(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best film cameras & accessories

Looks like an original FM to me. First thing you'll want to do is replace the light seals. You can get a kit on eBay and there are lots of tutorials on youtube. It's easy and you'll want to do it otherwise your shots will be ruined by light leaking in. I've used that eBay kit many times for different cameras, it's great.

The 135/3.5 is a good lens for distant landscapes and head shots, but you'll want a wide-angle for a lot of the shots in Yellowstone. Having been there many times, I would recommend picking up a wide angle like a 24, 28, or 35. If you can spare $250 or so, I'd get a Nikon 24/2.8 AI or AI-S for $150 and a Nikon 50/1.8 AI or AI-S for $100. In my trips there, I usually alternate between 24mm (very wide) and a telephoto (I use a zoom lens, a 75-150 f/3.5 Nikon Series E, which you can get for about $60). Anyway, a wide angle combined with your 135, should cover a huge variety of shots. If you need something super cheap, consider a Nikon 28/3.5 AI or AI-S, which you can usually pick up for under $100. You could also tack on a Nikon Series E 50/1.8 which you can get for about $60 if you want a cheaper 50mm. (For low-light, handheld photography, it's good to have at least one lens with a low f/number (large max aperture) like a 50/1.8, which lets in 4x as much light as a f/3.5 lens at it's widest aperture. But if you have to get one lens, get a 24, 28, or 35. If you can get two, add on the 50mm too.)

As far as the strap, I'm not sure the original FM came with one, and if it did, it was probably just a basic black one. My favorite Nikon strap is the wider, burgundy Nikon AN-6W / also in yellow: AN-6Y, but also check out a Nikon AN-DC3 (red, black, brown, or gray) for a narrower strap. There are also tons of aftermarket straps out there, such as the classic Domke Gripper. If you want something cheap, call a local camera store and see if they have used straps, which they usually sell for $5 or less.

You might also consider getting a small tripod for Yellowstone, which you can usually find very inexpensively on your local Craigslist. Nothing mandatory, but it will open up the ability to shoot long shutter speed images without blur, such as night sky shots, landscapes around the time of sunset or sunrise (usually the best time to shoot landscape; get up early or stay up late, I can't emphasize this enough, don't waste the golden/blue lighting hours of the morning and evening sleeping or hanging around camp! One trip I got up at dawn almost every day, went out shooting/hiking, came back to camp and took a nap, then went out again in the evening for more shooting. Definitely recommend this if your companions will tolerate it.)

My favorite film for Yellowstone is Ultramax 400, which is a great general purpose color film that gives that classic film look with punchy, saturated colors. It's cheap at $4/roll if you buy 10 rolls of 36 exposures (amazon), which is great, cause you'll want to shoot a lot when you're there. If money is no object and you don't mind shooting a slower 100-speed film, then Ektar would be a great choice for saturated colors but with less grain than Ultramax. If you want to go really retro, and really cheap, Kodak Colorplus is a 1980s-era emulsion with saturated colors. It's quite grainy, but then some people love that.

For general film tutorials read your camera's manual. There are some great articles on the wiki, and on this site's beginner's guide to film photography. Make sure before you go, you have a good grasp of how shutter speed and aperture settings affect your image, how to focus and control depth of field, and generally how to use your camera. There are lots of good overviews of the FM on youtube. The more you read, and the more your practice shooting between now and then, the better off you'll be. There's tons and tons of information online. Also, read some articles on good spots to take pictures at Yellowstone. Sometimes they're a bit off the beaten path.

Regarding drug stores, they can be OK placed to get film developed and prints made but only if they return your negatives. Some still do, many don't. Ideally, find a lab nearby or mail them out.

Are you interested in photography?
A beginner couldn't ask for a better kit...heck, most seasoned professionals would love to get their hands on half of that.

If you are at all interested, definitely keep it. You will face a steeper learning curve than with a $500 entry level dSLR, but the principles of photography are exactly the same, lighting, perspective, composition - all these things are just as important with any camera. So don't get frustrated if it's not working out so well at the start; your biggest challenge initially will be simply learning to operate the cameras. You can't just pick this up and put it on automatic mode.

