How to Choose the Right Camera for You Ft. LensFayre
Meet Alecia and Dan, the founders of LensFayre – a vintage camera shop rescuing items from landfill and refurbishing them for creatives. After its start in 2020, the small business has gone from strength to strength and they’ve even launched their passion project product, the Snap LF-35M, which is now available on site. Find out how they got started and where they’re going next, plus read on as they share their guide on how to choose the right camera for you.
Tell us about LensFayre
Alecia & Dan: LensFayre is a vintage camera store with a focus on restoration, accessibility and building an inclusive community of diverse creatives. We launched it in early 2020, blissfully unaware that we were on the brink of a global pandemic – one week later we entered the first lockdown. At the time we thought it might just be the worst possible moment to launch our online store, but luckily for us, it turned out to be quite the opposite story!
Over the past 2.5 years we've built a loyal customer base and have even developed our own sustainably-focussed reusable film camera: the Snap LF-35M.
Why choose refurbished?
D: By choosing a refurbished camera from a reputable seller you’re rescuing it from landfill and keeping it in circulation. We love the idea of taking cameras that have been gathering dust in cupboards, giving them a new lease of life and restoring their purpose.
A: The sheer tactile joy of producing an image on film is unmatched.
When did you pick up a camera for the first time?
D: I remember that my uncle Panos in Greece was a great photographer and I idolised him when I was a kid, so my love of photography probably started with his influence.
A: I grew up in the 90s in a lively Jamaican household. My mum loved to cook huge pots of food and entertain our family and friends, so every weekend was like an event and an opportunity to make memories. Film cameras were the only option back then…a family friend gifted me my first SLR when I was around 9 years old and taught me how to use it.
How do you stay creative?
D: That’s a tricky one. I’d say surrounding yourself with other creatives is great motivation for creativity. But, there’s no magic formula. It’s important to not be too hard on yourself if you’re not creating or even feeling creative. There will be times when you just don’t have that motivation or life gets in the way – and that’s totally fine.
Your favourite project so far?
D: Developing and launching our own reusable film camera, the LensFayre Snap. We invested so much time and care into producing the best product we could with a real focus on being as sustainable as possible. Every detail was considered from the recyclability of the camera, to the recycled and recyclable packaging and biodegradable sticker designs. We launched it in November 2021 and it’s been lovely to see it catch on the way it has. Our initial run sold out quickly and we got lots of great feedback. So we're ridiculously excited that, a year on, it will now be available through Urban Outfitters!
A: Community is one of our main areas of focus. Ironically, we believe it’s the things that we do behind the scenes that really count. This year we became involved in organising the UK’s largest analogue film community meetup through a project called Analogue Spotlight (AS). AS is essentially a global association for photographers which aims to support and promote both businesses and individuals within the industry by offering mentoring, key connections and facilitating events – with a keen focus on bringing fair representation to the community.
Our first event was back in May this year with talks and demonstrations from leading industry experts like Kodak, Ilford and Intrepid Camera, along with an amazing line-up of emerging brands, businesses and key individuals who offer something new and innovative to the film community. Tickets sold out – it was basically a huge success and something we’re both immensely proud of being involved in. We’re already planning the next event, which promises to be bigger and better in 2023. Please check us out @analoguespotlight to stay up to date!
Sum up your artistic style in 3 words...
A: Lo-fi, fluid, throwback
D: Is It Art?
Behind or in front of the lens?
A: Behind the lens 100%! I’m definitely more comfortable being the hype girl behind the camera than posing in front of it for sure. It’s also incredibly satisfying to see your creative direction come to life, whether it’s exactly how you envisioned it or being interpreted in a fresh new way as part of a collaborative project.
D: I’m not a fan of being in front of the camera. I’m quite happy for people to just see my work and not to see me! I’m much more suited to being behind the camera. I’m naturally quite an introverted person and using a camera helps to break the ice with people. To connect in a way that normally would be too shy to do.
Black & white or colour film?
D: Both are great. Because a lot of my work is long form and driven by a subject, this will often dictate the choice of colour or B&W (in addition to format – digital or film - 35mm or medium format etc.)
