Which are the best cameras for manual exposure?

Manual exposure has become something of a lost art in photography. For a modern audience, exposure is something the camera does automatically. Sometimes you have to make a few adjustments, maybe to the EV compensation dial, but mostly you just let the camera get on with it as a kind of low level task you don’t have to worry about.

It’s a heck of a lot quicker to use auto exposure rather than manual, that’s for sure. But it also distances you from the adjustments the camera is making on your behalf and, ultimately, how you set about capturing the image you want.

The fact is, shutter speed is important. Lens aperture is important. Assessing and adapting exposure readings is especially important. So even though manual exposure may slow you down, for a while at least, it will reconnect you with what the camera is doing and how it affects what you are trying to do.

While all mirrorless cameras and DSLRs offer manual exposure controls, and some higher-end compact cameras too, they don’t all make it easy. So this guide is designed to highlight some of the camera features and designs you should look for if you want to reconnect with manual exposure techniques.

What to look for: physical exposure dials

Only one camera maker has made physical exposure controls mainstream again. Fujifilm’s retro-styled mirrorless cameras, and its X100-series compacts, offer shutter speed dials on the top and, on most Fujinon lenses, physical aperture rings. In fact these make up many of the best Fujifilm cameras on the market. This is the ideal. You can adjust the exposure without having to put the camera to your eye, or even switch it on. The exposure settings are clearly visible and obvious, and they persist even after you’ve switched the camera off and put it away. These cameras don’t have a mode dial. The shutter speed and aperture can both be set to a specific setting or to ‘A’ (automatic) and in this way you can still use them in Program AE, Aperture priority, Shutter priority and Manual mode. It’s in manual mode that these cameras are set apart from everything else. Nikon has shutter speed dials on its Z fc and Zf cameras, but without aperture rings on the lenses, these only go half as far as Fujifilm cameras.

Fujifilm X-T30 III: Updated retro classic

Sensor: 26MP APS-C
Interchangeable lenses: Yes
Dedicated shutter speed dial: Yes
Lenses with marked aperture rings: Many
Top status panel: No
User type: Enthusiast/travel photographer

The X-T30 III is a refreshed version of Fujifilm’s evergreen retro-styled compact mirrorless camera, and while it’s much the same on the outside, the internal upgrades make quite a difference. Fujifilm has paired the original X-Trans IV sensor with its latest X-Processor 5 hardware to give improved autofocus and more powerful video features. There’s no in-body stabilization on this camera, but anyone shooting in manual will have full awareness of the shutter speed anyway. It’s also quite a small camera, but Fujifilm’s smaller f/2 and f/2.8 primes balance perfectly on this body and are perfect for manual exposure too. One more change for film simulation fans is that these now get their own dedicated dial on the top plate.

• Fujifilm X-T30 III price body only: $999 at B&H | £829 at Wex
• Fujifilm X-T30 III price with XF13-33mm f/3.5-6.3: $1,149 at B&H | £999 at Wex

Fujifilm X-T50: Pint-sized travel camera that goes big on Film Simulations

Sensor: 40MP APS-C
Interchangeable lenses: Yes
Dedicated shutter speed dial: Yes
Lenses with marked aperture rings: Many
Top status panel: No
User type: Enthusiast/travel photographer

The X-T50 is the modern version of the older X-T30 II, with a higher-resolution 40MP sensor, improved video and autofocus, and in-body stabilization. On paper, choosing this over the X-T30 II is a no-brainer, though this is a somewhat more expensive camera and, personally, I’m not convinced Fujifilm’s latest 40MP sensor does its current lens line-up any favors because it does tend to highlight edge softness and chromatic aberration. This is still a very good value camera, though, and better for those who want a bit of future-proofing, which you don’t get with the X-T30 II. The X-T50 is also a lot cheaper than the new rangefinder-style Fujifilm X-E5, which has been bulked up by its new IBIS unit.

• Fujifilm X-T50 price body only: $1,499 at B&H | £1,149 at Wex
• Fujifilm X-T50 price with XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 kit lens: $1,899 at B&H | £1,499 at Wex

Fujifilm X-T5: Rugged pro camera that handles just like cameras used to

Sensor: 40MP APS-C
Interchangeable lenses: Yes
Dedicated shutter speed dial: Yes
Lenses with marked aperture rings: Many
Top status panel: No
User type: Enthusiast/professional photographer

The X-T5 is like the grown-up version of the X-T50, with the same sensor but a larger, more rugged and weatherproof body. Unlike the X-T50, it also has a physical ISO dial – a useful feature in a camera that’s going to be used for manual exposure because you need manual ISO adjustment alongside that (auto ISO is effectively auto exposure, even if you set the shutter speed and lens aperture manually). The X-T5 is good value for a camera with this combination of build quality, features and performance, though, not all of Fujifilm’s consumer-level lenses look their best at this higher resolution.

