Beginner First 'Non Auto' steps

beemerbaz

beemerbaz

Messages
66
Name
Barry
Edit My Images
Yes
As a beginner I'm curious to know what the first steps others take as an alternative to 'Auto' settings. If I try to experiment with more than one thing I will probably get totally confused. Having said this I still have to learn what all the buttons and switches do on the lens and body.
 
If you haven't already, read the manual, then re-read it. Also search on YouTube for tutorials on your camera. Aperture priority is probably the best place to start. Don't think you need to master full manual mode straight away, let the camera help you, that's what the semi auto modes are for. The only thing I would take out of the camera's control is the focus point, you need to choose that (usually the centre focus point is best). Other than that practice and enjoy.
 
Search for images that you like then try to replicate them. I found the Wildlife Photographer of the Year series of books useful as they give the camera settings next to the photo.
 
I'd second giving aperture priority a go to get a bit more control over depth of field. Also, exposure compensation comes in pretty handy.
 
As others have already suggested, Aperture priority is a good starting point.

It's worth doing a bit of reading on what Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO do in terms of how they affect the image - as that will also help you figure out what sort of shots to try to get a practical feel for how they interact.

For getting a handle on aperture, and how it changes the image, a good subject is a plant - take a series of shots, all from the same place, starting with the smallest number aperture your lens will allow, and gradually increasing it (try to always focus on the same bit of the plant - leaf, flower, etc).
You should see the set of images go from one with just a small bit in focus, the rest blurry, to the whole plant in focus.
 
Reading the handbook would seem like a good plan ;)

Then you need to understand the 'Exposure Triangle' (google) of shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO, or the whole process will be pointless. But when you've got a good grasp of that, you will realise that all exposure modes, including manual, are just different routes to the same end. The one you choose depends on the situation, the result you're after, and personal preference.

This simulator is a pretty good way of seeing how shutter speed controls movement blur, aperture determines the zone of sharpness in front and behind the subject, and how ISO impacts image quality.
http://camerasim.com/apps/original-camerasim/web//
 
beemerbaz said:
As a beginner I'm curious to know what the first steps others take as an alternative to 'Auto' settings. If I try to experiment with more than one thing I will probably get totally confused. Having said this I still have to learn what all the buttons and switches do on the lens and body.
Click to expand...

I think as a learning process I can see the advantages of getting off auto settings but once you've figured out how it all works you might end up back at an auto setting of some sort :D

Most of my pictures are taken with aperture priority as that seems to be how my mind works but when the light level drops to the point at which the camera sets too slow a shutter speed I normally switch to manual and dial in the aperture and shutter I want and let the camera float the ISO up and down. I really only use fully manual in specific instances that I think need it and the vast majority of my pictures are taken in aperture and manual mode with auto ISO and only so that I can set both the aperture and shutter speed.
 
Nostromo said:
If you haven't already, read the manual, then re-read it. Also search on YouTube for tutorials on your camera. Aperture priority is probably the best place to start. Don't think you need to master full manual mode straight away, let the camera help you, that's what the semi auto modes are for. The only thing I would take out of the camera's control is the focus point, you need to choose that (usually the centre focus point is best). Other than that practice and enjoy.
Click to expand...

I have a pdf of the manual permanently open as well as a You Tube tab. :eek:)
 