So what are you looking at: This is a medium format kit. That means that the film used for these machines was significantly wider than the very common 35mm film we're all used to. There is/was also large format which would wouldn't even use rolls of film, you had to manually load a huge 8 x 10" or 4 x 5" sheet of film, one at a time. The biggest advantage of these systems is that more film to work with means a lot more detail with your images. The disadvantage was cost - the lenses in particular were considerably more expensive than what we'd be used to with 35mm film. Some systems were easier to use than others, but for the most part you were looking at fully manual operation which isn't always easy.

So how does it work - well you're going to be looking for 120 or 220 film, this film is 6 cm wide and a 220 roll is twice as long as a 120 roll. There was 620 film at one point, but I don't think it's available any more. To get it, you'll probably have to look at a dedicated camera shop or photo lab and there aren't many around unfortunately. You can order it though, and get some great prices on some of the better films:
http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-Professional-Ektar-Negative-Propack/dp/B001WRP4WE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342234938&sr=8-1&keywords=120+film
http://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-Fujichrome-Velvia-Color-Slide/dp/B000U5A7O4/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1342234938&sr=8-13&keywords=120+film
http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-Professional-Negative-857-2273/dp/B00009V3CY/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1342234938&sr=8-15&keywords=120+film

Where to get it developed... well that might be the challenge. If you're in a good sized city, there should still be a good number of places that can process it. Do a search on "medium format processing <your city>" - a place that can process it will also probably sell it. If there's nothing in your area, you can look at shipping it, but then we're looking at extra cost and more waiting...
Most modern labs will have the option to do a digital scan for you after developing the film, which can be pretty convenient. You can scan film on your own - some flatbeds will have an attachment to do it and dedicated film scanners are also available.

This probably sounds like a lot of work, and well, it is - but at the same time the results can be incredible. Medium format is very rewarding, the level of detail is simply jaw dropping.
On top of that, you can get a digital back for medium format. That removes alll the concern about buying film, processing it and scanning it, and you can still print it just as easily as you can film - if anything it's probably easier to get printed these days. The problem is cost, an older digital like a phase one h20 or h25, you're looking at around $1500 on the used market. That sounds like a lot, I know - but you've got at least a couple thousand dollars worth of equipment there and that addition will make it a lot more convenient to work with and learn with in the digital age. I'm pretty sure the phase one backs will work with any Hassleblad V camera, but maybe you can post some info about the models here and we can direct you.

All my miniatures get a steel disc glued into the base. I do this for a couple reasons. Mostly, it’s a tactile decision. I want the lightweight plastic pieces to have a mass appropriate to their size when I pick them up. 

Most standard sized miniatures between 28 and 32 mm will only weigh a 3-5 grams after painted, but if you glue a 20, 25 and 30mm steel discs to their base they will weigh in around 10-14 grams. A subtle, but very noticeable improvement.  The difference is like playing with cheap plastic poker chips and heavy 14 gram 3-color clay poker chips in Vegas. 

In addition to the improved haptics, there are a few other benefits of adding steel disc to the base of all your minis.

Having the steel/iron in the base allows for a lot of secondary benefits. Most obvious is the partnership with Magnets. I glue a rare-earth magnet into the base or lid of a standard film canister and use that to hold my miniatures while I’m painting. The magnet system is strong enough to hold a miniature firmly in place for painting - I’ve used it for mini’s up to 60mm. 

Obviously, the film canister system acts as a good handle to hold your mini during painting. Super fast and easy to take one mini off and snap another one.  The system is cheap/simple enough that you could rig 10-12 canisters with magnets for painting large collections of troops. 

IF you want to be clever, you could glue in a steel disc on the opposite end of the canister and add a row of (rare-earth) magnets somewhere near your workspace to safely store and place a mini to dry without worrying about it toppling over. Plus if you did that, the magnetic lids/bottoms of the canister will stack and stick together in storage.  

For table top games that use trays to manage miniatures (Cmon’s ASOIAF for instance) the steel based-minis and a (small) magnet glued to the bottom of those trays help player usability quite a bit. The pieces snap (gently) into place and won’t topple over as easily if you ham-fist a move during the game. 

Anything  like a film canister will work. A link to bulk order of a 100 I used below. The canisters come in handy for holding custom mixes of paints, PVA, basing materials, and acrylic varnishes too.  And if you don’t like magnets, poster-tack works OK.

