If you like film, odds are you like old cameras too.

But how old is old? Film cameras haven’t been mainstream since the 2000s, but a 2000s camera will feel a lot more advanced than a camera from the ’50s. So what’s the best balance between convenience and mechanical simplicity?

There’s a lot to be said for the appeal of being hands-on for the whole process. There’s a certain satisfaction to doing every part of the process yourself, without help from anything electronic.

But there’s also a reason cameras got easier to shoot as the technology allowed; in theory, an automatic camera makes photography more accessible while also freeing up experienced photographers to concentrate on the non-technical aspects of shooting.

But put away that Rodinal; it’s not like everything is black and white. There’s lots of happy mediums between the two extremes of high and low tech.

Degrees of manual cameras

Priority Modes

This is the most automated a camera could be before I’d consider it automatic. For example, my Olympus 35 RC seems primarily designed for shutter priority, but it’s still a manually focused rangefinder with manual shutter speed.

A good compromise between setting up a shot quickly, and maintaining some manual control.

Manual With Match Needle Meter

This is the sweet spot for me. In late 60s through to the 70s, TTL (through the lens) meters were common on SLRs. While the meter didn’t directly change settings for you, it was super easy to tell the ideal exposure from a glance. From there you could set everything up yourself. It’s a simple and visual way to adjust things, but you still have 100% control.

Manual

We’re in deep now. To shoot a camera with fully manual settings (or perhaps just a dead light meter) you’d need to either consult an external meter, or perhaps use the Sunny 16 rule. It’s not as hard as you might think, but you’ll definitely miss a shot or two because you were busy setting up your camera. Measuring the light in the scene, transferring the proper settings to your camera, focusing, composing… it makes you appreciate how easy modern cameras are.

Manual

There’s manual cameras, and then there’s manual cameras.

With older cameras, you might have to deal with scale (AKA “guess”) focusing, manual aperture, manual shutter speed, manual shutter winding, and manual film advance with no double exposure prevention.

I’ve only dipped my toes in this era of cameras, but they really make mechanical 70s SLRs seem advanced. Ease of use can be a pretty wide range, even within the realm of fully mechanical cameras.

Degrees of Automatic Cameras

Program modes

This category has some crossover with manual cameras, but I’m drawing the line at program modes. A camera capable of setting the aperture and shutter speed for you is pretty advanced and I think it’s fair to put it in the automatic camp. Of course most prosumer level cameras will have manual modes available as well, so it’s not like this limits you in any way.

Autofocus

A bridge is definitely crossed when we enter into the autofocus era. Manual focus was the last hurdle to a “black box” camera — just push the button and it takes a picture without you having to know or do anything more than that.

That’s not to say autofocus in some way diminishes the experience of photography. To the contrary – it makes shooting in challenging situations possible where it otherwise might not have been. It makes it easier to catch fleeting moments, and it frees the photographer to concentrate on composition.

This is a really tricky question, and unfortunately I think the answer will have to be that old standby, ‘it depends’.

If anyone should prefer to shoot a manual camera, it’s me. I love the complex and high effort process of shooting film. I’m a diehard fan of everything hands-on and DIY.

And I thought I was in the manual camera camp until I started shooting a Nikon F4. I mostly use autofocus lenses and aperture priority, and I enjoy the heck out of it. It’s so fast and easy to take a shot, all I really have to think about is composition. I know the camera will handle the fussy details.

But it’s not like I don’t enjoy manual cameras, though. It kind of depends on what mood I’m in. Some of my favorite cameras are fully mechanical and/or don’t have light meters at all. I really enjoy not having to worry about electronics screwing up or batteries running out.

In the end, I think there’s a sweet spot for everyone. Mine is probably a really good integrated light meter paired with a big split prism for focusing that makes shooting a breeze. It makes for a good balance of being dead simple/reliable and leaving complete control to the photographer while also making shooting easy.

Clearly, the answer is to just own lots of film cameras. It’s the only logical solution!