargain by any measure – even when you factor in the cost of film and a new battery. Recently, however, they seem to have gained a sort of retro-chic and quite nondescript examples have started appearing on Internet sales sites at eye-watering sums, well into three figures.

While I have always found these cameras extremely reliable, I believe you need to think hard about their likely lifespan before committing such serious sums of money. But if you are lucky enough to have one of these classics, then please don’t stick in a drawer or in a display case. Put a film in it, check the battery and stick it in your pocket – because you never know what you might come across.

John Gilbey is a writer and photographer based in West Wales.

Related reading:

• Pentax 17 vs Kodak Ektar H35N – half-frame film cameras compared
• How to check if a film camera works
• 12 Best Second-hand Classic Compact Cameras
• Small wonders: best used compact cameras for winter

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This really got me thinking about my own legacy, and our family archive going forward. What do I want my own children to inherit from me? In some ways, now we’re out of the print era, the problem is even more tricky. Will my kids have a mess of digital folders that they can’t navigate, or worse, even have access to as they’re stuck behind folders or biometric locks? It’s one thing to have masses of physical albums to deal with – but at least I have no barriers to simply looking at those precious old photos of my family, the places they went and the things that they saw. Digital files risk simply disappearing from existence if not properly stored and managed. 

A sad story earlier in the year of a widowed man unable to access the only copies of his wedding photos, stored away on his late wife’s iPhone, also makes us think about how we can make sure our smartphone data isn’t lost. Let’s face it, most of our family photography is likely to be taken with these devices, so making sure it is accessible to our nearest and dearest – if we want to be – is more important than ever, too.

So, I’ll be taking a look at how you can digitise your family print archive, how to look after your current digital files, and methods for ensuring that things like smartphone data is easily transferrable after you’ve gone.

It might seem gloomy to think about these things, but our photographic legacy is important – and I think it’s worth protecting. What’s more, there’s lots of fun, nostalgia and happiness to be had from putting it together in the first place – you can start sharing it all straightaway of course. 

This is in no way a comprehensive guide to all the ways it’s possible to create and share an archive, of course. If I’ve missed anything vital, please do feel free to let us know how you manage your archive via the usual methods – we’d love to share your tips. 

Physical Prints and Albums 

If you’re anything like my family, you will have stacks and stacks of physical albums, old prints and related bits of ephemera. 

Don’t get me wrong, they’re all great to have, but they take up a lot of space. I’ve therefore been slowly working my way through it all to convert it to digital. Creating a digital version – of at least some of such an archive – is a great idea for lots of reasons. It means you can share your precious memories and family history with extended family and friends all around the world, but it also means that if sadly, the physical copies need to be disposed of at some point, you’ll still have a record of everything. 

There are plenty of things that I won’t be saving – and I don’t feel guilty about it. Badly composed snaps of a location that I’ve never been to, don’t feature anything of social/historical importance, or have any people in them will likely be recycled – even digitally one should be mindful of keeping absolutely everything!

There are lots of ways you can digitise a physical archive, depending on what kind of media you have. Here are a few options to get you started:

Scanning photos with a flatbed scanner

Pros: 

• Easy to use 
• Reasonably priced
• Tackles lots of different types of media

Cons: 

• Slow if you have lots to scan 
• Super-high quality isn’t always accessible 

This is probably the commonest and easiest way to digitise a physical print, or an album page. Flatbed scanners come in at a variety of price points and qualities. Lots of people have them inbuilt with fairly cheap printers, but I think for an important family archive, it’s worth spending just a little bit more on a standalone unit, if you can. 

I like the Canon LiDE 400 flatbed scanner – it’s around £70 so not outrageously expensive – but does a good job, enabling scans of up to 1200dpi. What I like most about it is the software that comes with it – place several different pictures on the bed and it’ll automatically create different cropped files for each photo – even if you’ve not placed it perfectly straight on the bed. 

Epson FastFoto FF-680W 

Pros: 

• Very fast 

Cons: 

• Expensive
• Can’t handle every type of media

I’ve been lucky enough to try out one of these scanners, which as the name implies, enables super fast scanning of prints. 

This is perfect for anyone who has got a stack of 6×4 or 7×5 prints from old slip-in type albums (my family archive has dozens of such albums). It can scan up to 30 photos in just 30 seconds (it will take longer if you adjust the photo settings), and it will even scan the back of the photo too, if something is written on it for example. 

The huge downside here is the cost. However, it could be a worthy investment for the time it’ll save you – and you could always sell it on after you’ve digitised your archive to recoup some of the cost. 

Digital Camera

Pros: 

• Highest possible quality 
• Full control over every shooting aspect

Cons: 

• Takes up a lot of space
• Can be expensive to set up
• Slow if you have a lot to digitise 

If you want the best possible quality and you already have access to a high-quality, high-resolution mirrorless camera or DSLR, plus ideally a macro lens, then it’s a route to go down.

For good results, you’ll set your digital camera up on either a copy stand or a tripod which enables overhead shooting. For the best results, you’ll also ideally want to use dedicated lighting, while blocking out external light sources. This can make it a cumbersome setup, that you’ll likely need to leave in place for the duration of your archival process – great if you’ve got a spare room available, for example, but not so great if your space is limited.

• How to photograph film using your DSLR or mirrorless camera

Smartphone apps

Pros: 

• Simple to use 
• Easy to share the results

Cons: 

• Quality can be low
• Hard to control lighting 

Simply using your smartphone can be a fairly quick and easy way to create digital copies of your prints and albums. You can of course just use the inbuilt camera as normal, but there are also lots of dedicated apps which aim to make the process more streamlined.

For example, Google PhotoScan is one free app available for both iOS and Android which gives you options such as automatic cropping, perspective correction, glare removal and more. It can be tricky to get the best quality when you’re using a phone, but with some patience and experimentation with different apps available, it’s definitely an option to explore.

Managing Your Digital Archive

With most of us regularly shooting digitally now and storing our pictures on hard drives or via the cloud, it can be very easy for our archive to be lost or unnavigable to those who come after us. And that’s before you add in any digitised version of a physical archive you may have.

But it needn’t be that way. With a bit of careful digital organisation, future generations should be able to enjoy our digital pictures just as much as we now enjoy flipping through physical albums. 

If you’ve got a large collection of digital files, as many of us do, remember this is about your legacy – not creating a backup of every single frame you’ve ever shot. It might be beneficial to keep a distinct and separate “legacy friendly” version of your archive that holds only your best work and things that will be important to your friends and family in the future, and think about your general backing up practice differently.

After all, a mess of less-than-perfect, photographic experiments, random uncaptioned landscapes from a walking holiday many years in the past, or other generic snapshots might have been fun for you to create, but it’s likely to be somewhat painstaking for the family to go through when the time comes. Meanwhile, a well-organised and captioned digital archive is likely to only bring joy and happy memories.

Best Practices 

There’s no set right or wrong way to organise your photographic archive, but, think about how someone who isn’t you – and doesn’t have you around – will navigate through it. 

Many favour a chronological approach, and that’s a pretty sensible place to start. You could create folders for every year, divided by month for example. Or divided by events/holidays and so on. 

It’s even better if you can make your archive searchable, by adding tags to your photos – a person’s name for example, or a favoured holiday location, or slightly more generic such as “birthday” or “Christmas” and so on. That way, whoever gets hold of it could simply search for “Christmas” and find all the shots you’ve tagged with that word in one hit, rather than having to wade through different years or months.

You can add tags to photos using Windows or Apple computers pretty simply, plus there are lots of dedicated image tagging software packages available – for example, Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Bridge both have options to do just that.

With physical albums or prints, it’s easy to handwrite in a caption explaining who or what is going on in a photo. You should aim to do the same with your digital files – future generations may simply have no idea what they’re looking at. You can embed captions in an image file’s metadata, again using software such as Adobe Lightroom or Windows File Manager. 

If you’re not sure how to do either of these things, there are lots of online tutorials and YouTube videos which will show you the process – there’s too many different options to list here. 

Remember also to think about how you name your files. Again, there’s no “right” way as such, but you should aim for a consistent approach here. A good option is to name by year, month and day, so that everything is stored neatly in order. You could also add a word or phrase towards the end of the file name to further help categorise it too, for example, “20241225_ChristmasAtHome_0001.jpg”

Storage solutions

For the best peace of mind, it’s a good idea to keep two copies of your archive, ideally in separate locations. I know of lots of people who “swap” a backup with a friend or family member so that the secondary backup shouldn’t be destroyed if something happens to the first one (i.e. fire or flood). Make sure it’s a trusted friend or relative – and in case of a family archive, make sure someone else knows where the backup of the backup is kept should they need to retrieve it. 

It can be hard to keep on top of the latest technology when it comes to data storage, but it’s particularly important to think about the future when storing an archive. It wasn’t too long ago that we were recommending folk keep their photographs on CDs – but these days so many people don’t have CD drives that it could present a challenge to someone trying to access your files. 

Luckily it’s now pretty cost-effective to get hold of external hard drives that are widely compatible with different types of computer. It’s worth setting a regular reminder (say annually, or every couple of years) on your calendar to check that the files are still working fine, and that the storage type you’re using is still current and accessible. 

What about the cloud? 

As well as two physical back-ups, it can be a good idea to think about a cloud version of your family archive too. This is great for sharing your archive in the here and now, as well as hopefully being easily accessible after you’ve gone.

However, it’s important to think about the cost of cloud storage – both in terms of to your bank balance, and to the environment. Most cloud services work on a monthly or annual subscription model, and it can get pretty costly if you need a lot of room. For a family archive, you shouldn’t need to store thousands of huge unedited raw format files. It also uses up a huge amount of energy to store data in the cloud, so we should all be mindful about how much impact we want to have on the world. Think about only storing your best and most important files and you should be able to keep the cost down – you may even be able to get by on a free package. Dropbox and Google both offer a small amount of storage for free, for example. 

If you do use the cloud, and you have a paid subscription – be mindful of what will happen after your death. Many cloud services will stop working, restrict access or even remove files altogether if/when the payments stop coming in. It’s therefore essential that whoever has access knows to download the files as quickly as possible when the time comes if they want to keep anything in it.

Don’t forget about physical versions of your digital files, too. Personally, I like to create a “yearbook” using one of the many printing services available now. A slim volume showing off the highlights of any given year doesn’t take up too much room on my bookshelf and hopefully will want to be kept by family in the future. A paper copy is also certainly not prone to problems with changing technology or file corruption (so long as it’s kept with care, of course). 

What about smartphone data? 

More of our photographs than ever are being taken with our smartphones. But, as our smartphones are also full of sensitive and confidential data, we understandably keep them locked and secure. 

Sadly, that can mean that everything on it can easily become lost or inaccessible once we’ve gone. Even if you’re backing things up using Google Photos or iCloud, if you don’t give someone else access to those things, then it can be next to impossible for them to get hold of your stuff. 

There are a couple of things you can do to make sure that doesn’t happen. You could share your phone password and any relevant login details with someone you trust, such as your partner, child or a close friend. If you don’t want them to have such details that while you’re still around, you could leave instructions to be delivered with your will – but that will require you to make sure that is updated with any changing of passwords. 

Another way is to keep a written record of your passwords in a location that is to be shared in the event of your death. For example, a notebook that is kept somewhere safe and secure in your home – again, make it a regular job to make sure your passwords are all your most recent ones. 

