How to Choose a Manual Camera

Series Summary

Photography is the practice of making images by exposing film or another medium to a timed flash of light. The basic equipment used for photography has changed dramatically in the last decades, many people finding digital photography an inexpensive and creative hobby. We use photography as a means of communication worldwide: to sell things, to tell stories, capture memories, evoke passions, fight for causes, make new meanings, and inspire the imagination. Mastering the art of photography is a technical and challenging experience. Even with an automatic, digital camera, one has to learn how to frame a shot, choose a background, interact with the subject, use natural light, and select the right supplies and tools.

In this free video series, expert photographer James Flint leads you through selecting a new still camera. James gives you information on digital, SLR, and manual cameras. You will also see discussion of medium and large format cameras. He explains the benefits of developing your own film, how to choose a memory card, and which accessories a given camera requires. It is all here; a useful shopping guide.

Video Transcript

"Choosing the right camera is an interesting decision process. For me, I like a camera that's going to have both automatic and manual features so that there are both times when I can quickly capture an image with the camera doing everything automatically and not having to think. Sometimes there is not enough time to go through and make all your settings and you need some automatic functions. I very much like having all the manual settings because if you don't, the camera is going to dictate all of your images for you and we don't want that. The camera you see here is my Digital SLR. I really like this camera because it possesses both automatic and manual features. If you look at the spin dial on top, there are several different choices. The main two that I mostly deal with is the straight "M" that it is on now, which stands for manual. That means, as a photographer, you have to fully control your aperture and shutter speed. The camera is not going to make any decisions for you and you are on your own. A quick spin of the dial will take you around to auto and this is a perfect example of not having to think. You just point and shoot. Again, I'm in favor of cameras that allow for both automatic and manual features because you've got options but you still have the ability to fully control your photograph. This medium format camera is a little bit older and as you'll find with more older cameras, it's one or the other; automatic or manual. This camera is a fully manual camera. No automatic features about it. You can see here on the top you adjust your aperture settings like so, and here on the other side is where you adjust your shutter speed. Again, this camera is fully manual, so if you don't understand shutter speed and aperture, you're going to have a real tough time with a camera like this. A great thing about a Digital SLR is you can experiment with different settings and instantly see how they affect your photograph. It is important when choosing your camera to think, do I want one that's going to be fully manual or do I want one that's going to be fully manual with automatic features?"