one_eyed_pete Loc: Colonie NY

50 years ago I shot a wedding, by myself, with my 35mm Nikon with nothing auto. Now I fully appreciate all the technical advances available in modern cameras and use them as appropriate. I think the function I appreciated most was auto focus. No longer did I have to set hyperfocal distance to make quick street grabs possible. To me, full manual (manual focus, no auto exposure or auto ISO) is too much work. To those who relish the manual journey, enjoy yourself, "been there, done that, got the tee shirt".

BigDaddy Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

He never said one particular mode "MUST BE USED." In fact, he said the opposite. The point he was making is Manual mode is over rated, and those saying it "MUST BE USED." are wrong. He said their are times when manual should be used, and said when HE actually uses it. I think it's much like shooting in RAW, way over rated, and with todays camera's that are really good at setting exposure, focus and so on, manual IS mostly outdated. Of course, if you insist on shooting manual all the time (other than in studio settings) go ahead. Most of the time you'll be spinning your wheels, but some people like the old burnout, but many insisting on manual don't need to, and ruin or miss more good pictures than they would otherwise.

I don't use flash much, or shoot in studio settings, two instances where manual is a good thing. Generally when I use manual I'm just fooling around, experimenting or being "creative" more or less.

In other words, what I watched in this link was mostly spot on.

Urnst Loc: Brownsville, Texas

Rongnongno Loc: FL

If you follow and believe what is going on the web, good luck with your life.

Whatever mode selected is a personal choice. Having one individual air his opinion does not make one correct. Scott is renown to give biased advices that make very little sense.

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Here is the link to the video at Kelby's site:

https://scottkelby.com/why-shooting-in-manual-mode-is-outdated-with-scott-kelby-erik-kuna-the-grid-ep-518/

The first two sentences describing the video:

"Ever wonder which mode your camera should be in? Have you tried to use Manual exposure and just kept getting frustrated?"

No, I have never wondered which mode my camera should be in.

I watched that video for over eight minutes now and so far it has been nothing but name dropping and mindless gossipy chit chat. I am giving up on it.

They reference an article by Chris Gampat at a website called The Phoblographer:

https://www.thephoblographer.com/2022/06/14/manual-mode-is-overrated-a-popular-unpopular-opinion/

He starts out with this:

"For most of my time as a photographer, it’s been instilled in me to always shoot in manual mode. This is the mentality of plenty of photographers from older generations."

He ends with this:

"For years, I think that shooting only in manual mode was a way for professionals to look down on passionate photographers who call themselves enthusiasts. In truth, lots of those professionals would often just meter the scene to get to the center of the meter bar. In reality, if that’s what you’re doing, then just shoot in Program auto. Otherwise, aperture priority and shutter priority are still fantastic options."

Good grief.

CaltechNerd Loc: Whittier, CA, USA

I photograph a lot of art for a local non-profit. I used to really worry about exposure but I finally realized that I could just set to Aperture priority, give it a small aperture (for depth of field) and the camera did fine on it's own. Gave me more time to fret over perfect manual focus.

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Yeah! I hate all of those experts who know a lot and have a lot of experience! Who are they to lord it over us and hurt our feelings? What makes them think they are so high and mighty anyway? Just because we don't know anything that doesn't mean our opinions are not just as good as anyone else's!

All of those old people with their constant nagging - "you need to learn the fundamentals" - they give me a headache. Hey, gramps, wake up! Modern cameras can make all of those decisions for us, and even post our selfies to Twitter! That's what matters. When I am running around shooting I don't want to have to think. I might miss a shot that could go viral!

And raw files - don't get me started! Just go look at images on social media and then try to tell me that you can tell which images were taken in raw, and which ones weren't. I can't tell any difference. I think the whole thing - raw, manual, etc. - is all just a scam by smart people to make the rest of us feel inferior.

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

After some thought i realized i am one of the old guys they are making fun of. On deeper reflection i am grateful i live in a place where there is more to shoot than cities of people or birds. Landscape work rewards craftsmanship. It is all about opportunities and choices.

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

Maybe I'm missing something, but aren' t the basic variables on a camera, shutter speed, aperture and ISO with each of these being able to be adjusted individually or the settings can be altered by using exposure compensation. When the photographer has the scene before him or her and has determined the best exposure for that scene is a reading of F-8 at 1/500 at ISO 400 does it make any difference how that setting was arrived at? Fully automatic with exposure compensation might work for me. For someone else they might start with the shutter speed or the aperture. As Longfellow notes above, use what works for you. If Scott Kelby doesn't feel like manual is not the best choice for him, then by all means he should use other means to get his preferred settings for the scenes he is shooting. Far better than telling us all what is wrong with this or that mode, give us suggestions on how we can arrive at a camera setting that will give us a chance of capturing the scene before us in the best way to show our interpretation of it. That I realize is a project of a lifetime.

Mike1017

Hog wash Absolutely Hog wash different strokes for different folks Mike

bikinkawboy Loc: north central Missouri

At work we have computerized design programs for things like ponds, terraces, etc. In the old days it was all done by hand using established formulas and charts that were made from actual trials. Same final result but an all day job doing what takes a tenth of the time now.

Much like the programmed modes on today’s cameras, those programs save a lot of calculating, guessing and trial and error. No more calculating guide numbers, estimating what settings to use and so on.

The computer programs are all my young coworkers know and I really appreciate the programs myself. But I do try to teach them how things work and why because sometimes the programs aren’t able to deal with odd situations. That’s when knowing why things are the way they are gives one the chance to fix or prevent the computer from making a boo-boo. On rare occasions I have to survey a site the old fashioned way, using methods figured out over a century ago because gps couldn’t see through the trees or couldn’t get reception.

Thinking one must use manual mode to get good photos would be like me shelving the gps because I figure you can’t be a real surveyor unless you did it the hard, laborious way. Gps surveying is faster and more accurate than the old way in “most”situations. I figure if the preprogrammed modes on the camera give you what you want or need, then why go to all the work of fixing something the camera would have fixed in a split second? When I put a gps globe on a 4-wheeler, I can do in an hour what would take a full day surveying the old way. So when the camera can’t give you what you want, that’s when you need to go to manual mode and tell it what to do. And knowing what you need to do to get what you want is why you need to know how things work.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I never said he did, did I......
"Those that purport..." is not "he".

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Since I shoot mostly manual focus prime lenses I don't really have much of a choice. Shooting in manual mode forces you to slow done a bit and perhaps pay more attention to each shot rather then just shoot run and gun like most people today. The pundits can say whatever they wish, but if shooting in manual mode gives you the end results you want, that is what you should be doing.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

I use Manual Mode most of the time because I don’t always agree with the camera on what is the best exposure is for what i a trying to accomplish.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey