Rip Tragle Loc: Estes Park, CO

Again, manual mode is no different then the film cameras we used in the
old days. It's quite handy when using old lenses.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

This may sound like a silly response, but... Why Not?

Rip Tragle Loc: Estes Park, CO

Indeed.

gessman Loc: Colorado

I wouldn't call it silly but I would certainly agree if you were to say that it doesn't seem to be a very useful response in light of the stated purpose of this thread. I was trying to enlist useful comments from experienced photographers for the benefit of those who are less experienced regarding why it is important for them to learn and know how to shoot in 'M' mode and when it is most appropriate to do so.

Perhaps you would care to list some of the major reasons you can think of for "Why Not" bearing in mind that many if not most of the inexperienced among us here do not know how or why.

Rip Tragle Loc: Estes Park, CO

I think there is a bit of over-reaction here. One uses the manual mode with
ease when practiced. It's no big deal. You set the exposure with the shutter speed and f stop yourself with a built in meter to confirm it. Perhaps it is up to
you to learn how a camera works, eh what? Why not??

Wabbit Loc: Arizona Desert

Huh? The consistency you describe, when the conditions change, would result in consistently incorrect exposures. If I have everything set manually and a cloud passes over the sun I'd rather have the camera take a guess on what has changed than be locked into the settings I made before hand.

Auto focus changes as the subject moves, and probably faster than a human (perhaps not a wabbit) can refocus. Alternately the focus point can be locked and then remain stable.

I use manual mode for flash photography when it becomes easier for me to change settings than to rely on what the camera thinks I want.[/quote]

Hey Doc .... poor choice of words and a poor example on my part.

If you choose your exposure by metering off tree tree, and your subject moves to the left away from the tree the tree may no longer be the point for metering if a white car happens to be passing in the rear. This will throw off your exposure if you were using auto. By using a chosen exposure the white car will not change your settings. When I used Clouds I didn't mean clouds changing available light, but rather clouds in the sky being used for the metering when the subject changed their position in relation to the tree.

Not every auto focus lens can focus quickly and of course the depth of field would depend on the aperture you choose. Depending on your subject and unless you're shooting narrow a foot or two may not matter.

I shoot Deer that run behind my swimming pool fence but in front of a spotty wooded area.

I meter off the deer, as they move the background changes, in auto my exposure would be changing too, which I don't want to happen.

I use manual focus, the deer are moving right to left, when the fence is in my line of sight in front of the deer they will still be in focus. Using auto focus the fence would interfere and the deer would be out of focus. When there are no obstacles auto focus on a good camera and lens may work well, but my camera's not smart enough to make those decisions for me yet.

Ever shoot fireworks

Rip Tragle Loc: Estes Park, CO

Lord only knows how those fabulous photos of yesteryear were created
with auto-nothing. Perhaps those folks knew their stuff and were like
real photographers?

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

When you're starting out, automatic is great, provided you pay attention to what the camera is doing for you. "Full auto" (camera chooses aperture and speed) is unlikely to teach you much, but either aperture priority or shutter priority sets you on the path to learning (a) which apertures or shutter speeds give which effects and (b) when the camera chooses the wrong exposure.

The latter is the more important, as you'll learn when to apply exposure compensation. Personally, I find it easier to use manual than to apply exposure compensation, but this will depend on your camera and your personality.

Cheers,

R.

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

Ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto -- spelling errors and all!

Dizzydreams Loc: Hull, England

Depends on what i am after in my photograph, There is nothing wrong in using auto settings on some occasions, i like it for portraits, However for capturing night time reflections (one of my favourite subjects) it simply would not work, so manual it is! Long exposures, good bokeh, a dark foreground with a bright sky also need manual settings... horses for courses.

Tylerd Loc: Scotland

For anyone just starting out, like me, a really good, informative , easy to read book which will give you an answer to this question is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.I found it to be a great starting point. To me the answer is easy, I try to use manual as much as possible as I want to learn how to use my camera to produce the shots that I want.

Leonardo Loc: The Garden of England

I shoot in manual mode for only one reason.

... to learn about exposure.

I want to get the best out of my camera, but if I simply use one of the auto modes, then I'll never really FULLY UNDERSTAND the interplay between shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation.

To aid my understanding, I have been buying old manual lenses, fixing them to my a580, and forcing myself to learn about exposure. Having done this, I can more confidently use the auto modes, yet now how to manipulate other settings to help produce more creative shots.

Other than to learn or be creative, I see no reason for shooting in fully manual mode.

Camerahand Loc: Huntsville, Tennessee

I use a Canon T3i and usually shoot in either AV (aperture priority) or TV (shutter priority) with the use of exposure compensation. I can't depend on the camera to make the "correct" exposure call EVERY time because there are those tricky lighting situations.

When it is ABSOLUTELY necessary to use a specific aperture/shutter speed combination, I will set the camera to M (manual), select the aperture and shutter speed THEN set the ISO to "auto". I realize this is not 100% "manual" but it allows for quick shooting with control of both shutter speed AND depth of field.

Once you get the feel for which metering pattern to use, this system works pretty well.

Burton

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

I think that those who say they always shoot in manual mode are trying to impress others with their photographic virtuosity. You cannot often devise a setting that will apply to the entire shoot, because lighting changes dramatically, even from one part of a room to another. Those who set everything manually are doomed to miss too many shots.

Nevertheless, there are times when setting everything in a camera is useful. One example: You are shooting a party. The light indoors, of course, is never great, and the action is fast. However, you want random conversational gestures frozen, because a blurred hand would ruin the picture. Therefore you need to set the shutter speed to 1/160, which avoids the blur. On the other hand, you may also have a depth of field problem. Even with that relatively slow shutter speed the camera may set an aperture of F2.8, which allows the lens to collect more light. This would be fine for framing a single person, but not a group at a table, as on whomever was the main focus would be sharp, and others somewhat out of focus. By setting an aperture of F5.6, perhaps even F6, the depth of field issue is handled. Of course a somewhat increased shutter speed and decreased aperture both tend to darken the picture. That is why ISO and exposure compensation also need to be set.

Flash Falasca Loc: Beverly Hills, Florida

I have a semi automatic rifle but I chamber the rounds manualy ,I'm not going let the weapon decide when it's time to load another round ! I have an automatic ice maker but I'm not letting the freezer decide when to have ice ready ,when i want a cold drink I just put a little water in my glass and put in it in the freezer until it change state ! come on if as someone said your taking Iso out of the mix and your in A priority and you want faster shutter the open your aperture or vice versa and what do you think the comp dial is for .