Manual vs Automatic

[480sparky]

........l. Being on the internet doesn't make it right or sensible.

And that applies to you as well.

It most certainly does.

Therefore, just because you don't shoot in manual doesn't mean anyone else should. Keep in mind, entire generations of photographers have lived and died before the advent of Auto.

Shooting in manual is not 'the' end goal of using a camera. Knowing how to, and when to, is 'a' goal. If you're happy with your results using the Magic Green A, then by all means continue using it. But don't diss anyone who thinks outside of your box and want to learn.

 

[Ysarex]

What's the point of switching the camera into manual? What did you do in taking the photo that made using manual necessary? What did manual mode provide that you couldn't achieve using the camera in auto?

Joe

The manual photo is much much better !

Why? How did having the camera in manual account for the difference? What do the raw files look like?

Joe

Using a meter I was able to measure the light on what I considered the most important part of the photo.

That's not a manual versus auto issue. Did you use a separate hand-held meter?

I've had problems with my food photos because to show the food correctly I had to blow out other parts of the photo.

That's a lighting issue that can't be improved by switching the camera to manual.

Joe

I didn't make corrections to the two photos.

Normally I've been shooting the same shot at a dozen different apertures which is bad for food photos because the food cools etc.

Using manual I will only have to shoot at most three photos.

Michael

 

[redbourn]

There are also posts all over the Internet about the advantages of not using manual. Being on the internet doesn't make it right or sensible.

Several people here suggested manual and I finally tried it.

I got a lot of post from people asking me why I don't listen to advice.

I listened to advice and like the result.

Manual seems very good for food because it's a static shot under very controlled conditions.

Michael

......... Being on the internet doesn't make it right or sensible.

And that applies to you as well.

A rather unfriendly post. Why the attack mode?

I tried a technique that was suggested to me maybe a dozen times here.

Tried it and I like the result.

You presumably like the manual photo better?

Why is it better and how could I have got the same result use A - aperture or whatever?

Please explain and I will try it.

Michael

 

[480sparky]

.........A rather unfriendly post. Why the attack mode?.........

It's not 'attack mode'. Merely stating a fact.

.....I tried a technique that was suggested to me maybe a dozen times here.

Tried it and I like the result.

You presumably like the manual photo better?.........

I really can't see any difference.

.......Why is it better and how could I have got the same result use A - aperture or whatever?

Please explain and I will try it.

Michael

It's really not relevant which mode you use, as long as you get the results you want. If Auto, P, S (Tv), A (Av) or M is what is needed to produce the desired results, then use the one best suited for the subject.

 

[redbourn]

.........A rather unfriendly post. Why the attack mode?.........

It's not 'attack mode'. Merely stating a fact.

.....I tried a technique that was suggested to me maybe a dozen times here.

Tried it and I like the result.

You presumably like the manual photo better?.........

I really can't see any difference.

.......Why is it better and how could I have got the same result use A - aperture or whatever?

Please explain and I will try it.

Michael

It's really not relevant which mode you use, as long as you get the results you want. If Auto, P, S (Tv), A (Av) or M is what is needed to produce the desired results, then use the one best suited for the subject.

Thanks.

I'm not and wasn't suggesting that everyone should suddenly switch to manual mode.

Some people on the forum told me to try it and I was posting to say that I did and showed the result.

Manual mode may help my food photos.

Michael

 

[SCraig]

5 Reasons to Shoot in Manual Mode | Click it Up a Notch

There are posts all over the Internet about the advantages of using manual mode.

One that I read, and I don't remember the detail is that auto mode gets fooled by the grays.

Those 5 reasons are absolutely ridiculous. They make no sense whatsoever because most of what the author claims is a benefit of shooting in manual mode is nothing more than a benefit of knowing how to use a camera properly.

There is one, and only one reason, to shoot in manual mode and that is when you want to override the metering settings and have full control of both the shutter and aperture. If all you do is switch the mode switch to Manual and then center the metering needle then you are still shooting in automatic mode, just adding another step to the operation.

I also learned by using manual mode because that was all we had 50 years ago. These days I'm more than happy to allow my cameras to make some of the decisions for me. There are conditions where I do want to control all the settings, and when that happens I still use manual mode, but the majority of the time I'm using aperture or shutter priority automatic.

 

[Ysarex]

Some people on the forum told me to try it and I was posting to say that I did and showed the result.

Manual mode may help my food photos.

Michael

How might it help is the question. What are you getting from manual mode that's substantively different than using an auto mode? The various modes (full auto, P, A, S, M, etc.) are different ways to work with the camera to set exposure parameters. How is using manual creating a difference for you in this regard that matters?

Joe

 

[Ysarex]

5 Reasons to Shoot in Manual Mode | Click it Up a Notch

There are posts all over the Internet about the advantages of using manual mode.

One that I read, and I don't remember the detail is that auto mode gets fooled by the grays.

Those 5 reasons are absolutely ridiculous. They make no sense whatsoever because most of what the author claims is a benefit of shooting in manual mode is nothing more than a benefit of knowing how to use a camera properly.

There is one, and only one reason, to shoot in manual mode and that is when you want to override the metering settings and have full control of both the shutter and aperture. If all you do is switch the mode switch to Manual and then center the metering needle then you are still shooting in automatic mode, just adding another step to the operation.

