Selects: Top 10 Digital Cameras for Film-like Photography

There are a number of reasons why some photographers still create film photography using vintage film cameras. Photography isn’t always just about the final result. It’s also about the entire experience of creating the photos, as well as meeting new people and exploring new places. Vintage film cameras provide an interesting photography experience, they often look amazing and can serve as a conversation starter too. Plus, photo gear itself can sometimes be quite beautiful. 

But analogue photography isn’t always for everyone. It can be difficult and frustrating—especially considering the seemingly ever-rising prices and dwindling availability of film stocks. 

But what if you could have the best of both worlds—digital photography and film photography? In this article, MPB videographer Jakub Golis and photographer Ian Howorth explore a few digital cameras that look vintage, inspire creativity and are far more convenient to use than film. 

Top digital cameras for film-like photography:

• Fujifilm X10

• Fujifilm X100

• Fujifilm X-Pro 3

• Olympus PEN F

• Nikon Df

• Nikon Zf

• Nikon D200 or Nikon D700

• Leica M8 or M9

• Honourable mentions

Watch the video below or read on to learn more.

Ready to take a closer look at the images? Read on. 

These retro-inspired digital cameras will give you a great, tactile photographing experience. Some of them are praised for their film-like image quality due to their sensor technology or built-in options to adjust image rendering. 

Let’s jump straight into the top ten digital cameras for film-like photography. 

Fujifilm X10

The first on the list is a truly beautiful camera—the Fujifilm X10. The X10 is a small but capable compact camera with a built-in 28–112mm-equivalent f/2.0–2.8 zoom lens and a 12-megapixel 2/3" sensor. In terms of how it looks, the X10 is reminiscent of the tiny Yashica Electro 35 MC film camera.

Specs

• 12-megapixel 2/3" EXR CMOS sensor

• 7.1–28.4mm (28-112mm equivalent) f/2.0-2.8 zoom lens

• 10 frames per second continuous shooting (at 6 megapixels)

• Optical viewfinder with 85% coverage

Upsides

• Retro design

• Physical controls on the body

• Decent quality

• Clear optical viewfinder

Downsides

• Small sensor

• Simple optical viewfinder

The Fujifilm X10 is a great everyday snapshot camera and it’s just perfect for weekend trips. It’s stylish, lightweight and unobtrusive, but the image quality it delivers is still quite good. Bear in mind it was released in 2011, so its features like autofocus are rather basic compared to modern cameras, but it still holds up pretty well.

When using the X10, you can turn off the LCD display entirely and use only the optical viewfinder, which doesn’t have any overlays. If you want to have some information displayed in the viewfinder, go for its successor—the Fujifilm X20—which displays basic camera settings. Or, you could go with the Fujifilm X30, which has a modern fully electronic viewfinder.

Fujifilm X100

Another beautifully designed Fujifilm camera is the original Fujifilm X100. While the X100 has since been superseded by a few more cameras in the X100 series, and it can be a little slow to use, it is still a great camera. 

Specs

• 12.3-megapixel APS-C sensor

• Fixed 23mm (35mm equivalent) f/2 lens

• Hybrid optical-electronic viewfinder

• Built-in flash

Upsides

• Retro design and great built quality

• Physical controls

• Hybrid viewfinder

Downsides

• A bit slow to operate

• Dated autofocus system

• Small selection of the Fujifilm film simulations

All X100-series cameras, from the Fujifilm X100 to the Fujifilm X100V and Fujifilm X100VI, have an APS-C sensor and a fixed 35mm-equivalent lens. They have robust, retro-looking bodies and their physical controls are a pleasure to use. Check out our guide to Fujifilm X100-series cameras.

The original X100 also has a hybrid viewfinder. First, you have the optical viewfinder, which provides a more analogue-like photographing experience. Then, with a flick of the small lever on the front of the camera, you can switch to an electronic viewfinder with a real-time preview of how your finished image will look.  

You might think a fixed lens is a limiting factor. But as Orson Welles once said, “If you give somebody constraints, it's easier to be creative. The enemy of art is the absence of limitation.”