First off, WHY 'Go Manual'?
I didn't spend umpety hundreds of quid on an all singing, all dancing auto-everything Widgetal SLR to turn 'off' all that 'easement'...... if I wanted to do 'faff-feux-tog-raffy' I'd pick up one of my all clock-work film cameras..... so this is a serious question.
Usual answers are "'Cos the Pro's shoot manual" Which isn't true... pro's get paid; and time is money; you dont make much of a living 'faffing' you get paid taking photos. Next one is "To take control".. which is a bit like handing the keys to your new car to a todler before they have had training wheels taken off thier pavement bike! "Control" is ony any good f you know what to do with it!
This suggests, not just reading the manual, BUT reading some tutorials, doing some learning, as to where and when 'control' may be a good thing to take....
There's a heck of a lot of 'expert' programming gone into most modern electric picture makers, the camera probably has more picture taking know how than you do right now....
There's three places you ca effect control on a camera...
1/ Composition. Where you point it! THIS is where most of the skill is. Finding stuff worth taking a picture of. You don't need to go manual to do that, and going manual wont help you any.. learn where and when and how to point the camera... read up on the rules and theory of composition, and lighting. THIS is all outside the camera, and got very little to do with buttons and dials and settings... B-U-T if you want better pictures, where you'll make MOST difference.
2/ Manual Exposure. This is the practice of measuring the light levels on your subject and then picking shutter-speed, aperture and ISO setting to get a good 'exposure'.. how bright or how dim your photo appears. Read this: [URL='https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/tutorials/exposure-exposed.121/']Exposure - Exposed!
[/url] Walks you through what an exposure 'is' and actually just how un-critical an 'exact' exposure is..... but gets you started.
For the most part, you will get a perfectly acceptale exposure using one of the 'auto' settings of your camera; if you want to give it a better idea whch settigs yo ight prefer vis aperture and shutter and the 'effects' they have on the photo, then the semi-auto modes of aperture-priority or shutter-priority will likewise take you a long way, you dont need to go 'full manual'.. and absolutely ridiculous to go full manual and faff about picking shutter and aperture settings to balence the light-meter indicator n the view finder.... you are merely doing exactly what the automation would with a LOT less faff....and givig yourself a heck of a ot more chance to ompletely miss the picture or cockup the settings! Of ALL the places you can 'take control' on a camera, this is the one so many dive straight nto, because there's an obviouse setting on the exposure mode dial that says "MANUAL".. but it's probably the least usefl, either to learning where when and how to take control or to get it!
By all means, read up and play, BUT this is far from the be-all and end all of photography.
3/ Manual Focus. The fogotton 'manual' on modern cameras. AF ssystems have been with us for around twenty years ow, and most are pretty good; B-U-T they are far from infallible; and of all the automation in a modern camera, its the one bit that is probably still least reliable! There are a few different auto-focus schemes on modern electric pcture makers, you may choose from, picking the number of focus points or area they use to find a focus setting, BUT they have one in-built problem.... they all try and find a distinct 'subject' to fix a spot on! They don't focus very well on thin air.. but THIS is where you may actually get most from 'maual' control.... problems such as 'focus hunting' when the camera cant get a dot on something, wont happen! Focus lag, the focus trying to shift as subjects ove, wont happen, and effecting manual control.... you can get around both these niggles; more you can get past the 'real target' issue and put the focus 'zone' exactly where you want it in the scene. In the days of film-only cameras, we HAD to learn this; many non SLR cameras were 'Zone Focus' we had to exploit 'Depth of Field' picking the appropriate focus zone and aperture, the cameras just didn't have the catcall focus mechanism of modern SLR's; using SLR's which did, we had to focus manually, and we had to carry on exploiting DoF to get it where we wanted... NOT where a red dot thought it should be..... consequently the 'art' of focusing is one that is becoming rare, and folk moan about focus accuracy and focus speeds and grumble about cameras and lenses they blame for not focusing as well as they hope.... yet, it's a niggle born of the fact they don't really know how to properly focus... and rely on that bit of 'auto' whilst they faff with settings, insisting that they are taking control.. doing exactly what AE would, making settings to the meter! Then grumbling they don't get the shallow focus effects or 'Bokah' they like.. and start chasing it with super-fast aperture lenses.... to grumble about the AF! Bokah BTW comes mostly from the subject; not the lens, so ts back to item 1/ for that.. whilst shallow focus is often making life hard to get 'disassociated' back-grounds... which ISN'T about using super wide apertures to make the DoF a razor blade around the red dot... bit exploiting the Focus Control to put the DoF zone where you want it.... which MAY mean focusing thin air in-front of your subject so that the back-ground falls out of focus, a things like that.
IF you want to 'Go-Manual' leave the ruddy exposure control on one of the Auto-Settings! Read up on Manual Focus and focusing techniques, particularly 'Selective Focus' and 'Depth of Field', and if you use a 'manual' setting o the camera, turn FF the Auto-Focus and go manual there! This is where you will start to learn where and when you MAY better exploit manual control and start doing stuff that the camera wont do or do well for you, with the easements turned on.