When I was a young photojournalist, everything had to be black and white for me. I used to like the way that it simplified everything and removed the distractions that colour brought. It allowed me to just focus on the subject and the forms within the frame. Looking back, I just didn’t understand colour and over time I have developed my eye and definitely think more about colour within my compositions than I ever did before.
3 emerging photographers we should check out…
A: We absolutely love what Willow Dunn is doing with their photography right now. They recently started a new venture called @wetplatewillow where they offer stunning portraits using an early photographic process (called tintypes) in their hometown of Brighton. It’s a bit like a vintage polaroid, so you can take home a physical print of your portrait on the day. We highly recommend checking them out – and absolutely everyone that does raves about it after!
D: Another excellent photographer is Leia Ankers. I was lucky enough to exhibit work alongside Leia back in 2019’s edition of the Off Centre Photo Festival here in Nottingham and I’ve been an admirer of her work ever since. It’s been great to see the recognition and respect for her extraordinary and tender work grow over the years.
A: Alain Matthew Paras is a US based photographer who does an outstanding job of capturing a quintessential Americana aesthetic. His work has a cinematic romanticism that is essentially a love letter to film photography - and beautifully curated.
What’s next for LensFayre?
D: We’re just about to open our own retail/workspace in Nottingham’s Creative Quarter! This is a big step for us as a small indie business as it means we can start working on some exciting new ideas we’ve been developing for some time. More importantly, it means that not only will we have a physical location for our customers, but we can now get more involved with the local photo community by offering in-person events and workshops.
It’s always been our aim to be more than just a camera store so this new space will help us become a much more socially engaged business with an emphasis on innovation, inclusivity and education.
Alecia & Dan: LensFayre is a vintage camera store with a focus on restoration, accessibility and building an inclusive community of diverse creatives. We launched it in early 2020, blissfully unaware that we were on the brink of a global pandemic – one week later we entered the first lockdown. At the time we thought it might just be the worst possible moment to launch our online store, but luckily for us, it turned out to be quite the opposite story!
Over the past 2.5 years we've built a loyal customer base and have even developed our own sustainably-focussed reusable film camera: the Snap LF-35M.
Why choose refurbished?
D: By choosing a refurbished camera from a reputable seller you’re rescuing it from landfill and keeping it in circulation. We love the idea of taking cameras that have been gathering dust in cupboards, giving them a new lease of life and restoring their purpose.
A: The sheer tactile joy of producing an image on film is unmatched.
When did you pick up a camera for the first time?
D: I remember that my uncle Panos in Greece was a great photographer and I idolised him when I was a kid, so my love of photography probably started with his influence.
A: I grew up in the 90s in a lively Jamaican household. My mum loved to cook huge pots of food and entertain our family and friends, so every weekend was like an event and an opportunity to make memories. Film cameras were the only option back then…a family friend gifted me my first SLR when I was around 9 years old and taught me how to use it.
How do you stay creative?
D: That’s a tricky one. I’d say surrounding yourself with other creatives is great motivation for creativity. But, there’s no magic formula. It’s important to not be too hard on yourself if you’re not creating or even feeling creative. There will be times when you just don’t have that motivation or life gets in the way – and that’s totally fine.
Your favourite project so far?
D: Developing and launching our own reusable film camera, the LensFayre Snap. We invested so much time and care into producing the best product we could with a real focus on being as sustainable as possible. Every detail was considered from the recyclability of the camera, to the recycled and recyclable packaging and biodegradable sticker designs. We launched it in November 2021 and it’s been lovely to see it catch on the way it has. Our initial run sold out quickly and we got lots of great feedback. So we're ridiculously excited that, a year on, it will now be available through Urban Outfitters!
A: Community is one of our main areas of focus. Ironically, we believe it’s the things that we do behind the scenes that really count. This year we became involved in organising the UK’s largest analogue film community meetup through a project called Analogue Spotlight (AS). AS is essentially a global association for photographers which aims to support and promote both businesses and individuals within the industry by offering mentoring, key connections and facilitating events – with a keen focus on bringing fair representation to the community.