The Fujifilm X100 probably isn’t the best choice for professional work. But if you’re a hobbyist photographer, having a fixed lens can force you to be more creative. You have to move around to find a new composition or physically come closer to your subject, instead of just zooming in with a lens.

If you don’t love the idea of using the original Fujifilm X100. There are plenty of other X100-series cameras available.

Fujifilm X-Pro 3

This is the last Fujifilm camera on this list. The Fujifilm X-Pro 3 is a great combination of retro styling and modern technology. It's a camera capable of delivering truly professional results but enclosed in a classic-looking, robust body.

Specs

• 26.1-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor

• Fujifilm X lens mount

• 160-12,800 ISO range (80-51,200 extended)

• Intelligent hybrid autofocus system

Upsides

• Beautiful rangefinder-style design

• Great image quality

• Hybrid viewfinder

• Sub monitor

• Film simulation modes

Downsides

• Divisive screen design

• Relatively expensive

Similar to the compact Fujifilm X100, the X-Pro 3 has an amazing hybrid viewfinder and physical controls on the body. It also features film simulation modes, which are fun and useful for achieving great-looking JPEGs straight-out-of-camera. The film simulation modes are a nice feature, especially for photographers who prefer not to spend hours editing RAW files.

The Fujifilm X-Pro 3 screen design is divisive. Some photographers love it, others not so much. However, the awkward screen does encourage you to take photos with your eye to the viewfinder instead—just like you would with a traditional film camera. 

At the back of the X-Pro 3, you’ll find a small secondary display, which shows you the basic camera settings or a chosen film simulation mode. Its appearance changes depending on which simulation is chosen. This feature calls back to the small piece of film stock packaging, which analogue photographers would put at the back of their camera as a reminder of the film stock loaded inside.

Read our full Fujifilm X-Pro 3 review.

Olympus PEN-F

Right, enough Fujifilm cameras for now. There are plenty of other cameras out there that will give you a film-like shooting experience—like the Olympus PEN-F.

The PEN-F is the only film-like camera on the list without an optical viewfinder. Instead, it has an electronic viewfinder only, which distinguishes it from the other Olympus PEN-series cameras.

Specs

• 20-megapixel CMOS Micro Four Thirds sensor

• 5-axis in-body image stabilisation

• 2.36 million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder

• Fully articulated 3-inch touch-sensitive LCD screen

Upsides

• Stylish vintage body design

• Abundance of in-camera JPEG look control options

• Great JPEG and RAW image quality

• Creative mode dial on the body

Downsides

• Autofocus could be more reliable

• Complicated menu system

• Uncustomisable creative mode dial

The Olympus PEN-F design resembles the original half-frame film camera from the 1960s. The PEN-F has the classic look, with physical dials on the body—and even a dedicated dial on the front for choosing a ‘creative mode’. 

Using the creative mode dial, you can switch from colour to black-and-white with a single flick. You can also adjust the saturation of specific colours or choose one of the rather outdated art filters. But straight-out-of-camera, the JPEGs look pretty great.

The Olympus PEN-F is an amazing choice for any photographer looking for an everyday or holiday camera. It is one of those cameras that you want to always have with you and use. 

Overall, the PEN-F is small, looks stylish, and delivers pleasing-looking images without fussing with any post-processing. But you can also simultaneously shoot RAW if you want more control over the final output.

Nikon Df

While—on the outside—it looks more like a retro-inspired mirrorless camera, the Nikon Df is actually a full-frame DSLR. Accordingly, the Df has an optical viewfinder and many physical controls on the body. It has the same 16-megapixel sensor found in the Nikon D4. 

In terms of body design, the Nikon Df looks more like the analogue Nikon F3 from the 1980s. The Nikon Df is a beautifully designed camera, which provides a pleasant, tactile user experience. But it’s not only about the looks. The Nikon Df can also deliver professional-quality images.