An even better thing you can do is to set up what’s known as a “Legacy Contact” within your phone, if you have an Apple device. This means that a trusted person will be able to access the contents of your device after your death. The Legacy Contact setting will generate a code that can be shared with Apple, along with a copy of your death certificate, in order to release your data. 

This is something which is available on both iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Macs. You can add a Legacy Contact – or more than one if you choose – via the Settings > Apple Account > Sign In & Security > Legacy Contact menu on an iPhone. The contact doesn’t need to have an Apple account or an Apple device themselves.

Although there isn’t anything currently directly comparable built into Android phones at the moment, there is another way to ensure your photos are accessible. You can set up a Legacy Contact using your Google account – so if your photos from your Android phone are being backed up to Google Photos (something we would recommend), a Legacy Contact will be able to download them should your account become inactive after a given time. Set this up via your Google profile. Click “Manage Your Google Account”, followed by Data and Privacy and “Make a plan for your digital legacy” to be walked through the options.

Related reading:

• How to digitise photos and slides
• Beginner’s guide to file and photo management (for new photos)
• How to make sure you never lose your photos again (backup, backup, backup)
• Jon Bentley: Where have all the good film scanners gone?

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Minolta’s autofocus SLRs were introduced in 1985, in Europe they were named Dynax, but went under the Maxxum and Alpha monikers elsewhere in the world. The first in the series was the 7000AF, in all more than 30 versions appeared, with small incremental improvements in the specs as time went on. The final model, the Dynax 60, came in 2004, at which point, like many other manufacturers, Minolta threw in the towel and went completely digital.

Although the Minolta Dynax 5 has a plastic body, and is incredibly light, it somehow manages to feel solid and well made. It brought home to me the fact that the difference between a professional camera and an amateur one is not so much the specification, but the robustness of the build. I don’t think the Minolta would respond well to the knocks and bumps that a regular professional might inflict on their workhorse camera, but aside from that, the output in terms of image quality should be indistinguishable.

Having the camera advance the film for you was a novelty. When I was a teenage photographer, motor drives were chunky units that had to be attached to an SLR body, definitely something for the pros, but here, in a body smaller and lighter than anything from the 1970s, the motor drive is tucked away inside the take up spool.

I’d got so used to winding the film on, taking an exposure reading, composing and focusing, shooting and repeating, that it came as a bit of a shock to realise that I was happy to let the camera do all the donkey work after all. I liken it to acquiring our first dishwasher soon after we got married, I’d been content to do the washing and drying up, but suddenly everything got that much easier, and I never looked back. The ability to make double, or indeed multiple, exposures on an SLR was also a feature that I enjoyed exploring.

I develop all my own films, and one task I find tricky and awkward is retrieving the film end from the cassette if it has been fully wound back inside. With a manual camera I can usually judge the moment to stop rewinding while the film leader is still visible, but motorised point and shoot cameras show no mercy and whisk the elusive tail out of reach. Imagine my delight, when I found that buried in the menus, there’s an option to leave the leader protruding on rewind.

While the Minolta Dynax 5 won’t quite fit in a pocket, it’s small and light enough to carry around without getting a sore neck, this photo was snatched during a rainy rush hour in Manchester.

See more of Tony’s photos on Instagram or search on Flickr.

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First there was the Olympus OM-1 in 1972, the camera that brought a new compact design to high-end 35mm single lens reflexes (SLRs). It was followed by the OM-2, OM-3 and OM-4. Then, in 1979, Olympus launched a series of SLRs aimed more at the average consumer with the OM10, OM20, OM30 and OM40. Of these, the OM30 was the star of the show.

It’s a quality aperture priority plus manual control camera with off-the-film metering. What makes it different is the addition of an electronic focusing aid. With a manual focus lens attached, the viewfinder shows two, red, arrow-shaped LEDs in the viewfinder which flash right and left to indicate the direction to turn the focusing ring. When accurate focus is attained, a green LED appears between the other two and a ‘beep’ is emitted. The camera runs on five LR44 batteries.

Soon after the OM30’s launch, things got even better when Olympus introduced the Zuiko Auto-Zoom 35-70mm autofocus lens, specially made for the camera. There had been add-on AF lenses before, initially from Ricoh and Canon and more notably from Pentax, whose ME F in 1981 was the first purpose-made autofocus 35mm SLR. Like these earlier AF lenses, the Zuiko is large and bulky with the focusing mechanism in the lens. But, unlike its predecessors, autofocus is controlled from the camera body, rather than with buttons on the lens itself. With the camera’s mode switch set to ‘auto’, first pressure on the shutter release adjusts focus, then more pressure fires the shutter. The lens runs on three AAA batteries.

The OM30 brought a new ease of use to AF SLRs, but its reign didn’t last long. Two years later, the Minolta 7000 took the autofocus functions out of the lens, put them in the camera body and introduced a much more ergonomically designed camera that became the new way forward.

What’s good

Even without its AF lens, still a well-specified, beautifully-made camera

What’s bad

The AF function is slow, the lens is rare and often unreliable

Related reading:

• The best Olympus / OM System lenses
• The best 35mm SLR cameras

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Geraint Radford explains Focus Stacking

Geraint is an Olympus ambassador with a love for macro photography. He hopes that his images may inspire others to care for insects. He regularly posts videos and tips on Instagram. Find him at @geraintradfordmacro

Macro photography lets us explore the magical world of tiny beasts, flora and fauna. I love to photograph live wild insects, yet discourage the use of any practices that could harm these tiny important beings.

When working close to our subjects, the depth of field reduces considerably. The smaller apertures needed to achieve extra depth of field can impact picture quality through diffraction and reduce the faster shutter speeds we need to maintain image sharpness.

What is focus stacking?

Focus stacking is a great solution to this problem. The technique entails shooting a sequence of images at different focusing distances, and using software to blend the sharp areas together into a single file with greater depth of field and better image quality.

By focus stacking, we can use wider apertures with lower ISO numbers to maintain a decent shutter speed. Sounds ideal, but there are a few caveats. For a successful stack, exposure must be consistent and neither we nor the subject can move. Photographing living beings means we won’t have the opportunity to shoot hundreds of frames. The keep rate can be low, but thankfully there are some things we can do to increase our chances of success.

Dawn and dusk are ideal shooting times as the cooler temperatures make creatures easier to approach and less likely to move. Stability is key to successful stacking. My camera has seven stops of in-camera stability, enabling me to shoot handheld. A ground-level tripod may be useful, while a centre column that tilts horizontally will stop the tripod legs from getting in your way.

Diffused flash will give us complete control of our lighting and help reduce camera shake, especially when shooting handheld. My flash and 30cm diffuser is mounted directly above my lens pointing downwards to achieve soft lighting and nice shadows. This also avoids the light shining directly into the eyes of my subjects.

Geraint’s focus stacking kit list

Macro lens

Macro lenses are my favourite invention! Being designed especially for close-up work, they will achieve 1:1 magnification. The longer the focal length, the further from our subject we can be and still achieve maximum magnification. I would recommend at least 90mm for insect photography.

Extension tubes

These work by increasing the distance between the lens and the camera sensor, so we can focus much closer. The downside is that working distance is reduced, and this in turn reduces the depth of field. Ambient light is also lessened, so a combination of artificial light and focus stacking will give great results.

Flash and diffuser

When shooting macro images handheld, a great flashgun with a speedy recycling time will be your best friend. Good diffusion will help with controlling the highlights created by the shiny exoskeletons of our bug buddies.

How to use focus stacking

The depth of field is very shallow in this image and we need more to show this beautiful creature in all its glory. With two sets of extension tubes attached to my 60mm (120mm equivalent) macro lens, an aperture of f/5.6 is the limit before diffraction sets in.

Focusing is achieved manually by composing the shot and then moving the camera towards the subject. Make small adjustments to ensure each image overlaps properly. Using the rule of thirds grid in our viewfinder helps visual alignment. Use them as crosshairs to make sure the focal point remains the same in each picture.

Essential software

There is a good choice of dedicated focus-stacking software available, but Zerene Stacker and Helicon Focus are very popular. Adobe Photoshop does a good job for small image stacks and it’s a great starting point. For the image above, I blended eight images in Photoshop. The fine details and raindrops, which were obscured by the shallow of depth of field, are now magically revealed. On a side note, I was absolutely drenched getting this shot.

Barry Webb on using Focus stacking in slime mould macro photography

Barry Webb specialises in macro photography and is a regular contributor to Chalfonts and Gerrards Cross Camera Club. He gives presentations and leads practical workshops. Visit www.barrywebbimages.co.uk, @barrywebbimages.

Macro photography and, particularly, focus stacking enable you to see intricate details of tiny subjects. I have been taking macro images of insects, plants and fungi for many years, using a full-frame camera with a 90mm macro lens. I started focus stacking five years ago, using a manual-focus rail to allow fine incremental adjustments between shots.

Practically, the addition of a focus rail made my equipment heavier and more cumbersome. Focusing with a focus rail was time-consuming and made it difficult to manoeuvre into restricted positions.

After much deliberation, I decided to try using a Micro Four Thirds system with a 60mm macro lens. I was amazed at the difference it made. The compact and lightweight setup was a pleasure to use. Additionally, the increased magnification of the Micro Four Thirds sensor and fast, accurate, in-camera focus bracketing meant that I no longer needed to use a focus rail.

I now use this system exclusively for focus stacking. I also often use between one and three extension tubes and, on occasions, a Raynox close-up lens. This has allowed me to explore, and become fascinated by, the tiny, beautiful and most unlikely of subjects – slime moulds.

Barry’s focus stacking kit

Lens and extension tubes

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens is very small and light yet extremely sharp. It has a useful focus selector that enables you to select true 1:1 with the flick of a switch. I also use the Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set DG for Micro Four Thirds lenses (10mm and 16mm). These tubes maintain TTL exposure with the 60mm Macro lens and they allow the lens to focus closer and provide more magnification.

Tripod

Focus-stacked images require a stable and manoeuvrable tripod that can get right down to ground level. I use the Gitzo Explorer GT 2531. The separate leg locking levers mean that each leg can be positioned independently, at any angle.

LED Hand lens

I use a Triplet Loupe Hand Lens 10x21mm that has built-in LEDs in a ring around the lens. It allows you to observe fine details in low-light conditions: vital for good composition.

Barry’s top tips for capturing slime moulds 

Composition

Once I have found my subject, I use a 10x loupe to help me work out the best composition. The camera is manually focused and the lens is set to 1:1 as a starting point. The tripod legs are adjusted to the optimum position and the tripod then physically moved until the point of nearest focus is located.

The number of shots and the size of the differential between shots will vary according to the depth of the subject and the number of extension tubes being used. Generally, for slime moulds, I take between 30 and 150 shots. An ISO of 100 or 200 is ideal, as is a relatively wide aperture, at the macro lens’s sweet spot.

Light

I prefer to work in natural light whenever possible. Soft light, cloudy conditions or hazy sunlight all give good results, while changing light causes problems during a focus bracket. In bright sunlight, it is usually necessary to shade the subject as direct sunlight causes specular highlights, particularly on wet or reflective surfaces. A small LED light with a diffuser can be useful as fill lighting when shooting subjects on the underside of logs or in areas of deep shade.

Movement

A reliable tripod and a shutter release are both essential for shooting multi-bracketed shots. The slightest movement at high magnification will ruin a stack. Wind is a real problem. Even someone walking nearby can cause ground movement. Small creatures such as springtails can pass through your frame unnoticed, which can complicate post processing.

