it won't come with a manual.
I'd like to know how to 'program' the camera to do what I need it to do ie. what size aperture and what shutter speed do I need to use when I'm shooting:
A) Portraits [indoor, outdoor, static and candid] and
B) Landscapes [general panorama or with focal feature]
I'm OK with lighting, shot composition etc.
I'm starting a vintage camera collection if you want to know why I'm not going digital. This one in particular is a Praktica MTL3.
Thanks for your help :o] Why won't it come with a manual? If you get one used, the person before you could have screwed around with all the settings.
Anyways... about the aperature and shutter speed....
There are actually 3 things you need to set: ISO, aperature & Shutter speed.
ISO-
set to a low number (like 100) when theres a lot of light outside
Set to a higher number (200-800) when there isnt as much light
APERATURE
Set the F-stop to a large # (small apearture opening), when shooting outside in lots of light- because less light is needed.
Set the F-stop to a small# (large apearature opening) when you are shooting and require more light in the shot.
SHUTTER
set fast (high number) when you have lots of light, or when your doing pics of moving targets (i.e. animals or people doing sports)
set slow (low number) when your taking a shot and its kind of dark, so more light is needed- the shutter needs to stay open longer. try to get one with a manual the settings ( beyond the basic f-stop and shutter speed) vary many have preprogrammed settings
i can imagine using the cameras but going back to the days of sending film out to be processed and no editing - no way Dear me. What's wrong with searching the internet? There'll be masses of information there. Your local library will have books on the subject. Librarys have a good section on photography. Worth a try? You might find a manual on eBay. Good luck! (I like my film SLR, too. Digital has its conveniences, but when I want it done right, rather than fast, I'll use film.) The MTL3 has a light meter, so you needn't worry too much. Set your lens to around f/2.8 or f/4 for portraits and f/11 or f/16 for landscapes and let the camera work out the shutter speed. You can get a manual from www.f22.com | 