Fully Manual Or Aperture Priority

[usayit]

Both.. it doesn't matter how you get to a proper exposure.

 

[inTempus]

If I'm shooting with a flash/strobe, I'm in manual.

All other times I'm in either Av or Tv depending on what I'm shooting. If you like fiddling with your camera when you should be shooting, use manual all the time. You gain absolutely nothing by shooting manual other than the ability to tell others "I'm a manual shooter". You can do everything "creatively" you do in manual with Av or Tv, only faster.

I understand the old timers that started on cameras that only had manual modes. If you're used to something it's hard to do things differently, especially when you have 30 years of being content with doing things the way you've been doing them. My mom still prefers a stick shift over an automatic transmission in her cars for the same reason many manual shooters give here - "it offers her more control". In reality, it's slower, clumsy, inconvenient and less fuel efficient... but try telling her that.

Do what works for you, but also try other alternatives. Don't get hung up on what the "pros" do. Focus on what produces the best results for you. Let's not mention that most of the "pros" I know use manual in much the same way as I do now. They arrived at their system probably the same way I did, through lots of trial and error.

 

[inTempus]

When i get a new camera body i have to take some time to test it's metering system to determine what type of "tweaks" i will need to make.

You can do this outside of manual mode pretty easily. I learned right away that my 5D2 likes to underexpose just a little in certain situations. I learned by by shooting in Av mode. I took a bunch of pics, reviewed them, noticed many were a little underexposed in Lightroom, and now I know when I need to dial in a little exposure compensation.

 

[NateS]

I'm just about the same as InTempus. If I'm using a flash (on camera or off camera), I am always in Manual mode. The ONLY time I'm ever in A with a flash is when I forget to turn the dial to M (has happened but not a huge deal usually).

Portraits without flash, I am in Aperture priority about 99.9% of the time.

Landscapes, I'm in Aperture priority a good bit, but also have my fair share of manual.

See, my problem is that I don't use nor care for exposure compensation. If I need to use Exposure comp. then that means that I'm not happy with what the meter is giving me. If that is the case I would rather just go manual and get it right rather than have the meter keep guessing incorrectly with exposure comp. If I don't trust the meter for some reason, I don't trust it for that instance period.....


So, any time that a normal person would use exposure comp, I just switch over to manual (using the Aperture priority settings as a base) and move the exposure to where I want. I can do this as quickly as Exposure comp. and get more accurate results. Again.....this is usually only the case for me during landscapes where the meter may be getting it wrong and exposing the wrong portion of the scene for what I want.

 

[KmH]

I'm part of the 'learned when Manual mode was the only choice ' crowd, it's just second nature and I don't really think about the settings.

I do use Aperture Priority when I shoot sports now, but thats a recent thing. I started using it about 6 months ago. It's NOT second nature and feels really strange.

 

[altitude604]

My mom still prefers a stick shift over an automatic transmission in her cars for the same reason many manual shooters give here - "it offers her more control". In reality, it's slower, clumsy, inconvenient and less fuel efficient... but try telling her that.

I'd disagree with that. I prefer using Standard Transmission 95% of the time unless in heavy city traffic when clutching would wear out my ankle.

In reality, a competent driver on a stick is faster, more efficient and with greater control of your engine revs you can increase your fuel economy and save money on brakes as well as extend your engine life. (Also see who's off the line and ahead faster, the Stick or the Auto. With the stick you can reach your powerband quicker and get that extra oomph from each Gear.)

Having said that, I shoot in Av and Tv mostly.

 

[battletone]

My mom still prefers a stick shift over an automatic transmission in her cars for the same reason many manual shooters give here - "it offers her more control". In reality, it's slower, clumsy, inconvenient and less fuel efficient... but try telling her that.

I'd disagree with that. I prefer using Standard Transmission 95% of the time unless in heavy city traffic when clutching would wear out my ankle.

In reality, a competent driver on a stick is faster, more efficient and with greater control of your engine revs you can increase your fuel economy and save money on brakes as well as extend your engine life. (Also see who's off the line and ahead faster, the Stick or the Auto. With the stick you can reach your powerband quicker and get that extra oomph from each Gear.)

Having said that, I shoot in Av and Tv mostly.

That is no longer true, and hasn't been for 20 years. Modern electronic control has allowed automatic transmission to shift more precisely than any human can. The fuel savings are negligible now with Manuals only offering 1 mpg estimated over their Auto counterparts, and that is due to having an extra gear to further smooth out the applied torque required to gain speed while numerically lowering the gearing ratio...but now with the CVT (constant variable transmission), even that is null and void). To top it off, you are not saving fuel with a Manual if you down shift for braking as you are reving up the engine once the clutch is reapplied because the engine has to catch up the speed of the rear end....and while cruising down hill at 3000k+ rpms with your foot off the gas pedal uses less fuel (in electronically controlled vehciles) than coasting in neutral at 700rpms down the same hill, or even just sitting there idling at a stop light (because the computer sees that fuel is not being required as gravity is what is turning the engine over now)....when you downshift as your choice of braking, the computers fuel control doesn't see it the same and uses even more fuel to try and compensate than if you just used your brakes...same with downshifting late because your engine is under more and more increasing load and increases the fuel to try and compensate.

