There’s something oddly calming about holding an old camera in your hands—no screens, no menus, just the basics. A few weeks ago, I picked up a Minolta Hi-Matic F, a compact rangefinder from the 1970s, and decided to slow things down and shoot my first roll of film in years. This post is about that beginning—what drew me to this little camera, what surprised me, and what it felt like to return to a more deliberate kind of photography.
Shot on Fomapan 100, developed at home in my bathroom and scanned with the Valoi Easy35. The whole process was incredibly fun — from loading the film to seeing the final scan come to life.
It’s incredible how these old cameras still work flawlessly after so many years — a clear sign that quality and durability were a real priority when they were made.
