I have experience with manual cameras. Kodak film boxes had exposure suggestions printed on the inside surface of the box that pertained to that specific film speed. Older films had a removable info sheet. The info still applies today no matter how old the film. ASA film speeds are what I'm familiar with. Read about film speeds here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_speed The chart will compare ASA to DIN. From this point forward I will use ASA film speeds. A good general use film speed is ASA 400. Set your camera shutter speed to 1/500 (whatever shutter speed is closest to the film speed). Corresponding lens openings (f-stop) go like this: full sun f16, light hazy sun f11, hazy sun f8, bright cloudy sky f5.6, cloudy sky f4.5, dark cloudy sky f3.2 maybe f2.8. If you change the film speed for creative applications for example (shutter speed 1/250 which doubles the exposure time) you need to decrease the light reaching the film by double f11 is used instead of f8, f8 instead of f5.6 etc.. Every time you change the shutter speed you are either doubling the amount of light reaching the film or cutting it in half. If you double it at the shutter you have to cut it in half at the lens opening. Example: 1/500 and f16, 1/250 and f11, 1/125 and f8, 1/60 and f5.4 etc. will all give you the same exposure on the film. The amount of in focus subject matter (depth of field) (what's in focus, what's not) will change. f16 large depth of field, f5.4 not as much in focus and so on. Fast shutter speeds (1/500) stop action, slower shutter speeds 1/60 moving subjects might be blurry. A camera with a built-in light meter is great if you know how to use it, they can be fooled. A light meter is assuming the exposure is 50% white and 50% black. Any variance fools the meter and you into recording the wrong exposure. To much dark area = over exposure, to much light = under exposure. Take notes for every picture, film speed, shutter speed, lens opening, lighting conditions. When you receive your prints you can see if your camera settings were correct or needed adjusting. Most of all practice, practice practice. Using your digital for exposure recommendations will work but why? You won't learn anything that way.
