Ask An Expert: 35MM

A Professional Film Photographer's Guide to 35mm Point and Shoot Cameras

Sometimes I feel like the guy from Pawn Stars who is always reaching out to my more knowledgeable buddy. When I find myself down the camera rabbit hole, I always ask my friend Spencer Wells for his expert advice. He’s a professional photographer and shoots a lot of film, so he’s the perfect person to hit with a barrage of eBay links and also to dig in a bit more for all of you curious 35mm people out there. He put together a great breakdown of film point-and-shoots to consider. Look on eBay from Japan sellers (beware of duties!) and trusted pre-owned sources like Keh. If you are film camera curious, let the below be your guide. -MW

Spencer Wells: If I can claim to be an expert on anything, it's the corner of Japanese eBay that hocks hoards of film cameras from the late 80s to early 2000s. For the last 15 years, I've had a small film camera with me at nearly every moment, putting countless rolls through dozens of makes and models. Whether they met their fate on a California beach, midwestern downpour or left in the backseat of a Moroccan cab, I don't get too upset when one breaks or disappears — it's an excuse to buy the next one. Here's the guide I always wanted to find online after scouring forums and re-reading reviews that seem to have only shot photos of flowers with these little gems. A totally non-comprehensive, unscientific but utterly obsessed and personal look at the best compact, automatic film cameras I've owned (at the risk of driving their resale prices up even higher for my next purchase).

First and foremost, I'm looking for something highly functional. I want a great lens, and at this size, that means a prime. Over the years, I've fluctuated between preferring a more middle-of-the-road 35mm focal length or the slightly wider 28mm. At the moment, I've landed on the latter as my preference. I want that lens to autofocus quickly and reliably, or at least consistently. Part of working with these kinds of cameras is getting to know their quirks and understanding them. I want a flattering flash that can be ready to fire again in quick succession. Ideally, the controls are assigned to dials and don't involve trying to jam my thumbnail into some tiny button

Beyond those criteria, I do issue style points. These are tools, sure, but I bring them with me wherever I go, so I favor something that I like the look and feel of. I use these without a strap, preferring to stash them in a jacket pocket or my briefcase until the occasion arises for a snap.

I also need to consider reliability and price. As I mentioned earlier, I expect these to break eventually, but I would rather it be sooner rather than later, and the amount I'm willing to pay is a (not-so-carefully) calculated gamble on how many rolls I think I'll get out of one of these machines.

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Ricoh GR10

This is the latest model that I've been loyal to, and the flash on my current copy just gave up (not the first one this has happened to). There's a lot to like here— it's one of the slimmest and smallest, very pocketable. The 28mm lens gives really nice results in the right light. Something about the flash hits just right, and is controlled in a brilliant way, by a very simple 3-position slider (off, auto, on), so you can have it preset for whatever your lighting conditions are when shooting and keep it there. It's also relatively affordable compared to other models.

Part of that price is reflected in the design, which is pretty utilitarian and feels a bit cheap. They also seem to be somewhat fragile in my unscientific testing. A hard knock, solid drop will probably do it in, or at least the flash, which is one of the best parts. While I love the look this camera gets in direct sun or with the flash, I've often been disappointed by the way it renders in softer light or darker situations without flash. Part of that could be the metering, but it's all wrapped up in one package so hard to chalk it up this or that. But don't let any of that deter you. If you get a nice copy, treat it a little more gingerly than I tend to, you're going to have a great little camera in your pocket.

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Contax T2

Amazing lens and aperture dial. I used to think this one needed no introduction, but I get the sense it's been eclipsed by its younger sibling, the T3. Sometimes you need that Contax glass (I know I do, but I opt for their full-size professional lenses and cameras) and you're willing to pay a pretty penny for it. The T2 is a brick, but a beautiful brick. It's not pocketable, but it still sits nicely in your jacket. I might even consider wearing this one on a strap to show it off, a true classic. It has a solid flash, and the secret weapon here is the aperture priority dial. In practice, I mostly left it on auto, but it's nice to have when you want to be certain you're shooting that 35/2.8 lens wide open—which you should, whenever possible, with this one.

The drawbacks are fairly obvious: prices are hovering around $1,000, and there's a chance it breaks in any number of ways, maybe just of its own accord, thanks to aging electronic parts. But still worth it for the quality of image you can produce with one.

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Nikon 35/28ti

These are the coolest-looking cameras around. Get one to look at on your shelf. It's got dials, dials! And they actually function (until they don't). I've only owned one, and it was relatively reliable for the couple of years that I had it. Maybe I treated it nicer because I thought of it as an art object instead of a tool.

Other than the design and (potential) reliability, there's not too much to set this apart from the other cameras on this list. The lens is solid but doesn't have that 'je ne sais quoi' of some others, and the flash has a slow recycle time. In fact, the camera itself takes a moment longer than it should to turn on and fire off a shot.

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Olympus Stylus Epic

This was my first love and constant companion for the first part of my career. Many years of memories are preserved thanks to a string of Stylus Epics that saw a lot of action. In those days, they were $50 or less, and the clamshell design kept them fairly well protected when not shooting, so they came with me on boats, in the rain, on my bike, wherever I was, and after a while, they'd eventually give in to the elements. I started picking up a backup one whenever I found a deal so I'd be ready for the inevitable.

These days they've climbed up in price, but it's still a good option. The 35mm lens isn't my preferred focal length anymore, but this one performs solidly. My biggest gripe is the flash setting, which has to be adjusted every time it's powered back on. The default is auto, and the sensor is overzealous, employing the flash in circumstances I often didn't want. So part of the sequence to start shooting becomes double-pressing an annoying little button on the back to disable the flash. While the design brings me back to college, it's plastic-y and thick in places I wish it wasn't. All said, this is a very solid performer that perhaps I'll come back to someday. I’m always searching for a good camera.