Our first event was back in May this year with talks and demonstrations from leading industry experts like Kodak, Ilford and Intrepid Camera, along with an amazing line-up of emerging brands, businesses and key individuals who offer something new and innovative to the film community. Tickets sold out – it was basically a huge success and something we’re both immensely proud of being involved in. We’re already planning the next event, which promises to be bigger and better in 2023. Please check us out @analoguespotlight to stay up to date!
Sum up your artistic style in 3 words...
A: Lo-fi, fluid, throwback
D: Is It Art?
Behind or in front of the lens?
A: Behind the lens 100%! I’m definitely more comfortable being the hype girl behind the camera than posing in front of it for sure. It’s also incredibly satisfying to see your creative direction come to life, whether it’s exactly how you envisioned it or being interpreted in a fresh new way as part of a collaborative project.
D: I’m not a fan of being in front of the camera. I’m quite happy for people to just see my work and not to see me! I’m much more suited to being behind the camera. I’m naturally quite an introverted person and using a camera helps to break the ice with people. To connect in a way that normally would be too shy to do.
Black & white or colour film?
D: Both are great. Because a lot of my work is long form and driven by a subject, this will often dictate the choice of colour or B&W (in addition to format – digital or film - 35mm or medium format etc.)
When I was a young photojournalist, everything had to be black and white for me. I used to like the way that it simplified everything and removed the distractions that colour brought. It allowed me to just focus on the subject and the forms within the frame. Looking back, I just didn’t understand colour and over time I have developed my eye and definitely think more about colour within my compositions than I ever did before.
3 emerging photographers we should check out…
A: We absolutely love what Willow Dunn is doing with their photography right now. They recently started a new venture called @wetplatewillow where they offer stunning portraits using an early photographic process (called tintypes) in their hometown of Brighton. It’s a bit like a vintage polaroid, so you can take home a physical print of your portrait on the day. We highly recommend checking them out – and absolutely everyone that does raves about it after!
D: Another excellent photographer is Leia Ankers. I was lucky enough to exhibit work alongside Leia back in 2019’s edition of the Off Centre Photo Festival here in Nottingham and I’ve been an admirer of her work ever since. It’s been great to see the recognition and respect for her extraordinary and tender work grow over the years.
A: Alain Matthew Paras is a US based photographer who does an outstanding job of capturing a quintessential Americana aesthetic. His work has a cinematic romanticism that is essentially a love letter to film photography - and beautifully curated.
What’s next for LensFayre?
D: We’re just about to open our own retail/workspace in Nottingham’s Creative Quarter! This is a big step for us as a small indie business as it means we can start working on some exciting new ideas we’ve been developing for some time. More importantly, it means that not only will we have a physical location for our customers, but we can now get more involved with the local photo community by offering in-person events and workshops.
It’s always been our aim to be more than just a camera store so this new space will help us become a much more socially engaged business with an emphasis on innovation, inclusivity and education.
How to Choose the Right Camera
One of our top FAQs is ‘what film camera should I choose?’ Over time we’ve narrowed our responses into 3 main categories/types of buyers.
One of our top FAQs is ‘what film camera should I choose?’ Over time we’ve narrowed our responses into 3 main categories/types of buyers.
COMPLETE BEGINNER:
For fully automatic, anything from the Canon Sure Shot range is a good shout. For simple-use manual cameras, Halina Vision 20-20, LensFayre Snap (of course!)
If you’re a complete beginner who maybe just wants to take quick easy snaps when out with friends – choose a fully automatic point and shoot. These cameras take care of a lot of the functions for you with features like autofocus, film loading, film advance and rewind. They’re often super versatile and come with useful features like a zoom lens, self-timer and flash. Perfect if you don’t want to worry about fiddling around with settings and just want something to grab and go.
For a more tactile experience, an ultra-simple manual point and shoot could be perfect for you. With these cameras you’ll manually load the film, wind it on after each shot and rewind it when you get to the end of your roll. A lot of beginners love this more hands-on approach – and they’re great for easing you into the basics of film photography without any of the fuss.
