Asia Camera Museum, Penang: everything you need to know for your visit

Penang specialises in quirky little museums, often discreetly housed in heritage buildings on the streets of George Town. The Asia Camera Museum on Armenian Street is an excellent case in point, ideally located for a brief stopover when you’re visiting the city. While the museum only fills one room and won’t need more than an hour of your time, it’s a cute and well-loved place that will be of particular interest to camera enthusiasts or anyone interested in seeing some niche history through a slightly different lens. It’s also a handy indoor activity if you need to step out of the heat or a quick downpour.

Where is Penang’s Asia Camera Museum located

The Asia Camera Museum is located on Armenian Street, one of the most popular and iconic streets within the UNESCO World Heritage site in George Town. Keep an eye out for the sign outside the building, the entrance itself is to the right, up a flight of stairs (unfortunately making it inaccessible for wheelchair users).

What to expect from your visit to Asia Camera Museum Penang

The first thing you’ll notice after paying your entrance fee and walking into the museum is that the Asia Camera Museum is on a small scale. Located in a beautiful and airy first floor room, the museum is thoughtfully laid out and planned, and is clearly a passion project for the owners. Included in the entrance fee is a group tour (available in several languages including English and Mandarin), conducted by one of the staff members.

The displays weave their way around the room, showcasing cameras from the early twentieth century, through to more recent models. It’s fascinating to see how these cameras have developed, from the large box-type cameras that burned through a single bulb for each shot, right the way through to digital SLRs with their microchips and large price-tags.

Before your visit, you not appreciate the timeline and development of camera technology over the years, with the early German and US cameras being replicated and reproduced in Japan during the middle part of the twentieth century, alongside French, British and Swedish versions.

In addition to the camera displays, you’ll also see a camera workshop and table, where the component parts of a camera are laid out in perfect order, giving some idea of the intricacy and detail that goes into these machines (plus the skills needed to manufacture and maintain them).

Your visit isn’t all about observing though, there’s also the chance to pose for pictures in the replica studio, use the vintage cameras alongside your mobile phone camera to take photos, or visit the dark room and see how much effort went into producing photographs before the digital revolution arrived.

The tour guide is on hand at all times to explain the displays and answer any questions, plus you’ll get some time on your own at the end to wander around and take photos. This is definitely a camera museum rather than a photography one, but there are incidental photographs dotted around the walls, some of them black and white portraits that the studio used to take for the people of Penang. There are also copies of famous photographs from across the decades, with examples of the cameras used to take them.

How much time to allow

Unless you have a serious interest in cameras, you won’t need any longer than 30 to 45 minutes here. The single room is well-filled with exhibits and displays, but you’ll cover most of it quite quickly.

Final thoughts on Penang’s Asia Camera Museum

The Asia Camera Museum isn’t necessarily one of the best things to do in Penang, but it’s still a relaxing and alternative place to visit, especially if you need a break from the heat. While it’s true that only the most ardent of camera connoisseurs will truly love this place, even the more casual visitor will find it interesting and informative, especially with the passion and pride the guides take in the museum and exhibits.

The RM25 entrance fee is perhaps at the more expensive end of the scale, but this museum does hold one of the most extensive camera collections in Southeast Asia, so it justifiable in some ways. You’ll probably never visit a museum quite like this again in the future so, if you’re wandering along Armenian Street and fancy a change of pace, it’s definitely worth half an hour out of your day.