BUT... back to top... I didn't buy a very expensive, all singing all dancing, auto-everything electric picture maker to make life HARD for myself, or play with knobs and buttons.. I bought it to TAKE PHOTOS!!! That is what its about at the end of the day... and it matters not a jot how fancy my camera or how much I know where and when to take control, or do or don't... what MATTERS is the subject.... what matters is the subject lighting...... if I don't have a decent subject or decent lighting,I am NOT going to get a decent picture, no matter what I know, how much control I effect or auto-easement I rely on......
COMPOSITION COMPOSITION COMPOSITION... 99% of taking a photo is IN-FRONT of the camera, not in it, less still in the buttons and dials and switches!

THIS is where you start taking 'manual' control; thinking about the photo; and where to point the camera! And three questions...
1/ WHO is going to look at this Photo?
2/ WHY are they gonig to look at it?
3/ WHAT is it in the picture that will interest, entertain or inform them?

I could go take lots and lots of photo's of the birds in my back garden. I could proably make a half decent job of them as far as technical dexterity and competance... BUT... I don't know a darn thing about birds.. I wouldn't know a wood-pidgeon from a woodcock.. I might just about spot a chicken.... if t was roasted and served with potatoes and peas.. but I REALLY don't have much interest i the things.. so why take photo's of them? Many folk do.. and they know what they are looking at... but I don't have any interest in their pictures.. so why show them to me? Why take them? A photo that isn't looked at has no reason to be.
I have hundreds of photo's of obscure bits of old motorbike. Motorbikes DO interest me, but.. do I really need or want a photo of the vacuum take off plug on a thirty year old Honda 125's carburetor manifold?... "Who?" I have an audience in mind; folk who want to do mechanics on that bike. "WHY?" To show them what a vacuum plug looks like; where to find it, probably so they can balance their carburetors "What?" Well, I doubt they will be jumping up and down shouting 'fantastic' about my photo, but, if they are encouraged to do the job that needs dong, and it aids them doing it, then mission accomplished. It doesn't have t e pretty; it doesn't have to be 'artistic', it doesn't have to be of a rare or exotic subject, it JUST has to have a purpose; from a casual snap of auntie Mable at a Christmas party to the daft couple getting married.... a photo needs a purpose to be.... if t has a purpose, if it has an interest, if it has an audience, 99% of the job is done, its a 'good' photo. A perfectly composed, perfectly exposed, wonderfully artistic photograph no one has any reason t look at is a wast of time..... so going manual.... taking control, STARTS wit these three questions, and applying that bit of thought "Who? Why? What?" before you even pick up the camera; less point it, less start prodding buttons... but THAT is going manual.. not just taking control, but taking charge, ad having REASON to take charge.. and buttons and knobs and menu's really are a tiny tiny part of that....
 
HoppyUK said:
Then you need to understand the 'Exposure Triangle' (google) of shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO, or the whole process will be pointless. But when you've got a good grasp of that, you will realise that all exposure modes, including manual, are just different routes to the same end. The one you choose depends on the situation, the result you're after, and personal preference.
Click to expand...

This is spot on. There is little point in choosing any mode if you don't know what it does and/or why you are choosing it, but there is plenty of info online. After you have a grasp of the exposure triangle then play about with settings on your camera and take loads of photos. If a shot does not look the way you wanted it to, then post it up here and someone will be able to advise.

Dave
 
There's no point in using manual if all you do is replicate what the camera would do by itself in one of the auto modes - which is what you're doing if you just line up the needle in the viewfinder by hand. In that sense, adding exposure compensation in auto is actually more 'manual' because your taking control and modifying what the camera thinks.

Another way of looking at manual is 'set & lock' because that's really what's useful about it. Rule of thumb, if the subject is changing (and so might fool the meter) but the light is the same, use manual. On the other hand, if the light is changing but the subject stays the same (and is not moving around the frame which can affect the way the camera reads things) then use auto and the camera will track the light for you, and probably faster and more accurately.

Examples: you're shooting a motor race and the light is constant, but the cars are black, red, white and blue. Use manual, because the different colour cars will fool the meter - but the light is the same, so the correct exposure remains the same. On the other hand, at a wedding on a breezy day when the sun is in and out of the clouds and the guests are moving in and out of sun and shade, then use auto.
 
Last edited:
I would've said that spot metering can be very useful with manual, because it enables you to be more precise about the area that you're metering from - and yes, this has to be interpreted, but then any meter reading ought to be.
 
First 'non-auto' step should be to control what you're focussing on. P rather than green box
2nd should be to learn how to override the meter (exp comp)
Then learn the exp triangle so you can choose the appropriate semi auto mode.