Specs

• 16-megapixel full-frame sensor

• 100-25,600 ISO range (50-204,800 extended range)

• Compatible even with older Nikon F-mount lenses (including pre-Ai)

• 39-point autofocus system with 9 cross-type points

Upsides

• Robust, awe-inspiring body design

• Multiple physical controls on the body

• Great image quality

• Many features aimed at the more traditional photographers

Downsides

• Too many physical controls, which can be overwhelming

• Big and bulky

• More expensive than similar but less stylish cameras

When released, the Df was advertised as Nikon’s return to a ‘pure photography’ experience. It doesn’t even have any video functionality, even though the sensor is—in theory—capable of capturing video.

It also has a few other features aimed at more traditional photographers. The Df has a threaded shutter release cable slot, so you can turn off the image review on the LCD completely to shoot without seeing your images, exactly like on film cameras. And there is even a system for using very old Nikon lenses with it.

Nikon Zf

Nikon’s third attempt at making a retro-inspired camera is the full–frame Nikon Zf. Based on the 24-megapixel sensor found in the Nikon Z6 II it is a well-balanced blend of retro style and modern features.

Specs

• 24.5-megapixel full-frame sensor

• 5-axis sensor-shift stabilisation (8 stops)

• Fully articulated 3.2 inch LCD screen

• 4K UHD/60p video capture

Upsides

• Beautiful retro design

• Nikon Z lens mount allows for adapting vintage lenses

• Great autofocus

• Many modern features

Downsides

• Uncomfortable grip, especially when used with bigger lenses

• Video capture and articulated screen can upset some photography purists

• Default rendering of images lacks character

• 2nd card slot for microSD only

Equipped with a Nikon Z lens mount, the Nikon Zf is a great choice for those who want to adapt vintage lenses. It not only has a short flange distance but also a large opening diameter, so you can adapt nearly every vintage lens to it (using an adapter). 

The ‘80s Nikon FM2-inspired body design will perfectly match the look of older Nikon glass. Also, the Zf has a useful “Manual Focus Subject Detection” feature that tracks your subject on screen and lets you know when it’s in focus, even when using manual-focus lenses. It works surprisingly well. 

For those who want their lenses to pair perfectly with the Zf’s stylish body and don’t want to sacrifice advanced features, Nikon released two special Edition primes to go along the Zf: the Nikon Z 28mm f/2.8 SE and the Nikon Z 40mm f/2 SE.

Although I really liked the camera’s design and enjoyed using it, I didn’t find the default colour rendition of the files inspiring. They have great levels of detail and a wide dynamic range, but they were too… neutral and cold for my taste. Fortunately, the RAW files are flexible enough that I had no problem editing them to my liking. Of course, you can adjust the JPG settings in-camera as well. For the monochrome lovers, there is even a dedicated B&W mode on the mode dial.

If I were to be nitpicky, I’d say the Nikon Zf can’t 100% decide what it wants to be. But even still, I love the beautiful retro-inspired design, and inside, it’s a very capable camera with few compromises. 

Some people have complained that it has an articulated screen or a dedicated video record button. But for people who can afford only one body and want it to both look good and do the job, this is a great choice.

We should also mention the cousin of the Nikon Zf's cousin, the Nikon Z fc, which also has a retro-inspired design. However, it is a mirrorless camera with a smaller APS-C sensor and doesn’t have an optical viewfinder. It can feel a little lightweight but is still worth considering—read our Nikon Z fc review.

Nikon D200

Released in 2005, the Nikon D200 isn’t a traditional-looking retro-styled camera. However, it is very film-like. And that’s because of the CCD sensor. While more recent DSLRs use CMOS sensors, many digital cameras in the early 2000s used CCD sensors. Read more about the differences of CCD & CMOS sensors.

On paper, pretty much across the board, CMOS sensors are technically superior to CCD sensors. However, a couple of decades on, many photographers are rediscovering this older CCD technology to achieve an old-school look.