Processing

I download the bracketed series to Lightroom, select them all and make basic adjustments to the exposure and white balance. The images are then exported to Zerene Stacker for stacking and retouching. The saved output image is then synchronised back into Lightroom, where I make any final adjustments. Occasionally, I import the image into Photoshop to repair any areas that could not be retouched successfully in Zerene Stacker.

Matt Doogue on close-up insect photography

Award-winning photographer Matt Doogue is a passionate conservationist, tour leader, public speaker, outreach teacher and mental health ambassador. Matt’s work has been published in most of the UK’s leading photographic titles, and has appeared on TV shows such as BBC’s Springwatch alongside Chris Packham. In his spare time, he regularly visits schools to educate children on the importance of our natural world. Visit www.mattsmacro.co.uk

Macro photography is a popular genre among photographers, and is one of the most rewarding. Subjects can be found anywhere from inside our own homes, gardens and of course, the great outdoors. Using a macro lens allows you access to a hidden world the human eye never sees, a world full of detail, colour and design. I have been a macro photographer for several years now and I’m still learning.

When photographing at high magnification with a macro lens, depth of field becomes very narrow, leaving much of the subject out of focus. We can increase our depth of field but this limits our light, so naturally we increase ISO but that just adds unnecessary noise. At high magnification, the increase of these two factors can actually leave your image looking less sharp due to the softening effects of diffraction. However, focus stacking resolves this. While it’s one of the more challenging techniques of macro photography to master, it can yield great results if done correctly.

Matt’s focus stacking kit list

Lens choice

My go-to lens is the Canon MPE 65mm, this allows me to achieve up to 5x magnification. I also use the Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro or the Sigma 180mm f/2.8 Macro. I use these when shooting larger subjects such as butterflies, dragonflies or even reptiles.

Flash system

I use the Canon MT24 EX dual flash coupled with the MPE 65mm. When shooting at high magnification, the flash really helps. It’s the perfect combination of kit for this type of shooting.

Matt’s top tips for handheld focus stacking

1. Focus stacking is simply the process of moving the point of focus over your subject in very small increments and taking a photo at each of those points. I set the desired magnification on my lens and turn off autofocus.
2. It’s essential you don’t change this while attempting a ‘stack’ and make sure you have consistent exposure settings that are correct for the scene. I shoot with everything in manual: aperture, shutter speed, ISO and flash power.
3. The sharpest point of most lenses, known as the sweet spot, is around f/8 to f/9, however when it comes to focus stacking, we can drop that to anywhere between f/2.8-f/5.6. This will give us a sharper final stacked image.
4. Setting a wider aperture will also allow more light into the lens, which enables us to lower the flash power for faster flash recycle times. This is crucial in order to maintain a quick firing rate.
5. The flash also increases valuable light levels within the scene and can help freeze any subject movement in the frame. You can stick to natural light, of course, but at high magnifications you will end up pushing the ISO so much that it adds unnecessary noise to your image.
6. Start at the front of your subject and work towards the back. Move forward very slightly to adjust the depth of field and as you watch the point of focus move over your subject, take a shot at each stage. The tiniest of movements is sufficient for this.
7. I shoot the majority of my ‘stacks’ handheld. The key is to stay as still as possible, which is easier said than done! If the subject moves or you move from side to side, stop and start a new stack.
8. While getting to grips with this technique, stick to small stacks. Start off with 2-5 images. Then, once you have mastered this you can go for bigger stacks.
9. Don’t be tempted to fire off a burst of shots. While you may get one or two more stacks, you will most likely end up taking shots at the same point of focus and this will leave your image diffracted once you stack those multiple frames together in software.
10. I prefer to use Photoshop, but you can use dedicated software such as Helicon Focus and Zerene Stacker. Loading your files into the selected software of choice will now create a stacked composite of your images. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials to guide you through this process.

Related reading:

• Top Macro Photography Tips
• Best photo editing software
• Top tips for insect photography
• More techniques for pin-sharp close-up / macro photographs

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The post Focus stacking: achieve pin sharp macro shots of delicate subjects appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

We love instant photography at AP, and our team regularly test and review the best instant cameras – one of our writers recently reviewed the new Instax Wide 400, as well as the cat-shaped, kid-friendly HelloBaby Instant Print Cat Camera. As such, we’ve had a few debates among staff in putting this list of the best instant cameras and printers together, but as a result, there should be options for all stripes of instant shooter. We’ve covered both instant film cameras like Polaroids as well as digital instant print cameras, which use photo paper rather than film. The prints aren’t as good, but they’re cheaper to buy and run.

For more knockabout analogue fun, you can also check out our guide to the best disposable film cameras. Or for something more high-end, we have a guide to the best fixed lens 35mm film cameras. But for now, let’s get into what you’re looking for when you buy the best instant cameras and printers.

The best instant cameras and printers – quick list

These are our picks for the best instant cameras and printers you can buy in 2024. We’ve opted for models to suit a range of budgets and ability levels, so whether you’re an absolute beginner or an old hand with a Polaroid, there should be a suitable camera here for you.

Looking for the best deal on instant cameras? Not only will you find the best instant cameras, but you’ll also find some of the best cheap instant camera deals, as our ‘Buy now’ buttons are setup to automatically take you to the best prices, from trusted retailers, plus you’ll also find a list of other retailers below each camera, so you can find the right deal for you.

• Best premium Instax camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 – Buy now
• Best Polaroid for beginners: Polaroid Go Generation 2 – Buy now
• Best Instax Square camera: Fujifilm Instax SQ40 – Buy now
• Best instant camera for big prints: Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 – Buy now
• Best instant camera for kids: HelloBaby Instant Print Cat Camera – Buy now
• Best budget instant camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 – Buy now
• Best hybrid instant camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo – Buy now
• Best Polaroid instant camera: Polaroid Now+ – Buy now
• Best retro-looking instant camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini 40 – Buy now
• Best for experimental instant photography: Polaroid OneStep+ – Buy now
• Best pocket-sized instant camera: Canon Zoemini S2 – Buy Now
• Best budget hybrid instant camera: Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro – Buy now

Best instant printers

• Best Instax printer for small prints: Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2 – Buy now
• Best instant printer: Fujifilm Instax Link Wide – Buy Now
• Best portable printer: Kodak Mini 2 Retro Portable Printer – Buy now

Best premium Instax camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini 99

At a glance:

• Redesigned body with classic black finish
• Compatible with Instax Mini instant film
• Price $199.95 / £174.99

The Instax Mini 99 looks and feels different to other Instax instant cameras. Gone are the camera’s quirky pastels and simple controls… The Mini 99 instead sports a new look reminiscent of Fujifilm’s X-range, including the new Fujifilm X100IV, as well as a host of manual controls including an exposure control dial.

Along with some colour effects similar to the Instax Mini Evo’s, the Mini 99 adds on shooting modes such as Sports Mode, Double Exposure Mode, and Bulb Mode.

Best instant camera for: Instant photographers looking to have more creative control.

Read our Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 Review: The best instant camera?

Best Polaroid for beginners: Polaroid Go Generation 2

At a glance:

• USB-C charging cable
• Shutter speed: 1/300 sec
• Aperture: f/9 and f/42
• Weighs 239 g
• Price: $79.99 / £79.99

This pocket sized analogue instant camera is great for those who want a point and shoot camera with minimal fuss. There is a reflective selfie mirror and self timer mode meaning you can create the perfect portrait of yourself on the go. The dinky design is available in black, white, red or blue.

The Polaroid Go Generation 2 is only compatible with Polaroid Go film, which comes in at $19.99 / £18.99 for 16 shots.

Best instant camera for: taking everywhere with you and small square prints

Read our full Polaroid Go Generation 2 review.

Best Instax Square camera: Fujifilm Instax SQ40

At a glance:

• Square design with classic black finish
• Compatible with Square instant film
• Price $149.95 / £134.99

Much as with the Instax Mini 12, the Fujifilm Instax SQ40 incorporates the same simplified modes, built-in selfie mirror and automatic exposure that the Mini 12 has. A helpful addition is a light that turns on when the camera is on and starts blinking to alert you if it has been on for too long.

This is very much a camera for beginners and those who want an easy to use instant – as well as fans of the larger square format. For those looking for a more colourful and less expensive option, the older Instax SQ1 is still available to buy new.

Read our Fujifilm Instax SQ40 Review.

Best instant camera for: Photographers who love retro cameras and shooting square

Best instant camera for big prints: Fujifilm Instax Wide 400

At a glance:

• Uses Fujifilm Instax Wide film
• Retractable lens, 2 components, 2 elements, f= 95 mm, 1:14
• Powered by four AA-size alkaline batteries (LR6)
• Weighs 616g (without battery, strap, film cartridge, and close-up lens)
• Price: $149.95 / £129.99

With automatic exposure and flash control, the Wide 400 is very much a point and shoot, much like the Mini 12 and SQ40. The new model does add a few features including a self-timer, a camera angle adjustment accessory that can be placed under the camera and a close-up lens (which can be used to take photos as close as 40cm).

Like the Mini 99, this camera does come with a selfie mirror on the lens, but does have one on the close-up lens. The Wide 400 also has a redesigned boxier body and comes in the colour green.

Best instant camera for: beginners who want larger prints

New Instax Wide 400 announced: the best wide Instax?

Best instant camera for kids: HelloBaby Instant Print Cat Camera

At a glance:

• 3.5 x 2 inch thermal prints (monochrome)
• 12MP main and selfie camera
• 3.2-inch screen
• Rechargeable battery
• 1080p HD video
• $50 / £70 (often discounted)

While it’s definitely not going to win any awards for image quality, the HelloBaby Instant Print Cat Camera is a friendly and fun design that’s perfect for little ones who enjoy the novelty of instant printing photos. It’s even got a built-in MP3 player and a light-up nose, providing extra value and entertainment for kids.

Because we’re professionals, we put this charming, cheap little camera through its paces for a full review. We can therefore confirm that the prints it produces are pretty poor quality, as are the digital files. The watermark is non-removable, and the digital zoom is so awful you’re best off not bothering. However, the intended audience for this camera is obviously not going to care, and wouldn’t you rather have a four-year-old playing with this $50 / £70 (and frequently discounted) camera than a full-price Polaroid? Thought so.

Best instant camera for: kids and parents

Best budget instant camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini 12

At a glance:

• Uses Fujifilm Instax Mini film
• 60mm equivalent f/12 lens
• Close-up mode with parallax correction
• Powered by two AA batteries
• Weighs 306g
• Price: $80 / £79

The Instax Mini 12 is a do-everything instant shooter that’s designed for people who just want to point, shoot and print. It lacks the more sophisticated exposure modes of instant rivals from Polaroid, as well as more sophisticated members of the Instax family. However, it does what it does very well, and spits out charming low-fi Instax mini prints within seconds of the shutter button being pressed.

There are a few upgrades to this camera compared to the previous Instax mini 11, such as in the close-up mode, which now has parallax correction to help you frame more accurately (the mini 11 had a reputation for producing wildly mis-framed shots in this mode). There are plenty of other instant cameras that offer deeper control and broader functionality, but for simple knockabout fun and beginner-friendly charm, the Instax Mini 12 is one of the best instant cameras you can buy.

Best instant camera for: beginners and casual photography enthusiasts.

Read our Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Review.