Once at that point you will know when to shoot Manual, when to choose what semi auto mode, and even whether you need to choose a different metering mode.
 
droj said:
I would've said that spot metering can be very useful with manual, because it enables you to be more precise about the area that you're metering from - and yes, this has to be interpreted, but then any meter reading ought to be.
Click to expand...

Yes, you're quite right. Apologies, badly expressed - I've deleted my comment as it only adds confusion.

What I meant to say was, don't use spot metering until you understand both camera settings and the concept of mid-grey metering, but it's a whole different subject really.
 
I don't think reading the cameras manual will be helpful.. Not sure why people are suggesting it as I bet a pound to a penny thats not what they did to learn photogrpahy... personally trying to understand the manual probably set me back more than anything..

We are all different..some learn quicker than others.. some like me are a little slower... the best advice i ever got was to go out taking pics.. then go out again and again and when you are done..go take some more...the best way to learn is to take pics and ask questions and try and pick up the info.... one day it all clicks in place..

I was taking pictures at a funfair and two of my kids where on a ride ...one of those big galleon ship things like a swing... I took a pic while there where at the bottom and it looked great.,..took another while they where at the top and they where all black because of all the sky in the background.... taking into consideration the bits i had picked up..i set my camera to the same settings as it was when swing at bottom and took another pic at top and hey presto! it was like a light being switched on in my brain... i learnt a lot more than reading the manual could teach me :)

each to there own i suppose.. some can learn from books.. but i think a bit of each but a LOT of taking pics will teach you more than a manual :)

juts my rambling on the subject :)
 
Learning by Doing?... I used to be a motorcycle instructor; in days of old, there was no such thing, you used to buy a motor-bike, and have a go... if you fell off... it hurt.. and you obviously were doing something wrong! It Didn't 'teach' you what to do, it just punished you for your mistakes. Pain was a good incentive to learn and learn quickly what NOT to do... but took a lot of trial and a lot of error to find out what not to do, and still not necessarily learn what you should do! So I don't know any-one that has ever learned to ride a motorbike, or to do much else, 'just' by trial and error.

As far as motorbikes were concerned, we used to watch other people riding, and we'd ask them questions and get a few hints and tips, to give us some idea what we could try before the errors! And the motorcycle's hand book was 'useful' when things went wrong, and we found out that chap who'd told us to pull in the clutch and toe down to change up, wasn't lying, he was describing what he did on an old Brit-Bike with right foot gear-change and one-up, three down, shift pattern.. which doesn't translate quite so directly to a European or Japanese bike, that has a left-foot, one-down four-up shift. Reading magazines or books and learning other more elevated principles would also 'inform' what we might learn to use by trial and error. We may not have gone to a school to learn to ride a motorbike, but, we very very seldom ever learned 'just' by trial and error.

Photography is much the same; few of us got a camera and learned to use it just by doing. We saw Dad or Uncle or whoever use a camera and we watched; we copied; we asked questions; and when pictures didn't come out, they looked at them and said stuff like "Did you remember to take the lens cap off?" or "Yeah, it was too dark, you should have used a flash"...

Flash? Oh-Kay... how do I use one of them, then? And we took more photo's, that came out black because the flash didn't work.. and we found out there were different types of flash cubes... one that needed batteries one that didn't, or we slotted an electronic flash on the hot-shoe and found out that some were fired by contacts in the bracket, others that needed to be plugged into a sync socket.... we had to read the manual to find out how to apply the hint or tip offered by some-one else.. and so it went on.

It's a complimentary process, and very very few will ever learn anything entirely by 'one' method; whether by trial and error, or by book-learning.. and 'the user manual' is only an operators guide, to explain how things work on that specific camera... but will usually hint at an awful lot of basics to explore in more detail elsewhere.... it's a good start as any.
 
I learnt photography on a 1930s Agfa folding camera. No manual! And I knew no one interested in photography to ask anything so I certainly did learn photography by trial and error.
 
