The topic of Manual vs Auto has been discussed many times on UHH, and the opinions range from the pragmatic "Manual is just another shooting mode on the camera that is to be used when appropriate" to the almost paranoid "If you don't shoot 'full manual' all the time you don't yet understand photography. Period!!!" So I am curious to know what the good folks on UHH think constitutes full manual shooting; and is there perhaps a grey area where one can shoot semi-manual without being labelled a P&S user?

Today's cameras are rich with bells and whistles, so to frame the discussion let's put aside all of the in-camera picture effects such as toy camera, pop color, posterization, miniature, etc, as well as the creative styles or scene modes like sports, portrait, landscape, macro, sunset, beach, night scene, etc. The picture effects essentially provide pre-programmed PP manipulations that can be better done on the computer, while the creative styles set several shooting parameters that clearly put the user in the "auto camp". What we are left with then are a small collection of shooting features like auto-focus, single/continuous shooting, auto bracketing, etc, and the "biggie" of exposure control.

Starting with exposure control, is "full manual" restricted to not using ANY of the camera's "assistive" capabilities? Clearly the mode dial setting is "M" and I will be manually selecting f-stop, shutter speed and ISO to balance the exposure triangle. But can I use the camera's meter as a guide or do I have to estimate the exposure based only on my guess at how the lighting situation has changed from sunny f/16? I suppose it is OK to chimp the image on the LCD screen to see if further adjustments to exposure are warranted… or is it?

If my camera supports auto-ISO in M mode, is it acceptable to take advantage of it as I play liberally and creatively with shutter speed and f-stop, or do I still have to manually set all 3 of the exposure parameters to proclaim myself a full manual shooter? Again, can I use the camera meter as a guide (in this case for setting ISO), or not?

Still in M mode, if my camera does not support auto-ISO then I will select an ISO value (call it fixed-ISO) that is a compromise between light sensitivity and noise. I will then choose either shutter speed or f-stop as the primary controlled parameter, and I will adjust the f-stop or shutter speed, respectively, as the secondary parameter to get an appropriate exposure. Again, can I use the camera meter as a guide for setting that secondary parameter? I will assume it is OK to chimp.

In the fixed-ISO case, if I am permitted to use the camera meter to recommend a setting for the secondary parameter AND I choose to manually set exactly that value, then how is this any different from using either aperture or shutter priority mode to set the primary parameter and simply letting the camera set the secondary parameter automatically? In other words, can I use A or S modes and still claim to be shooting manually because I have consciously set the primary parameter, or has moving the mode dial away from the magic M put me in the "auto camp"?

If I select P mode (and a manually fixed-ISO) then I have essentially given shutter speed and f-stop selection to the camera and I would admit that I am now shooting auto, not manual. However, I can spin a control wheel in P mode to "shift the program" to new values of shutter speed and f-stop. Am I now back to being a manual shooter because I have exercised a modicum of control over the camera's default settings? Or am I in the grey zone of semi-manual and/or semi-automatic?

Beyond P, A, S & M we have modes like Auto, i-Auto or Auto+ where we have virtually no control over anything other than perhaps activating the flash. That I would agree is shooting in "full-auto" mode.

Going beyond exposure control, does using features like auto-focus, single/continuous shooting, auto bracketing, etc, violate the principles of full manual shooting, or are these features fair game because the manual/auto camp criteria are limited to exposure control?

By now you have probably discerned that I do not fall into the purist "full-manual-all-the-time" camp. I use many of the features built into my camera, especially the exposure meter, to get as close to the final image as I can SOOC. I would even go so far as to say that I have often captured excellent photos because I let the camera do the heavy lifting, sometimes even in "full-auto" mode, and had I tried to override the automatic-split-second-decision-making-capabilities that are built into my camera I might have missed a great shot.

Full-manual shooters… load your weapons and fire away.

All others… show your support and stand by me. If you manage to capture a great shot by some means you will have achieved your goal and will not be a lesser person.