Best hybrid instant camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo

At a glance:

• Uses Fujifilm Instant Mini film
• 10 integrated lens modes and 10 built-in filter effects
• 3-inch LCD rear screen
• Accepts microSD cards
• Connects to smartphone via Bluetooth
• Price: $199 / £175

The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo is very popular and has been experiencing stock shortages so you may have to wait to grab it from major retailers. However, given that this instant camera received a prestigious Red Dot Award for its design, as well as being selected as a finalist in the International Design Excellence Awards, we feel pretty confident that it’s worth being a little patient for.

So what’s different about the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo? It’s intended as a hybrid between analogue and digital, and actually has a 3-inch LCD screen on the rear. This allows the user to easily browse and select images to be printed, as well as do minor edits and adjust settings. The Mini Evo is designed to bridge the gap between an instant camera and an instant printer, and as such it can also be used to print photos directly off your smartphone’s camera roll.

Best instant camera for: analogue and digital shooting

Read our Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo review.

Best Polaroid instant camera: Polaroid Now+

At a glance:

• Tripod mount on base of the camera
• Lens filter kit
• Shutter system – 1/200 – 1 sec
• 1/200 – 30 sec. and Bulb mode (App Mode)
• Weighs 457g
• Price: $149 / £139

The king of instant cameras from the mid twentieth century until is Polaroid. The Polaroid Now+ is a ramped up version of their Polaroid Now. With the Polaroid Now+ you get 5 new lens filters plus unlock two extra tools – aperture priority and tripod mode – inside the Polaroid mobile app. You also have a host of creative tools from light painting, double exposure, manual mode to name just a few.

This particular model takes Color iType Film which costs £15.99 for a pack of 8 shots. That’s an expensive £2 per image. If you buy 5 packs the cost comes down to £13 for 8 images which works out just over £1.60 per shot.

Best instant camera for: taking creative control over the final outcome

Find out more about the Polaroid Now+

Best retro-looking instant camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini 40

At a glance:

• Uses Fujifilm Instax Mini film
• 33mm equivalent f/12.7 lens
• 0.3 to 0.5m selfie mode, with built-in selfie mirror
• Powered by two AA batteries
• Weighs 330g
• Price: $99 / £89

The Instax Mini 40 follows on from the Instax Mini 11, with attractively chunky retro styling. Producing credit card sized instant prints that you can share instantly with friends and family, this instant camera for just under $90 / £100 is likeable and easy-to-use. The hipster-esque Contact Sheet film is reasonably priced as well.

This camera only features fully automatic exposure and full-time auto flash so not recommended for those who want further control. There’s no tripod bush either, so it’s very much a case of point, click, print. There are a few handling quirks, and while the final prints are not always super-sharp or perfectly exposed, it’s all part of the lo-fi charm.

Best instant camera for: simple pointing and shooting

Read our Fujifilm Instax mini 40 review.

Best for experimental instant photography: Polaroid OneStep+

At a glance:

• Tripod mount
• Bluetooth LE connectivity
• Standard lens focal length: 103 mm
• Portrait lens focal length: 89 mm
• Weighs 493g
• Price: $187 / £129

The Polaroid OneStep+ comes in a stylish and retro design that is reminiscent of its historical past yet this particular model is packed full of modern technology such as Bluetooth connectivity that can unlock creative features such as light painting and shooting in the manual mode. There is a tripod mount on the base of the camera for those wanting to get creative using a slower shutter speed.

The Polaroid OneStep+ comes with two built-in lenses. One for far off landscapes and the other for portrait images. You can switch manually between the two with an on body switch.

Best instant camera for: experimental instant photography

Find out more about the Polaroid OneStep+

Best pocket-sized instant camera: Canon Zoemini S2

At a glance:

• 10-sheet capacity
• 8 Megapixel camera
• Remote shutter and live view (With the Canon Mini Print app)
• Print resolution 314 x 600 dpi
• Weighs 188g
• Price: $139 / £159

The Canon Zoemini S2 is a pocket sized camera that has been aimed at the youthful market. The compact and lightweight design means it is perfect for those on the go and can be easily slipped into a pocket.

The Zoemini S2 includes a flash and Selfie Mirror on the front so you can shoot and produce perfect selfies. You can also compose and check how you’re looking in Liveview by downloading the Canon Mini Print app onto your smartphone – this also works as a remote shutter too.

Each print takes approximately 50 seconds to emerge from the camera, and if you run out of paper or time on the go images can be saved to a ​​micro SD card and then printed at a later date. The Canon Zoemini S2 uses Canon Zoemini ZINK Photo Paper, which for a pack of 50 sheets costs £24.99 making it one of the cheaper instant cameras to use at 50p per image.

Best instant camera for: selfies

Find out more about the Canon Zoemini S2

Best budget hybrid instant camera: Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro

At a glance:

• Camera and printer combo
• LCD viewfinder
• Selfie mirror
• 2.1 x 3.4 inch photos
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Easy to replace ink and paper cartridge system
• Price: $149 / £94

The Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro supports a simple yet old school design and is available in yellow or white. You can either print directly from the camera or from a mobile device with Bluetooth connectivity.

The Mini Shot 2 Retro is one of the cheaper instant cameras on the market for what it does. Where it really comes into its own however, is through its printing process that uses a laminated layered technique, meaning prints are fingerprint and water resistant and will last a long time. An all in one paper and ink cartridge refill system that supports 60 shots from Kodak costs just £19.99 making this one of the cheaper instant cameras to run.

Best instant camera for: running cheap

Find out more about the Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro

Best Instax printer for small prints: Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2

At a glance

• Uses Fujifilm Instax Mini film
• Prints from iOS or Android devices
• Bluetooth connection
• Charges via micro USB
• Weighs 210g
• Price: $99 / £109

The Fujifilm Instax Link 2 is a mini printer designed to link to your smartphone and produce instant credit card-sized photos using Fujifilm’s Instax Mini film. The Mini Link 2 uses Bluetooth for communicating with your phone, rather than Wi-Fi, which has a couple of advantages – it’s much easier to set up, and it doesn’t require fiddling around with your phone’s Wi-Fi network every time you want to make a print. It also consumes less battery power.

The sleek, curvy design is attractive and will slip easily into a coat pocket or bag. It’s also really easy to use, with just a single external control in the shape of a large power button. Simply turn the printer on and it’ll connect to your phone and be ready to go.

Best instant camera for: travel

Read our Fujifilm Instax Link review.

Best instant printer: Fujifilm Instax Link Wide

At a glance:

• Uses Instax Wide instant film
• Available in Ash White or Mocha Grey
• Supported image format JPEG, PNG, HEIF, DNG
• Image size 62mm × 99mm
• Weighs 340g
• Price: $149 / £129

The Instax Link Wide uses the firm’s largest instant film format, giving a print area of approximately 6 x 10 cm – that’s more than double the size of Instax Mini, and 60% larger than Instax Square. Essentially, this printer works in the same way as the Instax Mini Link, but has been made 5cm wider to accommodate the larger film. The only control is a large power button on the front, with multi-coloured LEDs behind it to indicate the printer’s status. The film slots in under a large door on the back.

The device is powered by a built-in Li-ion battery that charges via micro-USB, which means you can use it anywhere.

The Instax Link Wide connects to your smartphone or tablet using Bluetooth, and is operated using the eponymous app for iOS or Android.

The pros of this little printer are it makes beautiful prints, is intuitive to use and relies on Bluetooth connectivity. On the down side it’s bulkier than its smaller format siblings but it makes slightly larger prints so you need to weigh up your needs.

Best instant printer for: printing large images

Read our Fujifilm Instax Link Wide review

Best portable printer: Kodak Mini 2 Retro Portable Printer

At a glance:

• Available in yellow, black or white.
• Compatible with the free Kodak mobile device
• 2.1 x 3.4 inch photos
• Easy to replace ink and paper cartridge system
• Price: $139 / £89

The Kodak Mini 2 Retro Portable Printer uses the same Kodak 4Pass printing process as the Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro listed above. This portable printer works out as excellent value for money and can be run at a cheaper running cost then many of its competitors.

The printer works through a stable wireless connection that can be paired to any device. The printer is also compatible with the free Kodak mobile app where you can decorate and sort images as you so wish.

Best instant camera for: budget users

Find out more about the Kodak Mini 2 Retro Portable Printer

How to choose the best instant camera or printer

First up, in this article we’re dealing with both instant cameras and printers. Both do much the same thing in terms of quickly spitting out a physical print of an image – however, as you’d imagine, only the instant camera can actually capture the image. Instant printers are generally built to receive images wirelessly, via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and print quickly on to a specific type of photo paper designed for this purpose.

Instant cameras come in two types – ones that use actual instant film, such as Polaroids and Fujifilm Instax cameras, and digital instant print cameras made by Kodak and Canon, which use photo paper. Generally, instant film images will look much better, with improved tonality and image quality. However, instant photo paper tends to be much cheaper to buy.

The key to buying instant cameras and printers is figuring out how much you’re willing to spend on running costs for quality prints. Polaroid cameras generally produce the best prints, larger in physical size and richer in colour, tonality and detail while Instax film tends to be more reliable overall and comes in more sizes (Mini, Square, and Wide). Polaroid film costs significantly more per pack than both Instax film and Canon’s ZINK Photo Paper. Polaroid film packs also have 8 shots while Instax film packs have 10.

Can I use Instax film in Polaroid?

No. They use different film sizes, and film for one won’t fit in the other. Although both cameras essentially expose images onto a light sensitive paper using photo chemistry, the actual process also differs for each. Polaroid film can take up to 15 minutes to fully develop, where an Instax film is around 90 seconds.

How long do instant camera pictures last?

Just like any other photographic print their longevity depends on how you handle them. Developed and stored under the right conditions they can last for decades, but UV exposure, changes in temperature and moisture can significantly shorten their lifespan. Store them in a cool, dry place away from sunlight; you can look for archival quality photo albums for example. If you choose to display them, make sure you frame them using a UV protective glass.

Do instant cameras save pictures?

Most don’t – the process is purely analogue. However, some of the instant cameras have the ability to also also save a digital copy of a file to an SD card or similar storage method. This is usually true of digital instant print cameras, which are just capturing a digital photo and then transferring it onto photo paper. On our list, the cameras that save a digital copy of your photos as well as producing a print are: the Instax Mini Evo, the Canon Zoemini 2 and the Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro.

Text by Claire Gillo, with contributions from Jon Stapley and Isabella Ruffatti.

Have a look at our latest buyers guides, or have a look at our Improve Your Photography series. 

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The post Best instant cameras and printers in 2024 appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

The beginnings

To kick off in 1884, what better than the only camera reviewed (and, in fact, the only illustration) in that first issue of AP? Marion’s Miniature Camera was an all-metal, nickel-plated brass design that shot 2x2in plates using a rapid rectilinear lens that focused on a ground-glass screen at the rear, with a fixed aperture and simple shutter. The Marion was quite a revolution for its time, but the major landmark came four years later when inventor and entrepreneur George Eastman aimed the first roll film camera at amateurs and called it The Kodak.

Professional photographers, meanwhile, clung onto their plate cameras and, in 1895, cabinet maker Frederick Sanderson produced a new kind of model to help with his interest in architectural photography. The Sanderson Universal Swing Front Camera used a lens panel supported in four slotted arms, two on each side and locked by small knurled nuts. Using these, the lens panel could be made to rise and fall like other cameras, but also to swing from side to side or tilt up and down. The versatility of movement gave a new degree of composition and perspective control.

