February 2026

The TLR Buyer's Guide: Which Camera Should You Get?

A practical guide to buying your first (or next) twin-lens reflex camera in 2026, with recommendations at every budget.

Buying a used camera that was manufactured before you were born requires a different kind of confidence than buying something new. There's no warranty. There's no return policy on most used sales. The camera might have been sitting in a cupboard for thirty years, or it might have been lovingly maintained by a photographer who shot with it every week. From the outside, they can look the same.

This guide will help you figure out which TLR camera is right for you, what to look for when buying one, and what to avoid. It's organized by budget, because budget is usually the first constraint, and then by use case within each tier.

Before you buy: what to check

Regardless of which camera you're considering, there are a few things you should verify before handing over money. If you're buying in person, check these yourself. If you're buying online, ask the seller to confirm them or look for these details in the listing.

Shutter fires at all speeds. This is the most important test. Cock the shutter and fire it at each speed from the slowest (usually 1 second) to the fastest (usually 1/300 or 1/500). You should hear a clear difference between 1 second and 1/500. If the slow speeds sound the same as the fast speeds, or if the shutter sticks or doesn't fire at a particular speed, the shutter needs a CLA (clean, lubricate, adjust). Budget $80-150 for a CLA from a camera repair technician if the shutter isn't clean.

Film advance works smoothly. Turn the advance knob. It should move freely without grinding or catching. On cameras with auto-stop frame counters, the advance should lock after each frame and release when the shutter is cocked (or vice versa, depending on the model).

Focus is smooth and accurate. Turn the focus knob through its full range. It should move smoothly without play (wobble) or stiffness. Look through the waist-level finder and verify the image on the ground glass changes focus as you turn the knob. If the focus is stiff, the helicoid may need re-lubrication — a straightforward repair but one you should factor into the price.

Lens is clean. Open the taking lens to its widest aperture and look through it toward a light source. The glass should be clear, without haze, fungus (looks like branching white filaments), or heavy scratches. A few minor cleaning marks are normal on a sixty-year-old lens and won't affect image quality. Heavy haze or fungus will.

Light seals are intact. Look at the foam or felt seals around the camera back. If they're crumbling or missing, you'll get light leaks. Replacement seals cost a few dollars and take about thirty minutes to install yourself. Not a dealbreaker, but factor it in.

Film door closes tightly. The back of the camera should close firmly with a positive latch. Any gap or looseness means light leaks.

Budget tier: under $150

This is where most people start, and there's nothing wrong with that. The cameras in this range produce negatives on the same 120 film as a Rolleiflex costing ten times more. The differences are in lens quality, shutter speed range, build quality, and handling — not in the format of the image.

Yashica A ($80-130)

The most commonly recommended starter TLR, and for good reason. The Yashica A has a three-element Yashikor 80mm f/3.5 taking lens, which is sharp enough to produce excellent medium format negatives, and a Copal shutter with speeds from 1/25 to 1/300 plus bulb. The aperture clicks from f/3.5 to f/22.

The limitations are real but manageable. The shutter tops out at 1/300, which means you'll run out of speed on very bright days with fast film (ISO 400 in direct sun needs about 1/500 at f/16). The viewfinder is dimmer than more expensive cameras. There's no light meter. The focus knob can be stiff on some examples.

But the negatives are beautiful. The Yashikor lens has a character — slightly softer at the edges wide open, sharp and contrasty stopped down — that many photographers genuinely prefer to clinically perfect modern glass. For learning TLR photography, for street shooting, for travel, the Yashica A is hard to beat at this price.

Yashica D ($100-150)

A step up from the Yashica A with a four-element Yashikor lens (sharper, better corrected) and the same Copal shutter. The D was Yashica's mid-range TLR in the 1960s and offers noticeably better optical performance than the A, especially at wider apertures. If you can find a clean example at a reasonable price, it's the better buy in this tier.

Seagull 4A-103 ($60-100)

The budget option. Chinese-made, still in production until recently, and available cheaply. The build quality is a step below the Yashicas, and the lens is adequate rather than impressive, but it shoots 120 film on a working TLR and it costs less than dinner for two. If you want to try TLR photography without committing much money, or if you want a beater camera you won't worry about scratching, the Seagull is an honest choice.

