# decent manual focus camera?



## grayfox (Apr 15, 2008)

My other half is always going on about wanting to do a photography course she uses her digital point and click camera a lot but really wants a camera were you can manually focus the lens.

Can anyone recommend a budget and mid-level non-SLR camera that I can get her for xmas that she'll be happy with?

Thanks.


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

grayfox said:


> Can anyone recommend a budget and mid-level non-SLR camera that I can get her for xmas that she'll be happy with?


With manual focus? I imagine it would be tricky to buy a non-SLR with manual focus, but there must be some out there. Some of the bridge cameras will have manual focus, but they won't necessarily be cheap and at the prices you may have to pay, you could probably get a second hand starter SLR (think Nikon D40/D50) kit for the same money, or possibly slightly less.

Does it have to be digital? You could pick up a great 35mm SLR for very little now.


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## grayfox (Apr 15, 2008)

johnnyguitar said:


> With manual focus? I imagine it would be tricky to buy a non-SLR with manual focus, but there must be some out there. Some of the bridge cameras will have manual focus, but they won't necessarily be cheap and at the prices you may have to pay, you could probably get a second hand starter SLR (think Nikon D40/D50) kit for the same money, or possibly slightly less.
> 
> Does it have to be digital? You could pick up a great 35mm SLR for very little now.


Thanks for the reply.

She loves putting the pics straight onto her laptop and facebook so think it does need to be digital.

Basically she's a newbie to photography and the theory having just used her Samsung ES55, but is interested in manual focus..

I don't have knowledge myself of if (like you say) it's easy to get a digital camera with manual focus.

Just think an all out SLR would have lots of features that would be wasted.


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

most bridges won't do MF IMO. Get an *ist D or so and some old SMC-M glass. Works great, is relatively cheap and is excellent MF practice.

Bret


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

I had a Kodak P880 bridge that I bought based on good reviews. It did have manual focus, but without a proper viewfinder (it had another tiny screen, viewable through an eyepiece as a viewfinder) it was pretty useless tbh.


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## grayfox (Apr 15, 2008)

bretti_kivi said:


> most bridges won't do MF IMO. Get an *ist D or so and some old SMC-M glass. Works great, is relatively cheap and is excellent MF practice.
> 
> Bret


Sorry dont have a clue what you mean to be honest. any chance of a link??


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## grayfox (Apr 15, 2008)

What do people think of the: 

Canon Powershot SX130 IS??

12.1 Megapixel, 12x Zoom, 3.0 inch LCD Screen Manual Focus and little over £100


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Does it have a manual focus or full manual control?
I can't find any reference to manual focus here.


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## grayfox (Apr 15, 2008)

johnnyguitar said:


> Does it have a manual focus or full manual control?
> I can't find any reference to manual focus here.


Ah think your right, think im getting confused with full manual control meaning being able to manually focus... :wall:

would have been a absolute cracker otherwise!


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## Katana (Mar 31, 2007)

I'm pretty sure you can't buy a non-SLR with manual focus, well not a digital camera anyway.

What he means is buy an older DSLR body like the Pentax *ist D, or any Pentax DSLR really, and then buy an old manual focus lens for it. Every Pentax lens made in the K Mount (1970's to today) will work on any Pentax K Mount DSLR body like the *ist D. This way you can have a DSLR where you can instantly see the pictures with a manual focus lens.

Example, i have a Pentax ME Super 35mm film SLR, i have 3 K-Mount lenses all made in the late 70's/early 80's, manual focus, very nice. If i went out today and bought a Pentax DSLR (they still use the K-Mount as they invented it, but it's an open standard), i could mount my old lenses on it and use them right away, albeit manual focus only of course. This option is probably in the £150 to £250 range though if you buy a used Pentax body, and source a good M series Pentax manual focus lens from eBay.

If you want manual focus on the cheap, you will need to shoot film, you can pick up a large range of manual focus film cameras for under £50, a few rolls of film for a tenner, a local Jessops can develop them and scan them to CD for you to view on the computer. If you want a UK site that sells film cameras for a fair price (some are outright bargains) check out Rocky Cameras, or eBay of course. You might even want to check out rangefinder cameras if you go down the film route.


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

MF in this context means Manual Focus.

Something like this: http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/2648/Used-Pentax--istD-Digital-SLR-Body.html

with something like this on the front: http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/2716/Used-Pentax-SMC-A-28mm-F2-8-Lens.html

If, on the other hand, you're talking about manual control, then get a decent compact instead. A dSLR is mild overkill in this case.