The Kodak Brownie was born in 1900 and became one of the most iconic camera names of all time. In 1912 Kodak launched the Vest Pocket Kodak, the first camera to use 127 size film. The VPK, as it became known, was a folding design with the lens panel pulled out from the body on scissor-like struts. Early VPKs used a simple meniscus lens, soon replaced by a Kodak Anastigmat f/8. Varying apertures and shutter speeds, with exposure instructions printed minutely on a plate around the lens, made the camera more versatile for the serious amateur photographer. 

Also in 1912, while 127 roll film was big news among amateurs, professional photographers were delighted to take delivery of the new Speed Graphic which, in many incarnations, remained popular as a press camera through to the 1950s. In other fields, the Hicro in 1915 simplified early colour photography by shooting three pictures on three plates through different coloured filters all with a single exposure. The Ensign Cupid in 1922 was the first camera to double the number of pictures taken on a single roll of film, an idea that took off in a big way with both 120 and 127 film cameras.

Big names hit the market

The 1920s also saw the arrival of the first Leica in 1925 and the original Rolleiflex in 1928. As the 1930s dawned the landmarks came thick and fast. In 1932 Zeiss Ikon produced the Contax I, the first 35mm camera to rival Leica, then went on to introduce the first series of Ikontas, marking the start of the company’s prestigious range of folding roll film cameras. Also in 1932 came the Mini-Fex, the first camera to use 16mm film, a new size destined, some mistakenly thought, to become more popular than 35mm. 

In 1933 a Japanese company called Seiki Kogaku launched a 35mm camera inspired by the Leica II and called it the Kwanon. Before long the company changed the name of its cameras to Canon and the rest is history. The decade continued with more landmarks that included the 1935 Contaflex, 1936 Kine Exakta, 1937 Minox and the 1938 Super Kodak Six-20. Then, in 1939, World War II broke out and camera production stagnated until its end in 1945. In 1948 the Japanese Nippon Kogaku company looked at the Leica and Contax, then designed its own camera with features that owed something to both Zeiss and Leitz. So was born the first Nikon, a name that was shortly to be destined for worldwide fame.

The year the Nikon I was launched also saw two more big hitters in the world of landmarks: the first Hasselblad followed by the first Polaroid instant picture camera. In 1954 Leica took the 35mm coupled rangefinder market by storm when it unveiled a totally new design in the shape of the Leica M3. Towards the end of the decade, Board of Trade restrictions – put in place after World War II to prevent certain luxury goods from being imported into the UK – were gradually lifted and so, in 1959, came the Nikon F. It kick-started a new wave of 35mm SLRs from Japan which effectively not only buried the 35mm rangefinder models that had dominated the market until then, but also beat the few German SLRs around at the time into the ground. The same year saw the introduction of the Olympus Pen, Japan’s first half-frame camera, leading in 1963 to the Pen F, the world’s first half-frame SLR.

Two important landmarks landed in 1963: the Topcon RE Super, the first SLR to use through-the-lens metering, and the first of Kodak’s Instamatic cameras. In 1972 Polaroid introduced its SX-70 system, the first instant picture camera to automatically eject a print immediately after exposure to self-develop in normal light, and the same year saw Olympus revolutionise the 35mm SLRs with the OM-1.

The first digital camera

In 1975 one of the most significant landmarks never seen in photographic history was revealed by Kodak behind closed doors, then put away in a cupboard and forgotten about. Big mistake. Built by scientist and electrical engineer Steven Sasson, this was the first digital camera. It used a CCD sensor, which in today’s jargon would be said to have a sensitivity of 0.01MP, needing 16 nickel cadmium batteries to run its functions. It also incorporated an analogue/digital converter salvaged from a digital voltmeter, the discarded lens from an old Super-8 movie camera and an adapted cassette tape recorder to save its images. Those who saw it likened its design to a toaster.

Fearing it might damage its film sales, not to mention its developing and printing business, Kodak took digital no further at that stage. It was Sony, in 1981, who produced the Mavica, a digital SLR with interchangeable lenses which might have been the first digital camera had it got any further than a prototype. Usable digital cameras took a step closer to reality in 1988 when Canon introduced the RC-250, known as the Xap Shot in America, Q Pic in Japan and the iON, in Europe. 

Film fights on 

Meanwhile, film camera manufacturers, not ready yet to acknowledge that digital was the way forward, continued to produce innovative cameras. Between 1983 and 1986 Canon produced its T-series, offering the sophistication of an SLR with a compact camera’s ease of use. The T-90 in this range was one of the last, and best, manual focus SLRs. Autofocus had begun in 1977 with a 35mm compact called the Konica C35AF, the world’s first autofocus camera. Polaroid followed the next year with the SX-70 Sonar Autofocus, which was the first SLR with an automatically focusing lens. The technology came to 35mm SLRs first via independent lenses with the autofocus mechanism built in, ready to be attached to manual focus SLRs. Early in the race in 1980 came the Rikenon 50mm f/2 AF in the common K-mount. The Canon 35-70mm f/4 AF soon followed for use with the company’s FD-mount bodies. Similar autofocus lens manufacturers included Chinon, Cosina and Vivitar.

In 1981 Pentax produced the ME F, the first SLR purpose-made for use with an autofocus lens, although the mechanism was still in the lens itself. Similar thinking was applied to the Canon T-80 and Olympus OM30 in 1983. And then, in 1985, the game changed forever with the introduction of the Minolta 7000, which transferred the autofocus mechanism to the camera body.

As the 1990s dawned it became clear that digital technology might soon foretell the death of film. Not that this dissuaded Kodak, Agfa, FujiFilm and Konica getting together to launch the Advanced Photo System (APS). With new types of camera, film and processing, it was reckoned that APS would change photography forever. It didn’t. 

Digital wins the race

By now digital technology was emerging in a serious way, though held back by low sensor sensitivity and high prices. But, with a speed never before witnessed in camera development, sensitivity went up, prices came down and, almost without anyone noticing the sudden absence of film cameras, digital became the only game in town. 

At first digital cameras were only available and affordable to most in the form of non-reflex compacts, of which there were many, including the 1995 Casio QV-10, the first with an LCD screen. Digital SLRs (DSLRs) began with companies coming together to put digital sensors on the back of adapted film cameras. Then the 1999 Nikon D1 became the first to be built from the ground up by a single manufacturer. In 2003 the Olympus E-1 introduced the Four Thirds system with the first lens mount designed specifically for digital photography. The Four Thirds system morphed into Micro Four Thirds in 2008. Also, in 2008 the Nikon D90 was the first DSLR to offer video recording, trumped the same year by the Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Full HD video shooting.

Previously, in 2000, the Sharp Electronics J-SH04 J-Phone was probably the first standalone phone camera, though it was available only in Japan. By 2011 the iPhone 4S with its f/2.4 lens and 8MP sensor was arguably the first phone to compete seriously with digital compact cameras.

Two years before, the mirrorless revolution had begun in 2008 with the Panasonic Lumix G1, the first interchangeable-lens camera to rely solely on electronic viewfinding. Three years later the not-so-successful Sony Cyber-shot RX1 was the first compact camera with a full-frame sensor, but it was another year before that sensor size found a home in the Sony Alpha A7 and A7R, the first full-frame mirrorless cameras. Then in 2017 the Sony Alpha 1 became the first mirrorless camera with a stacked-CMOS sensor. With this on board, when it came to autofocus shooting speeds, it could outperform any DSLR. 

Since then there have perhaps been no really big innovations – unless you count the Pentax 17 launched earlier this year as a roll film camera that shoots half-frame images 72 to a roll of 36-exposure 35mm. What will they think of next?  

The first snapshot cameras

In 1888 George Eastman’s Kodak represented not only the first use of this iconic name, but also the first camera to use roll film, introducing photography to a new generation who might never before have thought of owning a camera. It shot circular pictures 2½in diameter and came preloaded with enough film for 100 exposures. When the film was finished, the camera was returned to the Eastman works where it was unloaded, the film developed and printed and the camera reloaded with a new film.

In 1900 the Kodak Brownie, taking its name from elf-like characters created by Canadian author and illustrator Palmer Cox, was aimed primarily at children. The camera was a very simple box shape, its only controls being a shutter release and film wind knob. A separate viewfinder was available as an accessory and it shot six exposures 2¼in square on 117 size film. The No.2 Brownie, which followed in 1901, was the first camera to use 120 size roll film shooting eight exposures 2¼x3¼in. To the displeasure of Kodak, the term ‘Box Brownie’ went on to describe nearly every simple box-type camera, irrespective of its manufacturer. 

Landmark 35mm cameras

The 1925 Leipzig Spring Fair saw the debut of the first Leica. Although there had been cameras that used 35mm film before, this was the first to make it truly viable for stills photography. The camera used a horizontally running cloth focal plane shutter. A 35mm cine frame measured 18x24mm, and the film ran vertically through the camera. The Leica ran the film horizontally, doubling up on one of its frame dimensions. So was born the 24x36mm negative size that became the standard for 35mm stills photography. In the years ahead a vast range of accessories and screw-fit lenses became available for many different incarnations of the camera.

Seven years after the first Leica, Zeiss Ikon introduced its rival, the Contax. The basic design was for a black, square-ended body, incorporating a vertically run, metal focal plane shutter with a film wind knob on the front of the body beside the lens.
A rangefinder was coupled to the lens, focused by a small wheel that protruded from the top plate. Ten interchangeable lenses were available, which were attached to the body by a bayonet mount.

In 1934 Kodak brought 35mm to the masses with the introduction of the Retina. At £10 10s (£10.50) it was less than half the price of a Leica or Contax. It was also smaller, lighter and folded into a pocketable package.

The 35mm spotlight returned to Leitz in 1954 with the introduction of a new model that replaced the screw-lens mount with a bayonet, lengthened the rangefinder base for more accurate focusing, made film loading easier, improved the viewfinder and wrapped it all up in a streamlined body. The camera was the Leica M3, which some claim was one of the most beautiful cameras ever made.

Birth of a legend

Although the basic concept of a TLR – the use of two lenses, a lower one to record the image, the one above to reflect its image to a viewfinder on the top of the body – goes back to the days of glass plate cameras, the Rolleiflex gains its landmark status for being the first compact, roll film model.

Its German makers, Franke & Heidecke, began by manufacturing stereo cameras that featured two lenses to take the twin pictures needed for stereo photography with a third lens between them for the viewfinder. At its heart, the Rolleiflex was a stereo camera turned on its side with one of the shooting lenses removed. The original Rolleiflex took six exposures 5.5x6cm on 117 size film, but some were converted to use 120 roll film. This first camera went on to inspire the design of all future Rolleiflex and Rolleicord cameras, as well as hundreds of other TLRs from makers around the world.

Metered automation

In 1935 Zeiss Ikon produced the Contaflex, a TLR that was the first camera with a built-in meter. The selenium cell, under a flap above the viewing lens, deflected a needle in a window beside the focusing hood, indicating shutter speeds and apertures which were then set manually. To provide a larger than 24x36mm viewing screen, the size of a standard 35mm image, the 5cm taking lens was matched with an 8cm viewing lens, allowing for a larger image, but cunningly linked to the taking lens so that focus remained in sync. 

The Super Kodak Six-20 was the first automatic exposure camera. Light hitting a selenium cell across the top of the body produced an electrical current which moved a needle. First pressure on the shutter release locked the needle in a comb-like device, then a sensor connected to the aperture control adjusted the aperture until stopped by the locked needle. The camera shot eight pictures 6x9cm on 620 size roll film.