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NOTE RE: Glue

For gluing various plastics/resins, steel, and magnets I tried several types of glue: CA, PVA, 2-part epoxy, and hot-glue - NONE of those seem to really stick metal and plastic together in a durable way. The glue I found works was Gorilla glue. The small 2 Oz bottle is enough for hundreds of mini’s - and it goes bad in about a year at the rate we’ll use it in this hobby. — A couple caveats to this type of glue. A tiny drop is enough. The glue will tend to expand/foam/bubble slightly in the presence of water/moisture so test and plan accordingly. This isn’t a big deal, but it can create an unsightly unwanted yellow booger. I cover it in a primer coat just so it’s uniform looking.

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In 2018, I started buy tabletop games and painting miniatures. It started as a way to divert my grandson from video games, but it’s now it’s become my hobby too. 

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https://imgur.com/a/ex8x3gq

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100 Film Canisters

https://www.amazon.com/Houseables-Containers-Developing-Processing-Accessories/dp/B06XS21KMH/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550432613&sr=8-2&keywords=film+cannisters+with+caps

Small Magnets for trays

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CNBSMDZ/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

VERY Strong Rare-Earth Neodymium Magnets for Painting Canisters

https://www.amazingmagnets.com/sf-disc-magnets.aspx

Steel disc blanks for miniature base (check sizes that will work for your base)

https://www.amazingmagnets.com/p-484-znsd032h.aspx

Fender washers

Local hardware store you can get Fender washers that have a 20-30 mm diameter. 

Gorilla Glue

https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Original-Waterproof-Polyurethane-Bottle/dp/B0000DD5EN/ref=sr\_1\_16?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1550435031&sr=1-16&keywords=gorilla+glue

You can load 35 mm film into a holga 120 by putting spacers, such as foam, strofoam, stacked pennies, or anything the will securely hold the 35mm film case in place of the taller 120 case. You must then tape up the back and sides of the camera to avoid light leaks, unless you want them. Always put at least one layer of tape on the back to not completely ruin your film.

You can get a 35mm back for the holga 120 if you're not comfortable with do a DIY solution, but DIY is what makes toy cameras really great. The difference in buying the popular, cheap factory-made 35mm back is the frame is cropped to fit the standard size of 35mm frame. This means more individual photos, but takes away the ability to do sprocket hole shots like this and makes the shot more narrow. If you go the DIY route, you can make your own 35mm sized frame by cutting a 35mm frame-sized square from a piece of cardboard and putting it in your 120.

There is a 35mm film back for 120 Holga's that is pretty cool, though a bit more expensive. The 35mm back made by superheadz turns the 120 into a fully featured 35mm holga camera, with a 35mm film counter, frames that allow sprocket-shots, and all the 35mm mechanics built right in. If you want to buy a 35mm back, you should buy this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Superheadz-35mm-Adapter-Holga-Cameras/dp/B001W4JOWI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1372035953&sr=8-2&keywords=holga+35mm+back
Again, toy camera photography is all about DIY and imperfections, so I would encourage going the DIY route for the getting most exploration, invention and adventure possible with a holga 120

loading 35mm into your 120 means you have to wind the film in very specific rotations, as 120 winder doesn't click or stop after each frame. the one exception of this is using the superheadz back. See here: http://photondetector.com/tools_ref/135-advance/

Also re-winding film must be done in a dark area, like a bathroom or closet without any lights on. 120 cameras don't rewind, so you have to take the film out and rewind it by hand. The superheadz back has a winder built into it.

squarefrog (who is also a member of this subreddit) has a great guide to using 35mm in a 120 holga: http://www.squarefrog.co.uk/techniques/using-35mm-film.html

I started with the holga 135bc, which takes 35mm film and superimposes a fake vignette over every photo. The vignette effect is great, but I really wish I just started with a 120. The 135 series is very limiting compared to the 120s.

processing black and white film is easy and cheap and does not require any expensive equipment. Developing color film requires more chemicals and very accurate temperature control. Color is usually not processed outside of professional labs.
http://www.shawnhoke.com/2011/01/developing-black-and-white-film-at-home/

Here's my take on it:

• No. I think it's actually starting to see a small resurgence. And even if it wasn't, I think there's enough of an interest in the medium to keep it going for quite some time.
  
