Robert Lai
Well-known
Being a camera hoarder and general GAS afflicted person, I've acquired a lot of gear over the years. I also like to obtain a copy of the manual to go with the gear, to make sure that I'm not missing out on something, or doing it wrong. You can get most of these for free from Mike Butkus' site.
So, here are some of my impressions on the instruction manuals I've known.
Great: Mamiya C Camera Guide - covers the C2 and C3 models. This is a great manual. It's actually a little book on photography, and wonderfully written by someone who is a native English speaker. I wish they would credit the author of this 91 page wonder, because it's really a remarkable little book.
Absolutely needed: Kodak Medalist II manual
Leica IIIf manual.
Nikon F manual
If you have ever tried to load a Kodak Medalist, you really need to have the manual in front of you. The procedures you need to follow are not intuitive, and they need to be done in a certain sequence if you're not going to waste film. As you only get 8 frames of 6x9cm on a roll of 120 film, you'd better not waste film!
Leica IIIf - black dial or color dial, if you intend to use flash you need to know what numbers to use on the synchronizer. Important to me, as I do use bulb flashes as well as electronic flash. It is important to get it right for a #5 bulb vs a #11 bulb.
Nikon F manual is needed for the same reason. If you plan to use various different flash bulbs of different classes at different shutter speeds, then you need to know when to set it to the green dot, white dot, etc.
For most cameras, if you stick with X synchronization and a shutter speed of 1/30 or slower, you can synch virtually any bulb.
Good - most manuals fall into this range. The vast majority of Canon, Nikon, Carl Zeiss Contax, Leica manuals fall into here. They tell you everything you want to know about how to work the camera.
You can tell that Carl Zeiss was about to give up on the Contax IIa and IIIa when they got to the color dial. They never revised their instruction manuals, which continue to refer to the older black dial cameras. Instead, they printed up a 1 page insert which refers to the color dials, and shoved it into the manual which still refers to the black dial camera. Petra Kellers at camerabooks searched all of her Contax manuals before she found one that had this insert in it.
BTW, if you own a black dial camera, you can use any of the synch cables for flash. You don't need the "Electronic flash" cable - the bulb cable will do fine. The only difference is that electronic flash in those days had voltages in the 400-600V range, and the contacts for electronic flash were made very heavy duty to withstand this. The actual synchronizer is in the camera, which pushes the contacts to close.
Bad - Voigtlander Bessa with Rangefinder booklet.
This is Voigtlander of Braunschweig, in Lower Saxony Germany, not the Cosina Japan cameras. This is for my Bessa RF 6x9 and 6x4.5cm camera (format switchable by inserting a mask). The camera and manual are from immediately after WWII. I can't really say that it's "BAD" in that it is misleading. It shows evidence of having been written in German, than translated to English. Thus, some of the phrasing is not entirely clear for an English reader. However, the camera itself is straightforward to use, and you don't really need a manual in order to use it. Mine has a Color Heliar lens, which really is a wonderful vintage lens. Very sharp, but with great bokeh also.
With the devestation wrought in Germany at the time, I can't really be hard on Voigtlander. Just getting back into production alone was a feat in itself, and the camera is excellent, even after 70 years.
So, here are some of my impressions on the instruction manuals I've known.
Great: Mamiya C Camera Guide - covers the C2 and C3 models. This is a great manual. It's actually a little book on photography, and wonderfully written by someone who is a native English speaker. I wish they would credit the author of this 91 page wonder, because it's really a remarkable little book.
Absolutely needed: Kodak Medalist II manual
Leica IIIf manual.
Nikon F manual
If you have ever tried to load a Kodak Medalist, you really need to have the manual in front of you. The procedures you need to follow are not intuitive, and they need to be done in a certain sequence if you're not going to waste film. As you only get 8 frames of 6x9cm on a roll of 120 film, you'd better not waste film!
Leica IIIf - black dial or color dial, if you intend to use flash you need to know what numbers to use on the synchronizer. Important to me, as I do use bulb flashes as well as electronic flash. It is important to get it right for a #5 bulb vs a #11 bulb.
