Written by Kathleen Frank
Shopping for the film photographers in your life is not always an easy task. What’s their favorite film? What format do they shoot? What cameras do they already have?
But we’ve made it easy! We gathered up a list of 10 of our favorite gifts for film photographers, no matter what camera or format they shoot.
Whether you’re shopping for the holiday season or just looking for fun way to treat yourself or the ones you love, you can’t go wrong with any of the fun, film photography related items on this list. This list has items at all different price points, but you can also check out this list here if you’re specifically looking for photography gifts under $25.
1. Fun Film Stocks
There is nothing film photographers love more than film! While any collection of film would make the person on your list smile, we love gifting fun and experimental film stocks.
These are the types of film stocks that are unique and a bit of a splurge, so film photographers don’t always buy them for themselves. Makes for a perfect gift!
Lomochrome Purple film is a great choice. It alters the colors in your images, changing greens to purple, yellows to pink, and more. Such a cool effect on your images!
Another option is Dubblefilm film stocks. A few favorites are Dubblefilm Solar for a light leak effect with streaks of reddish tones and Dubblefilm Bubblegum for soft pastel tones.
You can also go with Revolog, who makes experimental films like Revolog Kolor for warm gradients of color over your images or Revolog Volvox for cool neon green spots on your film frames.
2. Disposable Cameras
Disposable cameras are a wonderful gift option (and perfect for stocking stuffers!). They are small, fun, inexpensive, and easy to use.
This is also a great gift for someone who is new to film or interested in getting into film photography. It’s an easy way for them to try it out and see if they enjoy it.
The Kodak FunSaver and the Fujifilm Quicksnap disposable cameras are a good choice for a classic disposable cameras with color film and a simple flash button.
If you want something a little more out of the box, try the underwater version of the Fujifilm Quicksnap or the Ilford XP2 disposable camera, which is filled with black and white film.
If you want to know more about disposable cameras, check out these articles for a comparison of the Fujifilm Quicksnap and the Kodak FunSaver and a review of the Ilford XP2 disposable black and white camera.
3. Instant Film Camera
If you love the idea of gifting a camera but want something more substantial than a disposable, try an instant camera! Instax and Polaroid both have great options at reasonable prices.
For Instax cameras, we love the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6 or the new Instax Square SQ1. Both fully analog instant cameras, but the SQ6 has a few more features and allows for more control than the SQ1. The SQ1 is pretty automatic with no buttons, features, or frills, while the SQ6 has a few different shooting modes, a self-timer, and flash control.
And don’t forget the film! The Instax Square takes Instax Square film, and if you want something super awesome, try the Instax Square film in rainbow.
There is also the Polaroid OneStep 2, a fantastic instant camera with images in that classic Polaroid shape. It takes Polaroid 600 film or Polaroid i-Type film, which both run a bit more expensive than the Instax film.
You can read a detailed review of OneStep 2 here.
And if you want to go for something really cool and unique, try the MiNT InstantFlex TL70 2.0 Instant Film Camera. This camera has a beautiful twin lens reflex design but shoots Instax mini film. It’s quite a bit more expensive than the Instax Square or Polaroid OneStep, but you’ll definitely win points for coolest gift at the party.
4. Toy Cameras
You can tell from this list that film photographers love getting cameras as much as they love getting film.
Toy cameras, such as the Holga 120N and Diana F+, are plastic cameras that are a step or two up from disposables. Easy-to-use, affordable, and a fun addition to any camera bag.
And even more fun, a lot of them come in cute colors or patterns. Perfect for gifts! You can find the Diana F+ in bright pink, yellow, and a few other colors and designs.
5. Film Photography Books
Is there anything better than a book of beautifully printed film images??? Whether you go the inspirational route or the educational route, you cannot go wrong with gifting a book all about film photography.
If you’re interested in inspirational film photography books, try the books about Vivian Maier from John Maloof: Vivian Maier: A Photographer Found and Vivian Maier: Street Photographer
Magnum Contact Sheets, the classic The Americans from Robert Frank, or Ansel Adams: 400 Photographers would also make amazing additions to any collection.
If you’re looking for more educational books or books about cameras and film photography, Retro Cameras: The Collector’s Guide to Vintage Film Photography is a great read, as is Instant: The Story of Polaroid and Polaroid: The Complete Guide to Experimental Instant Photography.
For technical discussions, you can’t get better than the Ansel Adams 3-book series: The Camera, The Negative, and The Print
Here are a few more of our favorite coffee table books with black and white landscapes.
6. Cool Camera Strap
One great way to spruce up a film camera is with a cool camera strap. A sleek leather strap or an awesome retro strap pairs perfectly with film cameras.
Ona makes gorgeous and durable leather camera straps. A favorite is their Sevilla strap in antique cognac brown. Looks so good with a vintage film camera!
Camera straps with retro designs are also always a win with a great film camera. Try this strap with a red vintage design or this cool blue floral pattern.
And for something a little more fun, Polaroid has some very cool and brightly colored options. They have a flat camera strap in colors like green, yellow, or red, and they also have a thinner, round strap in bright blue, orange, and multi-colored.
7. Camera Bag
Along with a camera strap, a new camera bag is a great gift for film photographers. Who doesn’t love a good accessory?!
Along with their camera straps, Ona also makes a beautiful camera bag. They are a bit on the pricey side, but really high quality and a perfect fit for the vintage film photography aesthetic. The Bowery messenger bag comes in both leather and canvas.
Brevite is another great camera bag to look at, especially if your shopping for the adventurous film photographer. Their camera backpack is perfect for traveling and hiking with plenty of room for all your gear.
If you’re looking for something a little more heavy duty, large protective camera cases are also a great option.
8. Framed Film Photography Prints
There is nothing quite like seeing film photography in print. Film is such an analog art form, and seeing it printed just makes all of the details of film come alive.
A framed print from the film photographer on your list’s favorite artist makes an amazing gift.
We are a bit partial to the print shops from the awesome film photographers here on the Shoot It With Film team. Check out Jennifer Stamps for beautiful mixed media work, and James Baturin for fantastic black and white long exposures.
9. Film Photography Apparel
A cool t-shirt or hoodie from a classic film brand is the perfect gift if you want to support and encourage the film photographer in your life, but you don’t know that much about film yourself.
Kodak has a full line of vintage logo tees and sweatshirts on Amazon. Absolutely love this zip-up hoodie with the classic Kodak logo and the Ektachrome logo tee.
If you’re looking for more film photography related apparel, try Shoot Film Co. They have lots of fun designs for tees and hoodies, plus awesome pins and patches.
Official Exclusive also carries a ton of great film photography pins. You can also check out the merch at theFINDlab for their cool Film Is Not Dead tee and sweatshirt and their buttons and keychains.
10. LAB-BOX Developing Tank
If you are looking for a gift for a film photographer who develops their own film, the LAB-BOX developing tank is the perfect choice.
The LAB-BOX lets you develop film in daylight without the need for a darkroom or changing bag. No more trying to load your film in the dark!
It’s such a cool tank and makes home developing so much easier. And, even better, it works with both 35mm and 120 film.
You can find the LAB-BOX tank on Amazon or at Adorama.
Kathleen is the founder here at Shoot It With Film, and you can read more of her articles here, such as 5 Great 35mm Film Cameras for Beginners and 30 Film Photography Resources for Beginners. You can also check out her work on her website and Instagram.
Leave your questions below in the comments, and we’d also love to hear about your favorite gifts for film photographers!
And if you want to learn more about shooting film, read all of our film photography tutorials here!
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