I’ve shot Tokyo dozens of times, always with a digital camera, and I’ve never regretted that choice. It was always the most convenient option, and a reliable film camera wasn’t part of my collection. I was looking for a new photographic experience in Tokyo so on this trip, I brought a film body.

Enter the Leica MP. If you gave a kid a pencil and ask them to draw a camera, they might draw a box with a couple of windows and a round thing stuck to the front. They’ve just drawn the Leica MP. In my mind, this image still sticks as what a camera looks like. There are countless great film cameras out there, but I always had my heart set on this one.

I decided to pair this camera with a 35mm Summicron V4. I felt like this was the right camera/lens combo for stepping into film.

There are a lot of film choices. I decided to head out this evening with a roll of Cinestill 800T. I’ve embraced its quirkiness and red blooms.

I found a developer a couple stops away from me who would develop and scan the images quickly. Sometimes, I had the scans emailed back to me within just a few hours. Not bad at all!

In the end I enjoyed the pace of shooting film in Tokyo and my fear of carrying several rolls of film back through the airports was put aside by finding a reliable developer locally.

Will I bring a film body back to Tokyo? I think so, but I’d probably pair it with a faster lens for some of the darker the scenes I like to shoot.