canon slr, when to use what

[musicaleCA]

I see nuffin', wet. As for exposure issues, learn to use and trust your histogram.

 

[Josh66]

learn to use and trust your histogram.

Good advice, but even better - I think - replace 'histogram' with 'meter'.

 

[wet]

Sorry guys, I use cut & paste, probably not the right way.

What is the best way to do metering? Do you start with the aperture you want & adjust the shutter speed & iso?

tt

 

[Josh66]

Well...

First - You have to know what you want to be properly exposed, and what is OK to over/under expose. You also have to know what kind of latitude you have - how much room you have to work with.

I start with the aperture. ISO is a given (usually). Shutter speed is whatever it needs to be to get the exposure I want. (Usually)

You have to know what your meter is telling you, and what that means.

 

[ShooterJ]

I only use the general metering mode.

Take 2. Not sure why the first one is broken. This picture is shot with Av + auto ISO @ f2.8. No flashfill. For beginner, it is acceptable?

Seemed to have been a problem displaying this image, but for some strange reason it showed up for me. Computers... haha

Anyway, this isn't a terrible shot, I don't think. (I'm not an expert, still in school for photography, so if any more experienced people do manage to see this photo they can help you more with it).

What I DO notice, is that the background could be more subdued. That block of washed out light is a bit distracting and it's creating a faint glow around the subjects head (the small line of blue-ish light that wraps around). That's what jumped out at me right away. The DOF is ok, just try the shot without the bright washed out background.

 

[Gavjenks]

1. Shooting outdoor wedding ceremony/birthday party
2. Shooting indoor wedding ceremony/birthday party

I would use aperture priority for both of these almost exclusively. There is no crazy fast action (with some possible exceptions like a kid freaking out unexpectedly or dancing at a wedding, see "custom functions" below), so shutter speed is not very important. Set that to 1/125 or so for the auto system to maintain along with auto ISO up to 1600 or so (with a camera that only shows noticeable, problematic grain at ~6400), and I end up with the least muss and fuss, so I can focus on capturing the most creative images and not missing non-repeatable moments.

Even if fill flash is required, I would use the flash in manual mode but still have the body in Av. The auto shutter calculator will keep it consistently around 1/125 or whatever I tell it to for predictable ambient light, and now this time I control aperture for the contribution of flash on the fly as desired, rather than for DOF artistic choice. Not the most possible control, but I think getting the crucial shots and focusing on composition, etc. is more important in time pressure situations.

For events like this, I would also set up my Custom functions (if you have them) to be loaded with any settings I know I might need ahead of time that are significantly different than the main set of photos I'll be taking. For example, one set of settings for ceremony, one for reception (reflecting different levels of expected subject motion, different creative desires, different custom WB preset to the venues), one for spontaneous fast action or laughs that might occur that I want to be able to capture in 1-2 seconds by just switching modes, etc.

3. Outdoor kids/family portrait
4. Indoor formal family portrait with studio lighting

For any predetermined "Oh hey this is a portrait that we are going to pose and set up all intentionally" I would use manual. The lighting is controlled, and so there's no reason to have your camera recalculate anything, since that will accomplish nothing other than open up the possibility of errors. And your own metering of the scene is a one-time shot as you set up, which doesn't get in the way of creative decisions much.

5. Landscape like National Park

General still subject, non-portrait shooting I would use aperture priority since aperture is most creatively relevant for still subjects.
If I were on some scenic vista though for a shot I've been hiking 2 hours to get to, then manual. Might as well make sure everything is your own intentional choice if you're spending significant time setting up a special shot. But during that hike and on the way back home, aperture priority for all opportunistic shots, etc.

6. Wildlife like birds, bear etc

I would use shutter priority usually, to ensure motion capture while still providing enough automation for me not to miss shots due to fiddling with exposure.

 

[radiorickm]

First off, let me say I respect all of the other opinions above. They are recommending what works for them. But that doesn't necessarily mean it will work well for you.

All of these things are TOOLS to use. Use the right tool at the right time, and you get good results.

You wouldn't buy a Ferrari then go home and remove the driver's seat, and use it in the yard as a couch. Why would you want to discard Millions upon millions of dollars of research and development to "look cool".
Even though you might be is shutter mode, you are still asking the camera to evaluate the scene and make a recommendation (whether it's on one of the three setting, or all three).

The thing is, they are tools you can use to get YOUR desired effect from the photo. IF you are trying to capture motion, and want at least a certain shutter speed, use TV. If you are trying to control depth of field, use AV. If you understand generally when the system is going to work, and when it is going to fail, you can compensate for that ahead of time.

Don't be afraid to use PROGRAM, if it is the appropriate tool for the job. (Maybe in a changing light situation). Backlight a subject, you know it will fail. Use manual, use exposure compensation, whichever you choose.

Learn when, and how to use all of them.

 

[SCraig]

Since this is a 4-year-old topic my guess is that the OP has figured out an answer by now.

 

[ShooterJ]

LOL.. I didn't even notice the date when surfing through there. To the two who followed my post, sorry.

But by god, if the OP comes back, he'll know we cared! Lmao

I suppose I'll look closely at dates from now on.

 

[EDL]

The reason is my friends were giving me very different advises & none of them converge.

People do it different ways; practice to find out which works best for you and your style.

The other reason is I want to be able to concentrate on capturing the expressions/sceneries & not have to fuss around with the camera settings to see which out turn out better.

All of the exposure modes are basically variations of 2 controls: shutter and aperture. I shoot almost everything in M or Av (landscapes, weddings, portraits, family snaps, etc...). If you practice in M you will figure it out pretty quickly, and eventually setting the camera becomes almost unconscious. That's when you can really start concentrating on your subject.

Just be careful your camera doesn't crank up the ISO on you if you start playing with the shutter or aperture priority modes. You may or may not have a setting to turn this on/off, or the camera may or may not do it.

 

[ShooterJ]

LMAO.. Now I'm kind of interested to see how many join this thread.

 

[PropilotBW]

The best mode is....ON!