Nikon F manual is needed for the same reason. If you plan to use various different flash bulbs of different classes at different shutter speeds, then you need to know when to set it to the green dot, white dot, etc.
For most cameras, if you stick with X synchronization and a shutter speed of 1/30 or slower, you can synch virtually any bulb.
Good - most manuals fall into this range. The vast majority of Canon, Nikon, Carl Zeiss Contax, Leica manuals fall into here. They tell you everything you want to know about how to work the camera.
You can tell that Carl Zeiss was about to give up on the Contax IIa and IIIa when they got to the color dial. They never revised their instruction manuals, which continue to refer to the older black dial cameras. Instead, they printed up a 1 page insert which refers to the color dials, and shoved it into the manual which still refers to the black dial camera. Petra Kellers at camerabooks searched all of her Contax manuals before she found one that had this insert in it.
BTW, if you own a black dial camera, you can use any of the synch cables for flash. You don't need the "Electronic flash" cable - the bulb cable will do fine. The only difference is that electronic flash in those days had voltages in the 400-600V range, and the contacts for electronic flash were made very heavy duty to withstand this. The actual synchronizer is in the camera, which pushes the contacts to close.
Bad - Voigtlander Bessa with Rangefinder booklet.
This is Voigtlander of Braunschweig, in Lower Saxony Germany, not the Cosina Japan cameras. This is for my Bessa RF 6x9 and 6x4.5cm camera (format switchable by inserting a mask). The camera and manual are from immediately after WWII. I can't really say that it's "BAD" in that it is misleading. It shows evidence of having been written in German, than translated to English. Thus, some of the phrasing is not entirely clear for an English reader. However, the camera itself is straightforward to use, and you don't really need a manual in order to use it. Mine has a Color Heliar lens, which really is a wonderful vintage lens. Very sharp, but with great bokeh also.
With the devestation wrought in Germany at the time, I can't really be hard on Voigtlander. Just getting back into production alone was a feat in itself, and the camera is excellent, even after 70 years.
nukecoke
⚛Yashica
GulfCoastPhotog
Member
I thought Mike Butkus' site always asked for a donation for each copy of a manual.
David
David
Timmyjoe
Veteran
While yes, you can download the manuals from Mike Butkus' site without paying, his site operates on the honor system. If you download a manual and want to use it, you are supposed to PayPal him for it.
Best,
-Tim
Big Ursus
Well-known
The best teacher I ever had told me to choose an instruction book (not camera manuals) by the photographs in it. If they were interesting, get the book. If they were tired clichés, then that's what the author was trying to get you to produce.
Robert Lai
Well-known
You are correct Tim. He deserves the donation.
However, if you just want to know if the manual is of any use or not, then you can check them out on his site.
However, if you just want to know if the manual is of any use or not, then you can check them out on his site.
Ronald M
Veteran
UGLY. Digital Cannon P&S. Almost as ugly, name a Nikon D200, D3. 750, 800, 700.
Some forgiveness is possible because the cameras are way too complicated. I read the words over and over and they make no sense sometimes referring to another page and then back. Sometimes referring to functions I don`t even understand and will never use.
GOOD Zone VI 4x5 There was none and none needed. I just made a lens board, stuck the lens on the camera, Inserted a film holder, and took a picture. Worked like a charm.
Put that nice big neg in the enlarger and the print is better than any 35mm ever.
FAIR Leica M digital. Too complicated also. Give me a M6 with one metering mode and no auto anything.
Some forgiveness is possible because the cameras are way too complicated. I read the words over and over and they make no sense sometimes referring to another page and then back. Sometimes referring to functions I don`t even understand and will never use.
GOOD Zone VI 4x5 There was none and none needed. I just made a lens board, stuck the lens on the camera, Inserted a film holder, and took a picture. Worked like a charm.
Put that nice big neg in the enlarger and the print is better than any 35mm ever.
FAIR Leica M digital. Too complicated also. Give me a M6 with one metering mode and no auto anything.