I also learned by using manual mode because that was all we had 50 years ago. These days I'm more than happy to allow my cameras to make some of the decisions for me. There are conditions where I do want to control all the settings, and when that happens I still use manual mode, but the majority of the time I'm using aperture or shutter priority automatic.

I hadn't looked at that article until you posted this response. YIKES! That is beyond atrocious.

"How to go from snapshots to lifestyle photography in 30 days."

Joe

 

[Gary A.]

As stated before, it is not a manual/auto difference ... It is not a metering difference ... The difference between the two shots is skill and experience. Any seasoned photog can easily adjust the camera to reflect either image in either mode. If you are a neophyte as to how a meter works ... Then any well exposed shot is as much a matter of luck as it is skill. Modern, in-camera, Martix/Evaluative modes are designed to minimize and close that gap between the unskilled operator and the well exposed image. Dependent upon your meter mode, (Spot, Average, Matrix, Evaluative, Center-Weight, et al), and what you are metering off of, your values and captured images will be different, in some cases significantly different. To be honest, I think it was a flip of a coin as to which image turned out better.

I suggest:

1) Read a book on metering; and
2) Keep shooting in Manual for a bit.

I think, Manual will allow you to connect how a meter works to the three settings effecting exposure - in the simplest and most direct manner. Manual will give you a solid foundation for which all the auto modes and EV Comp are based. Once you've mastered the two M's, Manual and Metering ... You are a photographer.*. Mastering the two M's will give you the skills needed to tackle all lighting situations knowing that if there is a proper exposure solution available that you will most likely find that solution. Manual, will set a solid foundation for the Auto modes, allowing you to pick a mode that best fits the situation/circumstance/environment.


* I am not saying that Only 'Manual' qualifies you as a photographer, or that using an Auto mode makes you less of a photographer, et cetera. There are many qualifiers in photography and knowing Manual is one of many.

 

[astroNikon]

5 Reasons to Shoot in Manual Mode | Click it Up a Notch

There are posts all over the Internet about the advantages of using manual mode.

One that I read, and I don't remember the detail is that auto mode gets fooled by the grays.

Those 5 reasons are absolutely ridiculous. They make no sense whatsoever because most of what the author claims is a benefit of shooting in manual mode is nothing more than a benefit of knowing how to use a camera properly.

There is one, and only one reason, to shoot in manual mode and that is when you want to override the metering settings and have full control of both the shutter and aperture. If all you do is switch the mode switch to Manual and then center the metering needle then you are still shooting in automatic mode, just adding another step to the operation.

I also learned by using manual mode because that was all we had 50 years ago. These days I'm more than happy to allow my cameras to make some of the decisions for me. There are conditions where I do want to control all the settings, and when that happens I still use manual mode, but the majority of the time I'm using aperture or shutter priority automatic.

I hadn't looked at that article until you posted this response. YIKES! That is beyond atrocious.

"How to go from snapshots to lifestyle photography in 30 days."

Joe

Agree. That article is just wrong in it's "reasons"

I shoot in manual to control my Aperture, Shutter, Metering Mode, Focus Mode et all
I don't like the selections that the camera uses most of the time. So rather than not like the selections most of the time I use Manual so that I can like the selections most of the time.
And if you shoot in a studio type environment, I can't see how using a program mode helps when you have controlled lighting.

 

[smoke665]

Actually shooting in manual for a bit isn't a bad idea. Just make sure to go into your camera menu and turn off all the default settings. Limiting your exposure to the basic triangle will let you learn without the camera trying to guess what "it" thinks you want.

 

[HughGuessWho]

What's strange is if you look back about a year or 2 ago on this forum, many of the talking heads were preaching that if you DIDN'T shoot in manual, you were useless as a photographer.

 

[fmw]

OP, you can get the same exposure value in virtually any metering mode. My favorite mode is P or program mode because it sets an exposure value and then lets me spin the wheel to choose the combination of shutter and aperture to get the effect I want. Any of them will provide the same exposure.

Shutter speed controls motion blur, aperture controls depth of field and ISO controls digital noise. There isn't a universally ideal combination of shutter and aperture so I don't use the auto mode. Program is faster for me than manual.

Since you are using a tripod you don't need to worry about motion blur so aperture priority would be a good choice for you as well as program mode. You do need to be involved with controlling depth of field for your subjects.

 

[petrochemist]

There are occasions when manual is definitely better than any of the auto modes:
If loads of different subjects of widely varying average tones are being shot in hyper controlled situations (including food shots if the lighting is totally controlled).
Or in situations where the lighting is beyond the range of the camera's meter (typically star shots and the like).
Or where mixed lighting ambient & flash is being used...

In addition it can be a rewarding exercise to try as a challenge.

On the whole the semi auto modes work perfectly well, (you use exposure compensation when the subject is not expected to average 18% grey).

My first proper camera (Pentax ME) had no direct control of shutter speed just ISO, Aperture & EC.
Whilst I was jealous of my brother 'super' model that added shutter speed control, I never found a situation where I couldn't rapidly get the settings I wanted.

I tend to find that all those that think there is only one way of shooting (manual, Av, Sv, RAW, JPEG...) shoot a limited range of subjects. Each has its advantages & limitations but most of the time any of them can be made to work!

 

[dxqcanada]

What's strange is if you look back about a year or 2 ago on this forum, many of the talking heads were preaching that if you DIDN'T shoot in manual, you were useless as a photographer.

Real photographers only use camera's with a big M ... that's why I need a Leica