Advice for Manual Mode

[Derrel]

Get the Mamiya 6, or the Mamiya 7...something light, modern, stylish, and meant for shooting hand-held. The Fuji 6x8 system is soooooooooooo big and,well...you know...

 

[sabbath999]

Get the Mamiya 6, or the Mamiya 7...something light, modern, stylish, and meant for shooting hand-held. The Fuji 6x8 system is soooooooooooo big and,well...you know...

It's big, it's a bit heavy, and it's a system that takes AMAZING images... the lenses are EXACTLY perfect for the camera, the whole design is built around lens/camera symmetry.

Also, they are a thousand bucks cheaper, so there's that.

 

[Derrel]

Like taking a dump truck to the local bistro...but it's PERFECT for hauling gravel, fill dirt, and even scrap iron.

 

[weepete]

Practice.

 

[jake337]

The OP asked for advice when starting to use manual mode, so that means advice for a new or beginning user of manual mode. I'll add another comment to this thread based on that assumption, that of a new user.

First, stay away from extremes on the lens aperture and shutter speed. Speeds of 1/8000 and 1/4000 second are seldom needed, and they force you to use very wide apertures like f/1.4 or f/1.8 or f/2 quite frequently. Similarly, using f/stops like f/1.4 and f/1.8, and even f/2.8 on an f/2.8 zoom--these extreme aperture settings bring with them a number of 'issues', like softness, lots of vignetting, shallow depth of field, and a need for exceptionally precise and exceptionally accurate focusing.

In either AUTO ISO mode, or in manual ISO selection mode with Manual exposure, one is basically setting either an f/stop, or a shutter speed, and then moving the opposite control until the meter is zero'd, so, don't start out by setting the lens wide-open, or the shutter at its fastest, or slowest speed. Similarly, in most cases, stay away from the smallest lens apertures like f/16. Instead of the extremes, look at ways to get moderate aperture values and moderately fast shutter speeds, like f/stops of f/4.5 or f/4.8 or f/5.6, and shutter speeds of 1/640 to 1/320. In these moderate ranges, the lens will be very sharp, focus will not be ultra-critical, and shutter speeds of 1/640 to 1/320 second will stop the majority of hand movement, camera shake, and normal human activity, and you'll get good images most of the time.

The above is advice for outdoor conditions in decent light levels. When the light levels are very low, hand-held photos call for wide f/stops like f/2, and slow speeds, like 1/30 to 1/60 second, OR they call for timed exposures made while shooting off of a tripod, with exposures ranging from 1/8 to 30 seconds.

While I Do agree I have to admit I learned exposure ass backwards.

In outdoor settings I never went with the sunny 16 rule. I created my own sunny wide open rule. Fastest SS, wide open, and lowest ISO. Since I liked images between f1.4 and f2.8 I didn't have to work my way down from f16. Combine that with using old lenses, that did not meter in my D90, I learned exposure pretty quickly just from watching the histogram and clipping screen.

 

[timor]

Especially when they a Leicas [emoji6]

Mine's a Fuji 6x8 "Texas Leica"

My "Leica" is Koni-Omega Rapid 100. It keeps my biceps in good shape as well.

 

[Bebulamar]

Why not to continue it ? Apparently you like it

Certainly in the digital world I do not use meter because if I make a mistake I can check and readjust.

 

[timor]

Why not to continue it ? Apparently you like it

Certainly in the digital world I do not use meter because if I make a mistake I can check and readjust.

World is not digital, world is, what you make out of this. But of course it is easier to flow with the propaganda.
Plus I don't understand, what you say about not using meter in order to check. How light meter would stop you from readjusting ?

 

[gckless]

I find that during the day, shooting in natural light, I'm just fine using shutter or aperture priority with auto ISO, unless I'm trying to do something one of those two modes cannot produce. At night, I'm either in aperture priority with auto ISO if I want to walk around and just take minimal setup shots, or full manual whenever I have time to setup or I need long exposures or something along those lines. I find that at night full frame (not the sensor size, 100% of the frame) proper exposures are not what I want, I want to properly expose just a certain area. That's where spot metering comes in, but even then it's not always what I want.

Of course everyone shoots different, sees different things, etc. What works for me may not work for you. And I also might be doing it very poorly lol.

But like others have said, some will look down on you because you're not always using full manual, but who cares. If you're trying to learn your camera while you're trying to take photos, you're going to miss shots, get frustrated, and get discouraged. It's much better knowing what buttons you're pushing and what they will do. On the same note, it's also good to read the manual, know your camera, and use the tools available to you when you need them.

