cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Now that Chaostrain's poll has been out there a few days, and we have learned that "about" 8-out-of-every-10 Hogs set their camera exposure controls manually, I'm just curious (as Chaostrain was originally) as to "why?" The vast majority of Hogs seem to have/use modern cameras that come with a whole lot more Bells-and-Whistles than my trusty Nikon FM did. It sure seems like the vast majority do "some amount" of computer post-processing on their images, so we must admit that they have no fear/distrust of technology. If they/we follow the recommendation of the on-board light meter in setting the camera's controls, then why restrict ourselves to the "stepped" shutter speeds available in our cameras rather than setting the aperture and letting the camera set "what should be" a more accurate stepless shutter speed to get as close as possible to "optimal exposure?"

Digital photography isn't like shooting "unforgiving chromes" was. But every book/article that I have read on the subject still recommends that we get the digital exposure as close as possible to our optimum. And, granted, tweeking expose of images in PP is one of the easiest things one can do in photography today. So I'm sure that there must be a logical reason to shoot "Full Manual." I just was wondering if someone could articulate for me what that/those reason/s might be as opposed to using Aperture Priority where we still set everything ourselves except the proper "stepless" shutter speed that we cannot manually set.

philo Loc: philo, ca

ego

wormtownspawn

i found this. good luck.

https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/13949/why-would-i-use-manual-camera-controls-instead-of-the-automatic-modes

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

I followed Steve Perry's tutorial on setting my Nikon in the "Manual" mode with back-button focus and "auto ISO" set to limits that work best for me. This allows me to use the front and rear command wheels to change shutter speed and aperture quickly based on the subject and what I want the image to represent. This is all done while looking through the view finder and not needing to take the camera off the subject or away from my eye as the situation may quickly change.

A big thank you to Steve for being so generous in sharing his experience and deep knowledge of photography!

Eddy Vortex

I shoot plays and often don't want perfectly exposed shots...the lighting looks way better than it actually is. The first half of my shooting schedule is under house lights on stage from above and thus quite gloomy so that's what I want to capture so...off into manual I go :)

timm27 Loc: Earth

Personally I shoot in either Tv or Av. And besides, "spoiler alert".......people lie.

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

A fair amount of what I shoot is intended to be made into multi-shot stitched panoramas. Full manual is necessary to maintain a consistent exposure across multiple frames.

digitalexplr Loc: Central Missouri

Totally depends on what I am shooting. I also wonder if folks mean FULL manual, i.e. focus, shutter, aperture, iso, or auto-focus and a combination of the other components.

clickety

Help. I don't understand the terms "stepped" and "steppless" with regards to shutter speed, are there more choices available in an auto setting than manual?

On all my cameras if shooting at 1/100 my next fastest STEP is 1/125 then 1/160 then 1/200 etc. these numbers remain the same whether in manual or any of the automatic settings. What am I missing?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Let me give a suggestion. Assuming you're familiar with Aperture Priority and Exposure Compensation, start at zero EC at whatever aperture and ISO you desire. Take an image and observe the histogram and the shutterspeed. If you want to "move" the exposure on the histogram to the right (brighter) or left (darker), add the appropriate EC. Take another image and note both the change to the histogram and the shutterspeed. Depending on the camera model, the difference between EC in Aperture Priority is nothing more than the dials and "names" of the dials you're using to adjust the shutterspeed. The same idea applies to Shutter Priority, except EC changes the aperture.

Continuing with the example, assuming your EC adjustment in Aperture Priority is a proper exposure (no blown highlights), take your camera to a situation where the conditions are different. I just came back from a room facing East in sunlight. The first few images were away from the window where the camera decided 1/80 on the shutter was appropriate for the f/5.6 aperture and the +1 EC. When I turned toward the window, the camera responded with a shutterspeed of 1/2000. That's a heck of a lot more efficient than turning the shutter dial in manual while watching the meter in the view finder. If I turned to catch a sudden situation, I'd probably miss the shot fiddling with the camera rather than focusing and shooting.

It's really just a question of preference, need, and maybe, understanding. If you've always shot in manual, you may not feel you need to change. If you feel more comfortable in A or S priority modes, you may be unaware you're really shooting manual with each EC change because of the terms applied to the camera dials.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

All the controls/settings can be useful, including the automatic ones. It makes no sense to me to decide that some are off limits.

Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio

Manual mode is just another tool in the toolbox. I use M + Auto ISO ( + exp comp) much of the time (this is technically an autoexposure mode since the camera uses the ISO to maintain image brightness). However, there are times I use full manual too. It depends on the circumstance. As long as you understand how your meter actually works (which in my experience really only applies to less than half of the manual mode shooters out there - sorry), you can use this rule of thumb much of the time:

For scenes with varying light levels but constant tonality, an autoexposure mode is often best (even if you have to use it with exposure comp). For scenes with constant light but varying tonalities, then full manual mode is best.

And if that rule doesn't make sense, then you may be one of the people I mentioned who really don't understand the meter works

Wellhiem Loc: Sunny England.

There's probably no good reason to shoot manual if you're just going to match your light meter. Most of the time I use Aperture Priority because that was the first non-manual mode I had in the days of film. When I want to move away from the meter reading, I use manual because it's easier to change aperture or shutter speed than it is to set exposure compensation.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Is it possible that most photographers utilize the features of their cameras in order to capture an image? Is "aperture priority" full auto? No, it is not. however, AV is widely used by most photographers. When I use it the camera is set to limit the maximum and minimum aperture settings I will allow. I ensure the camera is operating within the limits I want, not what the camera is programmed to deliver. The poll you cite was very poorly worded, it should have read "How much auto do you use?" That is another way of saying "How much control do you actually have over the photographs you make?" We've all heard the old saying "You must have a great camera because you take great pictures". Never heard that said before the advent of "Auto". There, IMO, is nothing wrong, or incorrect about auto features and their usage. Many people are taking photographs that might not be taking "full" manually made photographs. Change the wording of the question to find out if people who use many "auto" features are really happy with their results. By answering that question you may find people re-thinking what they allow their cameras to do FOR them. The logical reason for shooting "Full Manual" is control, how much and who has it?

waegwan Loc: Mae Won Li

"why"
Because my camera takes really weird/lousy pictures in full manual. My DSLR Camera just doesn't see things in full auto the way I do. But that is OK, that is the reason I use a fairly stripped down DSLR because to me going through the settings is part of the fun.