Rileychas Loc: San Diego, California

I got started in photography in the mid 70’s with a second hand Mamiya Sekor 35mm SLR, all manual. Took some classes, set up a B&W darkroom, it was great fun. Proceeded to an Olympus OM 2 and the journey to Auto photography began. Recently I picked up a Nikon Df on eBay and have purchased a few vintage Nikon lenses starting with a non AI 50mm 1.4. What a blast it is to shoot all manual digital with the manual controls on the Df rather than menu selections or programmed buttons on my other cameras. Great fun.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

There are quite a few folks on UHH who shoot film and do their own developing, then scan the negatives for online sharing. A lot of them have vintage cameras and lenses.

Others are exploring playful post processing and/or do superior work developing of raw digital files for a more natural result. So many paths to follow! What a great hobby we share.

BebuLamar

I love my Df but most cameras can be used in manual fashion. With a decent camera you can have all the controls on the Df without having to go into menu.
Let compare.
1. On the Df you adjust the shutter speed via the shutter speed dial. On others you turn the main command dial.
2. On the Df with manual lenses you adjust the aperture with the aperture ring. On others you turn the sub command dial.
3. On the Df you change ISO with the ISO dial. On others you push a button and turn the command dial.
4. On the Df you set EC with the EC dial. On others you push another button and turn the command dial.
5. For manual focusing with both you turn the focusing ring on the lens.
Other functions are about the same on either. Those that require going into menu with other cameras would requires you to go into menu with the Df too.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

When I started to learn photography in the late 50's all cameras had to be used in the manual mode. I was using a Petri rangefinder camera at the time with a Weston Master exposure meter. By today standards that was a very primitive rig. That Weston Master gave photographers an idea of how to measure exposure and I remember it was useless in low light. My next camera was a Konica SLR, also all manual but this time I had a better meter, a Sekonic with a cadmiun-sulfide cell that gave much better exposure readings. No Internet at the time. I was learning mainly on my mistakes. At the time if you had one of these manual cameras people considered you a photographer.

Manual photography is indeed fun. Setting camera and lens for your interpretation of the subject is today not only fun but a great exercise in discipline. The manual mode tends to slow us down, to think about what we are doing. A hand held exposure meter is also a great tool to make us think about metering the exposure. If using film we know there is no instant reward, we are careful with EACH exposure and we have to wait till the film is developed.

Enjoy your new camera.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

You are correct. I shoot with a D800E and the Df. Using the controls, menu or not, on the 800 is easy enough and in no way cumbersome. Still, having the controls so visible and so much like the 35mm film cameras on the Df, make it unique and fun. It is also a pretty decent camera for making images.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

I agree. I have added manual lenses to use on my Df, and like you say, It is great fun.

Rileychas Loc: San Diego, California

Bebulamar, you are correct but the point of my comment is how much the physical handling of the Df and manual lens is like using an old manual film camera. It’s all about the experience

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

Mac, I was surprised to find that I could use my Canon 650D with Pentax Takumar (42mm screw mount) lenses (manually), which were among the greatest (now rather cheap). The adapter is cheap and works fine. A bit more pricey (over $100) is the adapter to the back of view cameras for using all those lenses and camera manipulations with the Canon, and manualness galore. Some digital cameras balk at this--the Hasselblad H2 says "No lens attached" if you try that, though for a shocking price you can buy their adapter system to view cameras.

Bill 45

Yes using a manual film camera is all about the experience. Last mouth I use two manual cameras: Retina III C with 50mm lens. Kikkormat FTN with Nikkor 43 - 86mm lens. I mail out two rolls of films (one 36 and the other 24) yesterday, first time I be able to do that in a few mouths.

Contemplate Loc: Conroe, TX

Like you I started my 35mm life a while back - mid 60's, and progressed through cameras to my current OM-D E-M1 system. After the auto metering modes and then autofocus became generally reliable I've used the manual modes sparingly until recently and now shoot more manual that automagic. For the recent 'shoot 10 shots from one place' challenge I shot all manual (although I did use the in camera meter) with a single 25mm (50mm eq) prime lens. What a breath of fresh air that was. I found that I slowed down, paid much closer attention to the details and generally enjoyed the process more.

Rileychas Loc: San Diego, California

Well said, I also progressed thru a series of digital cameras ultimately culminating in my present D800 and OM D E-M1ii with complements of glass for each. After using the Df for a while I realized the difference that matters to me is the first two are automatic cameras with manual capabilities while the Df is a manual camera with automatic capability. Obviously it is a niche market but hits the sweet spot for me. Thanks for the reply.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

I wound up with an auto/manual camera that does both film and digital. It has a medium format film back and a medium format digital back--Hasselblad H2. It was designed as an advanced film camera with digital option, back when many people still used both. It's no spring chicken in technology, but I can't think of any other camera with both film and digital... I am still getting the hang of it and I haven't finished the first film roll yet.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

I love my Df for exactly these reasons. It looks so much like my very first camera (Nikon FM) that, in some ways for me, it is like a Time Machine. Curmudgeon recently posted a reference to Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel." With my Df, I feel like I can "go home again."

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I shoot manual and aperture priority. Both have value in my shooting venue.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

Bill, if you shoot aperture priority, I suspect you regularly use a tripod? When I used large format, shutter speed was not the issue--speeds of a second or half-second were common at small apertures, and hazy or cloudy days preferred for shadow detail (less contrast), and still today I first consider aperture. Today, however, we can use higher ISO instead with decent results. I never liked 400 ASA--loved 125--but in digital 400 is very nice. Shutter priority is typically needed only where action or dim light is a problem, or tripod is not possible (or perhaps where enlargement magnifies movement)...