The 5 coolest analogue photography shops in Europe
Do you remember visiting the small analogue section of your local digital camera shop, where the elderly salesman with grey-streaked hair and a khaki camera vest would look at you suspiciously, wondering what you were doing there?
Fortunately, analogue photography stores no longer feel like secret film clubs anymore where only elderly male tech enthusiasts are permitted to enter. Film photography has become accessible to everyone again.
What pleases me most is that there are now specialised analogue photography stores for a younger generation, giving analogue photography a new, welcoming home.
Let me introduce you to the greatest analogue shops that I have discovered in Europe. As a short disclaimer, my ranking is based on personal impressions collected over the last few years. There are still analogue shops around Europe that I haven’t discovered yet and will review at a later date.
As I already own many analogue cameras, I didn’t buy any “new” ones in the shops, but instead stuck to buying films and accessories.
Here are my five favourite analogue photography shops in Europe:
1) Safelight, Berlin / Germany
Chances are high that if you follow Leica Ambassador Paul Hepper on Social Media, you have seen or heard about Safelight in Berlin. Located in the heart of Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district, Safelight is a shop, laboratory and gallery specialising in analogue cameras, lenses, darkroom equipment and accessories.
With its unique, memorable pink aesthetic, Safelight — founded by Alessandro Iotti and Chris Morgan — is a vibrant place for all analogue photography enthusiasts.
It is a meeting point for the analogue community, as well as a gallery for newcomer artists. You can also browse various books and zines there or find out about the latest products to support your analogue journey. Safelight offers a wide selection of analogue films, including its own black-and-white 35 mm films. Since 2019, they offer 35 mm and 120 mm film development (C-41, B&W, E-6 and ECN-2) as well as standard and fine art printing in their professional in-house lab.
If you want to learn more about analogue photography, you can take part in one of their workshops or join a community event such as one of their photo walks. It is also worth mentioning their YouTube channel which features many informative and educational videos about analogue photography.
Safelight's slogan, 'Shoot film, stay broke', is printed on a variety of merchandise, including caps, bags, stickers, mugs, shirts, socks and scarves. I especially like their shirt with a picture of Queen Elizabeth II on the back, focusing on taking a photo with her analogue camera. Their film keychains are also special – you can even make a keychain from your own film, which is a lovely memento if you took special pictures on this roll.
I discovered the Long Weekend brand at Safelight, where I bought my Santa Fe Shoulder Bag. Of their own merchandise, I own a small black pouch in which I store all my analogue films and batteries.
Safelight Berlin
Schivelbeiner Str. 9
10439 Berlin
www.safelightberlin.com
Safelight on Instagram
2) One Of Many Cameras, Copenhagen / Denmark
While One Of Many Cameras (OOMC) might not have such a stand-out look as Safelight Berlin – its shop might look unremarkable from the outside – but inside it's like a treasure chest — or rather, a treasure cave. What I love most about them is their brand mission: that photography is more than just boxes and technical specifications; they strive to make their shop stand out from the rest.
The shop is located in a beautiful part of Copenhagen, Denmark, which is definitely worth checking out, even if you're not into cameras or analogue photography.
OOMC is an alternative camera shop specialising in digital and analogue photography. They sell and buy new and second-hand cameras, as well as offering repairs and equipment rentals. Stepping into the shop with its wooden floor gives you the impression of being in a photography enthusiast’s living room that is filled with more equipment than the room can hold. They treat customers more like friends of the house and play rock music on Saturdays to make the atmosphere even more hygge (in a metal way ;-). Although a few customers did not share this feeling, claiming the crew to be unprofessional and unfriendly (when repairing cameras as evidenced by reviews on Trustpilot), I had a completely different impression. I visited OOMC twice, one year apart, and was treated very nicely and kindly both times. For me, it was one of the best customer service I have ever experienced in a photography shop.
You can tell that the team consists of photography enthusiasts who are passionate about their work. As well as selling cameras and film, OOMC publishes books and produces exclusive merchandise. They have even released a record and brewed their own beer, called One of Many Beers. They also run a Polaroid website offering exclusive portraits and workshops. You can also develop films there (E6, C41 and B&W).
Over the years, OOMC has created several different T-shirt designs. My favourite is the 10 Years Anniversary Design by Troels Emig. There’s a lot going on on the shirt, but the hand-drawn elements make it look really cool. I wish I owned one too.
I bought two posters from their art project, “Photosynthesis”, as I love botanicals and analogue photography. During my first visit, visual artist Bjarke Ahlstrand sold me the Olympus Mju II print, telling me that he wanted to give these old, broken cameras a new life. He came up with the idea together with his wife, Natalie, who is a botanist, to grow flowers out of them, combining both of their passions.
One Of Many Cameras
Gråbrødre Torv 4
1154 Copenhagen K - Denmark
https://oneofmanycameras.com/
One Of Many Cameras on Instagram
3) Föfoto, Budapest / Hungary
Let's step into the next living room which we came across by chance while visiting the beautiful Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library in Budapest.
Főfoto (meaning “Main Photo”) is an apartment that doubles as a gallery, café, museum and analogue lab. Some guests said that they even had to ring the bell as if they were entering someone’s private home.
Founded by Gábor Zsigmond and János Krasznai, who have known each other since primary school and both had careers as advertising photographers, the idea for Főfoto has been knocking around for years, inspired by similar concepts in Vienna, Berlin and New York.