• Well, this is true -- you can get yourself a good starter SLR with a lens for $20, but the film is a recurring cost. You can minimize this, of course, by choosing your film carefully. Agfa Vista+ 200 comes in a 3-pack of 36-exposure rolls for $8.99. A 10-pack of 36-exposure rolls of Fuji Superia 400 averages out to $4.00 per roll. If you want to bulk load your film, 100 feet of Ilford HP5+ averages out to somewhere around $3.20 per 36-exposure roll. For developing, it depends on where you live. My local lab will just process the negatives (C-41 rolls) for $2.99, and I scan them at home. They charge $4.99 for B&W rolls. If you're interested in developing at home, these can be much cheaper. After ~$150 investment in equipment and chemicals, you can be developing your own B&W film (it's really not hard at all and does not require a darkroom) for around 30 cents per roll, or even less. Color film can also be developed at home, but it's a little more costly. Maybe around $2.00 per roll or less, depending on how much you reuse the chemicals.
  
• Shooting film is a great way to learn the basics of photography, because it's not doing everything for you! Digital cameras do so much of the heavy lifting, and there's so little drawback to the "spray & pray" mentality, that it's easy to get lazy. Shooting film makes you want to slow down and get it right the first time. That, in my opinion, is the best way to learn.
  
  Edit to add: Also keep in mind that the cost of process-only at the lab (or home development) requires that you have access to a scanner. It can't really be a standard scanner, it needs to be capable of transparencies. Cheap ones can be had on Amazon and the like, but good ones start at about $200. Some flatbeds support transparencies, but the lower end models (Epson v550, v600, Canon CanoScan 9000F mk II, etc) are not going to provide great results (though they will be good enough for web use and small prints). Of course, the labs will do the scanning for you, but this makes it more expensive.

> For people and family photos, I love ISO 400 color print film. It's fast enough to let me shoot without flash in any light, and good enough to look good even if I have plenty of light.
>
>Any ISO 400 film will work, and you can get it anywhere that sells film. Fuji Superia 400 is my favorite low-cost ISO 400 film. It sells for about $3 a roll.
>
>Fuji 400H Professional is my favorite — but costs about $8 a roll. I order it online as I always have; good film always has to be ordered.
>
>If you're expecting to be shooting in very dim light, ISO 800 print film doesn't have much more gain than ISO 400, and you'll be much better able to stop motion. It has slightly less vivid colors and a little more grain, but that's much better then a blurry picture if the light is very dim.
>
>
>
> ISO 100 print film is even better if you're outdoors and don't expect to be indoors during the same roll of film, except that ISO 100 print film is usually optimized for nature and landscape photos more than for people photos.

​

https://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-to-shoot-film.htm#recommendedfilms

This looks a lot like the Polaroid Snap, and made by the same company, C+A Global.

The Snap has a few more features - it lets you print with or without border, and has 3 colour modes instead of 2 - but a 3.4mm f/2.8 lens as opposed to the Kodak's 8mm f/x lens. It implies a bigger sensor, but that seems strange given how similar everything else is, and that they're both 10mp. Maybe a different f.o.v.? Typo?

Z-ink isn't as good quality as instant film, but 'film' is a lot cheaper, and the microSD card is great for when you want to share the photo, or run out of paper. And kids love the stickers.

If you're after quality, then these are not the cameras for you. But as a second camera, or for parties, etc., they really are a lot of fun.

>depending on what you're shooting

Could you go in on this? I'm not sure but I'll probably not set out the day expecting to shoot anything specific. I usually just like to take pictures of whatever I think looks nice. Are there any 'general' films?

Also, do you mean this for example? Just to be clear, 36 exposures = 36 pictures? Thanks

I don't think the bel-air is gone but you're right I cant seem to find one. I have a converted Polaroid 110B with a belair and its great so if you like the camera be patient or contact Nate at http://www.polaroidconversions.com/ he did my conversion. He might have a back to sell. You could if you wanted to tinker try to convert to mini instax with the Diana mini back https://www.amazon.com/Lomography-Diana-Instant-Back-Black/dp/B0027DK206/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496325889&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=belair+instant+back

Could be worth it? The thing that is tough is that they have no photos of what the film is. Could be something really great, could actually be garbage. Especially cause the seller sells a lot of film I would be wary that it is garbage. People know that expired but usable film has value so if it was usable they would probably listed as expired film instead of practice film. You also aren't getting that much of a savings for such a mystery. For example on Amazon 5 rolls of Ektar 100 is $32 which is only $13 more bucks for a really high quality film. I do like purchasing expired film for that cheap cost but would rather get something where I can see the photos of what I would get!

