Automatic or manual
Mar 18, 2018 06:06:14 #
I've been shooting for many years and mostly use aperature priority to control depth of field and let the camera choose exposure. I'll use manual for special applications like panorama shots where maintaning the same exposure is important when stitching together the captures. Also important when you want to focus stack. Otherwise, +/- exposure comp in auto modes can be your best friend when subject and background have a huge dynamic range difference. Invest in a good post processing program like Lightroom/Photoshop and learn it. I've saved some iffy exposures with it. Shoot in raw or raw and jpeg. Raw files will have the full dynamic range your sensor can capture.
Ap priority
Mar 18, 2018 06:43:42 #
LWW
Loc: Banana Republic of America
AUTO is merely assembly line photography and it will always give an average proper exposure.
If snapshots are all you ever want then auto is fine, but you would have probably been happy with a point and shoot camera.
Manual is where the magic can be created, but there is a learning curve.
A good analogy would be buying an off the rack outfit from suit separates versus having a tailor made suit.
Both are made from the same basic components but the suit has a distinctly better appearance.
If snapshots are all you ever want then auto is fine, but you would have probably been happy with a point and shoot camera.
Manual is where the magic can be created, but there is a learning curve.
A good analogy would be buying an off the rack outfit from suit separates versus having a tailor made suit.
Both are made from the same basic components but the suit has a distinctly better appearance.
Mar 18, 2018 06:55:25 #
Sorry Bebu, but I have known both machines programmed to be smarter than many humans and humans not as smart as some machines. That said the human is still amazing even when functional at a minimum level if you think about it...
Best,
Todd Ferguson
Best,
Todd Ferguson
BebuLamar wrote:
I actually let the waiter picks my dinner more often than letting my camera on automatic. The difference? The waiter is a human being and she can be better than I am. The camera is a machine and while machines are always faster, not getting tired but never smarter than a person.
Mar 18, 2018 07:01:33 #
linkadv5 wrote:
I am a novice apprentice, I can set my nikon 3200 to automatic and it shoots wonderful pictures, so I have to ask, can I improve the picture taking by leaning all the manual procedures that I read about on this forum. Are folks just trying to learn the capabilities of the manual setting, or is there a real advantage to shooting pictures by using manual procedures.
As already mentioned a few times here in some cases auto does not do what you need. I was at a gathering last Saturday and photographed some folks inside a room who were sitting against a bright window. In auto mode my camera gave me silhouettes, I wanted faces and I didn't want to use a flash (may camera does not have a built in flash). I switched to manual mode and within three tries I got the exposure I wanted and took several shots that I shared with the group and the group was glad to have them. Another case is when you want to get the silky water look or something like that.
Mar 18, 2018 07:02:41 #
Mar 18, 2018 07:07:24 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
linkadv5 wrote:
I am a novice apprentice, I can set my nikon 3200 to automatic and it shoots wonderful pictures, so I have to ask, can I improve the picture taking by leaning all the manual procedures that I read about on this forum. Are folks just trying to learn the capabilities of the manual setting, or is there a real advantage to shooting pictures by using manual procedures.
If your subject in not moving, nothing wrong with playing with manual. You can learn depth of field this way. Set some bottles (beer is best) up, using a dozen, the first one at two feet and then at every foot. Then go to one side of your line and start in manual to obtain the correct exposure, then shoot progressively down you F stops, see how the depth of field changes. Have fun and keep on shooting until the end.
Mar 18, 2018 07:18:56 #
The Villages
Loc: The Villages, Florida
The advent of enhanced Post Processing has allowed (in some cases) adjustments to "automatic" shot pictures to bring out components that "manual" might have handled.
Mar 18, 2018 07:19:23 #
Mar 18, 2018 07:26:00 #
Manual. I use Auto only about 2% of the time. It's a question of how much of you do you want to be in the photograph. If you just want to take snapshots, Program mode. If you want to be a photographer, manual.
--Bob
--Bob
linkadv5 wrote:
I am a novice apprentice, I can set my nikon 3200 to automatic and it shoots wonderful pictures, so I have to ask, can I improve the picture taking by leaning all the manual procedures that I read about on this forum. Are folks just trying to learn the capabilities of the manual setting, or is there a real advantage to shooting pictures by using manual procedures.
Mar 18, 2018 08:32:30 #
BebuLamar wrote:
You don't improve your pictures by shooting in manual. You do improve your understanding of the technical side of photography by shooting in manual that may or may not help you taking better pictures.
Mar 18, 2018 08:41:31 #
I am happy to see that not everyone automatically screamed MANUAL,MANUAL, MANUAL. Some combination of automatic features will probably be where your finally end up, if trying to get perfect photos from manual does not discourage you completely.
Mar 18, 2018 08:54:55 #
I almost never use manual only for strobe. I do use aperture priority for most photos but for sports or fast moving subjects shutter priority. Use the best setting for what you are photographing. If you have the try different modes on the same photo and see what effect it has.
Mar 18, 2018 09:08:33 #
gvarner
Loc: Central Oregon Coast
To use Manual, you have to know AHEAD of time the limitations of Auto or any of the other modes. And that takes practice and experience. I can switch my SUV from automatic to manual shifting but I stick with automatic because it gets me to where I want to go in all situations. I taught my daughters to drive with a stick shift so they could drive any vehicle out there. This would be another viewpoint you could have as a beginner. Get experience with all the modes and use the ones that work best for you. I use Program on my D7000 because it lets me change settings on the fly with the turn of a dial.
Mar 18, 2018 09:20:46 #
linkadv5 wrote:
I am a novice apprentice, I can set my nikon 3200 to automatic and it shoots wonderful pictures, so I have to ask, can I improve the picture taking by leaning all the manual procedures that I read about on this forum. Are folks just trying to learn the capabilities of the manual setting, or is there a real advantage to shooting pictures by using manual procedures.
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Mar 18, 2018 09:23:50 #
Welcome, Link!
One way to learn about the different shooting modes is to shoot in auto and examine what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO the camera used to shoot. Learn about those three things and you'll be on your way to better control your depth of field, motion blur, and overall exposure more effectively than the camera might select for you in auto mode.
I use auto mode when I need to pick up the camera quickly and get off a shot just as quickly. For me, that happens a lot at family functions. I'll set it on auto beforehand.
I don't shoot in manual much, except in the studio. I find aperture priority is more effective for quickly isolating subjects in a scene, but that's just my preference.
Experiment and have fun! Shoot in whatever mode you like and once you learn more about the exposure triangle, you'll start using all modes available to you, including auto.
One way to learn about the different shooting modes is to shoot in auto and examine what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO the camera used to shoot. Learn about those three things and you'll be on your way to better control your depth of field, motion blur, and overall exposure more effectively than the camera might select for you in auto mode.
I use auto mode when I need to pick up the camera quickly and get off a shot just as quickly. For me, that happens a lot at family functions. I'll set it on auto beforehand.
I don't shoot in manual much, except in the studio. I find aperture priority is more effective for quickly isolating subjects in a scene, but that's just my preference.
Experiment and have fun! Shoot in whatever mode you like and once you learn more about the exposure triangle, you'll start using all modes available to you, including auto.
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