The Canon Rebel G is not a sought-after film camera, but it’s what I was gifted for a film photography class I accidentally took in college. It was my moms’, and either well taken care of, or rarely used. It’s rather simple, with one dial to control shutter speed and aperture, a shutter button, a self-timer, different exposure modes ranging from A to M, an ISO mode to change the automatic reading of the film, exposure lock, and TTL center weighted metering. The “Nifty Fifty” paired with the G is one of the lightest set-ups I’ve come to hold in my hands. All together it weighs less than a pound (.45 kg), fits easily in a sweat shirt pocket, and is very inconspicuous when it comes to street photography with its small form.

Metering is accurate, and looking through the viewfinder, it is incredibly easy to see your aperture, shutter speed, and exposure reading. Shutter speeds go up to 1/2000th of a second, and down to 30 seconds.

When popping open the back, the film goes on the left, rolls to the right, and automatically spools up on the right. As you are shooting, the film automatically rolls back into the film canister, preventing any shots taken from being ruined. I have come to love this feature, as winding up film is a pain in the ass with my Leica M3 and Mamiya 645 1000s. All and all, I’d recommend this set up to anyone looking to get into film, as the whole set up won’t cost more than $150 (less if you buy a used nifty fifty). This camera is entirely responsible for my expensive dive into film, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.