Good question, but I think nothing goes cheaper than the Recesky TLR 35mm. It's a $15 DIY camera, quite tricky, but not hard to build and easier to use.

I have one, and I'm in love with the results.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Recesky-Reflex-Minimovie-Exposure/dp/B01921EQ3O

Well I've looked at this: http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-Portra-Professional-propack-Negative/dp/B004ABHKZ8 and it seems pretty expensive. I won't be using film quite often, but I'll use it occasionally. So would buying a pack like that be a good choice?

This is the newest version of the one I own. I LOVE mine :) This is the film (20 pictures for $19).

Looks like a fairly common camera set-up; the lens appears to be the standard kit lens 28-80mm, the body appears to also be know as the elan-7e. Looks like [this is your basic setup](Canon EOS ELAN 7E 35mm SLR Camera Kit w/ 28-90mm Lens (Discontinued by Manufacturer) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004YZLZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.8BMybAHKWYY6), if I'm not mistaken. If I'm correct, this camera has a very special feature you don't see very often-- eye-controlled focus. Supposedly, the camera can track your eye movement to determine what you're looking at and focus to that spot. Modern cameras don't do this. To my knowledge, this is the only camera (at least consumer level) to even attempt this.

In my experience the ASA 800 have worked slightly better so I try and use those.

As for the combo plastic mailer bags/film canisters/printable postage stamps I have tried a different approach. I have got a flat rate box pre-addressed and pre-paid to myself and duct tape this to the camera. I also duct-taped a permanent marker for people to write their e-mail on it. I think this way is easier since it is less stuff to do, less stuff to get separated, and less work for the end user. What do you think?

I might try and steal your idea about the pre-paid stamps with the irregular item because I don't plan on using a flat-rate this year. I think having the camera built into the box will be even better and less things to get separated. Any chance you live on the east coast (or not California) where I can build one and mail one a test dummy to see if the USPS will get it there?

If you feel like taking a step further into using a pinhole, you can use black and white photo paper instead of film and with a tiny little hole you can get some incredible sharpness. Granted you'll need the chemicals to develop it, at least you won't need an enlarger and can skip the film developing process! For more contrast you can use an enlarger filter in front of the opening as well.

http://www.amazon.com/ILFORD-Filters-3-5-Inches-1762628/dp/B00009USUJ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I29YFP919IF0KN&colid=EI7HQJ6EOGHS

They're filters, they either decrease or increase the contrast of photographs. I love photography a lot and really want them, but I can't afford to buy filters with the cost of darkroom chemicals and paper thrown in on top of that.

If they like shooting people, this is the holy grail of film in my opinion: https://www.amazon.com/Kodak-Portra-Professional-propack-Negative/dp/B004ABHKZ8/ref=pd_bxgy_421_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B004ABHKZ8&pd_rd_r=6GZVBFW4GQRRQY2ZPB3J&pd_rd_w=N2mfN&pd_rd_wg=u0YLF&psc=1&refRID=6GZVBFW4GQRRQY2ZPB3J

But as a photographer, all film is good film and you can never have enough!

There is always the Fujifilm Instax Share Smartphone Printer SP-1 you can use a smart phone or tablet.

The Fuji Camera looks fugly and cheap for its price. The again it looks like Polaroid makes a fugly model too. This Polaroid looks better, but cost a lot more.

I really like this one. https://www.amazon.com/Canon-AE-1-35mm-Film-Camera/dp/B00GTX4RCO.

Although I also like my Afga Optima I, too.

Here's something in your price range. Unfortunately, even the cheapest of cheap DSLR's are $500-$600. You can look around for used ones though and probably get a pretty good deal.

Any 35mm film works fine but I personally like Ilford 400 black and white. Here’s the link

Ilford 1574577 HP5 Plus, Black and White Print Film, 35 mm, ISO 400, 36 Exposures https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009V3CG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XrsXAb9RXJ876

Absolutely, the Fuji Instax are the modern instant cameras. His is an older Instax Wide model (film here: https://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-Instant-20-Exposures-Packaging/dp/B00ZFQQJ18/ref=sr_1_3?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1502394850&sr=8-3). More popular are the Instax Mini (Camera here: https://ww.amazon.com/Fujifilm-Instax-Mini-Instant-Camera/dp/B06WWLJ7KY/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1502394977&sr=1-4&refinements=p_89%3AFujifilm Film here: https://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-INSTAX-Mini-Instant-White/dp/B00EB4ADQW/ref=pd_bxgy_421_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00EB4ADQW&pd_rd_r=890S20EPE58QP1KVGEY9&pd_rd_w=RX9N1&pd_rd_wg=7n0oP&psc=1&refRID=890S20EPE58QP1KVGEY9

