New Film Cameras: What’s Being Made Today

[Vincent Tantardini]

Hi everyone,

I’ve just published my first blog article and hope it might be useful for anyone curious about what’s being made in the film world right now. There’s a lot of talk about film photography growing, but it can be hard to know which cameras are truly new builds and not refurbished or vintage stock.

I went through every manufacturer still producing film cameras in 2025, from 35mm point-and-shoots and autofocus compacts to 4×5 field cameras, panoramic systems, ultra-large format, and even a few high-end rangefinders. The goal was simple: make a clear, up-to-date list of cameras you can buy brand new today, how they’re built, and who they’re for.

If that sounds interesting, you can read the full article here: Best New Film Cameras in 2025: What You Can Actually Buy.

Happy to answer questions or hear what you’re all shooting with these days.

Vincent

 

[Pete Askew]

Interesting list, Vincent. And welcome to RPF.

Hopefully you can shae some of your photography too.

I set your account as ‘trade’ when I registered you so please feel free to put a link to your Frames site in your signature.

Pete.

 

[Vincent Tantardini]

Thanks for the warm welcome and your kindness, Pete. I’ve just added the Frames link to my signature, and I’m looking forward to sharing some photos.

 

[Shaun Haselden]

I would certainly love to re-invent my years with film and darkroom photography but there are so many things stopping me. The asking price for good 6X7 cameras and the ridiculous cost of film. On top of that there is the cost of processing negs by Ilford, one job I will never undertake again. When I add to these things the fact that chlorobromide warm toned papers are so rare these days, the whole thing seems to be a dead loss before I have even started. Of course there is always the option of scanning and printing digitally (really ?)

 

[Vincent Tantardini]

I would certainly love to re-invent my years with film and darkroom photography but there are so many things stopping me. The asking price for good 6X7 cameras and the ridiculous cost of film. On top of that there is the cost of processing negs by Ilford, one job I will never undertake again. When I add to these things the fact that chlorobromide warm toned papers are so rare these days, the whole thing seems to be a dead loss before I have even started. Of course there is always the option of scanning and printing digitally (really ?)

I completely feel you on this. The prices have gotten really high, especially for medium format, and I'm saying this as an amateur myself. On my side, I stick to 35mm and handle my own scans with an Epson V600 to keep costs manageable in the long run.

That said, I've come to appreciate how these constraints actually shape the experience. They make us slow down and think more carefully about each shot. There's something more authentic about the whole process.

What gives me hope is that companies are still manufacturing both cameras and film, which suggests there's genuine growth in the market. And honestly, in an age where AI is everywhere and so much content feels instant and disposable, I think film photography's authenticity and intentionality have some beautiful days ahead. People are clearly hungry for something real and tangible.

 

[Bill Brown]

Of course there is always the option of scanning and printing digitally (really ?)

Shaun, I'm not for sure what you mean here. Are you not in favor of digital pigment prints? Do you think they are not as nice as darkroom prints? Part of my everyday work is producing and printing from both digital originals and neg scans. Just fulfilled a request to print a 40x60 inch print from a 35mm Kodachrome 64 transparency from 1984. The client had a drum scan that I worked from. The final print turned out quite nice.

A favorite paper I print on is Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta. I am also about to start a project that will be printed as 30x30_30x40 inch prints on Hahnemühle 500 gsm Photo Rag. I've printed on this stock before and the prints are gorgeous. The matte papers can have a silky elegance with the right image. I've even hand torn a deckle edge and the print was then float mounted/framed.

Tell me what you are thinking on this subject. I've been a print finisher since 1976 so 30 years of my career was exclusively traditional photo prints and silver gelatin b&w. I'm the first to say there is nothing like a silver gelatin or optical print but in the right hands an archival digital pigment print can be beautiful too. Thanks.

 

[Shaun Haselden]

Shaun, I'm not for sure what you mean here. Are you not in favor of digital pigment prints? Do you think they are not as nice as darkroom prints? Part of my everyday work is producing and printing from both digital originals and neg scans. Just fulfilled a request to print a 40x60 inch print from a 35mm Kodachrome 64 transparency from 1984. The client had a drum scan that I worked from. The final print turned out quite nice.

A favorite paper I print on is Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta. I am also about to start a project that will be printed as 30x30_30x40 inch prints on Hahnemühle 500 gsm Photo Rag. I've printed on this stock before and the prints are gorgeous. The matte papers can have a silky elegance with the right image. I've even hand torn a deckle edge and the print was then float mounted/framed.

Tell me what you are thinking on this subject. I've been a print finisher since 1976 so 30 years of my career was exclusively traditional photo prints and silver gelatin b&w. I'm the first to say there is nothing like a silver gelatin or optical print but in the right hands an archival digital pigment print can be beautiful too. Thanks.

My findings over the decades of producing darkroom prints on papers like Agfa Record Rapid, Oriental Portrait and Kodak Royal Bromesko are that digital prints are quite poor in comparison. Having said that, digital prints reproducing digital images from DSLR's and the like are probably OK. So far I have not seen a cross printed digital file through a digital enlarger onto silver halide type chemistry and paper. There is a depth of tone and gradation in a full silver halide print that I have still to see in a digital print but as with all things, I remain open to the possibility. My opinion here only includes graded, fibre based papers. I do not include any RC papers. Sounds far too snobby ? No way, just my own observations since I started in 1970. I will always be open to solid proof. Very best to all of you. Keep going.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Your list doesn't include any of the instant film shooters being made today (not that I shoot any instant film).

 

[Paul Taylor]

Your list doesn't include any of the instant film shooters being made today (not that I shoot any instant film).

Companies like Mint Camera have quite a line up of new instant film cameras, as well as modded older ones. I have one of their new TLR style instant cameras - it works great.

 

[Bill Brown]

Sounds far too snobby ?

No. Not at all Shaun. I'm the one that comes off as snobby when I start talking about print making. My main client is Dallas portrait photographer John Derryberry. We've collaborated for 35 years on his work. We have clients that go back 35 years and have silver gelatin prints hanging on their walls. When I took over the printing duties in 2006, when the studio went digital with a Phase one P-30 digital back attached to a Hasselblad, I worked super hard to create a seamless visual transition for our prints.

John spent untold hours teaching me to see and digitally reproduce a high level b&w print. He had been using the Oriental paper so we ran extensive tests to find a suitable digital replacement. I would also say that spraying the print with an archival coating like Premier Art Print Shield helps to reduce the visual differences also. No more gloss differential and greatly reduced metamerism. I also incorporate specific methods into my retouching to help maintain a hat tip to film and silver gelatin prints.

I would like to think if you and I had the opportunity to work together I just might be able to soften your view when it comes to digital prints. Digital printing will never be darkroom printing but in other ways darkroom printing won't ever be digital printing. There are certainly trade offs between the two methods but I would like to think I have greatly reduced those differences by carefully and honorably trying to recreate the look of a silver gelatin print. Best. Onward and upward.

 

[Vincent Tantardini]

Your list doesn't include any of the instant film shooters being made today (not that I shoot any instant film).

Right, I didn’t include instant cameras (or pinhole cameras) in this list. Do you think it would be helpful to add at least one Fujifilm and one Polaroid option to make it feel more complete?

 

[Pete Askew]

It would certainly help.