Find out more about who we are, why we do what we do, and why we love it. (And when I say "we", it's me: Max.)

Hi, I'm Max (they/them), the person who runs everything going on here at Cameras By Max. When I am not repairing cameras, I am replying to emails, packing orders, and drinking tea.

When you order a product, talk to us on our live chat, or send us an email, I am the one that is replying to you.

What is Cameras By Max?

We are a LGBTQ+ owned, eco-friendly camera shop and repair service based in the UK. We currently sell online and occasionally do pop-up shops around the country. 

We accept repairs from all over the world, and particularly love repairing Canon SLR cameras, and Olympus Trips and Pens.

We sell everything on our online shop. Occasionally, we host pop-up shops. You can see the dates of these here. 

Our office is based in Cardiff, Wales, at the moment. This is where we ship all of our orders from, and do all of your repairs.

We opened our shop in 2020 during the first of several national UK lockdowns. We started selling on Depop, then moved to Etsy, and now we are proud to have our very own website.

Starting a film camera shop was, for the most part, unintentional. We began repairing cameras to fill the time during lockdown, and selling them on eBay. 

It became apparent that there was a real gap in the market for a film camera shop that was accessible to people new to photography. When I started film photography, I was so confused, and it seemed like everyone around me knew exactly what they were doing and didn't want to tell me. 

I have always wanted Cameras By Max to be a great resource for people who want to try film, but are a bit overwhelmed by all the information out there. As well as this, we also strive to be a safe space for everyone to feel represented and heard.

We are really looking forward to having a Cameras By Max physical shop one day, hopefully in Edinburgh (some insider info for those reading this). We would love to welcome people to our space for workshops, chatting about cameras, and so much more. 

With 35mm film photography on the rise again, and big film brands announcing new products, film is very much alive. We cannot wait to see where the world of film photography is going. But at the core of Cameras By Max, we want to make sure that 35mm film photography remains accessible in terms of price, availability, and accessible knowledge. 

Max started doing photography in Sixth Form, and studied BA (Hons) Photography at University of the Arts London. (What a massive waste of time.) I feel like I learned very little at university, and only really gained skills in studio work and hand-developing film. I could easily run a film lab with the knowledge that I have of developing, but this side of 35mm film photography doesn't interest me as much. 

Whilst studying at university, I was working almost full time as a freelance photographer around London, and also repairing the odd film camera here and there.

Coming out of university, I hoped to be a unit stills photographer, as I had a good portfolio, lots of movie industry links, and a real passion for it. Then Covid came around, and the entire movie industry was shut down. 

I decided to repair some film cameras in my abundant lockdown time, and thus Cameras By Max was born. 

My favourite kind of photography is portraiture, for sure.

We are always looking for passionate people to come onto our team here at Cameras By Max. If you have skills you think you can offer to the business, please get in touch with us.

We particularly need extra hands in our physical office in Cardiff. This would include cleaning cameras, packing orders, tidying, etc. Get in touch if you would like to come and help us out. 

If you like what we do, but can't buy a camera from us, please consider buying us a cup of coffee! It helps us to keep these resources free, consistent, and accessible.