SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

LoL...., Martin, I'll bet you wear them to bed too!!!!! :lol: :lol:
SS

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

So, despite what your "handle" might imply, old dogs might still be able to learn new tricks… if they have an open mind.

I think it cuts both ways. If you are happy with what you are doing then don't let what others do bother you. If you see something that you think could make a difference in your photography then give it a try. Either way works for me.

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

You said it before I did. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Read the exchange as one post, you might get the answer.

To means it really means:
"I need only one tool to do the job so why carry a full box tools?"

Quixdraw Loc: x

To complete the circle on the analogy -- And how to remove the "tools" which are built into the camera? And why, since they have no weight? I carry video tools I will never use with my D 750 an it costs me nothing.

blackest Loc: Ireland

True, especially when it responds to the environment it is in. You never ruined a shot on a tripod because you forgot to take the vibration reduction off?

I think it should be possible to detect just how much shake there is and adjust to the situation as needed. Currently you have vibration reduction or you don't. Variable vibration control could be a very good thing.


this might be interesting

https://photographylife.com/proof-that-vibration-reduction-should-first-be-stabilized

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

So much verbage. What is the point? Any person who thinks of himself as a photographer who does not use whatever tools are appropriate for the situation is, well, not a photographer.

Who cares if the light meter is in your hand as a spot meter or an incident light meter, or in the camera in any of its settings. Your whole thesis is that of a TROLL who just wants to initiate an argument up over absolutely nothing.

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

in my opinion, you should shoot in whatever mode yields the photo quality you are looking for. when i am shooting a landscape, i will shoot manually to get the best photos i can, i have time to adjust and experiment. when i am shooting wildlife, i choose aperture mode and let my camera make the necessary adjustments, there is no time to adjust when shooting flying birds, they will not stay and pose. when i am at a family or friends gathering, i may choose to go fully automatic so that i can capture pics and still have fun with the party. that is why we spend so much money to buy the technology to travel so many avenues. shoot the way you enjoy shooting, learn along the way, and you will enjoy photography for the rest of your life. struggle with learning and trying to capture photos the way you think the pros think you should and you will fight your natural instincts and will be done with photography in 6 months to a year.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Problem is (really not) that you still carry tools you do not need.

A camera mode is a choice.

M is just the most versatile as every aspect is controlled.
Auto (anything) limits the options* but is convenient.

The choice depends of who you are and what photography means to you.

This is in par with the camera output: The file format choice.

So yes, I need to reverse my statement, there are two camps the GES aficionados and the anal retentive who want to get the best all the time (and fail most of the time in their own eyes).

-----
* As the 'perfect' solution is decided by someone else: The engineer who programmed the camera.

budster33 Loc: New Jersey

YES!!

:wink:

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

i have a folder of a couple hundred of the best shots posted to UHH in the last 3 years.
61% were shot in manual, 39% in auto/semi auto
Of those shot in auto/semi auto:
aperture 64%
shutter 9%
action 1%
landscape 5%
full auto 21%

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

A camera in manual mode is a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled operator. If something goes wrong we can say it was the operator's fault. Manual mode is about control.
Very beautiful images can be also obtained in Auto and once again the operator has to be in control of the photographic process.
Using "sunny 16" is manual mode but since light conditions change often unless there is a fixed amount of light mistakes can take place which fortunately can be fixed by just looking at the histogram.
One way or the other it is always the operator who has to take the final decision.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

I do understand that a full tool box allows one to reach for the one tool that is needed for a particular job - you don't seem to understand that not every tool must be used on every job!

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I do. But I'm not willing to carry around the tools in my belt when I'll never use them.

You don't need to convince me...it doesn't matter...lol. If you like a camera that has every bell and whistle available..that's cool...I don't care for that.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

First off, there are no hard and fast "rules" in photography, beyond the laws of physics.

There is nothing intrinsically magical or special about ANY of the modes on your camera. Each of them has certain advantages and disadvantages, is there for several different reasons, and is found suitable and desirable by someone for something, or it WOULD NOT BE THERE.

The important thing to do is to understand your range of available choices, and to make camera settings intelligently — *for conscious reasons*.

I use different modes for different situations. I can be a bit of a control freak... but just sometimes. FULL manual control, for me, means fully evaluating a scene and setting:

• Manual Focus — I choose the point of interest I want sharp.
• Manual Aperture — I set the right amount of depth of field.
• Manual Shutter speed — I control blur or stop action.
• Manual ISO — I choose the trade-off between quality and the other points of the exposure triangle.
• Custom White Balance for JPEGs — because I want perfect, usable images for cull editing, quick web posting, high volume printing, and casual uses, and I want a near-perfect reference point in my raw image editor. I use a PhotoVision One Shot Digital Calibration Target, or an ExpoDisc, or a Delta-1 Gray card to check exposure and set a custom white balance — because even the most intelligent light and color temperature meters want to see the world as gray, so I'll give them that absolute reference!
• Picture Style and ALL image sub-parameters for JPEGs — again, because I want perfect, usable images for editing, posting, and casual uses, and I want a near-perfect reference point in my raw image editor.
• Simultaneous recording of raw and JPEG images, when appropriate, or just JPEG, or just raw, also as appropriate for the end product or use.

When do I do that? Any time:

• The light is stable
• The brightness range of the scene is limited to what photo paper can reflect (about 5.5 f/stops), or close to it.
• I'm photographing many images of different subjects that will be reproduced on the same printed page, and I need all of them to have perfect exposure and color balance so their tones and colors are rendered naturally (i.e.; in portraits, Asians look Asian, Caucasians look Caucasian, etc., and background colors remain the same from portrait to portrait).
• I have time to evaluate the situation, and perform the necessary setups to make this work!

HOWEVER, there are plenty of situations where I WON'T work that way. When:

• The light is changing constantly
• Subjects are moving rapidly
• I'm doing "run and gun" work, rapidly recording lots of different scenes in different rooms or locations
• I can't control, or even predict the lighting
• I want to stop action, but the light keeps changing
• I need specific depth of field, but the light keeps changing
• I'm not in a studio or can't control the light

I'll typically set my ISO, rather than let it float, because I am a pretty good judge of what will work under most situations I encounter. I like to set my own compromise between noise and action stopping ability and depth of field. BUT, I'll use Auto ISO when I need to control BOTH depth of field and action stopping ability at the same time, and the light is changing.

I'll use Aperture Priority when I need depth of field control.

I'll use Shutter Priority when I need a minimum speed to stop action.

I'll use Program intelligently when photographing event candids, because I can shift it up or down and use exposure compensation in concert with it to get close to perfection — without whipping out a test target.

In short, as an experienced photographer who has tested every one of the controls on my camera, I know what they do and why they are there, and will attempt to use them when appropriate.

But because I grew up HAVING to control the variables (borrowed, meter-less Nikon F camera body with hand-held light meter —> borrowed, Canon FX with non-integrated, "on body" meter —> my own Nikkormat FTn and Nikon FTn, both with match-needle metering systems), I understand all of them.

As an AV (multi-image slide show) producer, I even had to control/correct color at the camera, by using both glass filters and gel filter holders with Wratten CC gels. Filtration was how you "white balanced" slide film under various lights.

Digital technology and modern camera technology make controlling everything SO much easier. So whether you apply what you know when time permits, or you take advantage of advanced automation, getting great images has never been easier.

Again, the important thing is to understand your choices, and make them intelligently. It's a constant journey of learning.

Sometimes, I want to control EVERYTHING. Other times, I just relax and whip out my iPhone.