You want to start medium format film photography, but just like regular film cameras, there are so many to choose from. We've narrowed them down to some of our favourite medium format film cameras for beginners, and listed the reasons of why we love them.
What is a medium format film camera?
Firstly, medium format most often refers to 120 film. Medium format also exists as a concept for digital photography. Medium format is used to refer to film sizes that are bigger than 35mm but smaller than large format photography, but 120 film remains the most common and popular of the medium formats.
Rolls of medium format 120 film are approximately 61mm wide, which makes them almost twice the size of 35mm rolls of film. This means your physical image is bigger and therefore will retain much more detail and quality.
There are several different types of medium format film camera to consider.
One of the most iconic medium format cameras is the TLR. These are most associated with medium format photography and are most certainly attractive cameras.
Another common, and relatively cheap, medium format camera is the folding camera. These are truly as antique-looking as they come and provide a cost-effective way to try medium format film photography.
There are also SLR and rangefinder medium format cameras. These are the same as the 35mm film cameras of the same name.
The most inexpensive medium format camera is the point and shoot styles, which are very simple and often feature only one or two shutter speeds.
As we are focusing on cameras for beginners, we mainly include TLR, folding and point and shoot style medium format cameras on this list. This is because they are very easy to use and inexpensive.
Things to Consider for Your First Medium Format Camera
There are a few features to consider when choosing your first medium format camera. Most of the time choosing a camera you love the look of is good enough, but with medium format cameras, some are a lot more difficult to use than others. For example, we would not recommend the Mamiya RB67 for someone new to medium format photography.
Below is a list of things that we recommend taking into account when choosing your camera:
- Simple film loading mechanism
- Good range of shutter speeds
- Size and weight that suits your needs
- No marks/damage to the taking lens
5 Medium Format Film Cameras for Beginners
Let's get to the good stuff. Here are our recommendations for the five best 120 medium format cameras for beginners.
5. Lubitel 2
The Lubitel 2 is a super simple TLR camera. The camera is a good intro into TLR cameras for photographers on a budget. It allows you to get to grips with a waist-level viewfinder and loading medium format film.
4. Kershaw Folding Camera
Kershaw were a British film camera company who made a range of simple and easy-to-use folding cameras. They are a no-frills medium format camera for starting your medium format photography.
3. Seagull 4A
The Seagull 4A is an attractive, simple and reliable TLR camera with easy film loading and manual shutter speeds and aperture. It is a great way to learn more about film photography and medium format.
2. Lomography Diana F+
This is an iconic medium format camera with a big following that comes in lots of different styles. It is a simple lo-fi style of medium format photography. There are lots of accessories you can add to this camera, from flashes to instant film backs.
1. Yashica Mat 124 G
This is a very popular medium format TLR camera. The Yashica Mat 124 G has all the classic features of a great TLR camera, and is often picked up by beginners who enjoy using its built-in light meter. In fact, it is the only camera on this list to boast this feature.
Browse our other medium format film cameras:
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Article written by: Max
Max is the owner of Cameras By Max. They work full-time repairing and refurbishing all the 35mm film cameras you see on the website. Their favourite camera (at the moment) is the Olympus XA, and their favourite city in the world is Edinburgh.