Specs

• 10.2-megapixel APS-C sized CCD image sensor

• Optical viewfinder with 0.94x magnification

• Nikon F lens mount

• Shutter speed of 1/8000s to 30s

Upsides

• Good image quality for its age

• Unique CCD sensor colour rendition

• Great old-school shooting experience

• Robust body

Downsides

• Poor image quality in low-light conditions

• Dated autofocus system

• Low-res LCD screen

The images from those old CCD sensors remind people of film. And DSLR body design, while not as head-turning as the retro-styled modern rangefinders, comes straight from film SLRs. If you are a fan of crunchy, ASMR-worthy shutter sounds, there is nothing like taking an image on a classic DSLR.

Another good example of an older DSLR with a CCD sensor is the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro. But there are many more different models available. 

These DSLRs are pretty much ancient in terms of the digital camera timeline. In modern terms, these DSLRs are clunky and slow, their LCD screens are terrible, and the ISO performance is poor.

However, as long as you’re shooting in good light conditions, the images look really good and definitely stand the test of time. If you can work with the dated tech specs, the Nikon D200 is a hidden gem for film-like photography.

Nikon D700

Alternatively, if you’d prefer shooting on a full-frame CMOS sensor, the Nikon D700 — released a few years later, in 2008 — offers a little more wiggle room. 

The Nikon D700’s JPEGs are known for their fairly steep contrast curve, which results in pleasing images. And the D700 renders ISO noise in a monochromatic way, which appears to give its photos an organic feel—almost like film grain. 

With its custom picture profiles, you can get some pretty decent JPEGs straight from the D700. Or, if you prefer to edit your images afterwards, the D700 can capture RAW files too, even in 14 bit. If you prefer the safe route, the D700 can record both JPEG and RAW files simultaneously. 

While the D700’s features are limited in comparison to more recent cameras, this full-frame DSLR still performs well today. 

Our full Nikon D700 review goes into far more detail. But if you’re looking for a low-cost digital all-rounder that can capture film-like photos, the D700 is a solid option.

Leica M8

Speaking of CCD sensors and digital cameras that look almost exactly like their film ancestors, this brings us to the next section: Leica cameras. 

The Leica M8 Black and the Leica M9 Black have CCD sensors—with all the benefits and drawbacks of that sensor system—and in terms of size, the M8 has an APS-H sensor and the M9 is full-frame.  

Both are traditional, manual-only focus rangefinders praised for their build and image quality. But to be honest, all of the Leica digital rangefinders give a very film-like, tactile experience and they look amazing.

Let’s take a look at the Leica M8 specs. 

Specs

• 10-megapixel APS-H Kodak CCD sensor

• Leica M bayonet lens mount

• Classic rangefinder manual focus system

Upsides

• Classic, beautiful Leica rangefinder design

• Superb built quality

• Amazing shooting experience

• Clean, simple menu system

Downsides

• Manual focus only

• Prone to UV/IR pollution

• Low-resolution LCD screen

Alternatively, if you're looking for the ultimate analogue-like experience on a digital camera, there are models like Leica M-D Typ 262 or Leica M10-D—both of which don't even have an LCD screen. And that’s a treat for the most dedicated photography purists out there.

Honourable and infamous mentions

Before we wrap things up, there are two more cameras worth mentioning. One is an honorable mention, and the other is not so honourable. 

Epson R-D1

First, the unique Epson R-D1 from 2004. The R-D1 was the first digital rangefinder ever, released just before the Leica M8. In fact, the RD-1 is so traditional it even has a manual shutter wind lever, which you need to use before you take a single photo. You can’t get closer to film with a digital camera than this. Check out our recent Epson R-D1 review.

Yashica Y35

The infamous mention is an example of a—rather cynical—attempt to capitalise on people’s nostalgia. The Yashica Y35 is a camera that promises to deliver the ultimate film-like experience. It even introduced the Digifilm concept, which was a line of swappable cartridges allowing you to change the aspect ratio and picture style in-camera. The final result was … peculiar, to put it mildly. Some people claim it was the worst camera they had ever used. It was even rumoured that the sensor in the Yashica Y35 came from a dashcam.

To conclude, there are many different cameras capable of capturing film-like photography. You can also, of course, edit any camera’s photos in Lightroom, Photoshop or other editing software by adding fade, tint and artificial film grain. But that’s a story for another day.

Read more camera gear guides on the MPB content hub.