• Fujifilm X-T5 price body only: $1,899 at B&H | £1,399 at Wex
• Fujifilm X-T5 price with XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 kit lens: $2,299 at B&H | £1,849 at Wex

Fujifilm X100VI: Dream retro camera for most, as you can’t buy them anywhere

Sensor: 40MP APS-C
Interchangeable lenses: No
Dedicated shutter speed dial: Yes
Lens with marked aperture rings: Yes
Top status panel: No
User type: Enthusiast/influencer/travel photographer

Ever since the Fujifilm X100VI became a sensation on social media, it’s been practically impossible to buy one. It’s the latest version of Fujifilm’s long-running line of retro-styled fixed-lens compact cameras, packing in Fujifilm’s new 40MP sensor, IBIS (for the first time in this range) and a slimline 35mm equivalent f/2 fixed lens. I owned an X100V for some time and never really warmed to it, but I  know these cameras have many fans. The inclusion of IBIS has bulked this camera up a bit, and it was never all that small in the first place.

• Fujifilm X100VI prices: $1,599 at B&H | £1,599 at Wex

Leica D-Lux 8: Overlooked Leica compact with real class

Sensor: 17MP multi-aspect MFT
Interchangeable lenses: No
Dedicated shutter speed dial: Yes
Lens with marked aperture rings: Yes
Top status panel: No
User type: Enthusiast/travel photographer

The D-Lux 8 might look like a clone of the now-discontinued Panasonic Lumix LX100 II, but there’s a lot more to it than that. It does have much of the same tech, including a multi-aspect Micro Four Thirds sensor (there’s little resolution penalty in swapping around the different aspect ratio settings) and a 24-75mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 integrated zoom, but the build quality and interface are pure Leica, and the physical shutter speed and aperture dials make this a great camera for manual exposure and for ‘reconnecting’ with basic camera skills. It’s expensive, but so is the Fujifilm X100VI – and you can actually buy the Leica.

• Leica D-Lux 8 prices: $1,915 at B&H | £1,450 at Wex

What to look for: LCD top panels

These used to be a standard feature on mid-high end DSLRs but are quite rare on mirrorless cameras. If you don’t have physical exposure controls, these are the next best thing. In manual mode you will typically set the lens aperture with one control dial and the shutter speed with another, and the status LCD will clearly show you the settings from above, without you having to put the camera to your eye. Why is being able to see the exposure settings from above important? First, if you’re spending many seconds pointing the camera at your subject it can be quite intimidating. You might want to be more discreet and less intrusive in the way you go about your photography. Not only that, status panels show the minimum of information and are not full of distractions or even the image itself in the same way that electronic viewfinders and rear screens are.

Canon EOS R5 Mark II: Professional all-rounder that suits manual control

Sensor: 45MP full frame
Interchangeable lenses: Yes
Dedicated shutter speed dial: No
Lenses with marked aperture rings: No
Top status panel: Yes
User type: Professional photographer/filmmaker

The EOS R5 Mark II is an expensive camera to buy if you’re interested solely in manual photography, but it does have an LCD display on the top plate, where cameras underneath it in the range, including the EOS R6 Mark III, do not. The fact is the EOS R5 Mark II is a terrific all-rounder for professional video and high-quality, high-resolution stills photography, and one of the best Canon cameras in the range.

• Canon EOS R5 Mark II price body only: $3,899 at B&H | £4,499 at Wex
• Canon EOS R5 Mark II price with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM: $5,149 at B&H | £5,399 at Wex

Fujifilm X-H2: 40MP pro camera with a proper status panel

Sensor: 40MP APS-C
Interchangeable lenses: Yes
Dedicated shutter speed dial: No
Lenses with marked aperture rings: Many
Top status panel: Yes
User type: Professional photographer/filmmaker

The Fujifilm X-H2 is like the more conventional, mainstream alternative to the X-T5, with a larger grip and better handling with bigger lenses, more powerful video features and a regular mode dial. This means that it does not have physical exposure controls (though many Fujinon lenses have aperture rings) but it does at least have a status panel on the top plate, so that if you are using the front and rear dials to make shutter speed and aperture adjustments in manual mode, you can see the exposure setting displayed clearly without having to put the camera to your eye.

