Ranking the BEST Film Cameras | Tier List

PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS!
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The tier list isn't a "which camera should you buy" list; but rather going over my experiences and my friends experiences with the cameras, their current short comings, and then an overall grade based on my opinion. Obviously there will be places that cameras can be swapped or I give some forgiveness to some camera over the other camera. I'm definitely biased, as stated when ranking the cameras I've used the most. I think if you watched George's video based on the same perimeters, you'd probably find some stuff to disagree with as well, especially as time/market has changed prices and availability in the last 3 years.

Hey, when you put exemples you put u/(name) but what is u/? I searched on insta, find nothing is it another app?
Thx.

No mention of the Canon Elan 7e?

mate, how're you gonna put the AE-1 so low because of its price but commend the low prices of other manual SLRs that cost twice as much?

My 1964 Nikon F has had many hundreds of rolls of film through it in my many years as a newspaper photographer, then 32 years as a studio owner and finally as a retired professional photographer's
EDC. But I like my Nikon F2 better.

I just bought an Olympus mju II for two dollars at a thrift shop. I couldn't be happier that I bought a working film camera with a roll of film! I only had to buy a battery and it seems like it works!

Thanks for sharing, very interesting! Are the photos you used selected randomly or were each of these taken with the camera in question?

We missed a couple of golden cameras to show, but I think it’s better this way so the price doesn’t rise :)

Where's the Minolta representation :(
talk about a great starter camera the SRT-101 and the X-700

X700 cmon

6x9 is the same aspect as 35mm so I’m not sure why you’d find it confusing. Also the T3 in category D is crazy, price alone should not account for its position, B at worse. Otherwise if mostly agree.

Olympus OM10 better than the F2 and F3? I don't understand anything anymore. I can't keep looking.

Mamiya C330 above the Rolleiflex...

Thoroughly enjoyed this

If you mostly do studio work, I believe the best medium format camera is... the behemoth Fuji GX680: bigger than the Mamiya RB/RZ, with some camera movements support (like a 4x5).

I was surprised that the Bronica ETR 645 series of cameras wasn't on the list. I've had one for many years and have nearly all the lenses available for it. Most lists consider it #2 to only the Mamiya in the 645 category.

A very well made pair of rangefinder medium format cameras from Fuji was the GF670, a folding camera, and a wide version that is not folding. Voigtlander also made an identical version of these as the Bessa iii. When these cameras came out in the late 2000s, they were a very good deal for a new medium format camera. It has both 6x6 and 6x7 in one camera. As you are focusing, the square in the viewfinder adjusts to compensate for parallax. That is something that not even Leica does. The lens is very sharp and can take some really fantastic images. It has Aperture Priority and Exposure Compensation as well. The shutter is the quietest I have ever heard, even quieter than Rolleiflex TLR, which is next to nothing. And it is very portable for a medium format camera, almost up there with Mamiya 6 and 7. The problem with it nowadays is that they are very expensive. Last time I looked the Fujis were between 2 and 3 thousand, and the Voigtlanders even more. I actually got one of the regular GF670s back in 2009 when they were new and cheaper. I was looking for a Mamiya 6 at the time, but couldn’t find one with all three lenses, so I settled for GF670. It’s a shame they stopped making these fantastic cameras. Yes it is only one focal length, but I don’t even think about that when I use it. If it wasn’t for the very hefty price these now go for, I would put them at the top of your list for medium format, both for great quality, portability, versatility and ease of use. To me the only drawback of the camera is that it is an electronic camera that is dependent upon the battery. If the battery dies, the camera dies.

You didn't talk about the Nikon L35AF, I thought it was one of the best point and shoots?

Damn no Minolta love for slrs ?No x700 love ? xd11 love ? Smoothest advance lever to ever grace a photographers hands in the xe-7?

Extremely useful list! I'd love to learn more about 35mm SLRs, review more models, delve more in depth, and explain a bit about their history.

I started shooting medium format after picking up a Yashicaflex C as an impulse buy while abroad, and honestly I think it's a great way to start shooting in medium format due to how cheap it is. I managed to find mine for 11,000 yen (Roughly $75), though it's a bit pricier on ebay. The photos I've taken so far have turned out pretty good. They aren't the sharpest or anything but I'm sure it's better than anything a Holga can take. It's also pretty sturdy and it's light enough that I take it with me when I go camping. Overally a great deal. TLRs definitely do take getting used to though, but once you get used to them they're pretty fun to use and they make for great conversation starters.

Cool and interesting video. Thanks. A popfilter for the mic would be great ✌🏼

No Zenza bronica :(

Pentax KX woulda been better to put than the K1000, much cheaper and has better features

Fujifilm GF670 goes where?