The first 35mm SLR

Although it was once thought that the Russian-made Sport was the first 35mm SLR, it’s pretty much accepted now that the accolade goes to the 1936 Kine Exakta. The camera featured a tapered body with a left-handed shutter release beside the lens, which was interchangeable via a bayonet mount. A range of standard, wide-angle and telephoto lenses was available, along with accessories that included extension tubes, bellows, microscope adapter and lens hoods. The reflex viewfinder was designed to be used at waist level. The shutter’s ‘B’ setting, used in conjunction with the delayed action knob, offered slow speeds down to a full 12 seconds.

A roll film reflex revolution

In 1940, during World War II, a German reconnaissance aircraft crashed in Sweden, and an aerial camera was recovered from the wreckage. It was taken to Swedish optical engineer and photographer Victor Hasselblad who was asked if he could manufacture an accurate copy of the camera. To which Hasselblad is reputed to have answered, ‘No, but I can build a better one.’

The result was a camera called the HK-7, which featured interchangeable lenses, shot 7x9cm negatives on 80mm wide perforated film and had a direct vision viewfinder mounted on top of the body. When the war ended in 1945, Hasselblad turned his attention to civilian cameras. The first model he produced was the 1600F, so named because of its high top shutter speed of 1/1,600sec. The camera comprised a body, to which could be attached an impressive range of interchangeable lenses, film backs and a variety of viewing systems, making it the first truly modular reflex camera to shoot 12 square pictures on 120 film.

The first instant picture camera

The Polaroid Model 95 introduced in 1948 was the first instant picture camera to deliver a finished picture to the photographer within a minute of exposure. It resembled a large version of folding cameras of the day, using a flap that dropped down from the body and a lens panel that slid along it on rails. Twin rolls of sensitised paper, connected by a paper leader, were dropped into opposite ends of the body with the paper leader threaded between two rollers and out of the camera. After exposure, as the leader was pulled, the exposed paper negative from one spool and the sensitised printing paper from the other came into contact, sandwiched between rollers. Pods of chemicals, consisting of a special developer and fixer in one solution and situated on the paper negative, burst under pressure, spreading the solution evenly between the two layers. The negative image developed first. Then the unused silver salts were converted to a soluble solution by the chemistry from the pods and diffused through to the print paper, thus producing a positive image. After 60 seconds a trapdoor was opened in the back of the camera and the finished print removed.

First TTL metering

The first camera with through-the-lens (TTL) metering was the 1960 Mec 16SB subminiature camera. But the first SLR with the feature and therefore the real landmark was the Topcon RE Super. It worked by use of a reflex mirror with a pattern of transparent lines etched into it, allowing some light to pass through the mirror to a CdS meter cell at the rear. From this, match-needle metering indicated correct exposure in the viewfinder and in a top plate window.

The start of the system SLR

From day one, in 1959, the Nikon F was designed to be the centre of a huge system comprising a wide range of lenses from 21mm to 1,000mm, the first electric motor drives, a choice of viewfinders and focusing screens, plus many other accessories. At a time when other SLR manufacturers were still using screw mounts for lenses, Nikon came up with its revolutionary bayonet mount which, in essence, is still retained today. In 1962 Nikon added the Photomic head, which replaced the standard eye-level pentaprism viewfinder, incorporated a CdS meter and linked to the shutter speed dial. A coupling on the front also conveyed the aperture setting to the meter. Before long, the Nikon F became the go-to 35mm camera for most professional photographers.

The Instamatic age

The barrier of film loading that dogged many snapshot photographers was lifted by Kodak in 1963 with the introduction of the first Instamatic cameras which housed the film in plastic Kodapak cartridges. The film was 35mm wide, wound with backing paper containing frame numbers to produce a 28x28mm image. The photographer had only to drop the cartridge into an Instamatic camera, snap the back shut and start shooting. 

In 1972 the idea was revamped to make Pocket Instamatics. The 110 size film they took was 16mm wide, enclosed in a long, narrow cartridge and had a frame size of 13x17mm. Instamatics cameras from Kodak, and similar models from other manufacturers, ruled the world of snapshot photography until the introduction of Kodak Disc cameras in 1982. These never attained the same level of popularity.

The first compact SLRs

The 1970s was the decade when SLRs grew smaller. It began when Olympus introduced a camera called the M-1. Quickly realising that Leica had a camera with a very similar name, Olympus relaunched the camera in 1972 calling it the OM-1. Other than its compact dimensions, the OM-1 was a typical SLR of its time, with a 1–1/1,000sec focal plane shutter, a Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 interchangeable lens and match-needle TTL metering. Olympus followed with upgraded models while other manufacturers were fast to follow the compact design, most notably Pentax with the ME and ME Super.

Early digital

The Canon iON, among the first digital-type cameras to be commercially available, comprised a flat body with the 11mm f/2.8 lens at one end of the narrow side and a built-in flashgun at the other. It was actually a still video camera that incorporated an image sensor and processing hardware similar to those used in video cameras of the time. Single frames were extracted from the video signal and saved on a small magnetic rotating disc. To play back and view the image on a conventional television, the disc was rotated at the same rate and the appropriate frame read repeatedly. 

First body-integral autofocus

In 1985 the Minolta 7000 took autofocus mechanisms out of the lens and placed them into the camera body. This reduced the lenses to about the same size as manual lenses in a camera body that was only marginally larger than its manual focus contemporaries. It was launched with 12 autofocus lenses from 24mm f/2.8 through to 300mm f/2.8. For use in low light, the camera utilised the near infrared AF-assist feature of the camera’s dedicated flashgun to provide instant focus readings. The 7000 also featured the world’s first automatic multi-program selection that involved taking data from the lenses and translating it into information that set the most appropriate exposure. 

Professional DSLRs

Nikon entered the DSLR market by joining forces with Kodak, which stuck its own sensor on a Nikon F3 and later on an F-801S to produce huge, unwieldy cameras that cost around £20,000. Later, Nikon teamed up with Fujifilm to produce the strangely shaped Nikon E2 with a price drop to more like £16,000. But the Nikon D1 in 1999, the first DSLR to be built by a single manufacturer, cracked the £3,000 threshold, making DSLR photography practical for professional photographers.

Taking the shape of most film SLRs until then, the D1 had a top shutter speed of 1/16,000sec, five-segment matrix TTL metering, TTL phase detection autofocus and a shooting rate of 4.5 frames per second. The 23.7×15.6mm size sensor delivered a mere 2.7MP with images stored on CompactFlash cards. The D1 was followed by the D1X that offered a 5.3MP sensor and three frames per second continuous shooting, and the D1H that retained the 2.7MP sensor but upped its speed to five frames per second.

Full frame and mirrorless

The combination of a full-frame 24.3MP sensor with a mirrorless design and electronic viewfinder gave the Sony Alpha 7 its landmark status in 2013, leading very much to all the most popular high-end mirrorless models of today. A hybrid autofocus system with 25 contrast-detect and 117 phase-detect points combined with on-chip phase detection allowed five frames per second shooting with continuous autofocus. The camera was also considerably smaller than its peers. Although capable of accepting the existing E-mount and, with a suitable adapter, A-mount lenses, the Alpha 7 was launched with five lenses in the new FE series. Within two years, ten more lenses had been introduced. The viewfinder could be switched between full-frame and APS-C modes depending on which lenses were attached. The Alpha 7’s companion camera, the Alpha 7R, upped the sensor resolution to 36MP but only used the slower contrast-detection method for autofocus. 

Related reading:

• 140 years of Amateur Photographer
• 140 years – a lifetime of landmark cameras
• 140 years – What AP means to me
• Life in the past lane – Photography in 1884

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35mm film photography has been around since the early 1900s and doesn’t need to be complicated. It can be as simple as using a disposable point and shoot camera, or as complicated as using a manual focus SLR with manual settings and a light-meter. Whichever option you go for, this guide to film photography will help get you started, so you can enjoy creative photography.

The slower and more thoughtful pace of analogue photography is a magical experience. Lacking the “digital” feel of modern cameras, some film cameras of the past exude “feel”; you could even say soul…

We have several articles that take readers from the beginnings of photography through to a broader appreciation of the craft. These introduce different shooting skills and styles that will see you grow as a photographer and enjoy producing amazing photography (and video). From there you will have the scope and knowledge to go your own way: be it to master the art form, try to make money from it, or specialise in a certain genre.

Have fun exploring these guides and creating great images as you do. If you find our articles helpful, don’t forget to share them with people you know who may be interested in learning new photography skills. There is a list of others at the foot of this article.

In this introduction to analogue film photography for beginners, we cover all you need to know to get started, and explain some of the jargon involved with film photography…

How does film photography work?

Film is a strip of plastic (or similar material) that is coated with light-sensitive emulsion and when this is exposed to light, there is a chemical reaction that records the image in the emulsion on the film. As long as this isn’t exposed to light again, it remains stable, and can then be developed (processed) and printed or scanned to show you the photo you’ve taken. It’s a bit like magic, but it’s actually been refined over 100+ years by people like Kodak, Fujifilm, Ilford and others.

Loading a 35mm film into a point and shoot film camera, photo: Joshua Waller

Analog vs Digital photography

Digital photography makes taking photographs easy, with little concern for cost per photo. In fact, once you have a camera and memory card, photos cost you nothing. You could take thousands upon thousands – and then be left with the arduous task of going through them to find the best ones.

Film photography changes this, because you have a limited number of shots (24 or 36), and each one costs money; both for the film cost, and then the development of those photos. With all this in mind, you’re forced to slow down, and make each shot count. It sharpens one’s own focus to try to optimise each and every shot, or capture a special moment in front of you – moments you want to remember.

Why shoot film photographs?

Shooting with film is a slower process, with more time to think; especially if you’re using a manual camera, and remember how much film and film processing costs. However, shooting with a point and shoot is a fun experience as you capture memorable moments that mean something, without having to worry about expensive camera kit.

If you’re looking for a fresh challenge, and want to learn how photography was done before digital cameras, it is a useful experience. There are also excitement and suspense as you wait to see how your photos will turn out.

Getting started in film photography, you’ll need:

• A film camera
• Film
• Batteries (if the camera uses them)
• Once you’ve finished shooting, you’ll need to develop the film roll

The simplest way to start is with 35mm film. It’s the most widely available, and the most easily developed, processed and printed. It’s also the most cost effective, with cheap films available from around £5 / $5, as well as a wide range of 35mm film cameras from simple point and shoots, to more advanced options, from as little as £10-15 / $10 (used).

1. Finding a film camera

You’ll find film cameras in almost every charity shop you go past, sometimes with a neat carry case and additional lenses. There are also a wide range of places you can find them online, but before you start, here’s a quick look at some of the most popular choices to get you started.

New film cameras:

Reto Ultra Wide and Slim with 22mm f/11 lens

There are a small number of new film cameras available, and most of these are budget or “toy” cameras, where quality is not of paramount importance. They can be a good option if you just want a point and shoot camera, and don’t want a disposable camera, but most offer only one shutter speed, and a slow lens, and there are better second-hand options for less money (see below).

• Reto Ultra Wide and Slim (£35)
• Lomography Simple Use Film Camera (£35)
• Ilford Sprime 35-II (£39)

However, one of the cheapest and easiest ways to get a taste for film photography, is to look at a cheap disposable camera, often these can be cheaper than buying some film, and if you just want to dip your toes in, then have a look at our guide to the best disposable film cameras.

