On film-based cameras from the 90’s, there was no indication of how your picture would turn out with your given settings in manual mode. So how were these settings determined manually without the convenience of LCD preview screens that we have on modern digital cameras?
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There are some rules of thumb for when you don’t have a light meter. Eg “Sunny 16” (google it for more info). Basically on a sunny day with an aperture of f/16, your ideal shutter speed is 1/ISO. So if you’re using ISO 100 film, you set the shutter speed to 1/100. If you’re using ISO 200 film, you set the shutter to 1/200 (or whatever shutter speed is closest)
If you want to use a wider aperture, you adjust accordingly. One stop up to f/11 doubles the amount of light coming into your camera, so you need to half the shutter speed at the same ISO, ISO stays at 100 and your shutter speed shortens to 1/200. Stop up again to f/8 at ISO100, and you need 1/400.
On an overcast day there is less light available, so your starting point is f/11 or f/8 rather than f/16, but the same principles apply. At sunset, start with f/4
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