Manual metering mode
Sep 13, 2012 09:23:36 #
Just a curious question. Does anyone shoot in complete manual mode and why? Not shutter or aperture priority, or automatic.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
Sep 13, 2012 10:06:58 #
papakatz45 wrote:
Just a curious question. Does anyone shoot in complete manual mode and why? Not shutter or aperture priority, or automatic.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
I shot in full Manual in the 1970's, when I had no choice. Now I usually use P, since I can easily change aperture and shutter. Depending on the situation, I will also use A or S. I seldom use Auto because I'm afraid it might choose settings I don't want.
Occasionally, I'll shoot in Manual to get a certain effect or just to play with the camera and see what I can do.
Sep 14, 2012 08:03:16 #
I shoot in full manual and find it so easy to get good images and it makes you think more about your settings and to get them right. I had a Canon A1 film camera and shot in AV for 25 years but find using manual so much better.
Sep 14, 2012 08:51:36 #
papakatz45 wrote:
Just a curious question. Does anyone shoot in complete manual mode and why? Not shutter or aperture priority, or automatic.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
I've used Manual mode for nearly 50 years. It's really the only mode I'm accustomed to using.
With the advent of different setting, shutter or aperture, I've migrated to them from time to time, just to achieve a more uniform appearance in the final prints. However, those modes are usually when doing a project for someone. For my own work, Manual is the only way to go.
Sep 14, 2012 09:45:29 #
jerryc41 wrote:
I shot in full Manual in the 1970's, when I had no choice. Now I usually use P, since I can easily change aperture and shutter.
I shot in full Manual in the 1970's, when I had no choice. Now I usually use P, since I can easily change aperture and shutter.
Same here about the old days. I use Aperture perferred or manual most of the time. (I hate to admit it, but I'm not exactly sure what P does.)
Sep 14, 2012 10:02:03 #
P is one step up from auto. P allows you to make a few changes in your setting i.e. iso
Sep 14, 2012 10:04:48 #
I'm a dinosaur from film days, 40+ years of shooting....Still use manual 95% of the time & plan my shots as well..
Sep 14, 2012 10:30:10 #
papakatz45 wrote:
Just a curious question. Does anyone shoot in complete manual mode and why? Not shutter or aperture priority, or automatic.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
I forced myself out of auto a few years ago and have never looked back. For me, shooting in manual puts me in the picture. It makes me stop ands think about what I am trying to capture, what are the conditions of the capture, and the finally what is the composition that best works for what I want. I do some studio photography as well as landscape and street photography. Choosing to use manual and becoming more fluent in the language of the camera and what I want out of my pictures has made me a better photographer I believe.
Sep 14, 2012 10:36:08 #
Although the cameras algorithms are excellent, I shoot in complete MANUAL mode 80% of the time because you have more control over what your camera is doing. You will notice your shots do improve; and, like charryl said, probably a more camera fluent and better photographer one will become.
Sep 14, 2012 11:00:07 #
docrob
Loc: Durango, Colorado
papakatz45 wrote:
Just a curious question. Does anyone shoot in complete manual mode and why? Not shutter or aperture priority, or automatic.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
Yes, I do. Because I'm too lazy to re-read the manual
Sep 14, 2012 11:42:15 #
Bruce H
Loc: Oregon Coast
I shoot Av most of the time. Lets me set the F stop I want and the camera takes care of the shutter. I do use over and under exposurer and if I can't get what I want or the shutter speed keeps changing for areas of the photo I don't care about I will use manual.
In auto settings the camera will change the ISO as it sees fit, in Av and other modes it will stay where I put it. If I wanted a different ISO I'd tell it so. I think you will find Av easier than auto or P to use if you care about the settings.
In auto settings the camera will change the ISO as it sees fit, in Av and other modes it will stay where I put it. If I wanted a different ISO I'd tell it so. I think you will find Av easier than auto or P to use if you care about the settings.
Sep 14, 2012 11:52:07 #
I use manual in certain situations:
- Panoramas, you want consistent exposure when you stitch multiple shots together. Any of the auto modes can give you a wonky shot or two in the middle of the sequence and then the final image doesn't look as good as it could have. Make sure your white balance is set manually too or shoot in RAW
- Studio lights or older flash units that aren't TTL compatible require manual settings.
- Panoramas, you want consistent exposure when you stitch multiple shots together. Any of the auto modes can give you a wonky shot or two in the middle of the sequence and then the final image doesn't look as good as it could have. Make sure your white balance is set manually too or shoot in RAW
- Studio lights or older flash units that aren't TTL compatible require manual settings.
Sep 14, 2012 12:41:46 #
Like most, I started out in auto, then A, but found that if I was hand holding it I would get motion blur because the AP mode would keep it open, so I then went to SP and was content with that for a couple of months while I learned more about all of the other things concerned with photography. Now I shoot almost exclusively in manual because I started at the beginning and went through each mode step by step to understand them and their intrinsic properties and put them all together manually.
Sep 14, 2012 12:42:26 #
papakatz45 wrote:
Just a curious question. Does anyone shoot in complete manual mode and why? Not shutter or aperture priority, or automatic.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
I have been doing it some and amazed how much I am learning.
For the first 150 years, shooting in full manual used to be called Photography. That was your only choice; that, or get another hobby. And yes, doing so can be educational. Glad to see that you've stumbled across this aspect of manual shooting.
If you don't already have one, get your hands on a decent hand-held light meter and make note of what the meter tells you versus what you would have guessed the exposure to be. These exercises can come in handy if your in-camera metering system ever fails.
Sep 14, 2012 12:54:37 #
Only problem with your statement is that if the in camera metering system fails, the entire camera is liable to be non functional as well...Used to be, when only the meter was powered by batteries, that you could rely on "Sunny 16" or a hand held meter & still be able to take pictures, but with today's cameras (actually more like computers) if one thing fails, the whole system fails...Miss the old mechanical cameras, so well built & durable to boot...
Nevada Chuck wrote:
quote=papakatz45 Just a curious question. Does an... (show quote)
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