Is there a time when aperture-priority is the optimum exposure mode?
Mar 23, 2017 20:41:50 #
Hi Hogs,
I am about to begin the second revision of my landscape photography book by Focal Press.? Exposure and metering are important skills to master. Over 40 years of photographing close-ups, wildlife. and countless landscapes for fun and to earn a living, I have never found a situation where aperture-priority works better than the other choices I prefer that include shutter-priority, manual, shutter-priority and Auto ISO, or just manually setting a known exposure for stuff too small to meter like stars. Can any one think of a situation where aperture-priority really works best in case it should be in the updated book. I never have found a reason to use aperture-priority, but that doesn't mean there aren't any! Thanks for considering this question.
I am about to begin the second revision of my landscape photography book by Focal Press.? Exposure and metering are important skills to master. Over 40 years of photographing close-ups, wildlife. and countless landscapes for fun and to earn a living, I have never found a situation where aperture-priority works better than the other choices I prefer that include shutter-priority, manual, shutter-priority and Auto ISO, or just manually setting a known exposure for stuff too small to meter like stars. Can any one think of a situation where aperture-priority really works best in case it should be in the updated book. I never have found a reason to use aperture-priority, but that doesn't mean there aren't any! Thanks for considering this question.
Mar 23, 2017 20:46:47 #
Brasspounder001
Loc: Erewhon
It's moot with DSLR cameras. But in film days with fixed ISO film it was a handy way to control DOF and level of detail.
Mar 23, 2017 21:01:51 #
John Gerlach wrote:
...... I never have found a reason to use aperture-priority, but that doesn't mean there aren't any! ....
When using spmething other than full manual i've found aperture priority
a handy way of preventing the dslr's from choosing image degrading values.
I recommend including it as many camera/lens systems don't perform well at high ISO or closed down to F11.
A designated aperture is almost a given for DOF control.
Mar 23, 2017 21:02:57 #
Mar 23, 2017 21:04:01 #
Brasspounder001
Loc: Erewhon
oldtigger wrote:
When using spmething other than full manual i've found aperture priority
a handy way of preventing the dslr's from choosing image degrading values.
I recommend including it as many camera/lens systems don't perform well at high ISO or closed down to F11.
a handy way of preventing the dslr's from choosing image degrading values.
I recommend including it as many camera/lens systems don't perform well at high ISO or closed down to F11.
Good point. I think I like using with manual lenses just for the nostalgic value of it.
Mar 23, 2017 21:10:03 #
Remind me not to buy your book if you can't figure that one out. I use aperture priority quite often. You'd use aperture priority for the same reason that you'd select a specific aperture when shooting in manual.
Mar 23, 2017 21:13:24 #
John Gerlach wrote:
Hi Hogs, br br I am about to begin the second rev... (show quote)
Perhaps in experimenting and controlling depth of field. Not wanting to hijack this thread I would just like to say that a seminar given by you years ago on exposure and metering was a turning point for me on the subject... a real Ah Ha moment. Thank you.
Mar 23, 2017 21:22:25 #
John, speaking with the most serious and humble respect: please buy a copy of Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure", read it cover to cover, memorizing the salient points and then re-phrase the question posed in your topic heading. It is very hard to believe that someone with your background is asking such a question unless it was meant entirely tongue in cheek. /Ralph Wallace
Mar 23, 2017 21:36:43 #
John Gerlach wrote:
Hi Hogs, br br I am about to begin the second rev... (show quote)
Yes. When the light is dynamically changing but you want depth of field consistent and to control noise levels - HDR bracketing for one example...
Mar 23, 2017 21:48:57 #
A multi row/column pano shot with an undefined aperture would be a real bugger bear to stitch.
Mar 23, 2017 21:51:17 #
John Gerlach wrote:
Hi Hogs, br br I am about to begin the second rev... (show quote)
Realizing this is entirely a personal choice it is open to conjecture, but it works for me. Aperture priority is a feature I use when shooting anything that either is in motion or could become in motion at any moment during my shot. The aperture is more important to me than the shutter speed. AP becomes a type of auto SS. One of my custom modes is for wild life and utilizes aperture priority. Landscape does not warrant the option of having the camera select the shutter speed. Since my camera is typically mounted on a tripod during landscape shooting I plan on taking the time to select everything about the shot, including shutter speed. My personal choices, and everyone is given the same options. The answer to your question is Yes, at times it is the optimum exposure mode, for ME.
Mar 23, 2017 21:52:56 #
I've been going thru a series of videos from Great Courses by Joel Sartori, a National Geographic photographer. Aperature priority is all he uses.
Mar 23, 2017 22:47:31 #
John Gerlach wrote:
Hi Hogs, br br I am about to begin the second rev... (show quote)
Aperture-Priority is essential when bracketing for HDR fusion processing. That's the ONLY way I shoot my architectural and real estate jobs. All interiors are set to f9, ISO 100 on a tripod. Shutter speeds can range from 1/30 to 20 seconds.
Mar 24, 2017 00:01:42 #
I use aperture-priority most of the time, either for control of depth of field or to try to stay within the 'sweet spot' of the lens. Have I been missing something? Maybe I should read your book to learn a better way.
Mar 24, 2017 01:20:36 #
John Gerlach wrote:
Hi Hogs, br br I am about to begin the second rev... (show quote)
I used to (try to) take pictures (film) at the original "Hall of Flowers" at the California State Fair. The Growers Association advised where to plant flowers to take advantage of what available sunshine they could capture. This meant that I was constantly shifting between shady and sunlit areas. I tried to maintain an optimal DoF, so I would use AP and let the camera (within reason) set the shutter speed. Of course, I had no control over ASA (ISO) from shot to shot, so the aperture was the only way to control the background. As a bonus, I found that the camera-chosen shutter speed (and the Associations wisdom) would reveal to me which flowers were shade lovers and which were sun lovers. I still use knowledge gleaned from those trips when I choose to plant flowers. But this is the only example I can think of where I put so much emphasis on aperture.
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