I need a camera with EASY manual features that aren't buried under 15 layers of menus. I realize that almost all cameras, digital and film have manula functions somewhere on them. I am looking for EASY TO ACCESS controls like some of the older cameras use to have. Twist the lens for aperature, turn a dial for shutter speed, etc. Thanks for the input so far. yes.
i recommend a canon digital rebel. They are GREAT starter DSLR's (digital) that work with canon's ef lenses or the Fuji Finepix f6500 if you dont mind having a fixed lense with a manual focus and zoom. Well... how about - a Pentax?
The K100D, K10D, and K110D all have metered manual mode (and a buncha others, but you never have to leave manual mode).
They range in price from $599 to $999 (list) with a
18-55 (Equal to a 35mm 27mm-83mm) zoom lens and in resolutions from 6-10MP.
Here's a link for K110D ($599 model) specifications.
http://www.pentaxslr.com/pdf/K110D%20Spe...
You can get that and manuals for all of them from the main site page http://www.pentaxslr.com/systemOverview
It also takes old Pentax K-mount lenses (with restrictions) and everything since then, and has anti-shake technology so you can take photos at much slower speeds than used to be possible.
Wow - it even takes screw-mount and 645 lenses (and everything made since then too).
The nice thing about them is that whatever you put on it becomes a 1.5 times longer lens. You could pick up a screw mount 400mm for $15 bucks and have a 600mm lens. Or a light 500mm mirror and have a 750mm lens - without the light or quality loss that a tele-converter would.
Quote from Pentax web site:
"We were always great fans of the classic PENTAX K1000...so when we discovered how much the PENTAX K100D followed the simple and easy-to-use philosophy...we loved it immediately."
-PC PHOTO, November 2006
I'd download the manuals and read through them and see if manual mode looks easy enough. Then, go to a camera store and get some hand-on time with them.
And if they are helpful, and you can, please buy from them.
People deciding on cameras at my friends store and then buying them for $25 cheaper mail order or on the internet is what finally made him go out of business. Sure. ANY DIGITAL SLR is fully manual. Just put it on "M" and do it yourself. This bypasses all menus totally and you just change the aperture and speed until you like the meter reading. | 