The cover of one of the thousands of film camera user manuals available on Butkus.org, free of charge.
In this week’s Fim Friday, I want to call out one of the unsung heroes of the modern film photography era – Michael Butkus Jr., the owner and operator of Butkus.org / OrphanCamera.com, the Internet’s most complete library of film camera user manuals (as far as we know).
Michael has been operating the archive since 1997. And though the site’s design looks as if it is unchanged since that era (there’s even a spinning camera .gif at the top), it does the job. Michael’s archive of manuals is available, free of charge, for download in PDF format. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ended up at Butkus.org over the years while researching cameras for work and pleasure. If you’re into film photography, my guess is you, too, have graced the hallowed halls of the site at some time or other.
Michael Butkus Jr. is the owner and operator of Butkus.org / OrphanCamera.com, the Internet’s most complete film camera manual library
Michael started the archive because he felt there was a need to preserve camera manuals for future generations of film shooters. Scanning began three years before the site launched and he’s still adding to the archive to this day. You can read a bit more about his mission with Butkus.org here, and if you’re feeling particularly grateful for his multiple decades of effort, he’ll gladly accept donations.
So next time you pick up an old Miranda Automex from a garage sale and want to figure out exactly how it works, take solace in the fact Michael’s got you covered. The manual is but a few clicks away.
Do you know someone else we should feature as an unsung hero of the modern film era? Let us know in the comments below!
Don’t be fooled by its colorful, family-friendly design – the new 24-inch iMac is capable of serious photo and video editing performance.The Vivo X60 Pro+ claims to be a smartphone for ‘pro photography.’ While that’s up for debate, there’s no question this $1,200 device offers a lot of photographic power in a (relatively) small package.We’ve been shooting with Nikon’s stylishly retro Z fc for the past few days, so let’s dig in to see what this 20MP APS-C Z-mount camera offers.Sigma’s 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art is a designed-for-mirrorless reimagining of the company’s very first ‘Art’ lens that was released all the way back in 2012 for DSLR cameras. It’s got some big shoes to fill, so check out how it fares in our review.We’ve just completed our studio scene analysis of Sigma’s diminutive fp L high-resolution mirrorless camera – take a look at how its 61 megapixel sensor performs against other mirrorless options in both Raw and JPEG, at high and low ISO values.
If you’re looking for a high-quality camera, you don’t need to spend a ton of cash, nor do you need to buy the latest and greatest new product on the market. In our latest buying guide we’ve selected some cameras that might be a bit older but still offer a lot of bang for the buck.What’s the best camera for shooting landscapes? High resolution, weather-sealed bodies and wide dynamic range are all important. In this buying guide we’ve rounded-up several great cameras for shooting landscapes, and recommended the best.What’s the best camera for less than $1000? The best cameras for under $1000 should have good ergonomics and controls, great image quality and be capture high-quality video. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing under $1000 and recommended the best.Although a lot of people only upload images to Instagram from their smartphones, the app is much more than just a mobile photography platform. In this guide we’ve chosen a selection of cameras that make it easy to shoot compelling lifestyle images, ideal for sharing on social media.What’s the best camera for travel? Good travel cameras should be small, versatile, and offer good image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded-up several great cameras for travel and recommended the best.