Amazing Photos with Cheap Cameras

There is a lot of expensive, top-of-the-line gear out there. You know all about it because it’s pretty much the only gear you see posted about on film accounts. Leica, Hasselblad, Contax, even point-n-shoots are getting pricey these days. But we’re here to tell you, it’s not all about the gear or how much it costs.

For example, more than half of the content posted on our social media is taken with a Canon EOS film body that costs less than $100. We often shoot with a Canon Rebel that costs roughly $15 paired with either a Canon 50mm f/1.8 or 40mm f/2.8–both of which cost around $100.

This camera looks cheap and is cheap BUT it doesn’t mean it’s incapable of amazing results.

I often find that I not only enjoy the experience of shooting with a Canon Rebel over a Leica, but I also like the results better. And not only that–for less than $150 you get a 2000th max shutter, a smart matrix meter, multiple exposure mode, a variety of other modes, exposure compensation, a flash, and so much more. Yes, cameras like these aren’t nearly as durable and may feel cheap, but that’s the beauty of them.

What is a good film camera for beginners?

You don’t have to worry about the possibility of breaking it because it’s easily replaced. That makes these great everyday cameras for travel, adventure, hiking, rainy days, etc. One downside is that they’re not mechanical like a Canon F-1, Nikon FM2, Leica m6, etc. But the Canon Rebel batteries are tiny and last forever, so all you need to do is keep a pair of batteries in your bag in case you need them!

Trev reviews a camera you probably don’t hear much about or see frequently, other than maybe on our own Instagram. It’s not a Leica; it’s not a Nikon FM2, Nikon F3, Pentax 67, Hasselblad, or one of the expensive point shoots that you can get these days. It is a camera that has pretty much created about 50 percent of the content that you’ve seen on our The Darkroom website. It’s typically not a camera that’s on anyone’s top 10 list.

You’ve seen the Canon Rebel, likely because you’ve heard of the digital ones. Before digital, Canon made Rebels for film photography. There are many different models, but first, how I came to start shooting with this camera is five years ago, I got a Canon Elan 7, my first autofocus film camera. I got this camera just because I found a good price on it and it fit my hand well and I just all the functions work for me.

Naturally, I wanted to upgrade to the Canon EOS-1V, because it’s considered the holy grail of EOS Canon cameras. Still, I couldn’t afford that, so I went with the next best thing, the Canon EOS 3. The EOS 3 specifications are technically better, it’s a little more rugged and shoots at 8,000 of a second and shoots six frames a second, which is really fast. However, I found myself picking up the Canon Elan 7 because it’s smaller, has a convenient pop-up flash, and it is significantly quieter.  The Canon EOS 3 shutter sounds like a Samurai sword, drawing a lot more attention.

My wife wanted to start shooting film and got a Canon Rebel with a white 40mm pancake lens, looking goofy I didn’t give it much thought, but then saw her photos. They were as good as my Canon Elan 7 and EOS 3, just as sharp, and the metering was good [More on metering].  I decided to get one for myself, one with a black 2.8 40mm pancake lens. I found that I could take the 40mm lens and put it on the  EOS 3 and get the same/similar image with my Rebel.

When it comes to film cameras, it’s about the quality of the film, the lens, and exposure, the camera body just holds everything together. If you know how to use your camera, the in-camera meter, and your camera works well, you’ll get very good photos regardless of how expensive the camera.  Over the years I’ve preferred the Rebel over the Elon 7, mostly because it just works for me.

It may be considered controversial, but there’s a lot of hype around expensive high-end point-and-shoot cameras like the Nikon 35Ti, Nikon 28Ti, Minolta TC1, Contax T1, Contax T2, Olympus Stylus Epic, but the Canon Rebel generates photos better than all of them. While the Rebel is bigger, you can change out the lens for your desired focal length, you’ll get faster autofocus, manual focus, shutter priority, pop-up flash, and many other features. You also be able to create double exposures.

You can find the Canon Rebel for $50 or cheaper, but I recommend you buy from a place that will test them.  Below are some of our favorite photos taken with the Canon Rebel.

Do you have a cheap camera that you would recommend? Let us and our readers know in the comments.