Mid-range tier: $200-500

This is the sweet spot for most TLR photographers. The cameras here offer meaningfully better optics, wider shutter speed ranges, better viewfinders, and more refined handling than the budget tier. Many photographers buy a camera in this range and never feel the need to upgrade.

Yashica-Mat 124G ($250-400)

The best-selling TLR of its era and still the most-recommended starter camera for serious shooters. The 124G has a four-element Yashinon 80mm f/3.5 lens (excellent sharpness and contrast), a Copal-SV shutter with speeds from 1 second to 1/500, and a built-in CdS light meter. The meter usually doesn't work anymore because it requires a discontinued mercury battery, but battery adapters and workarounds exist, and external metering is easy.

The 124G's Copal-SV shutter is the real upgrade over the budget cameras: 1 second to 1/500 gives you a much wider range of usable conditions. You can shoot ISO 400 in bright sun at f/16 and 1/500 with room to spare. You can shoot in dim shade at f/3.5 and 1/30. The camera handles well, focuses smoothly, and feels like a precision instrument.

Prices have risen steadily as the film revival has increased demand. A clean, working 124G that sold for $150 five years ago now goes for $300 or more. It's still worth it.

Rolleicord V ($200-350) and Rolleicord Vb ($250-400)

The Rolleicord is Rollei's more affordable line, and the V and Vb are the best of the series. Both use a Schneider Xenar 75mm f/3.5 lens — a four-element Tessar-type design with a distinctive rendering that's sharp, contrasty, and has a beautiful quality in the out-of-focus areas. The shutter runs from 1 second to 1/500.

The Vb adds an uncoupled light meter (selenium, no battery needed, may or may not still work) and a slightly different focusing mechanism. The V is the better value if the meter doesn't matter to you. Build quality is a clear step above the Yashicas: tighter tolerances, smoother film advance, a more refined crank mechanism, and that unmistakable Rollei solidity.

The Rolleicord is where you start to understand why people obsess over these cameras. The Xenar lens produces results that, in many shooting situations, are indistinguishable from the Zeiss Planar in a Rolleiflex costing three times more. The camera is lighter and more compact than a Rolleiflex, making it an excellent travel TLR.

Minolta Autocord ($200-350)

The dark horse of the TLR world. The Autocord is often overlooked in favor of Yashica and Rollei, but photographers who own one tend to evangelize it. The Rokkor 75mm f/3.5 lens is genuinely excellent — some argue it's the best lens in this price range. The shutter runs from 1 second to 1/500. The build quality is high, the focus is smooth, and the film advance uses a crank lever that's faster than a knob.

The Autocord's main drawback is that replacement parts are harder to find than for Yashica or Rollei, and fewer repair technicians are familiar with the model. If you get a clean, working example, it's a superb camera. If it needs work, repairs may be more expensive or harder to arrange.

Mamiya C330f ($300-500 with one lens)

The outlier in this list. The Mamiya C330f is the only TLR system with interchangeable lenses. The camera body accepts lens pairs ranging from 55mm wide-angle to 250mm telephoto, all in TLR format. This makes it the most versatile TLR ever made and the closest thing to an SLR system in the twin-lens world.

The trade-offs are size and weight. The C330f is significantly larger and heavier than a Yashica or Rolleicord — it's a professional tool, not a pocket camera. The bellows focusing system allows much closer minimum focus distances than other TLRs (useful for portraits and detail work), but the bellows can deteriorate over time and may need replacement.

If you want one camera that can do everything — street, portrait, landscape, close-up — the Mamiya system is unmatched. If you want something lighter and simpler, look elsewhere. The 80mm f/2.8 standard lens is the most common and the best place to start.

Premium tier: $600-2,000+

At this level, you're buying cameras that professional photographers relied on for decades. The optical quality is as good as medium format gets. The build quality is legendary. And the prices reflect both the engineering and the collectibility.