:hugs:

As for being off the line....the only reason in a street race that sticks are perceived faster is because the auto's computer from the factory is set to shift at fuel efficient points rather than acceleration.

The post below me is also wrong, but I won't waste another post off topic.

 

[dhilberg]

I shoot in aperture the majority of the time. Manual when I don't want the camera messing with my settings. Although to be honest, since I'm most focused on the aperture anyway, the only difference between the two modes is I'm setting the shutter speed.

A manual tranny is actually more fuel efficient than an automatic one because there is a rigid lock between the engine and transmission (no slip). This is compared to an auto tranny where you have a torque converter where there's constant slip. Although autos with locking torque converters improve efficiency a lot, but these generally only kick in when cruising. Plus, the hydraulic pump for the auto tranny requires power.

Like altitude604 said, they're a lot easier on your brakes too, since you're using the engine to do a majority of the braking. I recently had my tires rotated and was told that I still had 75% on my brake pads, which were changed over 40,000 miles ago.

EDIT:

The post below me is also wrong, but I won't waste another post off topic.

Actually it's not wrong, but it's a wise choice for you to end it here.

 

[IgsEMT]

Over 95% of the time, regardless weather I'm at work or at home, Camera and flash are on M. Few times I can jump to aperture is on the run, need shallow DOF & don't have time/patience to think about fstop/shutter speed ration under specific light output.
It isn't so much control as it is more preventing eliminating things I don't want to see: for example the light in my living room in very warm and even though I'm shooting it RAW, shooting at 1/60 allows to much of that warmth in the image that simple changing white balance doesn't work - subject turns out to be very blue/pale. Thus I have to shoot at faster shutter speeds. I don't always like shallow DoF unless I'm looking for specific effect and again combination of factors is my reasoning.

What I do strongly believe, is it isn't so much the camera setting one is using but knowing the difference b/n them. At given ISO, exposures of 1/60 at f/11 is nearly the same as 1/250 at f5.6 but effects will vary. This is something that anyone who is charging for the product should know and anticipate.:thumbup:

 

[ann]

testing a new camera doesn't take long, i didn't mean to imply that it did.

 

[tnvol]

I shoot in manual most of the time. When I read Understanding Exposure thats what Bryan suggested so I just stuck with it. It's easier for me to control my exposure that way. I know it isnt the only way but I'm comfortable with it so thats what I do. I do shoot in A sometimes but most of the time it's manual for me. I'm sure as I gain more experience, I will figure out the benefits of shooting in other modes. I dont really look at is as a "pro" thing, it's just whats comfortable for me at this point in my photography.

 

[fiveoboy01]

A manual tranny is actually more fuel efficient than an automatic one because there is a rigid lock between the engine and transmission (no slip). This is compared to an auto tranny where you have a torque converter where there's constant slip. Although autos with locking torque converters improve efficiency a lot, but these generally only kick in when cruising. Plus, the hydraulic pump for the auto tranny requires power.

Like altitude604 said, they're a lot easier on your brakes too, since you're using the engine to do a majority of the braking. I recently had my tires rotated and was told that I still had 75% on my brake pads, which were changed over 40,000 miles ago.

EDIT:

The post below me is also wrong, but I won't waste another post off topic.

Actually it's not wrong, but it's a wise choice for you to end it here.

Another thing to account for is that an automatic produces more parasitic loss through the drivetrain, quite a bit more than a manual.

That said I mostly shoot in aperture priority.

I also don't worry about what anyone else shoots in. As InTempus said, do what works for you(crap, did I just call you InTempus Tharsmen? hahaha).

 

[tirediron]

My camera has four modes, I use them all to [what I hope is their] greatest effect thusly:

Manual: For studio/strobe work, landscapes, panoramas, and macro work

Aperture Priority: In known lighting conditions when DoF is critical; eg at a wedding when I want to be able to isolate the bride from the background.

Shutter Priority: In low/changing light conditions (To avoid the camera slipping below a 'safe' shutter speed unnoticed) or when I require a particular effect, such as freezing a fast-moving subject.

Program: Or, as I like to think of it, 'ready for anything' mode. This where I leave the camera when I'm walking around shooting street scenes, or expecting something unexpected. I know that I can bring the camera up to my eye, shoot, and be reasonably assured of getting a half-decent picture. Sort of the modern equivalent of "F8 and be there!"

 

[bhphotography]

I actually shoot a lot more with shutter priority. I do a lot of weddings and the worst thing that could happen would be motion blur as the bride walks down the isle or during the kiss.

During the reception, I use off camera strobes and everything is fully manual at that point. Outdoors I will use manual or aperature priority.

I find in a fast paced, outdoor invironment, giving the camera some control isnt' bad. It's good to get used to the EV controls as well however.

 

[davebmck]

I think it's a good practice to shoot exclusively manual until you are totally comfortable with understanding how to get a correct exposure and how aperture, shutter and iso work together. That is what I did.

Now I shoot mostly Av. I do mostly wildlife photography and I would miss many shots if I were tweaking the exposure for every shot. The trick of course is knowing when the camera won't get the exposure right and using exposure comp to correct for that. I still use manual when I have plenty of time to set up a shot, like for landscape.