Hungary’s photography history is full of prodigious visual artists as André Kertész, László Moholy-Nagy, Robert Capa, and Brassai – all of whom are immortalized in Budapest museums such as the Capa Center and the Mai Manó House, where various exhibitions and books popularize historic and fresh photography to this day. Budapest is also a stunning city with countless marvels, sights, faces, and places to capture.

Anyone with artistic or photojournalistic aspirations can find a gadget to their liking in the various camera stores found around downtown – whether they are old-fashioned film fanatics or digital devotees – along with photo-printing businesses offering everything from oversized high-definition prints to passport snapshots.

These are my fav. shops in Budapest:

OPTICAM

This small shop in Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Street is not at all obvious at first glance, but stepping in, customers find themselves facing a small but impressive collection of mostly secondhand cameras, but occasionally a few brand-new pieces are mixed in. They have different cameras, lenses, cases, film, and flashes as well, all part of a vast assortment that turns over regularly, as, despite the small size of the shop, there are still a great number of customers due to the central location. The staff is helpful, and they also take repair orders to bring broken cameras back to life.

Address: Budapest 1051, Bajcsy-Zsilinkszky út 20
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F8

Cool interior full of vintage cameras. Helpful and knowledgeable staff. They can develop and scan negatives for you professionally.
It's a dog-friendly place, which is also a plus. I can recommend them wholeheartedly.

Ó u. 9 (210.19 km) 1066 Budapest, Hungary

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CAFÉ ANALÓG - LOMOGRAPHY

The Budapest Embassy of Lomography, Café Analóg is a tiny coffee shop on chaotic Kazincy Street, with a clean interior enhanced with a huge and colourful lomo wall. The whitewashed shelves of the small shop are crammed with photo-related relics, such as cameras, films, canvas bags, t-shirts, tools, box camera keychains, smartphone photo accessories, and many other exciting items. Visitors can browse the shelves of the shop for real treasures while sipping on a nice cup of coffee or hot chocolate, having a slice of cake, or reading retro photography magazines. Fans of analogue photography will surely find something to their liking here, as besides Lomography equipment, they feature instant film for Polaroids, 135 and 120 mm film for analogue cameras, and they also take orders for photo developing. This café is more than just a regular shop, as the very helpful and friendly staff often organizes workshops and tours, where photo fans and amateurs alike can try out different cameras they might not have used before, take lomograhphs, and in case they enjoyed the experience, even get a brand-new Lomography camera in the shop.

Café Analóg - Lomography

1072 Budapest, Kazinczy utca 35.

SOOS Foto

Soós Fotó has been standing strong since the ’80s, enticing everyone into their store with an eye-catching secondhand camera collection in the shop window. The assortment is even more amazing inside, as the shelves are crammed with treasured antiques like working Rolleiflexes, Zorkis, FEDs, and occasionally even deluxe Leicas. Besides cameras, they also offer lenses, cases, functional enlargers, trays, light meters, photographs, postcards, telescopes, and random knickknacks, such as plates, silver trays, toys, and even occasional pieces of furniture. Their main profile is selling secondhand products, so this is a must-do visit for retro lovers in Budapest, whether or not they are into photography. The staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, as they gladly show customers the different mechanisms, and they also take orders for photo developing and scanning. Soós is found on Wesselényi Street just steps away from the Dohány Street Synagogue, and it is open from Monday through Saturday.

Address: Budapest 1077, Wesselényi utca 10
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LEICA Boutique Budapest

I shoot mainly with Leica cameras so it is always reassuring to know there is a Leica store in town, no matter if is to try a new camera, for an opinion or a friendly chat. The Leica Boutique in Budapest is small in a very positive way with lots of cameras including the latest and friendly staff ready to help and assist. Not to mention is super central and easy to find!

Address: Váci utca 61.
1056 Budapest, Hungary

PRINTS

Lab4art’s professional team makes analogue prints from the first steps of enlarging through developing and stop wash to fixing, scanning, and printing on quality paper – with all of that available from all formats, as well as digital photos fitted to the size and printed with a professional printer. These services are a bit pricier, but they always produce excellent-quality prints, keeping the customers’ wishes in mind at all times. Brave DIY devotees can even rent their labour with or without assistance for a friendly price, but in the course of their “Analog Saturday” workshops, they provide enthusiastic photographers with the know-how, tips, and tricks of developing.

Address: Budapest 1062, Aradi utca 11
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