promfh Loc: Redwood City, CA, USA

Well, there was this strange thing called an "Instruction manual" on real paper that helped some and the paperback books from Kodak helped a lot. The camera store guy tolerated my reading them without buying any and would occasionally answer questions or review my pictures when they came back from the lab to point out things I could improve on.

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

In 1980 I bought a Pentax K1000 and the sales rep said to play with the dials until the arrow was straight up. A year later I went to work in a camera store and learned what those dials were for, still with my K1000. Graduated to an ME Super and went Aperture Priority but with film there was no way of knowing which shot had what settings. Enter the digital age and due to not being able to utilize my lens line up I opted for the Canon line with a 10D. Switched between aperture and shutter priority depending on the shots I was taking. Kept getting many blown shots (yes I was still stuck in jpg mode) and figured I'd switch back to manual. Was rewarded with a lot more keepers but still too many crap shots. Did a little research on RAW and got a bootleg copy of LR1 or 2 can't remember and jumped into RAW. Let me just say that I ain't never going back. Still shoot and teach in manual as well. I still have blown shots but that is mostly due to being set for one thing and having something else pop into view without having time to adjust. I take the shot(s) and hope then chimp and adjust if the scene is still present. When one understands the nuances of light it becomes fairly easy to make a switch on the fly and be very close.

BebuLamar

Thank you for none answer!

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

It didn't take me long at all to figure out to center the needle on my OM-1, what took me a while was understanding why I should select an aperture and adjust the shutter speed to it and vice versa. I can't say how that took because that was over 40 years ago.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

My first camera was Kodak Brownie 127, followed by an Agfa Instamatic type camera, they were both fully automatic (meaning fixed everything), you pushed the button and got whatever you pointed it at. My next camera was the Zenit E, that was fully manual, but had a light meter, adjustable shutter speeds, and variable apertures. That was how I initially learned, it took a few months. Then I got the Canon AE-1 in 1976, where I appreciated the automation but understood how it worked. Then a T90 and never looked back. I only use full manual settings when it makes sense to do so, otherwise I set the automation modes to deliver within my expectations. I use manual for when I want an effect that the camera's logic would use different settings for, or when I'm using old glass that cannot follow the camera's electronic instructions.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

I've been using since my first DSLR a Nikon F1 and never looked back. I'm so familiar with M now I have a hard time with anything else although I will use them under special circumstances.

Bill_de Loc: US

Using manual for exposure outdoors took 2 minutes. Look at the brightness of the day, look at the paper that Kodak provided, set the aperture and shutter speed.

Learning, besides exposure, what effect those setting had on the image took longer.

Manual flash was harder if you couldn't do math in your head.

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RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

It was over 55 years ago so full manual was the only option, and the fully adjustable camera did not have a range finder or exposure meter (and I didn't own one in the early days).
I used to take notes when shooting and check how it worked out when the prints came back.
Probably took a month or so, at least as I was only shooting weekends.

promfh Loc: Redwood City, CA, USA

I guess I misunderstood the intent of your question. It probably took me about two years to grow from "Point the Box Brownie" to being fairly comfortable using a fully adjustable TLR camera. Learning to use flashbulbs and Guide numbers was an additional six months.

fuminous Loc: Luling, LA... for now...

Like I said, "... two rolls..." that's a couple of days... but they were dedicated days...

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

Well, I'm 75 and started doing photography when I was 15 so I started out in manual but I don't remember how long it took me to learn.
It was not very complicated back then, ASA (ISO to you youngsters) was what ever film you had in the camera so you just took a meter reading and made two setting on the camera and shot.
You needed to consider things desired DoF and/or stopping motion with shutter speed of course.

carl hervol Loc: jacksonville florida

I started out with a 35MM beauty with split screen when i was 14 it took me 20 sec to learn how to focus it i'm 75 know and still manual most of the time and i have bad eyes ,cat in one eye mak in the other i go in ever 3 months to get a shot in my eye ball and boy is that fun my camera know have frezno screens in them.

jamesl Loc: Pennsylvania

My first camera when I was about 9, was a plastic snapshot camera with just a knob to advance the 620 roll film and a shutter button. Then in Jan. or Feb. 1964 my grandfather bought me a 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 Press Camera with all of it's attachments a cable release, a lightmeter and a tripod so it was manual all the way. I had the booklet what came with the camera and lightmater so I read them and taught myself how to shoot with a manual camera. I was fairly comfortable with the lightmater and camera within about a month or a little less. My next camera was an Argus C3 "Brick" that I bought in 1965. I shot all manual until I bought my first digital camera in Jan. 2002, a Sony Mavica FD92 which was pretty much all Auto. I bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D3100, specifically to get back to being able to shoot in manual again.

wingclui44 Loc: CT USA

[quote=BebuLamar]Among the UHH members who started out using manual mode either by choice or because that was the only mode that was available at the time. How long did it take you to learn how to use it?
Among those who started out with one of the auto mode (full Auto, P, A or S) how long did it take you to learn how to use the camera in manual?
I am not Chris T but I can still ask survey question can I?[/quot

I always use 'M" with my DSLRs, it started my experience dated back to 1969, between then and now, I have used many different brands of film camera, camera using 127 film as well as 120; 620 & of course 135. I always use "M" mode on my DSLRs with Auto ISO, I will use the other mode when I shoot with my other bridge & M4/3 camera.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Only took a few minutes to figure out the basics more than 50 years ago. I was shooting mostly Kodachrome. I have been learning a little more about it ever since.

I probably won't know it all before I die. If I ever felt that there was nothing new to learn then I would probably look for another hobby.