📷cheap manual slrs that still shoot beautifully

f/8 and be there, minus the battery anxiety. all of these turn up under $150 if you're patient

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Pentax K1000

the one everyone tells you to start with, and there's a reason. meter needs a battery, shutter doesn't care either way

Olympus OM-1

smaller than you'd expect, full mechanical, viewfinder feels like a rangefinder

Nikon FM2

priciest one on this list if you find it under $150 at all, but 1/4000 with zero battery required

Pentax MX

nobody puts this next to the K1000 but it's the better body, tiny, bright viewfinder. $40 at an estate sale, busted seal, grain sold me

Yashica FX-3

cheapest real option here, mechanical shutter, meter needs a battery like the rest. plasticky but it just works

Ricoh KR-5

Minolta X-700

not fully mechanical if we're being honest, dies without a battery except one backup speed. still shoots gorgeous frames while it's alive

Canon AE-1

everyone's first camera and it will NOT fire without a battery, dead cell = paperweight. skip it if no-battery is the whole point for you

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