Why is Manual the most popular setting?

I disagree that using exposure compensation in Av or Tv is the same as using manual mode. The difference is that exposure compensation is relative: I know how my camera meters (due to much experience), and I know that (for example) in the current lighting situation, my camera will choose an exposure which is about 1/3 stop brighter than I want. So it's easy for me to dial in a -1/3 compensation.

Were I shooting entirely in a manual exposure mode, I'd have to dial in shutter speed and aperture (and ISO, I suppose) and hope that I had metered it correctly on my own. I don't want to bother taking the time to figure that out and run that risk.
Not arguing here, just discussing.... I look at it like this, Av mode, you've already preselected the aperture and ISO you want, f/3.5 and 100 for example. The camera adjusts the shutter according to your exposure compensation, as you said, -1/3 and where you meter the scene.

Manual is exactly the same. You have the aperture and ISO you want same as in Av, f/3.5 and 100. You should have it set. You meter the scene exactly the same as you would in Av, only you are flicking a dial (button in my case) to quickly dial in the shutter that gives you -1/3 on the meter display.

You're not dialing in aperture and ISO by going manual, you are presetting it just as you would in Av. It seems to be the same thing to me, only you are just adding a quick flick to the shutter setting to get the meter reading that your camera would give you in Av with the exp. compensation you choose.
 
mrodgers -- you have a good point, and I've been thinking about it. In the end, I think that all I can say is that I prefer using exposure compensation! :) If you prefer to use manual mode to achieve the same thing, then that's cool.

I still feel that there's some sort of important difference here, but I can't express it clearly.
 
I reminded myself why I don't like aperture priority this weekend. I was shooting an award ceremony and got there late and flipped it to Av figuring it'd be fine. The result is that I literally had a hugely divergent exposure on nearly every frame, and that was just during normal, unchanging daylight. To have gone in and screwed with setting the EC would have in fact taken longer than what I did, which was flip it to manual and punch in what I thought would be right based on what I saw in the Av exposures.
 
For me I use manual mode most often. It drives me bonkers when I go to change something and cant because I'm locked out of it by the camera's auto modes. I highly recommend using manual mode for beginners especially with DSLRs. It takes a while to learn it all, but once you do it puts you ahead of many. There's no magic or mystery to using manual mode. Its really simple once you learn the basics. The magic comes after you've been doing it for a while and learn what to use and when.

There are shots that a auto mode can get a decent exposure, but what if you want a great shot. Say you are shooting a nature scene beneath a tree with a stream underneath. You want to capture the detail in the shadows, but not have blown out spots. If you run auto, the dumb camera will meter the entire scene, and you probably wont get the detail in the shadows. Or if you meter off the shadow, the dumb camera will blow out the reflections in the water. In manual mode, you can swap over to spot, meter the reflections, meter the shadow, pick something inbetween, dial in the proper exposure and get the best of both.

If your a beginner, put your camera in manual mode, and leave it there for a while. Force yourself to use it. READ your camera's manual, and learn how your camera meters scenes, and learn its features...ALL OF THEM.

If you do this, after a while you will look at a scene, and start to know what to use. It will become second nature. Once you learn these things it will help you later when you use one of the auto modes. You'll already know if you need to change something because the camera isnt doing it right.

How can you use aperture or shutter priority mode correctly, if you cant recognize when the camera is wrong. Cameras are stupid devices. They dont know squat. They have just enough knowledge to take a picture, but not enough to get a photo. ;)
 

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