Full Manual or Semi Manual

[Dao]

AV most of the time when I trust the in-camera light meter. If not or I am in a control environment, I will use manual then.



P.S. If a person shoot manual in a dynamic environment and all he/she do is dial to "0", then I usually recommend them shoot semi-auto instead and let them know that the "End Result" is going to be the same.

 

[TCampbell]

tecboy, unfortunately your t3i makes it hard for you to do manual all the time. You do not have the thumbwheel to change the aperture, shutter speed, ISO real quick while looking through the viewfinder.

I like to use manual while I am doing portrait at the wedding, getting ready shot, or when I use flash during the reception. Any other time I use AV a lot.

Trying to understand the situation. That is why I asked. I may get a better DSLR in near future.

In full manual mode, the wheel on the T3i controls shutter speed, but hold down the [Av +/-] button on the back (see this link for an image of the back of the camera: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/T3I/ZYBACK-LG.JPG ) and the same wheel controls aperture. Basically you can adjust both shutter speed and aperture while looking through the camera and without having to use any menus... just not at the same time.

On a mid-range or pro level body, the camera gets a 2nd large dial on the back of the body positioned quite nicely so that your thumb can easily wheel it around. Your index finger can dial in the shutter speed while your thumb can dial in the aperture. It's even positioned so that if you buy a battery grip and hold the camera sideways, your finger and thumb are STILL quite easily able to operate both dials at the same time.

 

[tecboy]

I know all the function from my T3i. That is why I have the manual handy. I had a lot of fun shooting pictures at the fashion models on the runway. The difficult task for me is to move the wheel super fast while aiming the model to get the right exposure. The meter in view finder tends to jump quickly to 2-5 stops left and right. Does it really takes practice? The meter doesn't stay centers all the time. Depending on colors of the clothes the model are wearing, meter can changes dramatically.

 

[SCraig]

I know all the function from my T3i. That is why I have the manual handy. I had a lot of fun shooting pictures at the fashion models on the runway. The difficult task for me is to move the wheel super fast while aiming the model to get the right exposure. The meter in view finder tends to jump quickly to 2-5 stops left and right. Does it really takes practice? The meter doesn't stay centers all the time. Depending on colors of the clothes the model are wearing, meter can changes dramatically.

In situations like that you should not be metering on the clothes but on the model's face. Once you find a good exposure you should not have to change it for different models or clothes, only when the light changes. That is the only reason to use manual mode in that type of situation.

 

[cynicaster]

The vast majority of the pictures I take are run-‘n-gun candid shots. I just like this style for some reason, both indoors and outdoors. I use M-mode indoors with flash, but even in that situation, the camera is still heavily influencing the result via ETTL flash metering.

Outdoors, there are so many variables—shade vs. no shade, angle of sun as everybody (including me) moves around, clouds zipping by in the sky—that I just don’t see any benefit at all to using M mode for the types of photos I like to take, unless there is some oddball lighting situation that would confuse the camera too much.

I go to Av mode, set the aperture for the desired DoF effect, set the ISO to as low as I can get away with, and monitor the shutter speeds in my viewfinder as I’m shooting to make sure they stay fast enough for sharp shots. For good measure, I chimp the odd histogram. Easy.

I realize you can get pretty quick with the manual controls with practice, and in fact I am reasonably quick with it considering I only have one dial, but when you’re watching people through your viewfinder trying to identify those priceless split-second candid moments to capture, you just can’t be quick enough.

Besides, aside from certain special situations where I either want blurring or the subjects are moving erratically and I want to freeze them (sports), shutter speed usually isn’t important from a creative standpoint, so why bother fiddling with it manually? In most situations (for me), it’s only important insofar as I need to know it’s acceptably fast to defeat camera shake. In that sense, it’s monitored in a binary pass/fail fashion rather than something that is dialed in to suit my creative intent for a given shot.

 

[gsgary]

Full manual no other way with my film cameras

 

[tecboy]

The only times I use full manual is when I want to get the best pictures possible. I have to take the times to think. Even with strong muscle memory and Kung fu finger/thumb, I can't change the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO speed really fast with one shoot. Then, walk away and expect to have a high quality photo.

 

[20belowphotography]

70% of the time I'm using aperture priority, 25% shutter priority for long exposures, and about 5% full manual when the circumstances aren't coming out the way that I'd like. On my d700, the in-camera light meter does a pretty good job most of the time.

 

[coastalconn]

Being a birder I have been shooting all my flying Ospreys and egrets in manual(or anything else I have a constant light conditions). If I'm walking through the woods and I don't know what might pop up or where it might pop up I shoot in Aperture with auto iso (normally set to max ISO 400, min shutter 1/1000th)... D300

 

[clarcorona]

Still a noob in many regards... Was shooting Manual to really understand the ins and outs of my camera.

Now I may try the other 2 methods... Seem to make life less complicated!

 

[Garbz]

Seem to make life less complicated!

Not less complicated. It's important to realise that the functions of the camera are there to be used. In some situations they will be more complicated and harder to use, in others they greatly help. I think back to my Nikon FE which had aperture priority or manual only, and manual focus, and a simple centre weighted average metering. There's a lot more to learn about a modern camera and each setting has it's place.

Except program mode. That's an abomination

 

[MarshallG]

The first SLR I bought was "fully automatic". That meant the lens diaphragm would automatically stop down when I pressed the shutter release.

 

[Nat.]

Usually Aperture Priority, unless I'm shooting in low-light conditions (this is usually at the zoo) when I use Shutter Priority, 1/focal length. Few of my film cameras have functioning light meters - or, indeed, any light meter to speak of - so when I'm shooting film it's typically fully manual.

 

[jowensphoto]

tecboy, unfortunately your t3i makes it hard for you to do manual all the time. You do not have the thumbwheel to change the aperture, shutter speed, ISO real quick while looking through the viewfinder.

I like to use manual while I am doing portrait at the wedding, getting ready shot, or when I use flash during the reception. Any other time I use AV a lot.

I wanna to be a professional photographer when I grow up, but I don't want to be a wedding photographer.

My T2i is built basically the same as the T3i. The one wheel doesn't hold me back (though I can imagine it being easier, or maybe more complicated, with an additional) - everything is in the viewfinder. Plus, the camera is small, so I can adjust all settings while my eye is to the viewfinder. All in what you get used to, really.

 

[jowensphoto]

The only times I use full manual is when I want to get the best pictures possible. I have to take the times to think. Even with strong muscle memory and Kung fu finger/thumb, I can't change the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO speed really fast with one shoot. Then, walk away and expect to have a high quality photo.

Why not make every photo the best picture possible? You'll get faster the more you do it, eventually it won't even be something you think about. Just takes time