I Finally Found My Dream Pocket Film Camera – Nikon AF600

After a long search, I finally found a small film camera that fits perfectly in my pocket — the Nikon AF600.

For about a year, I had been looking for a point-and-shoot film camera that’s compact, similar in size to the Ricoh GR III. I wanted something I could easily carry everywhere.

Before finding the AF600, I tried a few other cameras:

• Konica Big Mini

  I liked this camera a lot and got it for around ¥5000. Unfortunately, the film winder was broken, so the photos overlapped. I ended up selling it.

• Ricoh XD

  I bought this one for just ¥1000. I loved the design, but it was too bulky. Worse, the camera had light leaks, so part of the image looked burnt.

• Kodak Ektar

  This one is lightweight with a classic look, though it feels a bit plasticky. It’s a halfframe camera, so I can shoot twice as many photos compared to a normal film camera. I’m keeping this one — it’s fun and budget-friendly.

And finally… I got the Nikon AF600.

It’s small, automatic, and has a 28mm f/3.5 lens — just what I wanted. It also has a built-in flash and timer. The only downside is the very tiny viewfinder, which makes it a bit hard to frame shots. But that’s okay — I love how compact it is.