Top Film Cameras You Can Afford in Egypt
Your Guide to buying good, cheap-ish cameras around Egypt.
Now of course with all the economic mess we are facing in Egypt, the line between cheap and expensive is somewhat blurred… But still we love film and cameras and nobody told us it was going to be cheap!
But of course we all know The Darkroom Cairo, is the most affordable photo lab around Egypt! So, that’s a helper!
There is no standard place that stocks these, you can look around Downtown, Antique Shops or just Click Here to send us a message on our Facebook Page maybe we’ve got some!
Also to find deals on cameras there are two great groups on Facebook the people post their stuff too all the time.
This list is a helper for those who already shoot film but would like to get something good and affordable, or those who are trying to get into film, but are yet to decide to invest in good cameras. Anyways let’s start:
1980’s Plastic Point and Shoot Cameras
50–200 EGP
From the best manufacturers in the Market like Canon, Nikon to the least known like Vivitar, and others. Some of those cameras are just killers when it comes to the shots you can get with, they are cheap, plastic and you won’t feel sad when they break.
Some of them are plain shit, and some are surprisingly great! Just do not try getting one which is a knock off or unbranded, you will start getting into the good stuff with Canon, Nikon, Kodak and well known names.
Some are very special like the Olympus XA1, Canon AF35M, Yashica T4 Super, Nikon One Touch 35 and the Olympus mju-ii which are rare & cost a little more, but looking around old shops will surely bring in a bargain.
Yashica Electro 35GSN
150–300 EGP
Called by many to be one of the best film rangefinders ever made, the Yashica Electro 35 GSN is easy to use, it’s lens is very sharp, portable, well built, and quite attractive and doesn’t look dangerous. In terms of image quality, it can deliver some very good images if you just get used to using it. For those whole like manual control, you’re best off shooting full manual and this camera doesn’t have that.
For the street photographer that wants a rangefinder but that cannot or does not want to dish out the money on a Leica, you’ll be in luck. Still it makes the best out of what it is for the price it is.
Minolta Hi-Matic
100–400 EGP
The Hi-Matic series was in production for a ton of years! 1960–1985. And many are here in Egypt, it was sold a cheap family camera that did not need much experience to shoot with, It went from a really old camera, to a camera with Autofocus and dead on exposure metering!
Just like the Electro, its easy to use, lens is even sharper and more contrasty (not all models), more portable and smaller, and very well built. I would not go as far as calling it a step-up/upgrade from the Electro, yet it is a very very compelling camera to own.
Zenit E
300–450 EGP
The Russian Tank! It is heavy, clunky and the shutter sounds like an explosion just happened in front of your eyes.
But for what you get its a pretty good deal.
What makes Soviet cameras good is that when the Soviets invaded Germany they pretty much ripped the Eastern German manufacturers patents and manufacturing blueprints, which makes their cameras copies of Nazi Germany cameras like the Kiev II which is an exact replica of the Contax II.
Yashica FX Series
350–750 EGP
The nimble cousin to Canon and Nikon, the Yashica FX is smaller, less well built (yet is great) and had some pretty good lenses all over (We suggest the Prime Lenses, though).
They are quiet too, and very well built (Fancy Plastic). They are better than many entry level Canon and Nikon cameras, since those were made to compete with that range in the market and marketed as more of a premium mid-level camera range. The ones marked as “Super” go up to 1/2000th of a second for the shutter speed which is also it’s strongest selling point which most cameras in this list go only to 1/1000th. Which is good if you’re a photographer who likes using high speed film and do not want to stop down your lens very much.
Canon Canonet 17 / 19 / 23 / GIII-17
350–800 EGP
Ahh, my everyday camera (Until I can afford a Leica) and that is not weird to hear in the film community. This is the true poor man’s Leica.
Is is sharp, small, quiet, built like a tank and affordable.. What more could you ask for, just look for this camera, make the purchase and thank me later!
They’re not easy to come though, but as stated, do not hesitate to own this camera, even if it won’t be your camera of constant use. It is one of the absolute best ever made. The 40mm f/1.7 lens on it is uber sharp, contrasty and ooozes with character. And the Quick Load (QL) mechanism makes it just a breeze to load film in. Differences between the cameras are subtle. Note: The QL19 came with a slower, tighter 45mm f/1.9 Lens.
Canon EOS Series
500–1,000 EGP
Now, we enter the world of Auto-focus and Fancy Plastic Cameras, with the EF mount, all the current Canon glass will work on your older EOS Cameras, which are very very comparable to today’s SLRs from Entry level to the Highest End.
They are good reliable cameras, yet the need for batteries does not make it as versatile as your good ol’ mechanical cameras, but those are much much easier to use from Auto everything, to autofocus, to Auto-load and rewind. So it makes a very good camera if you want the digital experience with a film in the back.
Those can be had on the electronics shops in Downtown (Bab Ellouk)
Nikon Fxx / Fxxx Series
500–1,000 EGP
Now, we enter the world of Auto-focus and Fancy Plastic Cameras, with the F mount, all the current Nikon glass will work on your older F Cameras, which are very very comparable to today’s SLRs from Entry level to the Highest End.
Al though any F camera with a single number i.e F3, F5 are the Pro Cameras.
Cameras with double or triple numbers are the highend and prosumer cameras i.e F60 & F100.
They are good reliable cameras, yet the need for batteries does not make it as versatile as your good ol’ mechanical cameras, but those are much much easier to use from Auto everything, to autofocus, to auto-load and rewind. So it makes a very good camera if you want the digital experience with a film in the back.
Those can be had on the electronics shops in Downtown (Bab Ellouk)
Canon AE-1 / AE-1 PROGRAM
1,100+ EGP
While the AE-1 program does not use EF lenses it still uses the brilliant, widely available FD lenses which are sharp, nimble and amazing to use!
The AE-1P is smooth, and accurate and most important does not slap you in the face while shooting. It has everything a modern photographer needs, Program and Shutter Priority modes.
Build quality is just plain canon metal. It is a great camera overall and all of our team owns at least one each!
Nikon F3
1,300+ EGP
Styled by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro who worked on Ferrari, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo and other cars.
The Nikon F3 Is very very special, it has everything you can wish for in a camera, even some models have autofocus, others are made from Titanium and others include a grip that can shoot up to 5 frames per second.
It works with all current and past Nikon glass. Aperture and Shutter Priority modes and spot on meters, interchangeable prisms.
It is the grandaddy of all PRO-SLRS as we know them today.
And a good question may rise. Why should I buy this over a mid-range mid 90’s SLR. It is because this is built like a tank and will last 200 more years. Those Autofocus cameras feel like toys compared to this.
There are the Nikon F4 and F5 but those are super rare and come with a much bigger price tag.
For all your battery needs which gets weird sometimes with old film cameras you can find “Donia Al Batareyat — دنيا الباطاريات” in Sherif St., Downtown, Cairo and they stock most if not all batteries needed to operate the cameras stated above and much much more.
