Asia Camera Museum — Attraction in George Town

This small museum surprises with its depth. At first glance, it may appear modest—just a single floor of displays—but once inside, the experience transforms. The collection spans from early pinhole cameras to early digital models. Each piece has a story—and most get one.

But the real standout here isn’t just the gear—it’s the guides. Some tours are led by the owner or staff who double as walking encyclopaedias. Their passion is evident, whether they’re talking about a spy camera from the '60s or demonstrating how to take a photo using a bellows camera. Guests are often invited to handle select models and take retro-style photos through vintage lenses. This museum runs on hospitality as much as history.

Some may find the entrance fee (RM25) a bit steep given the size, especially curious visitors or those expecting high-end equipment. Much of the collection leans towards popular consumer models, and photography buffs may wish for more in-depth details. Still, most leave having learnt something. The guided format keeps things engaging, particularly for newbies.

Asia Camera Museum balances interaction, education, and charm in a space no larger than a lecture hall. In short: not a flashy stop, but a heartfelt one. A lovely place to spend an hour or two if you're curious about cameras—or just want to hear someone speak about them like they’re...

RM20 per entry per adult, and the museum is more of like a mini gallery spanning roughly the size of 2 living rooms, which isn't very big. Sadly that means those that gloss over details quickly will be done and over with this place as quickly as 20mins.

But analog enthusiasts like me will feel right at home. And it's not just 35/120mm, there's literally every era of camerawork on display. I took a solid 40mins just exploring every camera and trying out some of the stuff on display. My favourite part about the place was the SUPER DUPER LONG TELEPHOTO LENS they allowed you to peep through, just like the spy movies.

There's even a darkroom attached for you to understand how developing in the dark works. The auntie owning the place is patient and friendly in helping you to understand the different processes of operating the cameras in Malay, Chinese and English. If you catch her on an empty day she would even engage in small talk with you (and she did that with me).

Unfortunately they don't do processing of film, and they don't sell film either (well at least they used to before the pandemic but post-endemic the numbers really dropped so it's unsustainable to do that).

If you love the analog process like me please give this place your support and maybe we might see an analog renaissance and have a minilab in this museum or...

The auntie at the counter was really rude. We were only told about the RM20 per person entrance fee when we reached the counter. A friend of mine took a photo near the counter and was told to stop straight. We are a bunch of people from related field who learnt about the history of cameras. Imagine entering a camera “museum” being told not to take photo. Isn’t that irony? However, I tried my best to exchange perspective that maybe you would be able to take photos only after you buy their tickets. Which is still fair. But after knowing the price for the entrance, we kindly told the women that we wanted to discuss if we were to visit. And she wasn’t happy about it. To be fair, for a space this small to charge rm20 is crazy. Even UNESCO cheah kongsi just charges RM10 per adult. Also, when we were to go out, she rudely told us to close the doors tightly. I misheard what she said, and we entered nearly 30 minutes before they close so I asked if she was asking me to lock the door, she rudely answered me mockingly asking that am I kidding with her? Plus, the door already wasn’t working fine and it wasn’t able to shut properly. Honestly, auntie, there’s no need to ruin other people’s day. We were random strangers, we did nothing wrong and you don’t need to be so Sombong. In short, we didn’t entered and we came out...