: Known as the "student camera," this is a fully manual, mechanical workhorse. It requires no battery to operate the shutter, making it incredibly durable and excellent for learning the relationship between light and settings.

When starting out, look for cameras with reliable light meters and a mix of manual and automatic modes.

: Shine a flashlight through the lens. Look for fungus (spiderweb-like patterns), haze (a cloudy film), or heavy scratches . Tiny dust specks are normal and won't affect photos.

: The FE offers aperture-priority (you pick the aperture, it picks the shutter speed), while the FM is fully mechanical. Both give you access to legendary Nikon F-mount lenses.