Buying a film
camera.

It depends heavily on the type. A simple 1970s or 1980s compact runs between 30 and 80 euros. A serviced mechanical SLR, between 100 and 250. A name-brand rangefinder starts around 300, and collector pieces have no ceiling. Be suspicious of any SLR advertised as "like new" for 40 euros: either it has not been tested or something does not work.

Five things, in this order: the optics against the light (fungus, haze, scratches), the shutter at every speed (especially the slow ones, which stick), the light seals (if they have turned to tar, light gets in), the body (cracked bakelite, screws that are not original) and whether the lens and caps are the right ones for that model.

To start with, mechanical. It does not depend on batteries that are no longer made or on electronics that degrade, and when it fails it can be repaired. An electronic camera from the 1980s may have a better meter, but if the circuit dies there is no replacement.

The rule is simple: insist on photographs of the actual unit, not stock images, and on the seller stating explicitly what they have tested and what they have not. If they say nothing about the shutter, they have not tested it. Here every piece is listed with its condition grade and, where possible, with photographs taken using that very camera.

Yes, and more easily than ten years ago. 35 mm is still manufactured, sold in camera shops and online, and developed by any city lab. What has gone up is the price: budget around 10 to 15 euros for a roll plus developing.