papakatz45 Loc: South Florida-West Palm Beach

Just to clear it up for me, when you say "manual mode" does that include manual focus? What about auto white balance? I guess my question is exactly what camera functions do you have in manual vs auto when you say "manual mode?

jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

I agree that the manual mode is not completely manual if you have the auto ISO on. While it is optimal to be able to control all three variables I find that many of my pictures come up unexpectedly and fast so I don't have the luxury of thinking about all my settings. I tend to leave my camera on manual with the auto ISO set to 800 or 1000 depending on the day and that gives me the ability to shoot during an unexpected cloud cover, a quick turn into the shade moment or direct sunlight. But that's just me--I think you need to think about how and what you like to shoot. If you have time then I think you want to learn to use all three together with manual ISO but if you don't know what your next shot will be you should consider the auto ISO as a good tool.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I've shot in manual mode using auto ISO for bird photography; I use whatever tool will get me there and there is no right or wrong on this, although others may shame you into thinking there is. Auto ISO is great for scenes that vary greatly in light sources, this could be the sun (with you shooting in several directions) or going into and out of buildings quickly for whatever reason. Learning to shoot in manual mode will help you to understand how the camera settings work and that is a good thing. Understanding your camera's technical abilities will help you to take better photographs. Having said that, shooting in aperture priority normally gets the job done fairly well. I would say shoot in aperture, shutter, and manual mode to learn how each one works, after that most likely aperture priority will work for most occasions.

bigwolf40 Loc: Effort, Pa.

I don't know what camera you have but I use three Canon cameras and shoot in manual mode with auto ISO all the time. T3i, 7D, 80D.. I shoot mainly animals in the woods where the light is always changing and when they are moving from shade to dark areas and sunlight there is no time to fiddle around trying to change the ISO setting....Rich

JPL

There is no true manual mode on Nikon cameras. If you want to shoot in true manual (manual everything, also focusing) then you need to get a Sony or something similar with histogram in the viewfinder and focus peaking etc. And then you will also get excellent results most of the time.

Maybe this will change when Nikon enters the mirrorless market with full frame or Aps-c cameras, but until then it makes little sense using Nikon in manual mode.

larryjphoto Loc: Phoenix

I seldom use manual mode. I use aperture priority when I wish to control DOF, and shutter priority when I want to control motion blur. ISO gets raised manually when lighting conditions force me to increase lighting sensitivity. I do use Auto ISO when I shoot High School football under artificial lighting (Friday night lights). Lighting at most school venues is so uneven that it is a time saver. I do limit the auto ISO high range to 5000.

larryjphoto Loc: Phoenix

Huh? How is there no true Manual exposure mode on Nikon DSLR cameras??

BebuLamar

I never look at the histogram whether its film or digital and I often use the camera without regarding whatever the meter reads and focus manually on my Nikon film SLR and DSLR how do you say that they don't have manual mode?

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

...jeeze, man, the guy asked three questions. You don't have to be Mr. Freud and delve into his subconscious to answer them...

zcarxrg Loc: Corpus Christi

I primarily shoot birds and birds in flight. I set my cameras in "M" manual mode and use auto ISO. The main reason I do not use fully manual is that the available light can change drastically and quickly. Auto ISO compensates for that. I prefer using the fastest shutter speed that allows a reasonable ISO for optimum image sharpness. If I need to go to a faster shutter speed due to subject matter I can spin just my shutter dial and auto ISO compensates for the exposure change required. If I am using a long lens and my subject is close, I need to go to a smaller F stop due to the extremely shallow depth of field at close distances. I can change just my aperture and the camera compensates with ISO. Light change example: You set your exposure with shutter speed, f stop and ISO with a bit of a cloud cover and end up with ISO @ 400. If the sun comes out or the light gets significantly brighter and you are in fully manual mode your camera will overexpose. The light can change outdoors between when you start raising your camera and when you depress the shutter button. If you are shooting birds with any white you will ruin the shot. Your camera viewfinder will most likely show you are going to overexpose but you can't tell the bird or wildlife you are shooting to wait until you adjust your exposure settings to compensate for the light change... Well, I guess you could tell the bird to wait ... ( You also have to be constantly checking your exposure indicator although that needs to be done frequently anyway. )


The best thing about fully manual mode is that if you have stable light the camera will not overexpose a white or very light subject due a darker background and will be less likely to underexpose for a dark subject on a lighter background because of camera metering making ISO changes.
If you use Auto ISO you have to be conscious of that potential problem and vary your exposure comp...

I would think that anyone who asks the question may not use the camera enough to effectively use fully manual except in very stable light and stable subject shooting conditions... I would expect very experienced pros can use fully manual and compensate on the fly as "second nature"

You will find both pros and skilled non-pros on both sides of this fence.

Good luck with your shooting !

srt101fan

What is the shortcut for turning off auto ISO? (Nikon D5300)

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

...you got me stumped! I set my shutter, aperture and ISO with no help from the camera: and I can focus (which, to pick nits, needs to be manual to suit the "manual" definition)...what else is there? These are the operant factors in a photo, no? "Manual," the word, means just that...but I consider focusing not a part of that equation. At least for me.

charles tabb Loc: Richmond VA.

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My Sony a99II uses auto ISO in the manual mode unless I change it in my menu.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Interesting, my camera has it.

Adrienne

Hi friend,
You must have one of the newer DSLR's. Check out this article on Auto ISO.
https://photographylife.com/what-is-auto-iso
Good luck,
Adrienne