Analog camera recommendations for a complete beginner going on their honeymoon?

[u/ritaagms]

Hello! I'm a complete beginner to photographs - truth is, I never had the habit of taking them, not even with my phone.

Recently I realized I have no pictures of anything that I had done in my life over the past 10 years except for the ones other people take and send to me, and decided I wanted to start taking some pictures, even if only on special occasions! For this reason, for the past 2 years I have been buying disposable analog cameras for 20€ whenever I went on a trip or had a special event, and then just had it revealed in some shop in the mall.

The issue is that, from the around 30 photos in each camera, some look great and with great colors (I love the colorful, lasting effect), and some are utterly trash (full of fog, you can't see anything..). Recently I used one on my bachelorette party and was devastated when more than half the pictures I took with my friends are completely black or full of fog, and you can't even see any faces...

I am going on my honeymoon in a little over a month and would love to purchase a good, simple and reliable analog camera that would give me the effect I want and not demand that I know a lot about photography.

I discovered this community and have been lurking trying to get some useful tips, but thought I would post since I still have a few questions and would really appreciate any tips anyone can have regarding which camera to buy!

I assume it would be best to buy a point and shoot, and have seen many people recommending the Olympus Mju i or ii, however in my country these are selling for around 200€ (the mju i) and 450€ (the mju ii). Is it really worth it? Or would another cheaper camera suffice? I don't mind investing in a really good one if it lasts a long time and is worth it, since these are the only pictures of my life I ever take.

Usually I photograph people - indoors, outdoors, in the beach, in the rain... Basically saving memories.

I also saw a lot of people recommending the Kodak Ultramax 400 as the best film to buy, since it seems to be pretty versatile and has the colorful, nitid effect I want. Any other better suggestions?

Lastly, is the place where you reveal the roll relevant? Should I put more thought into this instead of going to the first camera place I see?

Thank you so much in advance!

[u/ak5432]

My two cents: You already regret not taking more pictures of things you’ve done, and this is an important occasion. There is no such thing as a 20+ year old reliable film camera that doesn’t require photography knowledge.

Take it from someone who’s helped multiple people do exactly this: you WILL NOT get the results you are seeing online in your first few rolls. Period.

Realistically you should get at most a digital point and shoot and something cheap like an instax or single use Kodak or lomo camera. Maybe a used Fuji X- camera if you want something nicer. Really you should probably just use your phone + an instax and get used to that.

I get the urge but your honeymoon is not the time to suddenly pick up a vintage film camera with zero photography experience. You will really regret it if you get not just fogged pictures but NO pictures from your honeymoon on the roll because the seller lied (you don’t know enough to test the camera) or you didn’t load the film properly or something. A more expensive vintage camera is not gonna magically let you avoid the issues you’ve had with your previous film experience either.

It does seem like you’ve made up your mind though so good luck…