Teflon-Mike said:
First off, WHY 'Go Manual'?
I didn't spend umpety hundreds of quid on an all singing, all dancing auto-everything Widgetal SLR to turn 'off' all that 'easement'...... if I wanted to do 'faff-feux-tog-raffy' I'd pick up one of my all clock-work film cameras..... so this is a serious question.
Usual answers are "'Cos the Pro's shoot manual" Which isn't true... pro's get paid; and time is money; you dont make much of a living 'faffing' you get paid taking photos. Next one is "To take control".. which is a bit like handing the keys to your new car to a todler before they have had training wheels taken off thier pavement bike! "Control" is ony any good f you know what to do with it!
This suggests, not just reading the manual, BUT reading some tutorials, doing some learning, as to where and when 'control' may be a good thing to take....
There's a heck of a lot of 'expert' programming gone into most modern electric picture makers, the camera probably has more picture taking know how than you do right now....
There's three places you ca effect control on a camera...
1/ Composition. Where you point it! THIS is where most of the skill is. Finding stuff worth taking a picture of. You don't need to go manual to do that, and going manual wont help you any.. learn where and when and how to point the camera... read up on the rules and theory of composition, and lighting. THIS is all outside the camera, and got very little to do with buttons and dials and settings... B-U-T if you want better pictures, where you'll make MOST difference.
2/ Manual Exposure. This is the practice of measuring the light levels on your subject and then picking shutter-speed, aperture and ISO setting to get a good 'exposure'.. how bright or how dim your photo appears. Read this: Exposure - Exposed!
Walks you through what an exposure 'is' and actually just how un-critical an 'exact' exposure is..... but gets you started.
For the most part, you will get a perfectly acceptale exposure using one of the 'auto' settings of your camera; if you want to give it a better idea whch settigs yo ight prefer vis aperture and shutter and the 'effects' they have on the photo, then the semi-auto modes of aperture-priority or shutter-priority will likewise take you a long way, you dont need to go 'full manual'.. and absolutely ridiculous to go full manual and faff about picking shutter and aperture settings to balence the light-meter indicator n the view finder.... you are merely doing exactly what the automation would with a LOT less faff....and givig yourself a heck of a ot more chance to ompletely miss the picture or cockup the settings! Of ALL the places you can 'take control' on a camera, this is the one so many dive straight nto, because there's an obviouse setting on the exposure mode dial that says "MANUAL".. but it's probably the least usefl, either to learning where when and how to take control or to get it!
By all means, read up and play, BUT this is far from the be-all and end all of photography.
3/ Manual Focus. The fogotton 'manual' on modern cameras. AF ssystems have been with us for around twenty years ow, and most are pretty good; B-U-T they are far from infallible; and of all the automation in a modern camera, its the one bit that is probably still least reliable! There are a few different auto-focus schemes on modern electric pcture makers, you may choose from, picking the number of focus points or area they use to find a focus setting, BUT they have one in-built problem.... they all try and find a distinct 'subject' to fix a spot on! They don't focus very well on thin air.. but THIS is where you may actually get most from 'maual' control.... problems such as 'focus hunting' when the camera cant get a dot on something, wont happen! Focus lag, the focus trying to shift as subjects ove, wont happen, and effecting manual control.... you can get around both these niggles; more you can get past the 'real target' issue and put the focus 'zone' exactly where you want it in the scene. In the days of film-only cameras, we HAD to learn this; many non SLR cameras were 'Zone Focus' we had to exploit 'Depth of Field' picking the appropriate focus zone and aperture, the cameras just didn't have the catcall focus mechanism of modern SLR's; using SLR's which did, we had to focus manually, and we had to carry on exploiting DoF to get it where we wanted... NOT where a red dot thought it should be..... consequently the 'art' of focusing is one that is becoming rare, and folk moan about focus accuracy and focus speeds and grumble about cameras and lenses they blame for not focusing as well as they hope.... yet, it's a niggle born of the fact they don't really know how to properly focus... and rely on that bit of 'auto' whilst they faff with settings, insisting that they are taking control.. doing exactly what AE would, making settings to the meter! Then grumbling they don't get the shallow focus effects or 'Bokah' they like.. and start chasing it with super-fast aperture lenses.... to grumble about the AF! Bokah BTW comes mostly from the subject; not the lens, so ts back to item 1/ for that.. whilst shallow focus is often making life hard to get 'disassociated' back-grounds... which ISN'T about using super wide apertures to make the DoF a razor blade around the red dot... bit exploiting the Focus Control to put the DoF zone where you want it.... which MAY mean focusing thin air in-front of your subject so that the back-ground falls out of focus, a things like that.
IF you want to 'Go-Manual' leave the ruddy exposure control on one of the Auto-Settings! Read up on Manual Focus and focusing techniques, particularly 'Selective Focus' and 'Depth of Field', and if you use a 'manual' setting o the camera, turn FF the Auto-Focus and go manual there! This is where you will start to learn where and when you MAY better exploit manual control and start doing stuff that the camera wont do or do well for you, with the easements turned on.

