Manual cameras make a useful addition to any collection.
Learning use a manual camera can be difficult and time-consuming, but the results are often rewarding. Be patient and work on a trial-and-error basis. Not every photograph or even every roll of film will come out as exactly the way you intend. Take your time selecting a camera that suits your needs, learn the basics of photography, such as choose the best subject, and develop the images as carefully as possible.
Instructions
1. Work in a dim or dark space. Press the latch on the side of the camera. Open the back panel. Load the film. Hook the exposed slip of film to the mechanism using the small holes; it should fit neatly if you bought suitable film. Wait for the number 1 to appear on the film counter in the small clear plastic window.
2. Set the aperture size by clicking on the aperture "upper" and "lower" buttons. Watch as the blades of the diaphragm shift and the gap between them grows larger or smaller. Make the aperture size large if you need to take a photograph of a subject in shadow. Make the aperture size small if the subject is well-lit. Look at the f-number on the dial that surrounds the lens barrel of the camera: The larger the f-number, the smaller the aperture.
3. Decide on the shutter speed. Click the clock buttons up or down to increase or decrease the shutter speed. Watch the second hand move clockwise for slow shutter speeds and counter-clockwise for fast shutter speeds. Remember that the shutter speed exposes the camera film to the amount of light you allow through the aperture. Set the speed higher for larger aperture sizes, or the image will be overexposed.
4. Calibrate the center-weighted light meter. Consider only what lies in the central circular field of view. Set the red exposure needle to the center for subjects of equal lightness and darkness. Override the problem of a white or very bright object in the central viewfinder by increasing the overall exposure (increasing the combined aperture size and shutter speed settings by one or two settings). For example, if your shutter speed was previously 125 (1/125), change it to a longer exposure time, such as 60 (1/60).
5. Turn the focus dial like you would a binocular. Look through the lens and try to focus the camera on your subject. Consider the foreground to be within about 4 feet of the camera and the background to be everything beyond that and to the edges. Zoom to focus in on a particular object. According to Digital Photography School, low-light images are best taken with a camera that can perform accurate manual focusing.
6. Compose the picture carefully to get the best results, which is particularly important with a film camera because you cannot use computer software to trim or recompose poorly constructed images. Use the rule of thirds to get the right landscape compositions. The human eye is naturally drawn about two-thirds up from the bottom of the subject, according to Color Pilot.
7. Try a shot. Hold the camera steady. Press down the button on the top right of the camera firmly, but without moving the whole device. Listen for the click and release the button. You can now move the camera. Practice again. Take another shot using slightly different aperture sizings and shutter speeds. Record the different settings you used for each photograph. You can use this information to find out which photographs were under- or overexposed later, when the film is developed.
8. Take out the film. Develop it in a home-developing suite or take it to a professional developing firm. Store the camera in a safe place, preferably in a damage-proof container. Clean the lens regularly using lens cleaner and a lint-free cloth.
Tags: shutter speed, aperture size, shutter speeds, camera that, Make aperture
