FilmNeverDie’s $230 Nana is a New Metal 35mm Film Point-and-Shoot

Nov 25, 2024

Jaron Schneider

While slightly delayed from its original June 2024 target date, FilmNeverDie’s Nana 35mm point-and-shoot camera is available worldwide. The passion project from founder Gary Wong appeared for pre-order just over a year ago.

Update 12/4: A follow-up article regarding reader concerns has been published here.

After years of no innovation or new products in the film camera business, 2024 brought three. First was the Pentax 17 half-frame camera, followed by the Mint Rollei35AF, and now the Nana has debuted. Announced in October 2023, the FilmNeverDie Nana was billed as a wholly new motorized and reusable 35mm “simple” film camera and was available for pre-order at a discounted price of $130 (it also was successfully backed on Kickstarter).

A top-down view of a marble table with two black teapots, a gold vintage camera, and three cups of coffee with varying amounts of milk, in red and gray saucers. A hand holds a cup at the top left corner.

“The Nana Camera’s development stems from our commitment to simplifying the joy of film photography for a new generation,” says Gary Wong, Founder and Director of FilmNeverDie. “We’ve created a camera that honors the legacy of classic designs while incorporating modern conveniences that today’s photographers expect.”

A person holding a vintage-style beige camera with a leather grip. It is surrounded by green, leafy plants. The camera is turned to show the lens and viewfinder.

The Nana is named after Wong’s daughter Nana and is described as a meaningful choice to reflect a personal connection and encapsulates innovation and nostalgia for the company. FilmNeverDie says that the camera’s story revolves around simplifying the joy of film photography for a new generation and aims to fill the market’s need for a simple yet high-quality point-and-shoot camera that honors classic film aesthetics but includes modern upgrades.

Film fans may recognize that the design is inspired by the Contax T2, a camera renowned for its durability, and the Nana combines that legacy with a look that is meant to be both stylish and functional. The Nana has a metal body, motorized film advance, included flash, and a lens with an aspherical element to produce high-quality images.

A child in a red outfit sits at a white table with a teacup, black teapot, and yellow camera. The background shows a black and white checkered floor.

The camera uses 35mm film and exposes with a fixed 1/125s shutter and f/11 via the 31mm one-element lens. The Nana is described as focus-free, with a 1.5m to infinity focus distance. The company says it is working on an optional attachment that would provide a second focus mode which will attach to the front of the lens via the 30mm thread (this attachment is described as still in the research and development phase).

A vintage-style camera with "Film Never Die" text sits on a wooden surface. Next to it is a box displaying "NANA" and an illustrated mountain scene. A colorful film canister labeled "ZATSU" is also present.

The Nana measures 110(W) by 62 (H) by 38 (D) mm and weighs 300 grams when loaded with film. It runs on AA batteries (which it ships with) and the first 1,000 cameras include a roll of FND film Zatsu 400 color film. The Nana is also backed by a two-year warranty.

The FilmNeverDie Nana is available for $232 on the company’s website as well as through a large number of global retailers, a full list of which can be found on FilmNeverDie’s website.