Rolleiflex 3.5F ($600-1,200)

Many photographers consider the 3.5F the best all-around TLR ever made. It comes with either a Zeiss Planar 75mm f/3.5 or a Schneider Xenotar 75mm f/3.5 — both outstanding lenses, and the debate over which is better has been running for sixty years with no resolution, which tells you everything you need to know about how close they are.

The shutter runs from 1 second to 1/500. The built-in meter (selenium, uncoupled) may still work on well-stored examples. The film advance is a crank with an auto-stop mechanism. The viewfinder is bright. The focus is precise. Every aspect of the camera feels considered and refined.

The 3.5F is more affordable than the 2.8F because f/3.5 is a half-stop slower than f/2.8 — a small difference in practice, but enough to create a significant price gap. For most shooting situations, the 3.5F offers nearly identical image quality at a lower price. It's arguably the best value in the premium tier.

Rolleiflex 2.8F ($1,200-2,500)

The flagship. The Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8 in the 2.8F is one of the finest medium format lenses ever produced. Wide open at f/2.8, it has a distinctive rendering — sharp in the center with a gentle fall-off into creamy bokeh — that has defined the look of medium format portraiture. Stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8, it's clinically sharp across the entire 6x6 frame.

The extra half-stop over the 3.5F matters in low light and for selective focus. The camera is slightly larger to accommodate the bigger lens. Build quality is identical to the 3.5F — which is to say, impeccable. These cameras were built to survive professional use for decades, and many of them have.

At current prices, a 2.8F is an investment. But it's an investment in a tool that will outlast you. These cameras don't depreciate in any meaningful sense — well-maintained examples sell for what they sold for ten years ago, or more. You're not buying a gadget. You're buying a piece of engineering that will produce beautiful photographs for as long as 120 film exists.

Where to buy

eBay remains the largest marketplace for used TLR cameras. Prices vary widely, and condition descriptions range from meticulous to optimistic. Look for sellers with high feedback ratings and detailed photos of the actual camera (not stock images). "Fully tested" and "shutter fires at all speeds" are good signs. "Untested" and "sold as-is" mean you're gambling.

Specialist camera dealers — both online and brick-and-mortar — often offer tested cameras with short warranties (30-90 days). You'll pay more than eBay, but you get some assurance that the camera works. KEH, UsedPhotoPro, and various local camera shops are good sources.

Camera shows and swap meets are excellent if you can inspect the camera in person. Bring a roll of film and ask if you can test-fire the shutter. Bring a loupe to inspect the lens. Prices at shows are often negotiable.

Estate sales and antique shops are where lucky finds happen. Cameras at estate sales are usually priced below market because the seller doesn't specialize in cameras. Condition is unpredictable — you might find a pristine camera in its original case, or a doorstop. But the prices can be remarkable.

Online forums and communities — Reddit's r/analog and r/AnalogCommunity, Flickr groups, and dedicated TLR forums — sometimes have cameras for sale from photographers who know the equipment and price it fairly. The advantage is that the seller usually knows the camera's actual condition and history.

What about the meter?

Many TLRs have built-in light meters, and on most of them, the meter no longer works. This should not be a factor in your buying decision. A dead meter doesn't affect any other part of the camera. The shutter, aperture, focus, and film advance all work independently of the meter.

For metering, use a phone app. TLR Companion is built specifically for TLR cameras: select your camera model and the app only shows you aperture and shutter speed combinations that your camera actually has. No mental translation from generic meter readings to your camera's click-stops. For more detail, see our guide on how to meter without a built-in meter.

One camera is enough

A note for people staring at this list and feeling overwhelmed: any of these cameras will produce excellent photographs. The differences between them are real but smaller than the differences between a well-metered exposure and a poorly-metered one, or between a strong composition and a weak one. The camera matters less than the photographer's eye, the quality of the light, and the decision of when to press the shutter.

Buy one camera. Learn it. Shoot twenty rolls through it. By then you'll know what you want — a wider shutter speed range, a faster lens, interchangeable lenses, lighter weight, better build quality — and you can make an informed decision about whether to upgrade or be happy where you are.

Most TLR photographers end up happy where they are.

For detailed specs, history, and current market prices on 48 TLR cameras, visit the metergeist TLR Camera Guide.