If you want total manual control, the FM10 is a great choice. You (the photographer) select the shutter speed and aperture. You advance and rewind the film manually. The Center-weighted light meter guides you towards a great exposure, but you have the option to do it on your own. You focus manually and the depth-of-field preview allows you to examine the image quality and sharpness. It's 100% your choice v a great way to learn and build confidence. The FM10 is packaged in an outfit with a 35-70mm f/3.5-4.8 Zoom Nikkor, Eveready case, strap and batteries. It's a great first 35mm camera for the enthusiast who wants to begin with basics without cutting corners. And, there's nothing like SLR viewing and interchangeable Nikkor lenses to stimulate creativity. For the Nikon enthusiast, the FM10 is a great additional camera v light and compact, it accepts both AF Nikkor and AI-S Nikkor lenses for manual focusing operation it fits perfectly into any photographer's existing Nikon system.