There’s so many point shoots you can find for like $10 on Facebook marketplace that arnt as overhyped but give the same quality… and this is why people gatekeep there cameras … because once the word is out it ruins the game

People dont understand that the 645 cameras autofocus. Thats game changing as to what kind of shots you can get. Thats the main appeal of 645.

Not even a minute in dude puts an Olympus slr in s tier 😂

I got a Nikon F2 Black body and it came with 2 parts motor drives and I need to get Expoure meter Head for if and it need to be repaired and I paid £10.00 for it from a camera dealer shop in London in 2023

Not sure how the pentax645 is less usable than even the mamiya 7 and not a better option with its multiple metering than the mamiya 645....

BRO, the video on the background is a pain in the ass.

the pentax 67 can and should be used with the miror luckup on most of the time even on a tripod if not use a 1/500/s speed. Than it makes all the differences and the mirror luckup boton is very easy to acces. I personely shot and assist more than 5000 120 rolls in studio ans landcape its a beast... And all the photographer that i assisted working witt the 67 they all started shooting using the mirror lockup after their experiece. when you scan at 4000dpi and above you are abble to apreciate the natural mouvement of the pentax 67 if not used you will see the mirror mouvement record on the film especialy in the eye of your subject ... this systhem also have some leafshuuter lens that can change everything ans shoot flashsync at 1/500, there is also the extensions tubes... this camera does it all ... sorry about my English :)

I remember buying a Contax T3 for $750, used it, sold it for $800, honestly felt like electronics could die at any moment so was eager to let it go. Current prices are LOL! Enjoyed using the Nikon FE and 50mm 1.8 more. Good light to all

F3hp deserves a S😢

I love old film cameras like the Contax or Pentax but its impossible to get them fixed anymore.
Its funny how its the electronics that fails first in old mechanical cameras ... 🦘

I've spent way too much time paying attention to the Fuji 645 models, both the GS manual models of the 1980s and the all-auto GA models from the later 1990s. Noting his reservation about the GA645 because of presumed potential issues with its dependence on electronics to function, I have to say that you see this critique often for both the GA645 models and others. However, I have never seen anyone claim or present a GA camera where the electronics have failed without some damage having been inflicted on it. It's fine to armchair generalize about the weakness of a camera model for its electronic design flaws (Contax G anyone?), but that does not (yet) extend to the universe of electronic cameras. I'd like to see a video where a GA camera has failed. It may happen, but to date it is quite uncommon. (I exclude the terrible design flaw of the LCD screen connector in the GA645Zi, which is a mechanical flaw, not electronic.)

The only thing in common between the OM 10 and the prior OM bodies, apart from sharing some accessories and lenses, is the Oly name slapped on it. It was made by Cosina, which made low cost, low quality SLR bodies for rebranding by a variety of more prestigious camera makers. For their low new prices and low used cost, that doesn't mean that they should be avoided by beginners, but they do not deserve to be on the top of a list like this. Ditto the Nikon FM10. (Is "10" in the name code for "made by Cosina?)

Totally passed up the AMAZING Nikon L35AF. One of the only point and shoots where you can adjust the ISO and has a backlit compensation lever. Plus the lens is just MONEY. It renders colors extremely well. Easily the #1 camera I have on me at all times when I dont feel like lugging around my work horses. Oh and the RZ67 got a C?!! Lol whattttt?! This camera is amazingly sharp and the lenses are phenomenal

Spending 3 grand in a point and shoot camera is like paying 2.6M 35sqft apartment in NYC

Mentor me 😞

mamiya rz67 in c tier is fucking wild XD

Great video covering a wide range of cameras. My comments based on my camera collection (1) Canon AE-1 Program was my first old style film camera so it is consistent for me (2) Nothing like the sound of my Hassleblad 500cm shutter, great results and a classic to shoot with (3) Leica M4 is cheaper and a good alterative to the costly M6 (4) Nikon F2 is a beast and fun to shoot, so well built with great lenses (5) Olympus OM1n or OM2 are nice due to the compact engineering and design and good results. Better build quality than the OM10 to me (6) Pentax K1000 was my biggest surprise, it is just a durable workhorse, good for beginners (7) my Fed 2 is great as it was purchased way before I could afford a Leica and has good detail in the shadows and is an interesting piece of history (8) Own a couple TLRs and haven't finished a roll of film so can't comment, Rolleicord and Yashica (9) Polaroid SX-70 is engineered so well and the best Polaroid (10) Holga is just a guilty pleasure, not a great camera but the unpredictability is fun.

No Bronicas?! Haha jk

what do you recommend for good p&s that doesn't break the bank? I've seen t4's at an alright price. I've just heard the plastic can fall apart

Putting a camera in D tier just because it’s expensive, especially when it’s a good camera, makes no sense to me.

XA2 is a good camera but most people dont know how to zone focus.

RZ67 in C because of its electronics and Contax T2 and G2 in A… lol

You made a mistake putting the 645n ii in B