Bret


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## grayfox (Apr 15, 2008)

Katana said:


> I'm pretty sure you can't buy a non-SLR with manual focus, well not a digital camera anyway.
> 
> What he means is buy an older DSLR body like the Pentax *ist D, or any Pentax DSLR really, and then buy an old manual focus lens for it. Every Pentax lens made in the K Mount (1970's to today) will work on any Pentax K Mount DSLR body like the *ist D. This way you can have a DSLR where you can instantly see the pictures with a manual focus lens.
> 
> ...


If I was to find a Pentax ME Super 35mm SLR with a 50mm and 200mm lens for under £150 then that would be a great deal?


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## grayfox (Apr 15, 2008)

one more thing, if I was to get one lens with the body what would be best?

Prime? Zoom? Wide? Normal?


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

if it's a 50/1.7 and a 200/4 it's a decent deal. Remember an ME Super is a film camera!

I'd suggest a prime for the full fat manual experience and something like a 28-70/4 or 18-55 for the slightly simpler version. An *istD or K100d is cheap and if she doesn't like it, you won't lose too much if you decide to sell it again.

Bret


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## Mini 360 (Jul 17, 2009)

Trust me if she is doing a phtography course she will love the ability a DSLR will give her. Bridge cameras are ok for the odd setting but to get full control and creativity from your camera a DSLR is the only way imo! 

Im a keen hobbyist photographer and cant stand using anything less now. Use it for my Graphic Design course too.


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## Katana (Mar 31, 2007)

If your girlfriend is going to do a photography course then the instructor/tutor should be able to tell you what camera is required or preferred for the course. If she has a particular course in mind then you should really consult the course tutors before buying a camera, some might be digital only, some prefer a film then digital approach.

All my Pentax lenses are M series ones, the 28mm f/2.8 (£50), 50mm f/1.7 (£40) and the 80-200mm f/4.5 (£25), i paid £10 for the body and then spent £40 on having the camera serviced by a camera repair man, so about £165; but these are all excellent quality examples so i didn't cheap out on the kit, the body was cheap but in superb cosmetic condition so i paid to have it fixed. This is a film camera though, not digital.

The cheapest good option for a film SLR is probably a Praktica MTL5B (or MTL3) with a Helios 44M or Pentacon 50mm lens, can usually get that for £20, heck i even got one for free. Also the B series Praktica range is prime for cheap cameras with good optics as the lenses can't be mounted on a modern DSLR so no one wants them.

If you do get a DSLR, the 18-55mm kit lens that comes with them is usually enough for 95% of tasks, i know it does with my DSLR.

I'm a bit of a gear head with a camera buying problem though, 99% of the film cameras i own are manual focus; this morning i ordered a Zorki 4 with a Jupiter-8 50/2 lens just so i can have the lens for my Zorki 1B. At the moment i have a Praktica MTL3, Zorki 1B, Polaroid 230 (all with film in) and Nikon D5000 sitting on my desk, with another 40 cameras in a box in the cupboard.


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

I want a 28/3.5 for video work. All the SMC-K, -M, and -A series lenses are similar: they're lovely to work with, damped mechanisms, smooth movements and therefore really easy to focus manually - which is what I want when filming HD.

I don't have a film body, I just use them on my K10D (which is hopefully up for replacement soon with a K5).

Bret


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## Maxtor (Feb 23, 2007)

The Panasonic FZ20 has got manual focus.

A great camera too with very nice glass.

Maxtor.


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

I think I'm correct in saying the Fuji HS10 (which I'm also seriously considering) has a manual focus ring (and manual zoom)?


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## Maxtor (Feb 23, 2007)

Viper said:


> I think I'm correct in saying the Fuji HS10 (which I'm also seriously considering) has a manual focus ring (and manual zoom)?


It does Viper.

Maxtor.


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

Thought so, thanks Maxtor :thumb: The more I've read about the HS10, the more I can see it does everything I'll need so I'm 90% set on getting this now (apologies to the OP, I ought to be posting this on my own thread in here really ).


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## grayfox (Apr 15, 2008)

Viper said:


> Thought so, thanks Maxtor :thumb: The more I've read about the HS10, the more I can see it does everything I'll need so I'm 90% set on getting this now (apologies to the OP, I ought to be posting this on my own thread in here really ).


Haha, np's mate.


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