They decided to create a space where they could support and teach photography and so they took the plunge and opened this beautiful art space.
The photography section is rather small and located on the left as you enter the flat. They offer all the essential supplies for analogue photography, including cameras, film and books. You can also get traditional film developed there; they offer C41, B&W and E6 processing, as well as cine scanning of film rolls.
The café serves freshly made sandwiches and sweet and savoury pastries, as well as coffee, tea, quality beer, wine and soft drinks which you can enjoy while viewing the monthly changing gallery programme.
Through Föfoto, Gábor and János demonstrate that photography is not just for the privileged, but a living, lovable and valuable art form. The team is happy to help anyone who would like to learn more about analogue photography.
When I stepped into Föfoto, my eyes sparkled — not only is it a beautifully furnished space with a nice selection of products for photographers, but it also has exciting design elements, such as huge white lampshades that came from the boardroom of Hungarian TV. There is so much to see and discover. The drinks and food also have very reasonable prices and there is even a dog! If I lived in Budapest, I would definitely visit Főfoto every week and also celebrate special occasions like my birthday there.
I didn't buy anything photography related; I just enjoyed a hot chocolate and the beautiful atmosphere. Föfoto is definitely the most beautiful and interesting one of all the places mentioned. As this is a ranking of analogue shops, I put it in my top three, even though the shop space is rather small. It is definitely one of the places you shouldn't miss, though!
Főfoto
Budapest, Baross u 10, 1085 Hungary
https://www.fofoto.hu/t-en
Föfoto on Instagram
4) Café Analóg, Budapest / Hungary
Café Analóg is a great place for all fans of analogue photography. Although the name might suggest that it's primarily a coffee shop, it's actually a small store offering a wide selection of cameras, films, lenses and photo gadgets as well as photo lab services. It also serves a good cup of coffee and croissants.
Since 2010, Kristóf Váczi and his business partner, Anett Kaposvári, have been creating a space for professional and amateur photographers alike. It is also a flagship store for Lomography products, and, similar to Safelight in Berlin, the owners offer workshops, presentations, parties and exhibitions.
The shop has the perfect size for browsing their cameras and films. I personally loved all the pictures displayed on the walls. I bought a Kodak 200 Gold film there which I used in my Minolta Riva Mini during my time in Budapest.
I couldn't leave without buying their amazing Café Analóg tote bag which is made of really thick fabric and features the shop's name on the front.
The staff was really friendly. When we were there in October, there was a homemade pinhole pumpkin camera outside the store. They even offer workshops where you can bring your own pumpkin and make a pinhole camera.
Cáfe Analóg
1075 Budapest, Kazinczy utca 35
https://cafeanalog.hu/
Cáfe Analóg on Instagram
5) Take It Easy Lab, Leeds / UK
Strictly speaking, Take It Easy Lab is, as the name suggests, a film laboratory. However, it also has a small shop selling various films and some really cool merchandise.
The lab celebrated its 5-year anniversary in 2025, with a team that has grown from three to 13 members over the years. They have processed over 150,000 orders in total, making them a very popular laboratory for analogue photography. Take It Easy Lab also offers photo walks, film workshops, giveaways and photo competitions. I was very lucky to win five rolls of Santacolor100 film, which is spooled in Finland, in one of their giveaways.
The Take It Easy Lab creates a supportive and welcoming environment where curiosity is encouraged and photographers of all levels feel confident to take the next step.
It's clear that they put a lot of heart and soul into the lab. They also have a great Instagram profile where you can watch staff features and see how many films they receive for development every day. They showcase beautiful photographs developed at the lab and collaborate with brands such as Lee Jeans Europe and Dixies.
What's lovely about their website is that they have a section dedicated to customers' doodles on their orders, as well as a disposal directory where they showcase every disposable camera that has been developed in the lab, giving them a lasting legacy.
I truly adore their merchandise. They sell shirts and tote bags featuring a comic version of a film roll on a skateboard with slogans such as “Don't be negative... take it easy!” and “Roll with the good times”. To help customers remember to support their local film lab, they also offer “Support Your Local Film Lab” caps and pins.
I really hope I can visit their lab one day to develop one of my films, join one of their social gatherings and buy some of their merchandise.
Take It Easy Lab
Unit 1, Aire St Workshops
30-34 Aire Street
LS1 4HT, Leeds
https://takeiteasylab.com/
Take It Easy Lab on Instagram
Bonus tip
One of the biggest and most well-known analogue shops is the Kamerastore in Tampere, Finland. This 30-person company typically has over 11,000 analogue camera items in stock. What’s great about Kamerastore is that they collect broken cameras and use their spare parts to repair working models. I recommend following “Camera Rescue” on Instagram to see owner Juho Leppänen save analogue cameras around the globe which is really inspiring. You can also find several interesting videos about Kamerastore on YouTube, including one by Matti Happoja.
I haven’t visited the shop yet, having only contacted them via email and Instagram regarding a photo walk. Unfortunately, I never received a response. Therefore, I decided not to include them in the ranking, even though it is surely a great place for analogue photography lovers, with lots of interesting features like the film vending machine or cool products such as the Santacolor film.
Which analogue shops should I visit next time and which ones would be in your ranking?
Just to make it clear: This blog post is not sponsored.
