Film Stars

Despite the ubiquity of digital photography, camera makers continue to turn out analogue tools that feel like works of art.

- Michael Strickland

EVEN IN THE Instagram age, film photography captivates with a tactile nature that engages all the senses, from the click of the shutter to the smell of developer to the weight and texture of the finished prints. Plus, the physical process captures light in a way that imparts images with a distinctive character and depth, creating an ethereal quality that’s hard to replicate digitally. Here, five cameras that keep the faith.

For the Perfectionist 
Leica M6

The newly reinvented Leica M6 is a 35mm camera that blends tradition with modern technology to deliver exceptional image quality. With its refined and reliable rangefinder (itself composed of 100 different parts), it requires you to focus via a split image that must be aligned manually, ensuring greater engagement with the subject. The latest M6 (S$8,210) retains the classic design and mechanical excellence that made the original an icon and presents a compact form factor and a level of craftsmanship that promises lasting durability.

For the Medium-format Fan 
Hasselblad 500 C/M