LOL.

https://www.amazon.in/Lomography-Diana-Instant-Back-Black/dp/B0027DK206/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521721664&sr=8-1&keywords=instant+black+for+diana+f

I took this a while ago and I'm not sure about what film I used, but I guess it was this one: http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-Ektar-Professional-Exposures-Negative/dp/B001GO5TU0

This was the first film roll that I used in the camera, so I considered it as a test to look how the photos would look like; because I bought it used and the lens had problems.

I may have a look here for the exact film, but I'm almost sure about that one ;)

cheapest: AutoM 100 PCS 10mm Leathercraft DIY Silver Metal Punk Spikes Spots Pyramid Studs Goth by AutoM


most wanted: Polaroid PIC-300P Instant Film Analog Camera (Purple) by Polaroid it's $54 w/ free shipping from a different seller.

It looks like a basic 80s Canon camera (Canon AE-1). You get one similar to it at Goodwill/Savers/etc pretty cheap. I don't think anyone is going to call you out from not having the exact camera. The lens may be more difficult to find.

What about this one? Looks like it cost less per print.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015JIAD7C?psc=1

I bought this 5pack of colorplus 200: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00790NX2G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_H2fvDbQSV9GPC

And ordered a single pack of Ilford 1574577 HP5 Plus 400: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00009V3CG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_V2fvDb0BKP2WY

I believe they just mistook that I ordered a 5 pack for both lol

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00GTX4RCO/ref=dp_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=all
nice asshole

Looks like it's this one—not terribly expensive

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-Camera-28-90mm-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00004YZLZ

Having done clubs for cash, I can tell you the standard setup is dSLR with a big Speedlight. Speedlight alone is going to set you back more than your budget.

You might have luck with a few of these...
http://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Kodak-Camera-3Pack/dp/B000OFW65I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331019806&sr=8-2

Go for it! Look for a Canon AE-1. That's what I learned on, and they're bulletproof. Use this film and you can't go wrong.

Walmart by me has the 3 packs of kodak gold for $12.

You can sometimes score cheap rolls of film on amazon if you're willing to buy in bulk; eg: https://www.amazon.ca/Rolls-Kodak-Ultra-135-36-Color/dp/B013KE71P4/ref=sr_1_68?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1485202016&sr=1-68&keywords=film

I order in bulk off of amazon usually 5-10 packs at a time and store it in my fridge. It ends up being about 75 cents (US) per image, sometimes less.

http://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-Instax-Wide-Film-Twin/dp/B00ZFQQJ18/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1456793801&sr=8-3&keywords=instax+wide+film

We're also wanting to do the polaroid thing, with this camera
http://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-Instant-Digital-Printing-Technology/dp/B015JIAD7C
My only concern was that it only takes 10 prints before it needs refilling, we don't want somebody to have to be in charge of it, but we don't want guests confused and not be able to use it.

This is the one: http://www.amazon.com/Lomography-Diana-Instant-Back-Black/dp/B0027DK206 (or here: http://shop.lomography.com/en/diana-instant-back)

Unlike the one on Filmwasters, I was able to get mine to focus properly with much fuss. The "trick" is to remove the plate binding the bellows to the focal plane, and then glue the bellows. Without the plate you can get the Diana back sitting directly on the focal plane.

I saw someone use a Polaroid yesterday! But, it was one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015JIAD7C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_YduKwbPR2HWRD

or would this be a better purchace? http://www.amazon.com/Canon-AE-1-35mm-Film-Camera/dp/B00GTX4RCO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1448985094&sr=8-2&keywords=slr+film

Polaroid still makes one too.

Sure, here.

Gear required for this shot can be found Here

When I read "cheap camera with a built-in lens", I immediately thought he was describing one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Kodak-Camera-3Pack/dp/B000OFW65I

What can't you get from Amazon

When you try to add more, it says:
> This seller [Amazon] has a limit of 5 per customer. To see if more are available from another seller, go to the product detail page.

Now that you've been blocked from ordering the film from Amazon, can you still order it from marketplace sellers?