A question of priorities

jonbeeza

jonbeeza

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Jon
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I am pretty sure that this sort of question has been asked many times on this forum before. But I am going to ask it anyway, and I am asking it my way if that makes any difference :shrug:

When I first got my camera it was stuck in auto for ages, then I gave both aperture priority and shutter priority a very quick trial, probably a morning for both. Then I stuck it in manual, and there I have had it for months.

I am still in the early learning stages, and I was just thinking, would it be better to go in both aperture and shutter priority modes for say a few days or weeks for each? Maybe on the lines of an aperture priority week, then maybe a shutter priority week.

Photos I am trying are things like family snapshots in the park, friends out and about in the street.
 
Use the right mode for the job.. it won't always be the same, it will to a certain extent depend on yout style and what you are comfortable with.

There is no right spoon, there is only the spoon that's right for you.. ..
 
I tend to leave in aperture all the time, this way I can define what sort of "look" i want , at the moment its mostly landscape, so f8+, or when I do close animal shots i wind it back to f5 or lower.
( Im saving up for an f1.4:))

I just change to speed if I need to capture fast action or get that fluffy look from moving water.

I turned off Auto ISO, but have it on the function button.
 
vizzair said:
I tend to leave in aperture all the time, this way I can define what sort of "look" i want , at the moment its mostly landscape, so f8+, or when I do close animal shots i wind it back to f5 or lower.
( Im saving up for an f1.4:))

I just change to speed if I need to capture fast action or get that fluffy look from moving water.

I turned off Auto ISO, but have it on the function button.
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Thanks John, I have jotted that down in the little black book in my head. hmm f1.4 I am just wondering where are you going to use that lens? I see you are in the North West, but it's a pretty big place! next time you are out and about, I could keep an eye out for you, I could annoy you by peering over your shoulder lol
 
jonbeeza said:
Maybe on the lines of an aperture priority week, then maybe a shutter priority week..
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Each mode has its own use.. shutter priority might be the best mode for one situation while aperture priority is better for another.. or maybe only manual will get the shot you need.. you choose your mode to go wiht the shot your taking..not what day it is :)

To put simple.. if your having a aperture priority week what to do when you need manual because of the lighting say?
 
KIPAX said:
To put simple.. if your having a aperture priority week what to do when you need manual because of the lighting say?
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That's what I was sort of thinking, seeing what will and wont work. Then maybe understand those modes a little better.
 
I only shoot manual my camera has only ever seen manual apart from when I got it new and was in auto ;)
 
gnirtS said:
That said ive just got a 550D so for sport im going to try manual with auto iso meaning i can specify a fast shutter speed AND lens wide open and let the camera sort the rest.
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with the above its impossible to under or over expose as you desire (the camera might) but if your in a situation where you need to under or over expose you cant in manual with auto iso
 
I'll recommend that book also, helped me a lot. I tend to spend most of my time in aperture priority. Probably need to try out shutter and manual mode a bit more.
 
KIPAX said:
with the above its impossible to under or over expose as you desire (the camera might) but if your in a situation where you need to under or over expose you cant in manual with auto iso
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Good point - i'll keep and eye on that.

Currently lens wide open in AV mode and a fixed high ISO for it but as there's never enough light when the sun occasionally comes out i dont have time to realise, drop it down, readjust etc so all the photos are default noisy high iso even the ones that dont need to be.

Ive done some tests on birds and moving animals and it seems fine as i rarely if ever use exposure bias on sport stuff. If it doesn't work i just go back to what i did before so not a big issue but i can see this being handy with rapidly changing lights due to crap floodlights, occasional breaks in cloud and so on.

(then again, most are going to be very high iso stuff due to a lack of light and torrential rain..although it makes a change as the last 2 months of games have all been off with frozen pitches).
 
Experiment with PASM as much as possible, and learn the capabilities, strengths and weaknesses of each mode thoroughly. You'll be in a far better position to decide which one to use in any particular situation then. None of them are 'better' than the others, it's situation dependent.
 
As said by other learned members, use the right mode for the job. Using one mode and one mode only could help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of each mode, especially when it comes to the things you shoot. But it could also lead to missed shots so I'd practise, practise, practise as much as you can on whatever you see, as this could lead to less 'fails' when you actually want to get a decent shot.

A lot of people seem to think using manual is a badge of honour, that is signals you've reached a certain level - it doesn't. All it means is you've put some settings into a camera... if you don't get the desired result then you might as well have been using an auto/semi-auto mode.

I'd make sure that ISO is one thing that you learn quickly; learn the limitations of your camera's ISO settings, know how much a decrease or increase in ISO will do to exposures and how you shoot.

Good luck :)
 
specialman said:
As said by other learned members, use the right mode for the job. Using one mode and one mode only could help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of each mode, especially when it comes to the things you shoot. But it could also lead to missed shots so I'd practise, practise, practise as much as you can on whatever you see, as this could lead to less 'fails' when you actually want to get a decent shot.

A lot of people seem to think using manual is a badge of honour, that is signals you've reached a certain level - it doesn't. All it means is you've put some settings into a camera... if you don't get the desired result then you might as well have been using an auto/semi-auto mode.

I'd make sure that ISO is one thing that you learn quickly; learn the limitations of your camera's ISO settings, know how much a decrease or increase in ISO will do to exposures and how you shoot.



)
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I disagree with the" if you don't get the desired result then you might as well have been using an auto/semi-auto mode."

