Japan Camera Hunter‘s Bellamy Hunt has spent the last decade-and-a-half doing a job most film camera fans would kill for – sourcing rare and collectable cameras in Tokyo.
The British-born, Japan-based “camera hunter” has built up a blog, YouTube channel and Instagram account where he delves into the history and myth around collectable cameras.
Now he’s released a book – ‘Film Camera Zen: A Guide to Finding the Perfect Film Camera’ – which explores more than 80 different film camera models, from the Bronica RF645 to the Zeiss Ikon ZM, and many others in between.
The book of course features luxurious, highly prized models like the Leica M6 and the Contax T2 compact, but also leaves room for cameras that don’t come with such lofty budgets, such as the Soviet-made LOMO LC-A and the Pentax Spotmatic series, both of which are easy to find for less than £100.
Published by Chronicle Books, it’s a fantastic guide for those new to film photography and wanting something more capable than point-and-shoot cameras, while collectors will likely find something that just has to go into their display cabinet.
Chronicle kindly sent us a copy of the book just ahead of publication, and we spoke to Hunt about why he was compelled to write the book.
Where did the “zen” idea come from?
I have been toying around with the idea for a while now. I did a presentation about finding your Camera Zen a few years ago and the idea kind of germinated from there. I have a friend who is a Buddhist monk and he explained to me finds ‘zen’ not only in his work as a monk but his hobbies too. That was really inspiring for me and I kind of went from there.
Who is the book aimed at?
The book is aimed at all photographers really, from the beginner to the experienced. It is a chance to see some very nice pictures of very nice cameras that anyone who has an interest would enjoy. Even the old greybeards might find something new that they didn’t know.
How hard was it whittling possible cameras down to those in the book?
It was really difficult. The publisher had only a set amount of pages, so I had to whittle it down to cameras that I felt had the most relevance and impact coming from my experience. If I had it my way the book would have been double the size.
Are these cameras the ones you’re asked to find most often?
Some of them, yes. Certainly the most well-known ones. But there are also cameras in there that I will not source ha ha, you will have to find them on your own.
How many of those in the book are in your own collection?
Actually, many people might be surprised to hear that not many of them are from my private collection. People tend to think I have a vault of rare cameras, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I have actually been paring the collection down and only have about eight cameras that are really important to me now. And a few of them are in the book.
Highlighting certain cameras can be a double-edged sword – does it lead to hype?
Oh yes, I have been accused of helping to raise prices in the past. It is an unintentional consequence of bringing a camera into the limelight. Though I would argue that YouTubers bring far more hype. I just keep on doing my thing.
What cameras did you have to leave off the list?
There are simply too many to mention. I didn’t really touch Russian cameras, Barnack and Barnack copies, large format and more. I really wanted to do a deep dive into lenses, but there simply wasn’t space.
Anything you haven’t included because you’ve never seen or handled?
Yes, I didn’t want to put in cameras that I didn’t have direct experience with. One of them was the Agfa Optima. I love the camera, I love the look, but I have never actually used one (only held one), so I felt it would be disingenuous to include it in the book. There were quite a few cameras that I had to leave out. There were also some really cool grail lenses that I had to leave out, simply because they are too valuable to use, so I have only handled them with gloves.
Lots of younger people are coming to film. What are a couple of great, affordable starter cameras you can suggest for them?
It is really cool that so many young people are getting into film photography. And you really don’t have to spend a lot of money to get started. Cameras like the Olympus XA, the Canonet and the Canon A-1 are all great starters.
- ‘Film Camera Zen’ is available now through most good book stores – if it’s not in stock, it can be ordered. The book costs £21.99 in the UK and $29.95 in the US.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
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I saw Bellamy’s original announcement for the book. A pity we can’t see an actual list of the cameras included. It looks like a very interesting book, but I won’t buy it without knowing the contents. I tried to post this very comment on Bellamy’s own site, but his comment system is broken 🙂
Or… look forward to the surprise of seeing what’s in there?