Appliances
Bell & Howell Filmo 70
by Bell & Howell
27
1 endorsements on r/BuyItForLife first recommended in Mar 2025
A spring-wound 16mm film camera produced for decades, built from 1/8-inch steel and weighing about 7 lbs. It saw use by war photographers from the Spanish Civil War through Vietnam, and the DR model shoots up to 64fps (some high-speed variants up to 128fps).
Added Jul 5, 2026, Updated Jul 7, 2026
Why it's buy-it-for-life
Built from thick steel rather than lightweight alloys or plastics, the Filmo 70 was rugged enough to be carried into combat by photographers across several wars and is still functional and usable by film students today, decades after production ended.
What redditors say
Recommended on reddit as recently as March 2025
Tags
film-camera 16mm vintage-camera steel-construction war-photography
Made of 1/8th inch steel, and weighing in at 7 lbs The 16mm bell and Howell filmo 70 series was produced for decades, has seen action in the Spanish civil war, WW2, Korea, and Vietnam by various war photographers.
Keep in mind shooting film especially movie film is not cheap