Ive been thinking about venturing into various settings, but in persevering with manual, most times i've messed up a shot (ok maybe more than once :thinking:) I've learned something else about varying light settings, iso, shutterspeed etc
Chosing presets might get a slightly better shot in the short term, but at the moment, I'm still enjoying attempts and failures, but when I get a more complex shot right, it really feels good
One day, I'll see how portarait, landscape etc work for me, for now, I succeed or fail on manual (to learn more, not as a badge of honour)
As Ive stated elsewhere though, if its a one-off chance of an important shot, its going on auto :lol:
 
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I definitely don't think there is any "badge of honour" in using manual - simply the satisfaction that you have made the picture rather than the cpu in the camera.

I guess even with "auto everything" you still to decide which way to point the camera before pressing the shutter but no doubt there will be "auto composition" before long ;)
 
specialman said:
A lot of people seem to think using manual is a badge of honour, that is signals you've reached a certain level - it doesn't. All it means is you've put some settings into a camera... if you don't get the desired result then you might as well have been using an auto/semi-auto mode.

Good luck :)
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Hi Pat not sure about the badge of honour, I am not out to impress anybody. I am only taking photos purely as a hobby, the photos are only for myself family and friends. I do get the camera out on most days, and I do click away like mad on manual. I am not using film so the only thing I am wasting is my own time, and I have got lots of it now that I am retired ;) .

I really do like finding out what the settings do in manual, and I would also like to find out what changes take place in the other mode settings. yes I may go back into auto one day who knows, but the thing is I know a lot more than I did last year.

If I do take a bad photo something I very often do, I simply get up the next day and try it out all over again, for me it's all part of the fun.

PS Thanks for your advice :thumbs:
 
specialman said:
Jon - BTW, I was speaking generally about the 'badge of honour' thing, not about anyone in particular. :thumbs:
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Hey Pat no worries I know you were just generaling, I was just being a little tinker with that post lol :nuts:
 
I like this quote from digital photography school on line:

Photography is a subjective medium. Your personal tastes should influence your shots, and there is no better way to achieve this than by taking control of your camera. Learn how to use your camera quickly and effectively, but also learn how to study the world around you using a photographer's eye. Soon, you'll be able to walk into a room and say "if I were shooting in here, I'd be shooting at. 400 iso , tungsten white balance, f4,at 1/60 of a second". When that day comes you might also notice that people start finding you strange. Don't worry there will always be another photography-living soul nearby who will understand. :-).
 
KIPAX said:
with the above its impossible to under or over expose as you desire (the camera might) but if your in a situation where you need to under or over expose you cant in manual with auto iso
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On my Nikon, if I use this set up and dial in exposure compensation, the camera will tweak the iso accordingly. Is canon different?
 
boliston said:
I definitely don't think there is any "badge of honour" in using manual - simply the satisfaction that you have made the picture rather than the cpu in the camera.
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sometimes manual is the wong mode for the job and would be stupid to use.. I ahve been in lots of situations where manaul would have lost me the shot... I know my camera inside out and I know how to use it... Manual can make you fail in certain situations..

right mode for the right job... wheres the satisfaction in not getting the shot but knowing you didnt get it in manual? haha
 
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gad-westy said:
On my Nikon, if I use this set up and dial in exposure compensation, the camera will tweak the iso accordingly. Is canon different?
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never used nikon.. how are you dialing in exposure compensation in manual mode?
 
KIPAX said:
never used nikon.. how are you dialing in exposure compensation in manual mode?
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I leave the shutter speed and aperture as they are and use the exposure compensation button to dial in say +1 stop. The camera will automatically add a stop onto the iso to give you your +1 exposure.
 
With the Nikon if you set up in manual and set auto ISO then adjusting the exposure compensation simply adjusts the aperture - as with Canon i assume. When the meter reaches the end of its tether then it will start upping the ISO to give optimum exposure. It doesn't actually increase or decrease the exposure throughout the range.
 
So with nikon.. if you are in manual mode and you set your shutter and aperture but set your iso to auto.. you can set exposure compensation.. yes/no ? one says yes and one says no ?: )


in manual there really shouldnt be any exposure compensation... however there should be in manual+auto iso because its no langer manual :)


ADDYONBIT: Manual is no longer manual when using auto iso..your exposure is completely in the hands of the camera..
 
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Just done a quick check to see if I was going mad.

It adjusts iso itself to suit your exposure compensation. It will not alter your aperture or shutter speed in manual mode.

I should add though that this could be dependent on settings. This is how my d700 works and my d300 before that.
 
KIPAX said:
ADDYONBIT: Manual is no longer manual when using auto iso..your exposure is completely in the hands of the camera..
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True. Manual mode is really only for shutter speed and aperture. Whether auto iso is used is entirely independent of shooting mode.
 
ams99 said:
With the Nikon if you set up in manual and set auto ISO then adjusting the exposure compensation simply adjusts the aperture - as with Canon i assume. When the meter reaches the end of its tether then it will start upping the ISO to give optimum exposure. It doesn't actually increase or decrease the exposure throughout the range.
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Just realised why this is different to how things work on the D700. The D5000 has one dial so holding down the +/- button adjusts aperture in manual mode but adjusts exposure comp in any other mode. In manual, if you adjust exposure comp via the menu instead, auto iso will work in the manner I described earlier. It's a pretty handy feature.
 
I've just wrote a monster essay in response and my laptop crashed. Arrgh!!

Yes Graham, you are correct in that if i adjust the exposure compensation via the menu then i can change the exposure via the auto ISO in manual mode. Shame i can't afford a better camera :(
 
ams99 said:
I've just wrote a monster essay in response and my laptop crashed. Arrgh!!

Yes Graham, you are correct in that if i adjust the exposure compensation via the menu then i can change the exposure via the auto ISO in manual mode. Shame i can't afford a better camera :(
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I wouldn't worry. Just another way of achieving the same end result.
 
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