katbandit Loc: new york city

I always shoot in manual mode and RAW also..i have complete control over my photos..its like painting on your own with a blank canvas as opposed to paint by numbers..
i always start out with my ISO from that point i can determine if i have there is enough light ..for instance a bright sunny day would be ISO100 ..then you can decide your own aperture..thats how you determine your depth of field..for instance if you only want your subject to be sharp and blur out the background then you would shoot with it more on the open side..like an f5.6 or lower..thats when you need to have the correct shutter speed because if you are going to open up that shutter wide on a bright sunny day you will take in too much light and blow out the photo..so of course you would need to make your shutter speed faster in order to not let too much light in all at one time..sortof like closing the shades quickly against the sun so you don't burn out your eyeballs..the opposite is true for dark days..you would need to up your ISO then you would need to open your shutter for a longer amount of time..just like your eyes adjusting to a dark room..
as for RAW ..its like having all the information and i decide what to throw away ..not the camera..in order to make my photos the way i want them to look..
you will see how easy it all falls into place once you get past the comfort zone..
having a good eye is instinctive ..but many times you can draw a blank so thats when the rule of thirds comes in to give you some guide line..
go for it..don't let anyone discourage you from moving forward from learning something new ..keep us posted on your progress.

wISOr Loc: Austin, TEXAS

I am not a pro by any means but here is what I did and it worked pretty well for me. When I purchased my DSLR the "GUY" told me to try and stay away from Auto mode. SO, my idea was to use "P" , semi manual, mode and shoot shoot shoot for a couple of weeks in aperture priority, then change to shutter priority, next messing with the ISO...etc. THAT worked well for me and helped me familiarize myself with what each of these settings can do. Delete is a wonderful thing, yet I loaded almost all of my good, bad and ugly ones to my Nikon ViewNX2 program and set the Image Information to show on each pic so I could compare on the screen. That worked quite well for me! In addition, the good people on UHH are the best at critiquing pics if you want. Just be sure to click the box next to (store original) if you decide to post some. BTW, I am still learning.
:-D

j_c42 Loc: Sophia,WV

Check the book stores many have a book that would help take you step by step more help there than on here.

Nightski

My post is not asking HOW to use manual, it's asking why use anything else but manual. My title was a little tongue in cheek. Perhaps that is why some are confused.

DaveHam Loc: Reading UK

I don't follow this; let the camera work out what ISO, speed and aperture to use and learn from it? Does the camera know what depth of field you want (dictates aperture), whether the subject is stationery or moving (dictates speed)? Will the camera sense that there is fog and discount that when setting ISO?

Program mode is fine for taking snapshots (yes I was there photos) or news reportage (where quality comes a low second to subject). Apart from that it is difficult to see where you could learn anything from using it.

Radioman Loc: Ontario Canada

Hi Anne,

For most photographs I see no problem with the semi-manual mode of letting the camera's light meter set the least important factor, iso, aperture or shutter - the one I would choose to change when using an external light meter. If any doubt, one can always bracket. With 35mm cameras the ISO is set by the choice of film, leaving only aperture and shutter speed.

Of course, the light meter in the camera can only measure reflected (or source) light. For landscape, sports or sunrise/sunsets this is what is needed. With today's DSLR's one can choose one or more points (averaging) in the scene to determine the light level. ( if in doubt - bracket).

Having said that, in studio or portrait work, using a light meter to measure incident light, especially when using external uncontrolled flash for effect/fill, and using the readings to manually set the camera is by far the best way to go.

p.s. There is one 'auto-mode' I have read about that could be useful for group photographs, it delays the shutter until everyone has their eyes open ( no one blinking).

HEALS3113 Loc: PENNSYLVANIA

That is what I thought, but this is what was told to me. I am thinking that by using Program mode and changing settings then looking how this pic turned out is suppose to assist one in learning the correct settings for various conditions?

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I guess I am...sorry for my long-winded explanations now!

PS: you sure know how to start a forest fire of a comment thread!

BrettOssman Loc: near Tampa, Florida

I primarily use Aperture and Shutter Priority. I also shoot RAW. I got away from Auto and scenes VEY quickly. So, I'm with you too. :thumbup:

Auto is for snapshots as far as I'm concerned. Which is fine, if that's your objective.

Nightski

:D If you stir the pot, you get lots of good information. LIke your long posts, and Mborn laid out a nice rule of thumb too. I didn't have those before. Now I'll just print them and put them in my camera pack. More tools in my arsenal. :)

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Just remember the display is from a JPEG and what really helps is to look at your histogram

HEALS3113 Loc: PENNSYLVANIA

My goal is to learn to use manual well. I am still in the learning phase but want to get to where I set the camera to get the result I want, not by getting by accident. I lost all confidence since getting off Auto and Program mode. I need to learn better control.

HEALS3113 Loc: PENNSYLVANIA

I liked the idea of how you applied the settings used on the pics so you could compare side by side!

Nightski

Do you have Bryan Petersons "Understanding Exposure"? It really does help one gain an understanding.

BrettOssman Loc: near Tampa, Florida

I'll second that :thumbup: