What Mode

lj4bes

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What Mode does the majority shoot in, Manual? I heard before it was manual, yet a photography video said otherwise.?? I've been shooting in AV but wondering if Manual is best ( once I get the hang of it, that is)
 
Every mode has a use, just like every tool in the toolbox. There is no one, single, overall 'best'.
 
Eh. It depends. I mostly shoot in manual. I can't really remember the last time i used Av but i do use Tv when i'm shooting sports, which is rare. I don't use P unless i'm handing the camera off to somebody. Shoot with what you feel comfortable with. Set it to Tv and see what the camera chooses for the given circumstances and learn from it. Aperture as well, although i think aperture artistically is your call, but if you have to set it for a lighting situation, Av may help with that as well. Don't feel that you have to shoot manual to be accepted. I'm sure there are amazing photos on here taken in Full auto.
 
I wish I could find a way to automatically delete EVERY video, blog, etc. on the internet that claims "Manual Is Best" and "If you want to be a pro you *MUST* use manual mode ALL the time."

As has been said, there is no "Best" mode other than the best mode for the situation in which you are shooting.
 
I use Manual 90%+ of the time. I think that being proficient in Manual will be very useful in understanding how the meter works and when and how to "override" to dial in the exposure that best matches the final image.
 
Oh look, another Mode Thread. LOL

No offense lj4bes.
 
I too am in the M Mode boat. Since the introduction of digital cameras, I shoot manual 95% of the time.
Reason being is that I was never able to get constantly correct exposure from my Canon DSLR bodies. For years I felt Nikon bodies made a much better job in this regard. The first Canon camera that worked for me was the 5D III, but by then I was so used to shooting manual that I simply forgot to use another mode. But when I used it, it felt very convenient ;).
However, I don´t want to think during a shooting whether a scene needs spot metering or center weighed, matrix whatever. I feel that takes too much of my attention. I rather concentrate on framing and on the expression of the people in the shot.
Also I never felt spot metering was quicker than manual because most of the time I shoot within the same lighting situation for quite some time and using spot metering for every single shot took more of my time than dialing in the correct exposure once and then shoot away. When I shoot in changing lighting situation, I usually have the time to adjust the settings accordingly.

Today many cameras show if your exposure is off. Even in manual mode you get the EV +/- reading in the display - so that might help in case you want to shoot manual for whatever reason. But if your camera doesn´t meter correct, that will only give you a ball park.

But as many others said it is not that M will show that you are a pro and everything else is amateurish. It is the result that counts, however you achieve it. You can get the same image with many modes. Choose what works best for you and if you have time, experience a bit with different modes to see wether there is a mode that works even better for you.

Beside that: I never felt that it was desireable to look like a pro or being called a pro. Nowadays I even use tiny mirrorless cameras for client work. All I want is to like my own images and if I like my images, the client will like it too ;) .
 
M, A and S depending on the situation.
 
When auto exposure is appropriate I use P mode which is a combination of A and S. When it is not appropriate, M is there.
 
What Mode does the majority shoot in, Manual? I heard before it was manual, yet a photography video said otherwise.?? I've been shooting in AV but wondering if Manual is best ( once I get the hang of it, that is)

For me it depends on the camera. When I was shooting with the D5100, D5200 series cameras they only had the one control dial. As a result I found it best to shoot in either AV or TV mode - that way the control dial would control either aperture or shutter speed - whichever I thought was most important to adjust quickly based on the type of shooting I was doing at the time.

When I switched to the D7100 and later to the D600, with two control dials I could easily change both shutter speed and aperture on the fly, and by using Auto-ISO shooting in manual makes more sense, at least for the kind of shooting I do personally.
 
When I got back into photography and got a D7000 I started using the SCENE modes to understand the various setups and how they affect the image. I learned a lot but they never really gave me exactly was I was looking for.

I then explored the A/S modes but the cameraalways got something wrong especially after I learned more about DOF. Thus only M gave me the control to select the exact Shutter and Aperture that I want. I also understand my Focus & Metering Modes and make the appropriate decision for those too (instead of letting the camera decide).

So I really only shoot in Manual nowadays. I may venture off and test one of those other Effects things (like toy/minature) but just to understand it.
 
Thanks to all replies.. the reason I asked was I notice pics I see posted have info on iso, shutter speed, & apperature, but never the mode.. all info was helpful.. I didn't realize however EIngerson that was a repetitive question. But again that's why I am here so I can get answers to questions I have, and to learn from them
 
Thanks to all replies.. the reason I asked was I notice pics I see posted have info on iso, shutter speed, & apperature, but never the mode.. all info was helpful.. I didn't realize however EIngerson that was a repetitive question. But again that's why I am here so I can get answers to questions I have, and to learn from them
You can shoot in auto and pull that info from what's called exif data. It goes into every picture you take
 
I too mostly, like 95% of the time, use Manual mode.
The remaining 5% of the time is mostly done using Aperture Priority mode.
I cannot remember the last time I use Program or Shutter Priority modes.
 

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