10 Of The Best Point And Shoot Film Cameras You Can Buy Right Now

Point-and-shoot cameras can be incredibly nostalgic because of the experience of using 35mm film and getting it developed. On top of using film, point-and-shoot cameras produce moody photos and are super easy to use. You can't take crystal clear photos with a point-and-shoot camera like you can with a top-tier DSLR camera, but you also won't have to worry about dealing with multiple lenses and getting your settings just right.

With a point-and-shoot camera, you pretty much only have two steps to follow: point and shoot. Although some cameras allow you to adjust a few settings, it's not necessary to produce great photos. Plus, these cameras are usually compact and lightweight, making them perfect for taking on vacation or bringing along to a family get-together.

Most of the best point-and-shoot cameras you can buy right now were originally released in the 1990s or early 2000s, which means they can only be purchased as used items. You can find some models for a reasonable price, between $150 to $200, but other fan-favorite cameras can cost upwards of $1,000. If you're new to the hobby, you can always try a modern point-and-shoot camera for around $50, but you might not get that raw, grainy look that's so appealing about older cameras.

If you're new to the analog camera hobby and not quite sure you want to spend a lot of money on a used camera, check out the Kodak EKTAR H35 camera. You can buy this camera new, and there are four fun colors to choose from, all of which have a very retro feel to them.

The Kodak EKTAR H35 is a half-frame camera, which means it'll produce smaller photos. A 35mm roll of film usually produces 36 photos, but with this camera, you can snap 72 on a single roll of film.

It's equipped with a 22mm fixed optical lens and a built-in flash feature that you can turn on or off when you want by adjusting the silver ring around the lens. This camera is also focus-free, so you won't have any settings to mess with before you get started. All you need to do is decide whether you want flash and then point and shoot.

Because this is a modern 35mm camera, the materials will be cheaper than those you'll find on a used camera from the 90s. There's a reason 90s and early 2000s cameras are still excellent options to buy used almost 30 years later. However, this is a fantastic beginner-friendly option.

The Contax T2 was released in 1991 but remains a fan favorite among point-and-shoot camera users. It's an autofocus 35mm camera made from titanium and built to last. Most Contax T2 cameras you'll find have a champagne silver finish or a titanium black finish, though you can still find a few used models with a jet black or gold finish.

The viewfinder is made of sapphire and is meant to be 100% scratch-proof, the film pressure plate is ceramic, and the shutter button contains a synthetic ruby to prevent wear and tear from long-term use. The Contax T2 is equipped with a 38mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss T Sonnar lens that produces high-quality, well-balanced photos.

All of the camera's focus settings can be controlled via the small wheel next to the shutter button in the top right corner. You can switch between autofocus, fixed focus, and manual focus. Next to the wheel, there's a self-timer with a 10-second delay to easily take group photos. Additionally, this camera also comes with built-in flash and pre-flash, which can help reduce red eyes when snapping human subjects.

The best place to buy a used Contax T2 camera is on eBay, though you can occasionally find good deals on Amazon as well. Generally, you can find a used Contax T2 for anywhere between $650 and $1,100.

The Olympus Mju II is another fan-favorite in the world of point-and-shoot cameras, and it's much more affordable than other used options. It was first released in 1997, but it's been reviewed as recently as this year, and it's still a popular film camera that produces fantastic photos.

This is a fully automatic 35mm autofocus camera equipped with a 35mm f/2.8 Olympus lens. You can switch between autofocus, fixed focus, and manual focus, and the focusing range is anywhere between 0.35 meters to infinity. The Olympus Mju II also features exposure control to help automatically control light conditions, a self-timer with a 12-second delay, and a built-in flash with six different modes (Auto, Redeye-Reducing, Flash Off, Fill-In, Night Scene, and Redeye-Reducing Night Scene).

The Olympus Mju II is very beginner-friendly, and you'll snap moody, picturesque shots with autofocus if you don't ever want to mess with the settings. Some users have noted that the camera is noisy when taking a photo or rewinding the film, but this is otherwise a solid option that's relatively affordable. It's easy to find a used Olympus Mju II on eBay for about $200 to $250 right now.

For anyone who's into outdoor adventures, the Canon Sure Shot WP-1 might be the perfect point-and-shoot camera. This fully automatic 35mm camera is waterproof, hence the naming convention of WP-1. The Sure Shot A-1 is another waterproof option, and despite the manual for the A-1 and WP-1 giving conflicting information on whether the camera can take underwater photos, plenty of users treat both cameras as underwater cameras with no issues.

This camera is perfect for beach outings, hiking in the rain, or snapping fun pictures at the pool. The Sure Shot WP-1 is equipped with Canon's 32mm f/3.5 lens and an AiAF (Smart Autofocus) system. If you don't feel like using the autofocus feature, there's a 10-second delay self-timer feature for group photos or timed selfies and built-in flash for low light settings. If you're in the dark, the camera will automatically flash when you take a photo.

Canon's Sure Shot WP-1 film camera looks like a toy but takes awesome photos. Despite being released in 1994, the Sure Shot WP-1 has stood the test of time. You can buy it used on eBay or Amazon for about $150 to $200.

The Yashica T4 is a relatively affordable 35mm film camera compared to others produced around the same time. Although the camera is equipped with other features, its most notable feature is its Carl Zeiss Tessar 35mm f/3.5 lens. That's a mouthful, but this lens can still capture the most atmospheric, sharp images over 30 years after its original release date in 1990.