BUT... back to top... I didn't buy a very expensive, all singing all dancing, auto-everything electric picture maker to make life HARD for myself, or play with knobs and buttons.. I bought it to TAKE PHOTOS!!! That is what its about at the end of the day... and it matters not a jot how fancy my camera or how much I know where and when to take control, or do or don't... what MATTERS is the subject.... what matters is the subject lighting...... if I don't have a decent subject or decent lighting,I am NOT going to get a decent picture, no matter what I know, how much control I effect or auto-easement I rely on......
COMPOSITION COMPOSITION COMPOSITION... 99% of taking a photo is IN-FRONT of the camera, not in it, less still in the buttons and dials and switches!

THIS is where you start taking 'manual' control; thinking about the photo; and where to point the camera! And three questions...
1/ WHO is going to look at this Photo?
2/ WHY are they gonig to look at it?
3/ WHAT is it in the picture that will interest, entertain or inform them?

I could go take lots and lots of photo's of the birds in my back garden. I could proably make a half decent job of them as far as technical dexterity and competance... BUT... I don't know a darn thing about birds.. I wouldn't know a wood-pidgeon from a woodcock.. I might just about spot a chicken.... if t was roasted and served with potatoes and peas.. but I REALLY don't have much interest i the things.. so why take photo's of them? Many folk do.. and they know what they are looking at... but I don't have any interest in their pictures.. so why show them to me? Why take them? A photo that isn't looked at has no reason to be.
I have hundreds of photo's of obscure bits of old motorbike. Motorbikes DO interest me, but.. do I really need or want a photo of the vacuum take off plug on a thirty year old Honda 125's carburetor manifold?... "Who?" I have an audience in mind; folk who want to do mechanics on that bike. "WHY?" To show them what a vacuum plug looks like; where to find it, probably so they can balance their carburetors "What?" Well, I doubt they will be jumping up and down shouting 'fantastic' about my photo, but, if they are encouraged to do the job that needs dong, and it aids them doing it, then mission accomplished. It doesn't have t e pretty; it doesn't have to be 'artistic', it doesn't have to be of a rare or exotic subject, it JUST has to have a purpose; from a casual snap of auntie Mable at a Christmas party to the daft couple getting married.... a photo needs a purpose to be.... if t has a purpose, if it has an interest, if it has an audience, 99% of the job is done, its a 'good' photo. A perfectly composed, perfectly exposed, wonderfully artistic photograph no one has any reason t look at is a wast of time..... so going manual.... taking control, STARTS wit these three questions, and applying that bit of thought "Who? Why? What?" before you even pick up the camera; less point it, less start prodding buttons... but THAT is going manual.. not just taking control, but taking charge, ad having REASON to take charge.. and buttons and knobs and menu's really are a tiny tiny part of that....
Click to expand...

Well obviously I haven't read the whole post (who has?) but the first line deserves a "Like"! :)
 
Graham W said:
Well obviously I haven't read the whole post (who has?) but the first line deserves a "Like"! :)
Click to expand...
Well
It doesn't because the OP never mentioned going Manual ;)

AFAICT he's trying to work out which non auto settings to experiment with, so I'm presuming he's starting at green box. A long way from trying to justify Manual.
 
Phil V said:
Well
It doesn't because the OP never mentioned going Manual ;)

AFAICT he's trying to work out which non auto settings to experiment with, so I'm presuming he's starting at green box. A long way from trying to justify Manual.
Click to expand...
In my defense I've just spent two whole days behind the shutter, I've a $h!tload of editing to do and I'm on my second bottle of 7.5% cider...I'm leaving the editing 'till the 'morrow. :beer:
 