Woodworking is a great example here. I recently dove into it as a hobby. The seasoned guys all say that cutting dovetail joints by hand is the only way to do it (versus a jig, unless you're mass-producing), so that's what I did. Got my dovetail saw, square, chisels, and coping saw, and went to town. Shot those joints in full-manual, if you will. And ya know what? They turned out looking like a 3rd grader cut them. If I would have used a jig and router, they could have been perfect. Of course I persisted, but that's because I wanted to learn.

So what am I saying after all this rambling? I have no idea. But basically, manual has its place. I believe you should at least experiment and know how and when to use it. If you want to use manual full-time, then do so. If you don't, then don't.

 

[Gary A.]

Shooting Manual is another step in becoming the complete photographer. Understanding how manual works, how aperture-shutter speed-ISO all work together and then completely controlling the settings. For many, photography isn't just about seeing and releasing the shutter. It is about pre visualization. Seeing the final image in one's 'mind's eye' even before turning on the camera ... then selecting the lens, location and setting to best capture the previsualized image.

Hand-in-hand with this is proper metering. For me, photography is about getting as much right in the field/studio ... At the point of capture. Again, for me, massive photo manipulation is about digital artistry ... Not photography. But nothing is black and white, right or wrong, photographer or digital media artist ... There is miles and miles or tons and tons of gray between photography and digital artistry.

Back to proper metering. While yes, cameras are now powerful computers and in-camera metering is much more sophisticated than it was back in the film-only days. But, regardless of a modern meter's sophistication, all meter read to medium gray (around 18% gray). If you fill the frame with a white wall, set the meter on auto or center the needle on manual, snap away, no processing and make a print ... The print will be medium gray. Shoot a black wall, meter set on auto or manual, et cetera and print ... The resulting print will be similar to the 18% gray print of the white wall.

IMO- the best way to correct for how the meter translates to 18% gray is to override the meter and under or over expose to compensate/correct for what you are capturing.

Granted, few scenes are monochromatic and evenly lighted. But understanding and employing the basic principles of photography, which are manual settings used in conjunction with metering for, and/or, compensating for, the 18% metering ... Will make you a better photographer ... If, for no other reason, because you have a greater and better comprehension of how the camera works and exposure works. Furthermore, the better and greater that understanding, the less time will be required in post because now you are able to translate the previsualized image, into a proper exposure for the final image.

I shoot manual, mmmhhh, about 80% to 90% of the time and more often than not in spot meter. In a generally evenly lighted scene I'll look for a medium gray object and center the needle off that subject, or I'll read off an object and manually adjust over/under based upon the degree of light/dark of that object.

I often shoot in tricky lighting. Exposing in tricky lighting for a moving subject under uncontrolled and changing lighting and using the light as dramatically as possible ... For me calls for manual settings.

 

[beachrat]

I shoot in manual at all times because I'm an expert.
By that,I mean it was how I was taught and it's all I know.
Priority modes are much more difficult for me.
In the end,all of my photos suck,but I LOVE blasting big giant lights all over the place.
God ,that clown is so stupid looking.

 

[Vtec44]

Two important things: Meter mode and where to meter. It's that simple.

Okay if you add flashes then it gets a bit interesting, but shooting manual mode in natural light isn't all bad.

 

[desertrattm2r12]

Jes' gotta love them dudes who always know THEIR way is the best way and any deviation from the Way, the Truth and the Light means the cretins are doomed to Hades. I think somebody here jes' maybe wants to learn something not just toss it on automatic and machine gun away. There's still a role for the brain and the eye, believe it or not. I have a Decisive Moment App in PhotoSlop but hardly ever use it, but that's just me.

 

[Bebulamar]

Why not to continue it ? Apparently you like it

Certainly in the digital world I do not use meter because if I make a mistake I can check and readjust.

World is not digital, world is, what you make out of this. But of course it is easier to flow with the propaganda.
Plus I don't understand, what you say about not using meter in order to check. How light meter would stop you from readjusting ?

What I said is that I don't need the meter. I simply guess at the settings which I have become quite good at. Then I can simply check the result and if I made a mistake guessing I can always make an adjustment based on that. There is no need for the meter when I shoot digital.

 

[Vtec44]

In case you guys/gals are wondering, digital cameras also have built-in meter