How often do you use manual settings

[Boomn4x4]

Assuming we are stying on topic and speaking to "BEGINNERS"... how often do you use manual settings for your photography? As a beginner, I ALWAYS use the automatic mode if I'm shooting anything that I know I want to be a "keeper" Family portraits, vacations, kids sporting events, etc. The only time I use any of the manual modes is if I'm playing around... And even then, I don't find myself ever getting better shots in manual mode than if I had done it in automatic.

Am I off in assuming that these manual settings are for a more advanced group, or am I missing out as a beginner?

 

[eric-holmes]

I use aperture mode the most.

 

[PJL]

I shoot P mode most of the time unless I'm looking for a specific effect such as bokeh or prolonged exposure, then I'll go manual and rely on the light meter.

 

[Dao]

If you take a shot in Auto mode. And then use the same settings in manual mode. The result is the same.

Manual or Auto, it doesn't really matter. What matter is whether you can get the desire result or not.

There are situations that Auto may not work correctly. For example, take a photo of a moon at night. In Auto mode, the camera MAY think the scene is too dark so it end up with a overexposed moon.

Another example is you work with flashs/stobes. Also if you want consistency. It is better with manual mode.

For me, I use Aperture Priority most of the time. And then Manual or Shutter Priority mode if needed.

 

[Overread]

^^ +1 to what Dao said.

f4, ISO 100, 1/200sec in aperture priority mode, shutter priority mode, full auto mode and full manual mode will produce exactly the same image. However to get to those setting very different things happen in each mode and that is where the strength of each mode is.

Auto/program - gives you the cameras best guess at the scene and often as not can be a decent exposure; you might not get the creative control over the shot, but you normally get a pretty decent exposure captured. In good lighting its fine, in dimmer or poorer lighting (without flash support) or in a set condition like shooting the moon however it can fail.

aperture/shutter priority: These work like manual mode, but instead of you having to set all 3 settings you only set 2, whilst the camera sets the 3rd. The power of this mode is that the camera is lightning fast at changing that one setting according to the meter reading. Often in manual mode you will set the ISO, set your key setting (the creative setting you need to have control over) and then adjust the final setting till the meter reading is good. These two priority modes just do that last stage for you and in changing lighting conditions its far superior to doing it yourself
Should the camera meter be failing or you want to push the shot a little bit one way or the other you even have exposure compensation to over or under expose the shot a little.

Manual mode: Here you have full control, the camera meter still works and tells you what the shot will be exposed like, but you have the control. This is key in something like working with flash as the dominant lighting because the cameras meter will only meter ambient lighting, it has no idea how the flash will affect the scene and so pays little attention to it.
For example in a dark room the camera will still want a wide open aperture, high ISO and slow shutter speed even if you have enough flash light for a better exposure. Fighting it in the auto and semi auto modes is a waste of time - so shift into manual and you can set the settings and let the flash deal with the rest.

Essentialy spend time learning about the other modes - experiment and understand where the strengths of each mode are for yourself. After that you can pick the best mode possible to shoot with at any given time and situation.

Also remember - semi auto modes like aperture and shutter priority are things that the "PROS" asked for in cameras and they are quite possibly more popular in overall use than full manual when used outside of a fully controled studio

 

[bentcountershaft]

I wasted a good six weeks after buying my first dslr on using the auto modes. I switched to full manual and just took pics of things I could keep redoing until I got it right. I learned a lot more a lot quicker than using the others. I always shoot in manual now. No exceptions.

 

[patrickt]

It isn't either automatic or manual. I don't think I've ever used automatic on my current DSLR but I don't recall using manual either. I'm normally using Av.

 

[jchin]

Usually Av mode or M mode. I'd say about 50/50.

 

[manicmike]

I never use auto or any of the scene modes. After a summer of using those, I wanted to learn how to get the images the way I wanted them and I couldn't do that in auto. I use shutter of aperture priority most with manual for a few types of shots.

 

[kundalini]

How often do you use manual settings

Only when I press the shutter release.

 

[KmH]

I use manual mode for everything except sports. For sports I use aperture priority.

 

[Gaerek]

I'm in Aperture Priority mode 90% of the time, and Manual mode the rest of the time basically. I really only use M when I'm using my strobe or when I'm doing sunsets/sunrises (I find the sun screws with the meter pretty bad).

 

[Boomn4x4]

... let me just make sure I re-empahsize that my question was directed to "beginnners".... I'm having a hard time believing that I'm the only one with less than a years experience in photography that doesn't use manual modes more than 90% of the time.

I'm seeing that many of you have professional acrediations, have been members of this site for years, and have your own photography websites... You aren't actually still "beginners" are you?

 

[Felix 222]

I'm in Aperture Priority mode 90% of the time, and Manual mode the rest of the time basically. I really only use M when I'm using my strobe or when I'm doing sunsets/sunrises (I find the sun screws with the meter pretty bad).

ditto. :thumbup:

 

[Darkhunter139]

I shoot M pretty much all the time, I am still learning so I like to see what settings I am using before I snap the picture. It makes you think about them more.