Teflon-Mike said:
First off, WHY 'Go Manual'?
I didn't spend umpety hundreds of quid on an all singing, all dancing auto-everything Widgetal SLR to turn 'off' all that 'easement'...... if I wanted to do 'faff-feux-tog-raffy' I'd pick up one of my all clock-work film cameras..... so this is a serious question.
Usual answers are "'Cos the Pro's shoot manual" Which isn't true... pro's get paid; and time is money; you dont make much of a living 'faffing' you get paid taking photos. Next one is "To take control".. which is a bit like handing the keys to your new car to a todler before they have had training wheels taken off thier pavement bike! "Control" is ony any good f you know what to do with it!
This suggests, not just reading the manual, BUT reading some tutorials, doing some learning, as to where and when 'control' may be a good thing to take....
There's a heck of a lot of 'expert' programming gone into most modern electric picture makers, the camera probably has more picture taking know how than you do right now....
There's three places you ca effect control on a camera...
1/ Composition. Where you point it! THIS is where most of the skill is. Finding stuff worth taking a picture of. You don't need to go manual to do that, and going manual wont help you any.. learn where and when and how to point the camera... read up on the rules and theory of composition, and lighting. THIS is all outside the camera, and got very little to do with buttons and dials and settings... B-U-T if you want better pictures, where you'll make MOST difference.
2/ Manual Exposure. This is the practice of measuring the light levels on your subject and then picking shutter-speed, aperture and ISO setting to get a good 'exposure'.. how bright or how dim your photo appears. Read this: Exposure - Exposed!
Walks you through what an exposure 'is' and actually just how un-critical an 'exact' exposure is..... but gets you started.
For the most part, you will get a perfectly acceptale exposure using one of the 'auto' settings of your camera; if you want to give it a better idea whch settigs yo ight prefer vis aperture and shutter and the 'effects' they have on the photo, then the semi-auto modes of aperture-priority or shutter-priority will likewise take you a long way, you dont need to go 'full manual'.. and absolutely ridiculous to go full manual and faff about picking shutter and aperture settings to balence the light-meter indicator n the view finder.... you are merely doing exactly what the automation would with a LOT less faff....and givig yourself a heck of a ot more chance to ompletely miss the picture or cockup the settings! Of ALL the places you can 'take control' on a camera, this is the one so many dive straight nto, because there's an obviouse setting on the exposure mode dial that says "MANUAL".. but it's probably the least usefl, either to learning where when and how to take control or to get it!
By all means, read up and play, BUT this is far from the be-all and end all of photography.
3/ Manual Focus. The fogotton 'manual' on modern cameras. AF ssystems have been with us for around twenty years ow, and most are pretty good; B-U-T they are far from infallible; and of all the automation in a modern camera, its the one bit that is probably still least reliable! There are a few different auto-focus schemes on modern electric pcture makers, you may choose from, picking the number of focus points or area they use to find a focus setting, BUT they have one in-built problem.... they all try and find a distinct 'subject' to fix a spot on! They don't focus very well on thin air.. but THIS is where you may actually get most from 'maual' control.... problems such as 'focus hunting' when the camera cant get a dot on something, wont happen! Focus lag, the focus trying to shift as subjects ove, wont happen, and effecting manual control.... you can get around both these niggles; more you can get past the 'real target' issue and put the focus 'zone' exactly where you want it in the scene. In the days of film-only cameras, we HAD to learn this; many non SLR cameras were 'Zone Focus' we had to exploit 'Depth of Field' picking the appropriate focus zone and aperture, the cameras just didn't have the catcall focus mechanism of modern SLR's; using SLR's which did, we had to focus manually, and we had to carry on exploiting DoF to get it where we wanted... NOT where a red dot thought it should be..... consequently the 'art' of focusing is one that is becoming rare, and folk moan about focus accuracy and focus speeds and grumble about cameras and lenses they blame for not focusing as well as they hope.... yet, it's a niggle born of the fact they don't really know how to properly focus... and rely on that bit of 'auto' whilst they faff with settings, insisting that they are taking control.. doing exactly what AE would, making settings to the meter! Then grumbling they don't get the shallow focus effects or 'Bokah' they like.. and start chasing it with super-fast aperture lenses.... to grumble about the AF! Bokah BTW comes mostly from the subject; not the lens, so ts back to item 1/ for that.. whilst shallow focus is often making life hard to get 'disassociated' back-grounds... which ISN'T about using super wide apertures to make the DoF a razor blade around the red dot... bit exploiting the Focus Control to put the DoF zone where you want it.... which MAY mean focusing thin air in-front of your subject so that the back-ground falls out of focus, a things like that.
IF you want to 'Go-Manual' leave the ruddy exposure control on one of the Auto-Settings! Read up on Manual Focus and focusing techniques, particularly 'Selective Focus' and 'Depth of Field', and if you use a 'manual' setting o the camera, turn FF the Auto-Focus and go manual there! This is where you will start to learn where and when you MAY better exploit manual control and start doing stuff that the camera wont do or do well for you, with the easements turned on.

