Shops & More for Film Photography Geeks

Vincent R. Vinci, Contributing Editor | Oct 9, 2024 4:30 pm | Add a comment | 201 reads

Film photography has been seeing a bit of a return to popularity around the world, with Ilford Photo finding in a recent survey that 30 percent of their film users were under 35, while 60 percent had only gotten into film photography in the past five years, as cited in a September article in PhotoBook magazine.

The reasons for this resurgence are plenty – digital fatigue, the call of nostalgia, the aesthetic appeal of film photographs – but one thing’s for sure: Beijing isn't immune to this, with a few select shops offering everything from vintage cameras to 35mm film rolls to Polaroid cameras popping up around the city, as well as activities like photowalks, workshops, and more for analog lovers.

Below are a few favorites we’d recommend to anyone interested in trying film for the first time or getting into it again. We’ve also included a dedicated film-themed café replete with film photography books to inspire your next round of shooting.

Lomography

Snuggled down in the basement level of 3.3 Mall in Sanlitun, Lomography is the Beijing outpost of Lomography, a Vienna-born camera company dedicated to a more whimsical approach to film photography.

The shop provides both Lomography cameras, film, and accessories alongside vintage cameras and a nice selection of 35mm film. The Lomography shop does offer film development services, but these are outsourced and take time to be developed.

Lomography 乐模胶片相机
B1021, B1/F, 3.3 Mall, 33 Sanlitun Lu
朝阳区三里屯路33号3.3大厦B1层B1021室
Hours: Daily, 11am-8.30pm
Contact: 186 1252 7807

FilmNeverDie

A self-described photography space and store, FilmNeverDie originated in Melbourne, Australia and is run by a collective of photographers dedicated to preserving and popularizing film and other analog forms of photography. This is done out of physical shops, workshops, and regular photowalks.

Their newly opened Dongsi shop and film developing studio is the latest iteration of their venture in China. Within the office-like space, rolls of all kinds of film—from Kodak and Fujifilm to Ilford and FilmNeverDie’s very own varieties—toy and disposable cameras, merchandise, and, the biggest selling point, an in-house darkroom that enables the studio to promise film development in around 30 minutes.

FilmNeverDie
4 Zhangzizhong Lu, Dongcheng District
东城区张自忠路4号院
Hours: Tues-Sun, 11am-7pm
Contact: FND_lab (WeChat)

Lewan Gongshe

This little shop near Andingmen that’s been around for 13 years has been recommended to me since I began shooting film in 2021 and was on the lookout for film and camera shops around the capital. It’s a decent place with all the fixings of the other shops – minus a darkroom – with a bit more in the toy and oddball camera department to peruse. There are also plenty of Polaroid cameras to browse as well.

Lewan Gongshe 乐玩公社
310 Andingmen Neidajie, Dongcheng District
东城区安定门内大街310号
Hours: Daily, 10am-8pm
Contact: 010 8402 7856

Darkroom Café

Opened by a lover of film photography in the Dashilar area a few years back, Darkroom is a paradise for coffee lovers and photography lovers all rolled up into one.

Here you can enjoy a selection of staples like the Americano (RMB 28, extra for specialty beans), Cappuccino (RMB 35) as well as a few cakes, all while flipping through all kinds of photo and art books from a small shelf in the back of the shop.