Camera buying usually runs on the newest sensor. Every year brings more megapixels, faster autofocus and a slightly higher price, and last year's flagship drops into the bargain bin. Film turned that logic upside down. For two decades the smart advice was to skip new cameras entirely and buy something old, because the best film bodies ever made were sitting in thrift stores and on auction sites, built by companies that had moved on to digital. That advice is getting harder to follow. Prices for the classics have climbed, repair technicians are retiring, and a 40-year-old point and shoot with a failing shutter is a gamble, not a bargain.
So a strange thing has happened: people are building film cameras again. Some are cheap plastic reloadables, some are revivals of famous names, and one is a mechanical rangefinder that costs as much as a used car. The five below are all sold new, with a warranty, and each one makes sense for a different kind of photographer. We have added the film to put in them at the end.
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Ilford Sprite 35-II: the cheapest way in
The Sprite 35-II was announced at the end of 2020 by Ilford Imaging Europe, a separate company from Harman, which makes Ilford's black and white film, and it went on sale in early 2021 for $34.95. It is about as simple as a camera can be: a fixed 31mm f/9 lens, a single 1/120 second shutter, focus from about one meter to infinity, a built-in flash and a thumbwheel to advance the film. There is nothing to set and almost nothing to break. That makes it the right camera for finding out whether you actually like shooting film before you spend real money, and it is cheap enough to hand to a friend at a party. Expect soft corners and a lot of flash in low light. That is the charm, and also the limit.
See the Ilford Sprite 35-II on Amazon
Kodak Ektar H35N: twice the photos per roll
The Ektar H35N is made under license by Reto Project, the Hong Kong company behind several reusable cameras, and it arrived in September 2023 as an upgrade to the original H35. It is a half-frame camera, which means it splits each 35mm frame in two and gets about 72 pictures from a 36-exposure roll. With film and developing now the expensive part of the hobby, that matters more than any spec. The H35N adds a coated lens, a bulb setting and a tripod socket for long exposures, plus a built-in star filter that turns points of light into four-pointed flares. It runs on a single AAA battery for the flash and launched at $64.99. Pictures come out vertical, which suits a phone screen better than most film cameras ever will.
See the Kodak Ektar H35N on Amazon
Pentax 17: the serious half-frame
When Ricoh announced the Pentax 17 in June 2024, it was the first new Pentax film camera in more than 20 years, and it came out of a "film camera project" the company had announced in December 2022 to pass older engineers' knowledge to younger ones. It is another half-frame, shooting two 17 by 24mm vertical pictures per frame, but it is built like a proper camera. The top and bottom covers are magnesium alloy, the film advances with a lever, and there are separate dials for ISO and exposure compensation. The 25mm f/3.5 lens is based on the optics of the 1994 Pentax Espio Mini and borrows the angle of view of the 1962 Ricoh Auto Half. Focus is set by hand across six zones, down to 25 centimeters in macro, and seven shooting modes include bulb. It launched at $499.95, which is a lot for a half-frame and very little for a new camera from a major brand with a real warranty.
Rollei 35AF: the classic with autofocus
The original Rollei 35 of the 1960s was famous for fitting a full-frame 35mm camera into something close to a cigarette pack, but it had no autofocus, no flash and fiddly controls. The Rollei 35AF, built by the Hong Kong company Mint under an agreement with Rollei, fixes all three. Mint spent about five years developing it, and pre-orders opened in September 2024 at $799. It keeps the compact shape and adds a 35mm f/2.8 lens, LiDAR-assisted autofocus, a built-in flash, a small OLED display and both automatic and manual exposure. This is the one for people who want full-frame negatives and modern convenience without hunting for a vintage compact that still works. Stock has come and gone since launch, so check the official store and specialist film retailers before you settle on a price.
Leica M6: the forever camera
The Leica M6 was first built from 1984 to 1998, then as the M6 TTL until 2002, and it became the default rangefinder for a generation of photojournalists. In 2022 Leica did something no one expected and put it back into production, launching the new version at $5,295 with an updated viewfinder and electronics based on the Leica MP. The appeal is the same as it always was: a mechanical shutter that works without a battery, a built-in light meter, and interchangeable M-mount lenses that will outlast the photographer. It is also the clearest sign of where film prices are going. After Leica's March 2026 price increase in the US, the body alone costs $7,000, with no lens. Nobody needs one. But if you want a film camera that can be serviced for decades, this is it.
Search for the Leica M6 on Amazon
What film to put in them
For color, Kodak Portra 400 is the safe choice: forgiving with exposure, flattering with skin tones and good in mixed light. For black and white, Ilford HP5 Plus is the classic 400-speed film, and it can be pushed a stop or two when the light is bad. Both work well in every camera on this list. If you are shooting half-frame, a 36-exposure roll goes a long way, so buy fewer rolls and spend more on a good lab.
See Kodak Portra 400 on Amazon · See Ilford HP5 Plus on Amazon
If you would rather stay digital but want a camera with the same build-to-last attitude, our look at the Leica SL3-P and the Sony RX10 V are good places to start, and our guide to repairable tech covers the same idea in other gadgets. Prices above were checked at the time of writing and move often, so confirm before you buy.
Full details are on the official pages for the Ilford Sprite 35-II, Kodak Ektar H35N, Pentax 17, Rollei 35AF and Leica M6.
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