This is a question that constantly gets asked across Google, TikTok and Instagram. I get why. Everybody wants the film aesthetic, but comparatively few people want the inconvenience and ongoing cost of actually using real analog film.
I’m not here to judge anybody who can’t afford to shoot film. Times are tough, and Kodak prices are tougher. However, can any digital camera truly match the gorgeous tonality and alchemical unpredictability of shooting a roll of real analog film?
Let’s take a look at the key contenders…
The mainstream pick: Fujifilm X100 cameras
These will always come up when somebody asks this question. Fujifilm’s stratospherically popular street-shooting compacts, the latest of which is the Fujifilm X100VI, benefit from Fuji’s Film Simulation modes – stylised JPEG looks that mimic the tones of classic film stocks, and can be tweaked with custom recipes.
Images from the APS-C sensor are beautiful, and the dial-based manual controls make the cameras feel like throwbacks in all the best ways. However, they still benefit from the latest mod-cons like high-speed autofocus, video and burst shooting – which may not be what you want if you are chasing an old-school experience.
(Fujifilm further leant into analogue aesthetics with the X half – however, with a smaller sensor and hugely optimistic price, this compact hasn’t proved as popular as the perennially-sold-out X100 cameras.)
Does a Fujifilm X100 feel like shooting film?
The look is close, the feel less so. Great for those who want analogue style without the inconvenience, as long as you don’t mind paying a premium.
The budget option: Camp Snap
These cheap, mega-viral ‘screen free’ digital cameras have been a mega hit, and have inspired more than a few imitators. The Camp Snap seeks to imitate one of the most fun aspects of shooting film – its unpredictability. Since there’s no screen, you don’t know what you’ve shot until you load the images onto your computer.
Does the Camp Snap feel like shooting film?
The image quality isn’t all that, but as we said in our review, ‘It’s the closest thing you’re going to get to a disposable point-and-shoot camera, that’s digital.’
The luxury choice: Leica M11-P
Leica is a name with a rich history in film photography, having produced some of the finest analogue cameras ever made. Its digital M-series cameras continue that rich legacy, with its digital rangefinders that, in the immortal words of our own Andy Westlake, ‘appeal to photographers’ hearts rather than their heads’.
Rangefinder focusing technique requires practice, but is unbelievably satisfying to get right – and there’s no other way to get that scintillatingly sharp Leica look. A camera like the Leica M11-P is going to be too expensive for most photographers, but it’s a spectacular achievement nonetheless.
Does the Leica M11-P feel like shooting film?
Most of us will never know.
The analogue cosplayer: RewindPix
A newer arrival on the analogue-style point-and-shoot scene, the RewindPix takes the screen-free concept of the Camp Snap, and adds an app-based ecosystem of film-style ‘looks’. You pick three, load a ‘roll’ of 36 shots into your camera, then unload them back into the app when you’re done.
I’ve been testing out the RewindPix over the past few weeks, and I have to say, that app is mega-addictive. I shot dozens more images than I needed to because I was genuinely excited about trying the different looks.
Does the RewindPix feel like shooting film?
It’s fiddly, and like the Camp Snap, its small-sensor image quality falls short of real film’s depth of detail. But the price is right (about $119 / £89), and I can’t remember the last camera that got anywhere close to replicating the fun factor of trying out new film stocks. The RewindPix does have something unique to it.
The honest answer
So, my honest answer to the question ‘Which digital cameras shoot images “like film”?’ is ‘none of them’. However, as you can see, there are a number of digital camera that get you somewhere close to the experience. You just have to decide which aspect is most important. Are you chasing the film look? Is that sense of unexpected discovery more important? Or are you looking for a camera with an old-school, tactile mode of operation? You can have one, you might even get two – but you’re not going to get all three.
Related reading:
- Everyone thinks this is the most exciting new camera of the year, but I think it misses the whole point of a compact camera
- Film simulations are a great option when you’re too broke to shoot film – and even when you aren’t
- Here’s what I’ve learned from shooting over 150 rolls of film in the 2020s
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