kfcam wrote:
I do have a few questions to ask of all you knowledgeable guys here, but before I do, let me say this. We were always told to learn how to shoot Manual and stay there for most of our shooting. With today's Cameras, the technology is so good, why not allow the Camera to do most of the work for you? Once I have gotten my head around "how to use my D810", I always Float my ISO, and use A priority most of the time. This allows me quickly to change my aperture, and exclusively use the exposure compensation to change my exposure if needed. I also float my ISO in Manual by setting my High and Low ISO points in camera. This way, I have more time to think of composition and what is in the foreground and background of my image. I am not knocking Manual, most newer photographer needs to learn about the "Exposure Triangle" and manual is a must for this purpose.
Now my questions. I will be in Rome for 3 days. With so much to shoot there. How will you set up your camera to be this most efficient? Will you shoot most of the time with wide angle or medium telephoto? I know the D810 is a bit heavy based on today's standards, but that is all I have. I am also taking 50mm 1.4, 24 - 70mm 2.8, and 70-200mm 2.8. Any comments, and/or recommendations will be appreciated.
I do have a few questions to ask of all you knowle... (
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I shoot in Aperture Priority mode with fixed ISO; usually base but changed as needed. This way, I can quickly switch to bracketing if I need more dynamic range. I use exposure compensation to adjust exposure to avoid blown highlights, or to set the nominal exposure for bracketing if I need more DR. If your camera doesn't show blown highlights/crushed shadows in live view, then you'll need to use the histogram and guess how bad things are.
kfcam wrote:
I do have a few questions to ask of all you knowledgeable guys here, but before I do, let me say this. We were always told to learn how to shoot Manual and stay there for most of our shooting. With today's Cameras, the technology is so good, why not allow the Camera to do most of the work for you? Once I have gotten my head around "how to use my D810", I always Float my ISO, and use A priority most of the time. This allows me quickly to change my aperture, and exclusively use the exposure compensation to change my exposure if needed. I also float my ISO in Manual by setting my High and Low ISO points in camera. This way, I have more time to think of composition and what is in the foreground and background of my image. I am not knocking Manual, most newer photographer needs to learn about the "Exposure Triangle" and manual is a must for this purpose.
Now my questions. I will be in Rome for 3 days. With so much to shoot there. How will you set up your camera to be this most efficient? Will you shoot most of the time with wide angle or medium telephoto? I know the D810 is a bit heavy based on today's standards, but that is all I have. I am also taking 50mm 1.4, 24 - 70mm 2.8, and 70-200mm 2.8. Any comments, and/or recommendations will be appreciated.
I do have a few questions to ask of all you knowle... (
show quote)
Just returned from Rome a few weeks ago. I agree with others in that wide-angle shots will be your favored focal length. There are always exceptions but unless you are trying to get a shot of a single statue or point on a building, most of your shots will favor wider angles.
Be ready for crowds, especially around the larger tourist attractions like the Vatican or Coliseum, etc. I am a little different than others, I tend to favor shutter priority with auto ISO over aperture priority. It was the way I first learned to use my film dslr and it still serves me well. Unless you are taking landscape or architectural images, there is always some movement in most images and this helps take care of that.
One other piece of advice. While many vendors take dollars, exchange some money and get some euro coins. Most of the public restrooms charge 1 euro to use.
kfcam wrote:
I do have a few questions to ask of all you knowledgeable guys here, but before I do, let me say this. We were always told to learn how to shoot Manual and stay there for most of our shooting. With today's Cameras, the technology is so good, why not allow the Camera to do most of the work for you? Once I have gotten my head around "how to use my D810", I always Float my ISO, and use A priority most of the time. This allows me quickly to change my aperture, and exclusively use the exposure compensation to change my exposure if needed. I also float my ISO in Manual by setting my High and Low ISO points in camera. This way, I have more time to think of composition and what is in the foreground and background of my image. I am not knocking Manual, most newer photographer needs to learn about the "Exposure Triangle" and manual is a must for this purpose.
