How to Get Started with Film Photography

There’s something about film photography that digital just can’t replicate. The anticipation of waiting to see your shots. The texture and grain of a real photograph. The way shooting on a finite roll of film makes you slow down and think before pressing the shutter.

It’s no surprise analog is having a genuine revival, especially among photographers who want to push back against the endless perfectionism of digital editing and shoot something that feels a little more alive. 

Why People Are Returning to Film

The appeal of film photography isn’t nostalgia for its own sake. It’s about a fundamentally different experience of making images.

With digital, you can take 500 shots in an afternoon and delete everything that doesn’t work. With film, you get 24 or 36 exposures per roll. That constraint changes how you shoot. You slow down, frame carefully, and commit to the image before you take it. Many photographers find that process more intentional and more satisfying.

There’s also the aesthetic. Film photos have a particular look, organic grain, tonal richness, and a color rendering that’s hard to convincingly replicate with presets and filters. Different film stocks have distinctly different looks, and part of the fun is exploring them.

San Diego-based photographer Lexi Gerdts shoots across both digital and analog formats, documenting nature, travel, and lifestyle with what she describes as “honesty and curiosity.” Her work is a good example of how film and digital media can coexist in a modern creative practice. Each format brings something different to the table.

What Kind of Film Camera Should You Buy?

For beginners, the two best entry points are 35mm point-and-shoot cameras and 35mm SLRs. Both use standard 35mm film (the most widely available and affordable format).

35mm Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Point-and-shoots are the most beginner-friendly option. You load the film, point the camera, and shoot; the camera handles focus and exposure automatically. They’re compact, light, and easy to travel with.

Popular beginner-friendly point-and-shoots:

• Canon Sure Shot series (e.g., Sure Shot AF-7): affordable, reliable, good optics
• Nikon L35AF: highly regarded optics for a point-and-shoot
• Olympus Stylus (Mju): compact, weather-resistant, excellent image quality
• Kodak M35 or M38: brand-new plastic cameras designed specifically for film beginners, very affordable

One note: the popularity of film has pushed prices up on vintage cameras. A Canon Sure Shot that cost $5 at a thrift store ten years ago now sells for $30–$80 on eBay. Buy from reputable sellers and look for “tested and working” descriptions.

35mm SLR Cameras

SLRs give you manual control over aperture, shutter speed, and focus; they’re more involved but teach you more about photography fundamentals. They’re also typically cheaper than comparable point-and-shoots because they’re larger and less fashionable to carry casually.

Good beginner SLRs:

• Canon AE-1 / AE-1 Program: the most iconic beginner SLR, widely available, great lens ecosystem
• Pentax K1000: fully mechanical, extremely simple, nearly indestructible
• Minolta X-700: underrated, excellent metering, very affordable
• Nikon FM10 or FE: reliable, compatible with a wide range of Nikon lenses

SLRs use interchangeable lenses; a basic 50mm f/1.8 or kit 35–70mm lens is all you need to start.

What Film Should You Buy?

Film comes in two main categories: color negative and black and white. There’s also slide film (color reversal), but it’s expensive and less forgiving for beginners.

Start with color negative film. It’s the most forgiving (handles exposure mistakes well), widely available, and affordable.
Beginner-recommended color films:

• Kodak Gold 200: warm tones, affordable, widely available at drugstores and Amazon
• Kodak Ultramax 400: more versatile in lower light, slightly more neutral
• Fujifilm Superia 400: cooler tones than Kodak, great in daylight
• Kodak ColorPlus 200: budget option, good for learning

Black and white films worth trying:

• Kodak T-Max 400: fine grain, flexible, good for beginners shooting in varied lighting
• Ilford HP5 Plus 400: arguably the most beloved black and white film for beginners, forgiving and versatile

The ISO number (200, 400) tells you the film’s sensitivity to light. Higher ISO = better in lower light, but more grain. Start with 400 for versatility; it handles both outdoor daylight and indoor light reasonably well.

Getting Your Film Developed

This is the part that trips up most beginners. Unlike digital, you can’t just take the card out and plug it in.

• Local photo labs: the best option for quality and turnaround if one is near you. Search for “film developing near me” and look for dedicated camera shops or labs. Many will also scan your negatives into a digital file.
• Mail-in labs: if no local lab is available, mail-in services like The Darkroom (based in San Clemente, CA), Indie Film Lab, and Richard Photo Lab are popular choices with strong reputations. You mail the roll, they develop and scan it, and send you digital files plus the negatives.
• Drug stores / Walmart: some locations still offer film developing, though quality and availability vary. Generally fine for casual shooting.

Developing typically costs $15–$25 for a 35mm roll, including basic digital scans. Budget for this when calculating the cost of film photography.

Basic Film Photography Tips for Beginners

• Shoot in good light when starting out. Film is less forgiving in low light than modern digital cameras with high ISO performance. Outdoor daylight, golden hour, and overcast days are all great conditions for beginners.
• Don’t open the camera back. Ever. Until the film is fully rewound. Exposing the film to light ruins it instantly. Most cameras indicate when the film is loaded and when it’s time to rewind.
• Embrace the wait. Part of the experience is not knowing exactly what you got until the roll is developed. That anticipation is part of what makes it different.
• Shoot the whole roll. Don’t let a half-finished roll sit in a camera for months; shoot it, get it developed, and learn from it. Progression comes from shooting volume and reviewing results.
• Keep notes (or don’t). Some photographers keep a small notebook logging the settings and conditions for each shot so they can learn from the results. Others prefer not to; they just shoot intuitively and see what comes back.

Film Photography + Digital

You don’t have to choose one or the other. Many photographers, including those who shoot professionally, use both formats depending on the project and what they want the image to feel like.

Shooting film regularly makes you a better digital photographer. The discipline of limited exposures, manual settings, and deliberate framing carries directly over when you pick up a mirrorless camera. And the aesthetic knowledge you build, understanding how different light, film stocks, and settings interact, deepens your overall eye for photography.

If you’re already exploring the digital side with cameras like the Sony ZV-E10 or Canon EOS R50, adding a film camera to the mix doesn’t replace any of that. It adds a different mode entirely, one that some photographers find more rewarding in ways that are hard to articulate until you experience it.

What to Expect From Your First Roll

Your first roll will have misses. That’s part of it. Slightly underexposed shots, questionable compositions, the occasional blank frame from a loading mistake, it’s all normal. The goal with roll one isn’t perfection; it’s learning what the camera does and what you’re drawn to photograph.

Most beginners find their first roll back from the lab is a mixed bag, a few genuinely great frames, some that didn’t work, and a handful that are interesting in ways they didn’t expect. That’s the process.

Shoot more rolls. The learning curve is steep at first and flattens out quickly.

Final Thoughts

Film photography isn’t a replacement for digital; it’s a different creative discipline that develops different instincts. The constraints are the point. Shooting on a finite roll of film, waiting for results, and working with the organic character of different film stocks will change how you see photography, regardless of what format you primarily shoot.

Start simple: one affordable camera, one fast and forgiving film (Kodak Ultramax 400 is hard to beat), and a willingness to get a few bad shots before the good ones start showing up.