Used film cameras:

For a high-quality 35mm film camera, you’ll need to look at second-hand and used options. With this there are several things to be aware of. The older the camera, the more likely it is to not work properly, or there may be light leaks, as seals degrade over time.

Olympus MJU 1, photo: AP / Andrew Sydenham

You’ll also need to decide if you’re going to go for a compact camera, a manual SLR camera, with manual focus and controls, or a more modern SLR with auto focus and controls.

Compact 35mm cameras:

You can go for a compact 35mm film camera, and there are plenty of point and shoot options, with either a fixed lens, or a zoom lens. Look for models with a large optical viewfinder, and built-in flash, as well as autofocus and you’ll most likely find a camera that’s easy to use. Zoom cameras tend to offer slower operation, and the lenses aren’t as bright as fixed focal length cameras.

For more 35mm film compact cameras have a look at our guide to the best compact film cameras.

Fixed focal length film cameras:

Olympus 35RC added a rangefinder to aid focusing. Photo credit: Joe Haupt CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

You can go for a classic film camera with a metal body, such as the Olympus 35 RC, shown above, or look for a budget point and shoot, such as the Pentax PC-550 (around £20+). Some models carry a premium due to the small size, and bright lens on offer, as is the case with the Olympus MJU II, with f/2.8 lens. As with any old camera, check everything is working as expected, and none of the fragile plastics are broken.

• Pentax PC-550 – around £20
• Olympus XA2 – around £50
• Olympus MJU-I – around £120
• Olympus MJU-II – around £300
• Olympus 35 RC – around £80

For more fixed lens film camera options, have a look at the best fixed lens 35mm film cameras.

35mm half-frame cameras

A Pentax 17. Image: Jessica Miller

Another alternative is the half-frame camera of yesteryear: where half-frame equates to half the cost, as the film outputs twice as many pictures in this format. Read our excellent guide to our favourites that contains some fascinating insights into their history.

Manual SLR cameras:

Pentax K1000 with lens and strap, © Michele M. F., Wikimedia Commons

Manual SLRs have the advantage of being more compact than autofocus SLRs, and often use minimal battery power (some are even battery free), meaning you can go weeks or months without worrying about the battery running out.

They also offer great value for money, and solid metal build quality, but due to the age of these cameras, it’s a good idea to check if the built-in light meters still work, and whether they’ve been serviced.

Classic manual SLR options:

• Pentax K1000 – from £90
• Olympus OM-1 – from £70
• Nikon FM – from £75

These are some of our favourites, but you’ll find more options in our guide to manual SLR cameras.

Automatic SLR cameras:

Canon EOS 100 with Canon EF 50mm f1.8 STM lens, photo: Joshua Waller

Automatic cameras such as the Canon EOS 100 still give you manual controls if you want them, as well as the option to use manual focus, but the nice thing is that you can use them in a fully automatic mode making them easier to use for beginners, whilst still giving the high-quality images you’d expect from an SLR. Another nice feature is that they remain extremely good value-for-money, being less popular than manual SLRs.

Here are some great options for autofocus SLRs:

• Canon EOS 100 – from £15
• Minolta Dynax 7000 – from £25
• Minolta Dynax 7000i – from £20
• Nikon D90 – from £50

As with digital SLRs and mirrorless cameras, film SLR cameras let you change the lens you use, and it’s important to make sure you know what lens mount the camera has when looking for a new lens. There are lots of options available, often very affordable.

These are just some of the different types of 35mm film cameras, and there are a wider variety of options including panoramic, and stereo cameras – see our guide to 35mm film cameras.

Film cameras to avoid:

Unless you’re a glutton for punishment, then APS and 110 film cameras are best avoided, as you’re likely to find it very difficult to find film, and processing services, for these.

One stand out camera from the 110 film era, is the rather nice Pentax Auto 110 SLR system, Photo: John Wade – Read John’s guide to 110 film cameras.

If you do want to give 110 film a go, then Analogue Wonderland and Lomography still sell new film, and there are a still some companies that process 110 film. You’re extremely unlikely to be able to find any APS film new or in stock, although you can still get it processed. Because of this, you’ll often spot “bargain” priced APS and 110 film cameras, but unless you’re dedicated, we wouldn’t recommend it!

It’s worth pointing out that 110 film and APS film are much smaller than 35mm film and were never known to give particularly good results.

Where to buy?

You’ll find a wide variety of online retailers that sell new and second-hand film cameras, but it can also be worth checking out local stores to see if they have any in stock, as seeing them in person can give you a better idea of the size and condition of the items.

Once you do have a film camera, make sure you learn how to look after it in our guide on how to maintain your film camera, or if you already have an old camera that needs repairing, have a look at our guide to repairing cameras.

2. Buying 35mm film…

Film photography is continuing to grow in popularity, with Ilford, Kodak, and Fujifilm remaining the big players in terms of film production. In fact, Ilford are continuing to grow thanks to film sales.

Types of 35mm film… (also known as 135 film)

To keep things simple, we’ll keep this brief, and say that the main types of 35mm film camera are colour and black and white negative film. Each photo is 35mm wide, hence the name. This is also why a full-frame digital camera is called a “full-frame” camera, because the sensor matches the 35mm wide film in size.

Black and white film or colour film, the choice is yours, photo: JW

With 35mm film you get the choice of whether you want 24 exposures (shots) or 36 exposures (shots), with the 36 exposure film being more expensive than 24.

You also need to pay attention to the ISO speed on offer – if you’re shooting in bright sunny conditions, then ISO100 is a good choice, but if you plan on shooting in low-light or want to use flash then ISO400 or higher would be a good choice.

Nb. Most common films are “negative” film (producing a negative image of the scene), but be aware that some film is known as “positive” or “slide” film, and these will need more professional film processing.

What is ISO / ASA in film photography?

ISO, previously known as ASA, is quite simply, the sensitivity of the film. ISO400 is more sensitive to light than ISO100, and will therefore need a shorter exposure for the same scene. You can get film with an ISO rating up to ISO800 or even ISO3200, but as is the case with digital cameras, the higher the ISO speed, the larger the grain on the film, and the more noise/grain will be visible in the image, and the “rougher” the image will look. If you’re shooting film at night, then a high ISO speed film is essential.

Kentmere ISO400 black and white film, by Harman. Photo JW.

What is “Process” or C-41?

Most colour film is processed using the C-41 process, and this is what the majority of film processing labs support. It’s the chemical process used to develop the film, and turn it into processed negatives.

You’ll find some black and white film also uses C-41 process, and this makes it cheaper and easier to find places that will process black and white film. A common black and white film that uses the C-41 process is Ilford XP2. If you’re planning on developing your own black and white film, then traditional black and white film is what you want.

More on shooting black and white film: Why we still shoot black and white film.

3. Developing your film – do you want prints or digital scans?

If you live in a city, it’s likely there will be a camera shop that will develop photos for you, taking the film and processing it so you have negatives. From these negatives, it used to be the norm that you would get your photos back as 6x4inch or 7x5inch photos, with a choice of Matt or Gloss. Now you also get the choice of whether to have digital copies of these (often as JPEG images), which they will be able to provide on CD or as a digital download link, emailed directly to you.

6x4inch prints from 35mm film, negatives shown at the bottom. Photo: Joshua Waller

You don’t even need to get prints these days, but we still think there’s something nice about getting all your photos back as printed photos, including the smell.

If you want to take more control over your scans, you can use professional film developing services which will allow you to give additional instructions regarding how you want the photos to be dealt with – find more on this here: Dan Rubin: film photography and scanning tips.

Do you want to scan your own negatives?

You could even scan your own negatives once they’ve been processed, and there are a variety of ways to do this:

• Using a dedicated film scanner, however premium film scanners are often hard to find, with better ones being very expensive, and new budget models lacking quality.
• Using a smartphone and adapter, such as the Lomography Smartphone Scanner, this is a quick and easy method, and gives good enough results for sharing on social media etc.
• Using a Mirrorless camera or DSLR to take photographs of the film – this method is relatively easy with the right kit, such as a light box, a camera, and a macro lens, and should give the best quality possible.

If you need more convincing on the magic of film photography, and want to know how it works in more detail, have a look at this great video from SmarterEveryDay:

Taking it to the next level – Advanced film photography:

For more advanced film photographers, you can look into processing your own film in our Essential Guide to Film Processing, and even printing your own photos in a darkroom in our Essential Guide to Darkroom Printing.

Article and lead image: Joshua Waller

More on film photography: 

• An introduction to medium format film photography
• How to do film photography on a budget

• Beginners guide to different camera types.
• Beginners guide to different lens types.
• Beginners guide to using a camera taking photos.
• Beginners guide to Exposure, aperture, shutter, ISO, and metering.
• Understanding white balance settings and colour
• 10 essential cameras accessories for beginners
• Beginners guide to the Art of photography and composition
• Beginners guide to Photoshop Elements and editing photos
• Beginners guide to Portrait Photography
• Beginners guide to Macro Photography
• Beginners guide to Street Photography
• Beginners guide to Landscape Photography
• How to shoot Action and Sports Photography
• How to shoot wildlife photography
• Raw vs JPEG – Pros and cons
• How to create stunning black and white images
• How to photograph events and music
• Pet photography – how to photograph pets
• The ultimate guide to flash photography
• The ultimate guide to tripods
• Create awesome photos with light painting
• Beginners guide to file and photo management
• How to shoot food photography
• Complete guide to outdoor light
• Top tips for stunning car photography
• How to master waterfall photography
• How to use social media as a photographer

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The post How to get started in film photography – a beginners guide appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

What is a pinhole camera?

A pinhole camera is simply a box or container that uses a literal pinhole for an aperture. Light enters the hole and projects an inverted image of the scene onto the back of the container. Photographic paper or film can then be used to record the projected image and create some brilliant and artistic results. It really is as simple as a camera can get!

The principle of pinhole photography has been known for centuries. Back in the 18th Century the popular camera obscura became widely used, using the same principle. Only with the invention of photography in the 19th century, however – when images could be fixed – could a pinhole camera first record a permanent photograph.

There are many different ways to create a pinhole camera; the way we describe being one of several. The most important things you need are: a light proof box; then a pinhole lens; and thirdly, some means of recording the image.

You can push the boundaries and think outside the box (excuse the pun!), too. The master of Pinhole photography is Justin Quinell, who has taken this art form to a different level. His work is worth exploring for inspiration.

In our tutorial we’re using film, though you could use photographic paper if you prefer. The advantage of using paper over film is that it can be loaded and developed under a safe red light, whereas with film you have to do it in complete darkness.

If you are new to developing your own film at home, then watch this before you begin as it will be of great help at the later stages.

How do I make a pinhole camera? 

To make a pinhole camera you will need the following:

• A box to make your pinhole camera from
• Black tape (Gorilla tape is amazing!)
• Black paper to line your box
• Sharp knife
• Pin or needle (we used a size 10 needle)
• Scissors
• Roll of film – (we used a B&W roll of Ilford HP5) or you could use photographic paper instead (you will need paper chemical instead of film developing kit)
• A dark room (this can simply be a room in your house that you can black out)
• Developing tank
• Chemicals to process film (we used Ilfords starting pack which can be purchased from a number of online outlets)
• Pegs for hanging your film
• Containers x 3
• Tray
• Measuring jug
• Pen and paper – make note of what you do, exposure times so you can keep tweaking the result
• Gloves
• Scanner if you want to digitize your pinhole images (we used the Epson V600 film scanner)

Step by step guide to making and shooting with your pinhole camera

1. Lightproof box

Start by making your pinhole camera. We made three in total from different materials.

