The Seagull 4A is a simple, honest medium format TLR, originally produced in the late 1960s by the Shanghai Camera Factory. Inspired by Rolleiflex-style designs, it shoots 120 film in a 6×6 format, using a 75mm f/3.5 lens and a fully mechanical leaf shutter. It was built to make medium format more accessible, while still being considered a serious photographic tool in its time.
This particular example was picked up locally and is in excellent condition, fully functional with accurate shutter speeds and only minor signs of age.
Seagull as a brand also has a personal connection for me. The first roll of film I ever developed came from a Seagull DF, which was what originally got me into film photography. In that sense, the 4A feels like a natural continuation of that starting point.
Shooting with it is a slower, more deliberate process. The waist-level viewfinder changes how you frame, and the square format encourages a different way of seeing. It is not the most refined TLR, but it delivers exactly what you need, and nothing you don’t.
A straightforward camera with a bit of history, and for me, a bit of meaning as well.
