Despite modern "do-everything-for-you" cameras, the old manual film camera still has a place in the world, particularly with photographers who want to retain complete control over their art. And because few people want these old manuals, they are inexpensive to buy and fun to master. You also have the advantage of doing unusual things without the camera's computer brain "thinking" it's smarter than you.
Basics
Manual cameras are heavier than modern plastic digital cameras and, in general, they were built to last. For example, the Hasselblad 500 C/M was once the choice of pros because it had superb lenses and produced a 2.25-by-2.25-inch negative or slide, which yielded sharper prints than were possible from 35 mm film. At its peak, this camera body---without a lens---cost $3,000. Now that they're out of favor, Hasselblad body prices have dropped to around $100, making this once lofty camera accessible to most photographers. If you buy a 500 C/M and its standard 80mm lens, add a couple of film backs. Film backs hold the film in either 120 or 220 size for either 12 or 24 exposures, respectively. This is a complex piece of equipment, so get to know it. A common mistake, for example, is to forget to remove the dark slide from the film back before trying to take a photo. The film slide protects the film from exposure while switching film backs, and it prevents the camera shutter from working when in place.
Advantages
Take a camera out for a test drive and experiment with all the controls. Move in close for portraits or nature studies, farther back for landscapes. Use bracketing--taking at least three shots of the same photo at different shutter speed and aperture settings to learn which exposure combination works best. You won't see the results right away as you would in a digital camera, but you won't ever have to miss a shot because of a dead battery; the camera doesn't have any. Everything is mechanical. Don't plan on shooting fast, because manual cameras aren't built for speed. Use that to your advantage to carefully compose your photos.
Light and Film
The Hasselblad 500 C/M and other medium-format manual cameras don't have a built-in light meter. There are several solutions to this. You could buy a metered prism viewfinder that provides through-the-lens light readings; you could buy a hand-held meter; or you could guess. If you enough photographic experience, guessing can work, but it's risky if you're on an important photo shoot. The hand-held meter is the tried-and-true method. A separate meter may not be as accurate as the through-the-lens variety, but it's generally less expensive and doesn't weigh the camera down. Another tip with a Hasselblad or similar camera is to get a lot of film backs and pre-load them, especially for professional shoots. It takes time to load a film back, and that slows down the shoot. If you have many film backs already loaded with different types of film, you will be ready to keep shooting, and you won't miss the special moment.
Tags: film backs, film back, from film, hand-held meter, manual cameras