Now my questions. I will be in Rome for 3 days. With so much to shoot there. How will you set up your camera to be this most efficient? Will you shoot most of the time with wide angle or medium telephoto? I know the D810 is a bit heavy based on today's standards, but that is all I have. I am also taking 50mm 1.4, 24 - 70mm 2.8, and 70-200mm 2.8. Any comments, and/or recommendations will be appreciated.
I do have a few questions to ask of all you knowle... (
show quote)
Shooting in Manual Mode is no more silly than starting your car with a crank, using a sundial to tell time, or washing your clothes in the creek. ๐
Seriously, for just three days, I would bring only the 25-70mm. That will give you a good spread and a large aperture for indoors. Many websites recommend settings for the D810. Below is a link to recommendations from Photography Life.
https://photographylife.com/recommended-nikon-d810-settings
I think that it's more important to know when to modify the exposure than to worry about what mode you use. Lots of backlight, know when to use exposure compensation. Tough situations in low light, know when to bracket. In most situations, the camera can do a pretty good job, just recognize when you need to take control.
I personally do not use "float ISO" rather I set my ISO speed depending on lighting conditions. In regard to using the Manual setting you are right, we were told to use it all the time but in fact a majority of the cameras at the time did not have any automation and we had no choice. Today it is a different story and I would say it is impossible to buy an all manual camera anymore.
Nothing wrong shooting manual, I do that most often for landscape photography. If shooting manual and action is taking place the chances are excellent we are going to fail ro record some good images. Nothing wrong either using Aperture Priority although in my case I am always aware of the shutter speed set by the camera to be ready to raise my ISO speed when needed or modify the aperture to accept more light. Others use Program, that has been already mentioned and for action and wildlife many prefer to set the camera to Shutter Priority. Program allows to make changes using flexible program and exposure compensation. In my opinion program will work very well if the operator knows metering.
I have never been in Rome but since many times I am shooting inside the city I would second those that have recommended a wide angle. Your 24-70 lens should be making a majority of the photographs in your trip. With a camera like yours I would try to travel as light as I can. The 50mm f1.4 would be most useful in those occasions when light is too low or at night although your 24-70 could do as well.
Good luck with your trip.
Nalu
Loc: Southern Arizona
If you get the right exposure, who cares. Use what you are comfortable with. For me, with great sensors and software to manage noise, I set my speed and aperture and adjust ISO to get the exposure to get the exposure I am looking for. But I still do not use Auto ISO because (IMO) in many cases most cameras do not expose as far to the right as necessary to get optimum exposures.
I would shoot Aperture priority, auto iso, and in auto iso set your minimum shutter speed like 1/250. My travel lens for a D810 is the Nikon 24-85. I have found that f2.8 lenses are way to big and heavy, but that is me. I always take a small fast prime too when I travel, like a 50mm or a 35mm. In daylight set f8.
Just to shake things up a bit, I mostly use manual focus prime lenses from Voigtlรคnder, TTArtisan, and Laowa, and as a result my Nikon Z fc can't autofocus or change aperture with those lenses mounted. I shoot in manual mode.
I enjoy the experience and the results I get. Using a manual focus lens on a mirrorless camera is quick and easy as a result of the image magnification and focus peaking tools. Plus, an understanding of how zone focusing works means that in many situations I can capture sharp images without the need to refocus for every one.
My point is that every photography tool has its purpose. There is no right or wrong. There is no better or worse. We should each use the tools that we are most comfortable with, and which allows us to achieve our purposes.
For some people that's shooting in full auto. For some others that is shooting in full manual. And, everyone else may shoot somewhere in between using one of the several semi-auto modes. It's all good. Debating which mode is better or whether manual mode is still a good choice is irrelevant. All that really matters is a photographer's satisfaction with the end result and the personal journey taken to achieve it..
CHG_CANON wrote:
"f/8 and be there" assumes you couldn't afford better equipment.
To the Rome question, in the old parts, wide is the only way to capture something other than the smallest details. There's ZERO wrong with shooting aperture priority, especially if you understand to push the meter to the right of the 0-mark with EC. Bring your VR-enabled lenses, and you rarely have to consider the shutter speed.
An exception may be wildlife where shutter speeds are quite important.
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