BUT... back to top... I didn't buy a very expensive, all singing all dancing, auto-everything electric picture maker to make life HARD for myself, or play with knobs and buttons.. I bought it to TAKE PHOTOS!!! That is what its about at the end of the day... and it matters not a jot how fancy my camera or how much I know where and when to take control, or do or don't... what MATTERS is the subject.... what matters is the subject lighting...... if I don't have a decent subject or decent lighting,I am NOT going to get a decent picture, no matter what I know, how much control I effect or auto-easement I rely on......
COMPOSITION COMPOSITION COMPOSITION... 99% of taking a photo is IN-FRONT of the camera, not in it, less still in the buttons and dials and switches!

THIS is where you start taking 'manual' control; thinking about the photo; and where to point the camera! And three questions...
1/ WHO is going to look at this Photo?
2/ WHY are they gonig to look at it?
3/ WHAT is it in the picture that will interest, entertain or inform them?

I could go take lots and lots of photo's of the birds in my back garden. I could proably make a half decent job of them as far as technical dexterity and competance... BUT... I don't know a darn thing about birds.. I wouldn't know a wood-pidgeon from a woodcock.. I might just about spot a chicken.... if t was roasted and served with potatoes and peas.. but I REALLY don't have much interest i the things.. so why take photo's of them? Many folk do.. and they know what they are looking at... but I don't have any interest in their pictures.. so why show them to me? Why take them? A photo that isn't looked at has no reason to be.
I have hundreds of photo's of obscure bits of old motorbike. Motorbikes DO interest me, but.. do I really need or want a photo of the vacuum take off plug on a thirty year old Honda 125's carburetor manifold?... "Who?" I have an audience in mind; folk who want to do mechanics on that bike. "WHY?" To show them what a vacuum plug looks like; where to find it, probably so they can balance their carburetors "What?" Well, I doubt they will be jumping up and down shouting 'fantastic' about my photo, but, if they are encouraged to do the job that needs dong, and it aids them doing it, then mission accomplished. It doesn't have t e pretty; it doesn't have to be 'artistic', it doesn't have to be of a rare or exotic subject, it JUST has to have a purpose; from a casual snap of auntie Mable at a Christmas party to the daft couple getting married.... a photo needs a purpose to be.... if t has a purpose, if it has an interest, if it has an audience, 99% of the job is done, its a 'good' photo. A perfectly composed, perfectly exposed, wonderfully artistic photograph no one has any reason t look at is a wast of time..... so going manual.... taking control, STARTS wit these three questions, and applying that bit of thought "Who? Why? What?" before you even pick up the camera; less point it, less start prodding buttons... but THAT is going manual.. not just taking control, but taking charge, ad having REASON to take charge.. and buttons and knobs and menu's really are a tiny tiny part of that....
Click to expand...

For me to agree with your opinion here all cameras should then basically only have a power button...

And speakers for the song-n-dance...
 
First of all welcome to the forum Barry!
Some interesting comments here, but instead of writing a long monologue about what I think are the most important controls to master (as I do tend to drivel on). Here is something I think you will find constructive.
For great explanations regarding all things Photography http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/ I have been teaching my wife photography and this is a very good site indeed.
On the point of reading the manual, I would agree it's good to read, however with some reservations! Some manufacturers manuals are less than explanatory, this is borne out by the number of supplementary manuals on specific models written by Photographers.
So that in mind, it is good to wade through Youtube and look at the videos relating to your camera.
You have also made a good step coming to this forum! You will always get answers to your questions here, dare I say were here to help (even though it looks like from your Avatar your RAF;)).
There is, as you have realised stacks to learn, Important thing is have fun, take lots of photos, learning by doing is a great way to learn.
Further down the line, you will appreciate the benefits of being able to use the camera manually (or not) but don't let it get in the way of enjoying what your doing. Old gits like me had no choice but to use manual (all this automatic stuff is a black art don't you know, all done with smoke and mirrors:D)
 
(even though it looks like from your Avatar your RAF;)).

raf are not armed forces there civies in uniform
chocks away home for tea :LOL::LOL::LOL::LOL:
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top