Introducing: Cisco
hello! i figured, in the interest to getting to know each other, you and i should become better acquainted. to that end, i thought i'd make a series of posts showcasing all of my cameras. yes, i do give all my stuff human names. what's life without whimsy?
if it's a more serious camera you're after, however? well, i've got you covered.
first off: cisco isn't my first nikon em. the first one, francis, developed light leaks due to degraded light seals. i sold that body and bought the same model again with newly refurbished light seals. it's a real ship of theseus situation over here.
the nikon em, as legend has it, was unveiled in the 1970s and marketed as a woman-friendly slr camera. a professional type camera that dainty ladies can use! finally! reports vary as to whether or not that's true, but ignoring the ridiculous misogyny, what the nikon em is perfect for is beginners.
most old mechanical slr cameras are fully manual. sure, some might have a program mode but most will require you to manually adjust the aperture and shutter speed, not to mention the iso, in order to perfectly expose your photographs. the nikon em, however, has three modes: bulb (the shot is exposed for the amount of time you keep your shutter pressed down), 1/90 (to be used to sync up with a flash (sold separately)), and AP (aperture priority).
the aperture priority, coupled with the camera's internal light meter, means you look through the viewfinder, compose your shot, adjust the aperture and the camera itself chooses the shutter speed. it'll beep at you if your shot's likely to be too over or under exposed, and there's a handy dial within the viewfinder showing you what your shutter speed's going to be, so just turn that aperture dial until it picks a better shutter speed and take that photo. it couldn't be easier.
if i was going to recommend any camera from my collection to someone interested in getting into film photography and wanted something more powerful than a point and shoot, i'd recommend the nikon em without hesitation. most go on ebay for fairly cheap for an slr; i picked up mine, with lens included, for around £50.
note: if you're buying this camera with lens attached on ebay, it'll mostly be attached to a 50mm prime lens - ie, it won't zoom. also known as a pancake lens, what you see is what you get. 50mm is said to be as close to human vision as a lens gets, though there is a debate about that. you should look through the viewfinder and see what you see with your eyes, as opposed to a lot of point and shoots which tend toward the widest angle possible to fit as much into the frame as it can. i feel like i lucked out with the 28-70mm lens my camera came with. but here's the thing - it's an slr. that means that if you want to find a different lens, you absolutely can. they sell those on ebay too. zoom lenses, macro close up lenses, wide angle lenses, you can do entirely as you please.
as you can see, the shots you can get back from this camera are wonderfully crisp and clear. the aperture priority system means you can focus entirely on composing your shot instead of having to guess or use an external light meter. and honestly, isn't the quality of the shots the most important thing?
when i'm out and about, i tend to have a point and shoot in my pocket, but cisco has been my constant companion on photowalks, whether i'm out exploring by myself or in a group of fellow nerds. once you've got to grips with the settings and familiarised yourself with its operation, it's easy to use, it's fast, and it takes great shots.
ok, so, if i had to sum this camera up:
Pros:
- built in light meter
- great for beginners
- interchangeable lenses
- set the aperture and iso and let the camera do the rest
Cons:
- if you're into such things, no full manual control
- viewfinder's a tad dark
- not as premium quality as some other, more professional slrs
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