Both types of entry-level film cameras make the whole process of getting into film photography a lot less daunting. Once you’ve got the hang of things you can move on to more advanced cameras – and trust us, you’ll definitely want to!
For fully automatic, anything from the Canon Sure Shot range is a good shout. For simple-use manual cameras, Halina Vision 20-20, LensFayre Snap (of course!)
If you’re a complete beginner who maybe just wants to take quick easy snaps when out with friends – choose a fully automatic point and shoot. These cameras take care of a lot of the functions for you with features like autofocus, film loading, film advance and rewind. They’re often super versatile and come with useful features like a zoom lens, self-timer and flash. Perfect if you don’t want to worry about fiddling around with settings and just want something to grab and go.
For a more tactile experience, an ultra-simple manual point and shoot could be perfect for you. With these cameras you’ll manually load the film, wind it on after each shot and rewind it when you get to the end of your roll. A lot of beginners love this more hands-on approach – and they’re great for easing you into the basics of film photography without any of the fuss.
Both types of entry-level film cameras make the whole process of getting into film photography a lot less daunting. Once you’ve got the hang of things you can move on to more advanced cameras – and trust us, you’ll definitely want to!
LEARNING THE ROPES:
Olympus Trip 35 / Olympus Pen Series, Olympus XA series, Minolta X-700, Canon A-1 (much better than the popular AE-1 Program!)
If you’re a beginner who really wants to get stuck into film photography or someone that’s been using a simple point and shoot for a while and you’re ready to level-up, then this is the category for you.
It’s no secret that the Olympus Trip 35 is one of our all-time favourite film cameras! It’s such a versatile little gem that perfectly bridges the gap between automatic and manual camera functions. The Olympus PEN deserves a shout out too! It has many of the same features as the Trip 35, but it’s a half frame camera, which basically means you get double the number of shots than you would using a standard 35mm camera (that’s more bang for your buck).
Olympus Trip 35 / Olympus Pen Series, Olympus XA series, Minolta X-700, Canon A-1 (much better than the popular AE-1 Program!)
If you’re a beginner who really wants to get stuck into film photography or someone that’s been using a simple point and shoot for a while and you’re ready to level-up, then this is the category for you.
It’s no secret that the Olympus Trip 35 is one of our all-time favourite film cameras! It’s such a versatile little gem that perfectly bridges the gap between automatic and manual camera functions. The Olympus PEN deserves a shout out too! It has many of the same features as the Trip 35, but it’s a half frame camera, which basically means you get double the number of shots than you would using a standard 35mm camera (that’s more bang for your buck).
SWITCHING FROM DIGITAL:
Olympus OM10 (with a manual adapter), Pentax K1000, Canonet QL17 GIII, NIKON F2
Ready to dive in and take full control? Choose a manual SLR or a semi-automatic SLR with the ability to use full manual settings as you learn. If you’re already familiar with an DLSR and terms like ISO (ASA across the pond), aperture and shutter speed already make sense to you, then you’ll probably want to start right here. But tbh, this is also a good starting point for anyone who actually wants to fully immerse themselves into the world of analogue photography and is keen to get to grips with the A-Z of exposure control.
Our last and most important tip is to have fun! Regardless of what stage you’re at, there’s bound to be a bit of a learning curve when shooting film, but the payoff is 100% worth it!
Olympus OM10 (with a manual adapter), Pentax K1000, Canonet QL17 GIII, NIKON F2
Ready to dive in and take full control? Choose a manual SLR or a semi-automatic SLR with the ability to use full manual settings as you learn. If you’re already familiar with an DLSR and terms like ISO (ASA across the pond), aperture and shutter speed already make sense to you, then you’ll probably want to start right here. But tbh, this is also a good starting point for anyone who actually wants to fully immerse themselves into the world of analogue photography and is keen to get to grips with the A-Z of exposure control.
Our last and most important tip is to have fun! Regardless of what stage you’re at, there’s bound to be a bit of a learning curve when shooting film, but the payoff is 100% worth it!