Really stupid question/observation.

[robbins.photo]

Based upon user feedback in this thread we'll be introducing a new feature to appear on user profiles - users will now be able to show off on their profile that they shoot in M mode! We'll also be introducing one for users who only shoot in A mode as well (those in between will just be left out).



In addition to the sane points raised remember that the camera meter can only read ambient light; it has no way to read light added by a flash or studio strobe. So if those are being used where they are forming a primary component to the light you have to shift into manual mode to get the settings you want, because the camera will simply not have a clue.
Note that you can use the camera meter when the flash is just there for fill lighting (bumping up the exposure on shadowed areas and thus a minor light source); its just when the flash light is a major contributing light source or the only light source contributing to the exposure, that you need to use manual mode.

So I guess us S/Tv mode guys can just go pound sand then? Lol

 

[robbins.photo]

I think the choice for using M mode depends a lot on the shooter, the camera and the shooting situation. I don't find M mode to be very useful for me personally but then again the vast majority of my shooting situations can often require that I have the camera ready to fire with really no more prep time than the time it takes me to grab it and fire. The other consideration for me at least is that my camera, the D5200, only has one command dial - so shooting in stricly manual mode is a bit clunky as a result. I've got to press and hold a button and spin the dial to get one setting, then do the same for another - etc.

So as a result I've found that at least for my shooting style, my camera setup and the types of situations I'm shooting in most often S (Shutter Priority Mode) works best for me overall. If I had a different camera body, or had more time to prep before actually taking a lot of my shots, well then I might use manual mode a lot more.

 

[Braineack]

dual wheels makes manual ezpz.

 

[runnah]

Anytime I am around other photographers I casually position my camera so they can see my dial in the M position. When they notice, I give them a wink and a nod, then gently cup their buttocks.

 

[lambertpix]

In addition to the sane points raised remember that the camera meter can only read ambient light; it has no way to read light added by a flash or studio strobe. So if those are being used where they are forming a primary component to the light you have to shift into manual mode to get the settings you want, because the camera will simply not have a clue.

Is that also true for eTTL / iTTL? I know the camera can't read the flash (pre-flash notwithstanding), but it seems to do a fair job of predicting how much the flash is going to contribute to the exposure. It's not unusual for me to have to adjust a bit, but I sure noticed a difference switching from manual flash control to eTTL.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

Anytime I am around other photographers I casually position my camera so they can see my dial in the M position. When they notice, I give them a wink and a nod, then gently cup their buttocks.

That was you last week.

 

[robbins.photo]

In addition to the sane points raised remember that the camera meter can only read ambient light; it has no way to read light added by a flash or studio strobe. So if those are being used where they are forming a primary component to the light you have to shift into manual mode to get the settings you want, because the camera will simply not have a clue.

Is that also true for eTTL / iTTL? I know the camera can't read the flash (pre-flash notwithstanding), but it seems to do a fair job of predicting how much the flash is going to contribute to the exposure. It's not unusual for me to have to adjust a bit, but I sure noticed a difference switching from manual flash control to eTTL.

The real question of course being can you do the Shaolin fighting stance?

 

[robbins.photo]

Anytime I am around other photographers I casually position my camera so they can see my dial in the M position. When they notice, I give them a wink and a nod, then gently cup their buttocks.

Which still only accounts for a little less than half of the restraining orders, strangely enough.. lol.

 

[lambertpix]

In addition to the sane points raised remember that the camera meter can only read ambient light; it has no way to read light added by a flash or studio strobe. So if those are being used where they are forming a primary component to the light you have to shift into manual mode to get the settings you want, because the camera will simply not have a clue.

Is that also true for eTTL / iTTL? I know the camera can't read the flash (pre-flash notwithstanding), but it seems to do a fair job of predicting how much the flash is going to contribute to the exposure. It's not unusual for me to have to adjust a bit, but I sure noticed a difference switching from manual flash control to eTTL.

The real question of course being can you do the Shaolin fighting stance?

Not in these pants.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

Rookies

 

[batmura]

I teach a photography class called 'Using your DSLR' but it's really mostly about teaching the students how to shoot in manual mode.

Here is the main reasoning that I give the students as to why I think manual mode is better...

Firstly, after teaching them how to use manual mode and 'getting to zero', I teach them why getting to zero is not usually the correct exposure (reflected light meter etc.) I then teach them how to determine how to get a more accurate exposure via metering and often adjusting away from zero (or using a grey card etc.).
The key point that I try to impress upon them, is that we are using our metering techniques to work backward, to figure out the correct settings for the (incident) light that is hitting the scene, not the light that is reflecting off of it. So once they have the correct settings for a scene, being in manual mode locks that exposure into the camera and ensures that you will get a proper exposure (as long as your lighting doesn't change). So essentially, once they have determined the exposure value that they want to use, they can forget about exposure and concentrate on other things like focus, composition, interacting with their subject etc.

The next day of class (usually a week later), I teach them how to use aperture and shutter speed priority modes. Those modes, on their own, basically do the job of getting you to zero, which they now know is not all that useful, so then I teach them how to use exposure compensation.

