What is manual? I am a little confuse...what exactly is manual. Is A priority or S priority manual. Even though you let the camera light meter set the exposure? Or do you have to set...

charlienow Loc: Hershey, PA

I am a little confuse...what exactly is manual. Is A priority or S priority manual. Even though you let the camera light meter set the exposure? Or do you have to set everything, including manual focus?

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Manual = all on you.

Dave327 Loc: Duluth, GA. USA

Manual: You set the exposure (F stop), you set the shutter duration, you set the ISO, but have the option to leave ISO on auto and have the camera decide the ISO based on the exposure & shutter speed you have set. Auto focus still works fine, unless you want to switch to manual.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Dave327 wrote:

Manual: You set the exposure (F stop), you set the shutter duration, you set the ISO, but have the option to leave ISO on auto and have the camera decide the ISO based on the exposure & shutter speed you have set. Auto focus still works fine, unless you want to switch to manual.

If it’s set to auto ISO, it’s not manual. (But it’s a useful setting)

BebuLamar

Manual exposure control and Manual focus.
Manual exposure control you must set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Whether or not you use the built in meter, a hand held meter or just guess it's still considered manual exposure control.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Dave327 wrote:

Manual: You set the exposure (F stop), you set the shutter duration, you set the ISO, but have the option to leave ISO on auto and have the camera decide the ISO based on the exposure & shutter speed you have set. Auto focus still works fine, unless you want to switch to manual.

Charlie, you may become more confused. Manual means different things to different folks, as evidenced by Dave's comment. To me, if the word "auto" creeps into your definition, as it did his, then it ain't exactly "manual." If I "shoot manually", then I set the F/stop, the shutter speed, the ISO, the White Balance, the focus of the lens, every variable that will determine the look of the final image. And, yes, if I have to "Fix it in Post", then I don't consider the final image a "manual image."

waegwan Loc: Mae Won Li

charlienow wrote:

I am a little confuse...what exactly is manual. Is A priority or S priority manual. Even though you let the camera light meter set the exposure? Or do you have to set everything, including manual focus?

There is full auto, various forms of semi-auto, and manual where you choose and do everything including the ISO and focus. :-)
99.9% of the time I'm in semi-auto; I don't trust my eyes for focusing anymore and I think auto ISO is the best thing since sliced bread. Everything else I do.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

charlienow wrote:

I am a little confuse...what exactly is manual. Is A priority or S priority manual. Even though you let the camera light meter set the exposure? Or do you have to set everything, including manual focus?

The M on your camera is for manual. The A on your camera is for Aperture Priority, you set the aperture, the camera then picks the shutter speed based on the ISO to give you the correct exposure. The S on your camera is for Shutter Priority, you set the shutter speed, the camera then picks the aperture based on the ISO to give you the correct exposure. The M on your camera is for manual, you set the shutter speed, you set the aperture, you set the ISO, this combination of settings, if correct, will give you the correct exposure.

Nikon1201

This would be a good job for Utube . There should be many videos about your camera and manual operation.

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

charlienow wrote:

I am a little confuse...what exactly is manual. Is A priority or S priority manual. Even though you let the camera light meter set the exposure? Or do you have to set everything, including manual focus?

When the camera makes no exposure decisions. You set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO. There is also manual focus where you, not the camera decides on the focus target.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

In manual mode you set ISO, aperture of the lens and shutter speed, not the AF unless you want to disable it to focus on your own.
Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority are not manual modes but part of the AUTO modes of the camera.

Fotomacher Loc: Toronto

charlienow wrote:

I am a little confuse...what exactly is manual. Is A priority or S priority manual. Even though you let the camera light meter set the exposure? Or do you have to set everything, including manual focus?

My first SLR was a Pentax KM. It had a “match needle” meter which was seen on the right side of the viewfinder. The exposure was “correct” when the needle was horizontal. The shutter speed and aperture were set manually and the ISO (the known as ASA) was set based on the “speed” of film being used, generally from 25 to 400. Specialty films could be bought with speeds of 800 and 1600. The lens was a 50mm f/2 Pentax Takumar manually focussed and there was a split image focusing screen in the viewfinder to assist.

Today, when I use my D810 on manual, i emulate the above except that I use the green dot to confirm focus because no one makes focusing screen anymore.

leftj Loc: Texas

charlienow wrote:

I am a little confuse...what exactly is manual. Is A priority or S priority manual. Even though you let the camera light meter set the exposure? Or do you have to set everything, including manual focus?

It's a type of labor.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

I never considered AF to be a part of the description of "manual".

leftj Loc: Texas

Nalu wrote:

I never considered AF to be a part of the description of "manual".

It's not. That's just someone trying to be cute.