SteveLew Loc: Sugar Land, TX

I completed a full day Nikon session last week. When the Instructor, a very experienced professional, asked the class "how many of you shoot in manual" about 20% of the class participants raised their hands. I was surprised since many of the class were also experienced shooters.

During a break I asked one of the instructors if he shoots in the manual mode and he quickly replied that he hardly ever shoots in manual. He usually shoots in aperture priority and often auto ISO. Again, I was surprised.

I have always used my d610 in manual mode for landscape, with a tripod, and some travel. I am missing something?

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I wouldn't fret over it. Just use the mode that gives the results you're after.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

No, YOU are not the one missing something. The instructor is in too great of a hurry to get a picture and is willing to let his camera earn it's price and do all the work for him. Then, he more than likely runs the image through Photocrop and lets it process the image. Then he sells the image. There are reasons why he is instructing, emulate him and you too can become an instructor. No, that is NOT a slam on instructors, just the lazy ones.

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

As I teach photography -- and "master classes" of how to use a camera -- I teach Manual operation and the use of Aperture Priority. In "AP Mode" And Often with Auto ISO, I found that I can get "The Shots" I had intended.

I do shoot in Manual about 60% of the time on landscapes and In Studio "still life". And I still make use of a Hand Held Spot Meter... Especially when in "difficult" lighting and using a H.D.R. approach.

I use the AP-Mode with Auto ISO when shooting wildlife and birds (Eagles in flight).

I always tell my students, and colleagues, when ask "How Do I Best Use My Camera?".... Well... Be comfortable with YOUR Camera = It IS a tool from which YOU will create YOUR art. Get the Best image capture that YOU can, But do NOT beat yourself up over it. READ your camera's Instruction Booklet for each camera that You make use of. Then READ more -- With the internet this is very simple... Just "Goggle" What you want to know... Copy a [PDF] file for printing out and reading in hard copy, (or as I do) save to a "Kindle" and read whenever.

NOTEBOOK = Every Photographer Should Carry One == That is a quote from Ansel Adams. I do Highly recommend the use of one... I usually write down my FEELINGS about what I am Seeing and How I FEEL about it. Making use of these note with music playing as I EDIT my image captures.

But do Not Fret over it... Be comfortable -- Learn to shoot in RAW as YOU want the Best that YOUR camera has to deliver. And too = If You get the BEST image in your camera YOU will have everything that You need to Make a Print from it.

Be comfortable.

May The Light Be With You....

;-)

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

If we weren't meant to use the technology to our advantage... then why do we have it? If only shooting manual is the objective, then by all means do so... but buy an old camera, right? Or shoot in film and guess if you got it right in the can. That'll show those lazy people who like histograms and LCD screens and Live View and such... (tongue very firmly in cheek). ;-)

The camera is a tool to be used as best that YOU see fit. As for a lazy instructor, I bet he also has automatic transmission in the car he drove to your class, instead of manually shifting all those gears...the horror!

Wahawk Loc: NE IA

There are MANY pro photogs that use one of the SEMI-automatic settings -- Aperture/Shutter/Program--- depending on what they are shooting. Then they will switch to Manual IF and WHEN they know that they NEED to. Get to know how each of the settings takes pictures and view the results. IF one of them will consistently give you the same results you are getting from Manual, then there is NO NEED for Manual mode.

There are more comments about ONLY using Manual from the "Serious" enthusiasts than pros, simply because the want it to be ALL about "ME" (meaning the individual photographer).

I find that with proper adjustments in one of the SemiAuto modes I get just as good, if not better, results than going through the efforts to set it Manually.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

I switch to manual when Aperture or Shutter priority does't achieve what I want (or if Im in a low-low light situation).

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

My take - The exposure triangle Is ISO, Shutter Speed & aperture. You get to pick two and to get the exposure you want (may be over or under depending on your taste) the third setting can only be one thing. I and many pros like to use Aperture Priority so we can control the depth of field the 2nd is ISO as low as possible for noise. Then we let the light meter in the camera pick the shutter speed. Many who shoot M use the camera light meter to make their settings. Some even think they have such good judgment of light that the don't need a meter. Ansel Adams was not tht good he used a meter. So the aperture priority guy has as much control as the Manual guy. One trick the teacher used and I do too is after I set my ISO I set the override that ups the ISO if the needed shutter speed drops below a set speed. Of course there are times when the camera can't read the light or you want a special effect you need to

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Auto A and S will give you a 'correct ' exposure. Manual gives you a creative edge. So are you shooting fact or fiction?

Most basic advice about shooting in manual concerns the ability to under or over expose the camera's choice of exposure/speed etc and its not rocket science - +/- 0 on a scale of 1-3. Sharp or blurred movement, High or low key etc.

As has been said - its an option that you make based on circumstances and your interpretation of how you would like your photo to look before you shoot rather than what you get.(and alter later). Some like to plan others like to fiddle - the choice is yours.

If your pictures make you happy why worry

BebuLamar

The manual mode is the slowest mode and also requires that you have to make the adjustment but it's the easiest mode to understand if you want to understand about exposure. When a person understand all about exposure he/she would choose the mode that is best for him/her. So use whatever mode that you like.

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is one of the Books that I suggest to my students:::

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_olp?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422038932&sr=1-1&keywords=understanding+exposure

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

If you completely understand how your camera works, particularly it's metering system, and how that translates to properly exposed images, it rarely matters what mode you are in.The most easily predictable is manual, but it is also the slowest. I shoot aperture priority 75% of the time. I shoot manual with flash, or when I am shooting in a setting where the light doesn't change much, but the background does, eg a flying bird that has sky, water, trees or buildings for a background - I want the exposure on the bird to be the same, and unless I am using the spot metering function, any change in the background's reflectance will cause the camera's meter to respond accordingly.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I use aperture and Auto WB, but I usually keep the ISO at 100, raw (NEF, too).

When I got my first SLR years ago, I had to set both aperture and shutter, so it was manual. It had a needle to match with a dot to get the exposure right, so it was semi-manual or semi automatic. I prefer modern cameras, which match the needle and dot themselves.

Peekayoh Loc: UK

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Anyone who claims to only shoot in Manual mode is simply failing to take advantage of the Technology and with some folk it's simply a form of snobbery. At one time we had no choice but to shoot in Manual but guess what, things have moved on!

First we had to use the Sunny 16 Rule, then we had hand held meters, then Minolta put the meter into the camera, then Minolta linked the meter to the shutter and now the meter can be linked to either the Aperture or the Shutter and of course there is full automation for the masses.