But then I point out the main difference in how we would shoot in manual, vs how we would shoot in an priority (automatic) mode.
In manual, you might find a surface or object to meter off of, I use the example of snow, which is typically 1 2/3 or 2 stops brighter than middle grey. So you would meter on the snow, dial the exposure to 2 stops above zero. By doing that they have figured out proper exposure for the light that they are shooting with. So now they can shooting anything that might be in that light, a black dog, a person in a white coat, a purple-people-eater etc. They don't have to worry about exposure, because it was locked in correct for the light.

Now to compare that to how you would shoot in automatic. You meter on the snow and dial in +2 EC...but when you then point the camera at your black dog and press the shutter release button, the camera will re-meter, this time including the black dog...and thus your +2 EC will likely give you incorrect settings. The way to do this, of course, is to use AEL (auto exposure lock). You meter on the snow, lock the exposure, then shoot the black dog.

In in manual, you meter once, then don't need to think about exposure (unless the light changes).
In auto, you need to meter and lock the exposure before you take the shot...and every time you release the AEL button, you'll need to re-meter and re-lock, which means you're constantly thinking about exposure. So in that sense, the automatic modes are more work than manual mode.

But, I do also tell them that when you have a couple of criteria met, then it's a good idea to use an automatic mode. Those criteria are 'time constraint' and 'uneven lighting conditions'. So if you are shooting in a scenario where your lighting will be different from shot to shot, and at the same time, you don't have the couple seconds it takes to adjust the settings in manual.....then it's a good idea to use the automatic modes. Of course, you still need to use EC, but that is likely quicker than adjusting 6 stops of exposure in manual mode.

At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what mode you shoot in. A shot taken at ISO 400, 1/125 and F8 will be exactly the same in any exposure mode.

I wish someone had written this post when I first started out about 2 and a half years ago. Awesomeness!

 

[nzmacro]

I see a lot of people shooting in manual just so they can say "hey look at how cool I am, I shoot in manual!" Kinda like people that struggle with Linux just so they can say they don't use Windows

But I do have a real question about this. If you're going to shoot in manual and tweak your settings to get your on-camera light meter right in the middle at the "standard exposure" mark, then why shoot in manual? Am I missing something? I'd really like to understand why people do it. If your goal is to get a standard exposure then why not shoot in one of the other modes?

Different people, different reasons, subjects and gear.

I use an EVF and know my system inside and out. Exposure is something I have no issue with using an EVF and it lets me see basically what I will get exposure wise. I use only manual focus lenses so nothing goes into auto, I lock ISO and shutter speed while the lenses are all used wide open. How much more simple can it get. If I'm doing it all wrong, then I've been doing it all wrong for over 40 years.

All the best and different strokes for different folks.

Danny.

 

[Gavjenks]

I see a lot of people shooting in manual just so they can say "hey look at how cool I am, I shoot in manual!" Kinda like people that struggle with Linux just so they can say they don't use Windows

But I do have a real question about this. If you're going to shoot in manual and tweak your settings to get your on-camera light meter right in the middle at the "standard exposure" mark, then why shoot in manual? Am I missing something? I'd really like to understand why people do it. If your goal is to get a standard exposure then why not shoot in one of the other modes?

There are definitely some good reasons to shoot in manual, sometimes:
1) If your preferences for a given aperture, shutter, or ISO change rapidly. Like if one moment, I prioritize aperture, and another, I prioritize shutter, etc. It may be cognitively easier for some people to just use manual for both, rather than switching modes constantly.
2) If the lighting situation is not changing, and you want all of the shots from a single shoot of that location to look consistent BETWEEN each other. If you put two photos side by side, one of a part of a scene that everybody knows is in shadow, and another that everybody knows is brighter, they will look weird together if the camera metered each one independently. When showing photos in groups, you want to the shadow one to look "underexposed" a bit, and the lit area brighter, so that it looks like a consistent experience to the viewer. For single shots alone, this doesn't matter, but for something like a magazine spread of a model in 5 different poses over a few pages, for example, or a panoramic triptych, it does.
3) It's often easier when using flash, if ETTL isn't available or relevant or helpful, or if you simply want to drown out ambient entirely. in Av, that would mean fiddling with umpteen different compensation values, etc. and still having things inconsistent. In manual, it's just BOOM, set it to my camera's sync speed, use the guide number to choose aperture and ISO, and done.
4) It's good when you're just beginning to get an idea of what different things do.

But if you're just doing it for none of the above reasons or any other thought-out, reasonable purpose, then yes, you're being rather silly.

 

[bribrius]

I shoot in manual because im too stupid to use the other modes.

 

[GertjanGoetynck]

Doesn't using a priority mode give you just as much control as manual though, just in a different way?

I am still a newbie, but I thought that if you use for example apperture priority mode, you can control the shutter speed by changing the ISO, and adjust over / under exposure to your liking by using exposure compensation. To me it feels like this achieves close to the same results as manual, but faster? You don't have to worry about correct exposure, and if you still don't get the exposure you want you can adjust by using Exposure Compensation or am I mistaking?

(may be my lack of experience talking here)