Also known as the Kyocera Slim T, the Yashica T4 is equipped with auto-exposure to help with lighting, a built-in flash, and a 3-point infrared active autofocus system. It doesn't look as snazzy as other point-and-shoot cameras, and you'll most often find it in a black finish, but the photos you take are more important than the camera's aesthetic.

Functionally, this camera is incredibly easy to use, even if you have no idea what you're doing when it comes to taking photos. A used Yashica T4 will cost you between $200 and $450 on eBay, or you can take your chances on Amazon as well.

The Nikon L35AF is another excellent point-and-shoot camera that's stood the test of time. Released in 1983, this camera is a cult classic because of its Nikon 35mm f/2.8 lens. There's also a 46mm filter attachment size as well, but the original lens by itself produces fantastic photos.

You don't have to be a professional to get a good shot with the L35AF because almost everything is done automatically. This camera is equipped with automatic focus, exposure, flash, and all the other automatic film-related features you'll find in old point-and-shoot cameras, like film loading, winding, and rewinding.

The L35AF also features a Reverse-Galilean Albada-type bright frame viewfinder with 0.52x magnification, a 10-second self-timer, and a backlight compensation lever that allows you to temporarily adjust the EV up to decrease the amount of light let in. Unless you're shooting backlit subjects and need to use the manual EV adjustment lever, this camera does everything for you.

At the time of its release, Nikon even nicknamed this camera Pikaichi, which means top-notch — and it still deserves this nickname today. You can buy a used Nikon L35AF on eBay for $50 to $100, on average. It's also available to purchase as used on Amazon, but the prices tend to be higher there.

The Olympus XA2 is an awesome budget-friendly option for newcomers to the hobby of point-and-shoot photography. First introduced in 1980, it's no wonder you can only buy this camera used, but it still performs like new. Cameras were built differently back then, and most (if not all) point-and-shoot cameras made in the '80s or '90s will perform more reliably than modern options.

This camera features a D. Zuiko 35mm f/3.5 lens with a bright frame viewfinder capable of 0.5x magnification and a programmed shutter. The XA2 is an electric lens-shutter camera with automatic exposure, three different focus zone indicators, and a self-timer with a 12-second delay.

Despite lacking autofocus, the XA2 is still an easy option to use for amateur photographers because all you'll need to master is the zone-focus feature. You can choose between close-up, middle distance, or far/infinity, and once that's selected, all you need to do is point and shoot for a great photo. The lack of autofocus allows the XA2 to be more compact and lightweight than other 35mm film cameras.

You can usually find an Olympus XA2 camera on eBay priced between $75 and $150, or head to Amazon if all else fails, but you'll pay a bit of a premium at around $200 right now.

The Konica Big Mini F was released in 1997, and it was the last in the line of Konica Big Mini point-and-shoot cameras. This Japanese camera is incredibly compact and easy to use, and it's still relatively affordable to buy used compared to other 35mm film cameras.

This camera is equipped with a Konica 35mm f/3.5 lens with a built-in skylight filter, a bright frame direct view Albada viewfinder, and an electronically programmed shutter. As with many other point-and-shoot cameras, you'll find a self-timer with a 10-second delay and built-in flash, which can be turned on, off, or set to auto.

It's a fully automatic lens-shutter camera, from autofocus and automatic exposure to the entire film loading, winding, and rewinding processes. If you don't want to adjust anything, there's no need. You can simply load in your 35mm film and start taking photos, and they'll turn out bright and sharp, even in low-light environments.

Overall, this camera is a great choice for beginners or anyone who doesn't want to think about adjusting settings before snapping a photo. You can buy a used Konica Big Mini F on eBay for about $250 to $300.

The Minolta TC-1 is yet another cult classic among point-and-shoot camera enthusiasts, and for good reason. It has an impeccable lens that takes crisp, moody photos, and you barely have to do anything but press the shutter button.

This camera is decked out with a Minolta G Rokkor 38mm f/3.5 lens and a real image viewfinder with 0.4x magnification. Unlike many other point-and-shoot cameras, the Minolta TC-1 offers fully adjustable focus and exposure settings. There are 22 manual zone focus settings and four different aperture settings to play around with (f/3.5, 5.6, 8, and 16).

If you were to select a few settings and leave them, your photos would probably still turn out great. But the Minolta TC-1 gives you the flexibility to mess with different settings and see which combinations of focus and exposure you prefer.

If this camera is the one that's caught your eye, be prepared to save up a bit for it. Despite being released almost 30 years ago, a used Minolta TC-1 can easily cost anywhere from $900 to over $2,000 on eBay. Believe it or not, this isn't too far off from its original release price of about $990 in 1996, which would be roughly $1,900 today.

Leica, as a camera brand, is popular among photofiles, and the Minilux is easily one of the best 35mm film cameras you can buy today. The Leica Minilux was released in 1995, and because of its titanium build and high-quality lens, it'll feel like new even when you buy it used.

In the Leica Minilux manual, this camera is described as a compact 35mm rangefinder camera with autofocus, automatic exposure, a 10-second self-timer, a built-in flash that's automatic in low-light conditions, and a high-speed lens. It's equipped with a LEICA SUMMARIT 40mm f/2.4 lens and a Kepler viewfinder with 0.35x magnification capabilities.

You can take amazing photos without messing with the camera's default settings, but it's also possible to play around with manual settings if you want. Using the double selector wheel on the right side, you can adjust the focus and control the aperture for the shot.

Buying a used Leica Minilux camera on eBay can run anywhere between $700 and $1,000. If you manage to find one in new or mint condition, it can easily cost over $1,500.

[Featured image by Dddeco via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]