The first is from wood and was prefabricated. We simply constructed a cube box and taped it together. The design uses a removable black card box liner that has no back. This is where the film or paper is inserted. If copying this design, make sure the insert black liner fits snugly inside the main box to avoid light leaks.

Another pinhole camera we constructed was from a kitchen roll cardboard tube lined with black paper, and the third pinhole we made came from a cardboard box for teabags. It uses the same liner method as the wooden pinhole camera above. We lined extra black card around the back of the box as the card is quite thin.

Keep in mind that the box needs a removable lid that is also light-proof when secured in place. We used a couple of elastic bands to keep the lids secure!

2. Make a pinhole

Once satisfied that your box is light-proof, on one side cut a coin sized hole using a sharp knife. Insert your box liner with the open back side, opposite to the hole you have just cut out. Make a tiny clean hole in the centre using a needle. If you go wrong simply tape over it with black tape and insert another.

If your pinhole camera doesn’t use the removable box liner method, and you’ve light-proofed your box another way – tape black card over the coin sized hole, secure around the edge with black tape, and pierce the card with the needle. This is your lens.

3. Shutter

Now it’s time to think about the shutter – how your camera is going to stop and let light in. Our shutter is simply a piece of wood that can be pushed aside and put back over the pinhole. Yours could be made from wood, cardboard; or any material you like as long as it is light-proof and can be removed and secured back over the pinhole.

4. Load film into camera

Note: for the purposes of these ‘doing shots’ pictured, we’ve taken them in daylight. In reality, you will need to do this part in complete darkness! We also put our camera and film inside a black pillow inside a blacked out room to ensure there were no light leaks.

Tape the film to the side of the liner, (you can do this first part with the light on but then turn the lights out), then pull the film around the open back of the liner, cut the film and then tape it in place on the other side. Once your film is loaded, put the liner back into the box and secure the lid in place. You can now turn on the lights (make sure the shutter is closed!)

5. Shoot

It can be tricky to know how long to expose an image for, as it depends on light conditions and the sensitivity of your film. We were shooting indoors on an overcast day, which needed a long exposure time of 5 minutes. This took a few attempts and we made notes as we went. Timing is something you will have to experiment with.

Also, experiment with what subject matter you can capture. Still life is an obvious choice but long portraits can be fun to shoot too – even if they are blurry!

6. Load your film

Once you’ve exposed your shot you will need to go back into the darkroom and load your film onto the reel and into your film tank. Again for the purposes of this tutorial these ‘doing shots’ have been taken under daylight conditions but remember you’ll need it pitch black! Have everything ready and set in place and do a couple of practice runs in the light to ensure you know how your film feeds onto the reel. Once you have your film secure in the developing tank and the lid on you can now come back into the light.

7. Mix up the chemicals

Put on some gloves and mix up your chemicals with water into three separate containers (developer, stop and fix). See your manufacturer’s guidelines for quantities. Water should be around 20ºC. It’s best to measure this with a thermometer if you have one (we didn’t, so we made an educated guess at “lukewarm”!)

8. Develop your film

Your film developing and fixing times will depend on the type of film you’ve shot on and the chemicals you’re using: so refer to the manufacturer for guidance here.

To develop your film, start by pouring the developer into the tank (our developing time was 9 minutes). As a general rule with developer, agitate the tank for the first 10 seconds then repeat every few minutes. Once the developing time is up, pour it back into the same container and rinse the film with some clean water of 20ºC – this stops the chemicals getting mixed together so that you can re-use them several times.

Next add the stop mixture – we did 10 seconds stop time whilst agitating the tank – and again rinse with water. Then add the fix (ours took 5 minutes).

Once you have finished with the chemicals DO NOT pour them down the sink. The fixer, especially, is toxic to aquatic life and must be disposed of properly. Wear gloves at all times as the chemicals are irritating to the skin and smell bad.

9. Dry your negatives

Once you have developed and washed your film you can now hang the negatives to dry. Negatives are extremely delicate after they have been processed so be careful not to scratch them. We made a makeshift drying rack from a hanger, some pegs and a warm boiler room.

10. Scan your negatives

As soon as the negatives are dry you can either scan them like we did, or if you have a darkroom you can print your pinhole images the old fashioned way! We didn’t have the latter so decided to digitise our results. We made a final few edits to the end result like cleaning up the dust marks and boosting the contrast.

You can also photograph your film using a DSLR or mirrorless camera.

End pinhole camera result

Common Pinhole camera problems

• Foggy film. If you have any light leaks in your camera or when loading your film or in your camera your film will look foggy and not crisp.
• The negative is dark. This image has had too much light so it is over exposed. You’ll find when you scan it the dark areas will become light and therefore too light! Reduce your exposure time.
• The negative is light. This means the image is underexposed. You’ll need to increase the exposure time.
• No image! This could be down to a number of things. First check is your pinhole clear of any obstacles and the light is definitely getting through. It could also mean you need a much longer exposure time.

Top pinhole camera tips

• Have patience! This is a trial and error technique and it’s unlikely that you will get it right on the first attempt.
• It can be a challenge to completely black out a room in your home. We made the room as dark as we could and then got a thick black pillow case and put our film and camera inside the bag to do the loading. Before we did this we had a couple of foggy films due to light leaks in the not-so-dark dark room.
• Black Gorilla tape is made for pinhole photography! We had a roll of it to hand and it’s great for securing film in place and for light proofing your camera.
• When loading film into your camera or a developing tank in the dark it can be tricky. Have a practice run first with the lights on so you know exactly what you’re doing.
• When taking long exposures you want to keep your camera as still as possible. If your camera is not weighted don’t shoot with it outside on a windy day!

See more film photography guidance and inspiration here.

Further reading:

Guinness confirms ‘largest pinhole camera’ world record

Thingyfy Pinhole Pro review

The world’s most advanced Pinhole lens: Kickstarter launches

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The post How to make a pinhole camera and take photos in 10 steps appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

In this comparison I take a look at two different ends of the half-frame spectrum. The new premium Pentax 17, which combines elements of modern and traditional film photography in a heavenly combination for social media users. Plus, the Kodak Ektar H35N, a basic, budget-friendly point-and-shoot which gives disposable camera lovers a reuseable step-up. Let’s find out which is best or right for you…

Body

Both cameras are half-frame and take 35mm film.

The Kodak Ektar H35N is a fully plastic body and looks like a typical point-and-shoot camera. It is a step-up from a disposable camera and minimal in terms of on-body dials and features. It weighs only 110g and measures at 110(W) x 62(H) x 39(D) mm, which is lighter and smaller/slimmer than the Pentax.

The Pentax 17 takes point-and-shoot to another level again, without becoming a fully manual camera like other 35mm film SLRs. It is quite modern looking with some design from traditional film cameras. It has a small handgrip on the front, which is where the battery is also placed, which makes the camera comfortable to hold. The top and bottom sections are made of magnesium alloy, with panelling and dials at the top made from plastic. The range of dials provides enough manual and automatic functions to make it easy to use and provide a wide range of photographers different shooting options. It weighs 290g and measures 127(W) x 78(H) x 52(D)mm.

When it comes to lenses the Kodak has a 22mm (32mm equivalent in full frame) glass f11 fixed-focus lens. In comparison, the Pentax holds a 25mm f/3.5 (37mm equivalent) fixed prime, which produces images that are slightly more cropped than the Kodak. It also has six different manual focus zones, with distances ranging from 0.25m to infinity (everything from close-up to landscapes). As such, you need to change the mode based on the estimated distance between yourself and the subject.

In terms of viewfinders, the Kodak has a rather basic rectangular viewfinder. The Pentax, whilst also rectangular has two sets of composition lines, one for standard images and the smaller set for close-ups. In comparison to the Kodak, the Pentax’s viewfinder is much clearer and brighter, as well as being easier to compose the image and clearly seeing how your subjects fit in the frame.

Features

When it comes to the features available, on the face of it both cameras feel quite similar. The Kodak has a built-in flash, Bulb for long exposures and a Star filter. On the Pentax there is option for Bulb, Flash, and Bokeh alongside the standard Program and Auto modes. Both have a cable shutter release port, though the Pentax requires a certain release cable. Despite having a few of the same features, the Pentax’s method of operating them and their delivery certainly feels more sophisticated.

The Kodak’s nifty star filter can be turned on for adding star effects which is quite nice on different light sources. On the Pentax, there is Bokeh mode (which forces the camera to set f/3.5), which adds some nice blur.

The manual zone focus is one part of the Pentax 17 that I wasn’t keen on during my review. It’s very much a process of estimating the distance, set it up and hope for the best. But when it works and you get the distances right, the focus is sharp. The Kodak has a fixed focus, with approximately 1 metre being the closest you can get to a subject before it becomes out of focus. It cannot focus close-up like the Pentax.

Neither of the cameras allow you the option to manually set shutter speed or aperture. Though on the Pentax you can set film ISO, which determines the other settings. The lens adjusts to between f/3.5 and f/16, and shutter speeds between 1/350sec and 4 seconds. But can adjust exposure compensation. On the Kodak, the lens is F11 (F8 with the flash on) and has a shutter speed of 1/100s. The Kodak will perform best in well-lit environments, with ISO 100-200 being optimal in bright light and ISO 400 ok for overcast days.  

Performance

Generally, the Pentax produces more detailed and consistent images. More colours, tones and contrast were picked up. In most cases the Kodak produced some nice images, but in situations for example when pointing the camera up towards the top of a building and the sky, results were very overexposed. It did, however, work well in lower lit scenarios and with the flash. The star filter on the Kodak also produces some really nice results and works well, particularly on individual lights.

Pentax 17 vs Kodak Ektar H35N – Value for money

The Pentax 17 is retailing for a whopping $500/£499.99, and the Kodak Ektar H35N is a popular budget friendly option which can currently bought for around $59/£65.

As I found in my review of the Pentax, $500 is a lot of money for the camera you get. It feels more robust than the Kodak, but there are still some plastic toy-like qualities which don’t live up to the premium price tag. You do get some excellent, well-lit and detailed images, which are of much more consistent and better quality than the Kodak.

Pentax 17 vs Kodak Ektar H35N – which is best?

There isn’t necessarily a winner in this comparison, which will be best for you will depend on the type of photographer you are and what you hope to get out of the camera. Both are half-frame and will ultimately give you more images per roll of film. They are compact, lightweight and fun to use.

If you are new to film photography or someone transitioning from smartphones, want to take a step up from a disposable camera without breaking the bank, and enjoy the fun and nostalgia of film then the Kodak is probably a good place to start with.

If you want to take another step up, perhaps have more photography experience, want a more compact body than a traditional film SLR, and more manual control and versatility rather than the complete simplicity of the point-and-shoot then the compact Pentax 17 is a good camera.

There are also alternative half-frame cameras and point-and-shoot cameras out there, that are also somewhere between the two price points seen here (e.g. the Olympus Pen EE-2), so it’s worth having a look at those too. See our buyers guides for more.

Further reading:

• The Compass camera – the World’s most complicated camera?
• How to check if a film camera works
• How to make a pinhole camera
• Best instant cameras and printers

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