Manual Mode Help

Ygrazi · Apr 2, 2009

I'm just not getting Manual mode. I must be missing something. I've been shooting in A or S but really would like to start w\ full manual. I have the d200.
Let's say I'm taking a portrait. I want my aperture at 5.6. Then I look into the viewfinder and meter off my subject until the little bar is at the 0 right? It usually tells me to stop down to 30 or even less w\ the flash open and ends up come out underexposed or blurry since the SS is so slow. Then when I flick it to Ap the shutter speed automatically jumps up over 100 and the picture comes out exposed correctly.
What am I missing?

tirediron · Apr 2, 2009

Because when you switch to aperture priority, the camera automatically uses the widest possible aperture. Try boosting your ISO a bit.

iflynething · Apr 2, 2009

In manual, I never rely on the meter when using flash. It usually always says it will be underexposed. I would rely on playing around and starting out around 60 sec. If your flash is not reaching far enough you need a more powerful flash, a higher ISO, or a slower shutter speed.

Once you get around the 1/20 sec, even with the flash, you start to get trails from the flash on moving subjects.

~Michael~

Josh66 · Apr 2, 2009

Manual mode with the (pop-up - all I have at the moment) flash, I basically just make the settings whatever I want them to be and ignore the meter (as long as it's not faster than the max sync speed). When the flash fires, it will adjust it's power to make the right exposure.

iflynething · Apr 2, 2009

Well that's about right. You can even adjust the flash if needed on the top with the +/- and hold the flash (on the right side of the camera) and rotate the front dial.

I usually keep it around 1/30-1/60 sec depending on what I want. If I want more ambient light, I up the ISO.

~Michael~

Samanax · Apr 3, 2009

Ygrazi said:
I'm just not getting Manual mode. I must be missing something. I've been shooting in A or S but really would like to start w\ full manual. I have the d200.
Let's say I'm taking a portrait. I want my aperture at 5.6. Then I look into the viewfinder and meter off my subject until the little bar is at the 0 right? It usually tells me to stop down to 30 or even less w\ the flash open and ends up come out underexposed or blurry since the SS is so slow. Then when I flick it to Ap the shutter speed automatically jumps up over 100 and the picture comes out exposed correctly.
What am I missing?

First of all, what are the shooting conditions like? Are you outdoors? Indoors? Using only ambient light? Using flash/constant lighting? Is the subject lit well? Is the subject dark/in shadow? Are you adjusting ISO to suit the lighting conditions? Every situation is different.

Exposure Metering Techniques

Flash Photography Techniques

Photography Tips

maulrat · Apr 3, 2009

I'm a newb but have been shooting in manual since the day I bought my camera. It isn't too difficult once you start working in manual for a while. Here is my basic run through and it should work with you... most of the time.

Set your starting iso (outdoor sunny - 100; outdoor not so sunny 200; indoor bright lit room 200; indoor moderate lit room 400)
Set desired aperature - you chose f/5.6 (hint- 1 to 2 stops higher than wide open will often produce sharper photos)
Aim and autofocus to bring up exposure meter. I usually reference my subject's face.
Adjust shutter speed to reach desired exposure; usually to 0EV. If I cannot adjust shutter speed faster than 1/30 then lower aperature # and/or raise iso #
Fire a test shot

things to note:

If your shots are coming out way too bright; raise shutter speed, raise f/#, and/or lower iso. (iso should be last resort adjustment to lower/raise exposure; use shutter speed & aperture are primary exposure adjustments)
1/30 shutter speed is pretty slow for hand held. If your photos come out blurry at this speed try not going under 1/60.
5.6 is a bit shallow when shooting outdoors. I usually start out shooting f14 outdoor and f8 indoor.
when using a flash, it is a whole different ballgame. Just begin at iso 400, f8, 1/100; test shot, then either adjust aperature to desired background exposure then flash intensity (manually on flash) to desired subject exposure.

My flow chart isn't exactly perfect but I think it works out pretty well for a beginner like myself. Let me know how things are coming along.