• Fujifilm X-H2 price body only: $2,299 at B&H | £1,599 at Wex
• Fujifilm X-H2 price with XF16-80mm f/4 kit lens: $2,299 at B&H | £2,049 at Wex

Leica SL3: Expensive but classy, with resolution, control and handling

Sensor: 60MP full frame
Interchangeable lenses: Yes
Dedicated shutter speed dial: No
Lenses with marked aperture rings: No
Top status panel: Yes
User type: Professional photographer/filmmaker

I haven’t mentioned Leica’s M-series rangefinders in this guide because although they are perfectly designed for manual exposure they are expensive, niche cameras that aren’t for everyone. But while the Leica SL3 is also expensive, it’s not that bad compared to rival high-resolution full frame mirrorless cameras. It has Leica’s legendary physical and interface design and, importantly, a status panel on the top plate that displays exposure settings. This camera’s 60MP sensor and excellent lenses make it ideal for top-quality photographic work.

• Leica SL3 price body only: $7,485 at B&H | £5,899 at Wex

Nikon Z6 III: Not many cameras at this price have a status panel on the top

Sensor: 24MP full frame
Interchangeable lenses: Yes
Dedicated shutter speed dial: No
Lenses with marked aperture rings: No
Top status panel: Yes
User type: Semi-professional photographer/filmmaker

With its ‘partially stacked’ sensor, the Nikon Z6 Mark III offers a good combination of speed, video and stills capabilities. It’s probably a little expensive if your sole interest is photography, but it has a status panel on the top plate that makes your settings clearly visible if you’re shooting in manual exposure mode. This also applies to the other Z6/Z7 variants and is one of the most attractive features of the mid-upper level Z-series cameras in the Nikon range. Note, though, that since Nikon dropped lens aperture rings back in its DSLR days, you are going to be reliant on the control dials.

• Nikon Z6 III price body only: £2,096 at B&H | £1,749 at Wex
• Nikon Z6 III price with Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S: $2,696 at B&H | £2,149 at Wex

Nikon Z8: High-res pro hybrid camera at a very competitive price

Sensor: 45.7MP full frame
Interchangeable lenses: Yes
Dedicated shutter speed dial: No
Lenses with marked aperture rings: No
Top status panel: Yes
User type: Professional photographer/filmmaker

Nikon’s do-it-all professional camera combines high-end video capabilities with high-resolution stills, though if your primary interest is stills photography then a lot of its power is going to be wasted and you might be better off looking at the Nikon Z7 II, which offers the same 45.7MP sensor but is significantly cheaper. Both cameras have a status panel on the top plate for displaying exposure settings.

• Nikon Z8 price body only: $3,496 at B&H | £2,748 atWex
• Nikon Z8 price with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S: $4,396 at B&H | £3,449 at Wex

What to look for: twin control dials

Many cameras won’t have status panels on the top. That’s too bad, but you can still shoot perfectly well in manual mode. The key feature you still need, though, is twin control dials, which some cheaper cameras don’t have. With twin dials you can control the shutter speed with one and the lens aperture with the other, and once you’ve got it into your head which one does which, everything becomes quicker.  I won’t list all of these because they make up about three-quarters of the whole camera market. One further feature to look out for is more to do with the camera interface than any physical controls. Check to see if your camera, or any camera you’re considering, offers an info-only display on the rear screen. You may be able to use the rear screen to display shooting information only while the viewfinder shows the scene you’re shooting. The advantage of this is that the key exposure information – shutter speed and lens aperture – should be much more visible instead of being squashed into a tiny strip underneath a live view image.

Canon EOS R8: twin control dials and a very clear info display on the rear screen

Sensor: 24MP full frame
Interchangeable lenses: Yes
Dedicated shutter speed dial: No
Lenses with marked aperture rings: No
Top status panel: No
User type: Enthusiast photographer/semi-pro filmmaker

• Canon EOS R8 price body only: $1,299 at B&H | £1,499 at Wex
• Canon EOS R8 price with RF 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM: $1,499 at B&H | £1,579 at Wex

The Canon EOS R8 is by no means the only camera to feature twin control dials and a rear screen that can be used for camera settings only, but it’s a great example. The EOS R8 is a very powerful, very affordable camera that’s the perfect example of how a simple screen display mode can make so much difference for manual exposure control. Canon lenses also feature a control ring that you can set up for lens aperture control, but it’s not marked with f-stops so it has, in my opinion, limited value in stills photography – you might just as well stick to the front and rear control dials for shutter speed and aperture control.