Manual Mode, correct exposure?

Tyler138

Tyler138

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Alex Tyler
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Now that i am comfortable using my new 450D i am trying to work out how to work out the manual mode.

Now that i know that by using this you have control over all the setting.

But iam a bit confused over the whole exposure thing, i know that you have to try and keep it correct or in the center?

But my question is but doing so you are changing the F/stop or shutter etc but isnt this then changing say the Dof to something i may not want or the shutter lower then i want it depending on the situation iam in??

If someone could explain some of it or have any handy links/tutorial for either manual mode or understanding exposure that would be great.

Tyler
 
check this out it may help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8NEa-ghHbo

Correct exposure depends on what you want to achieve.

You need to decide what is most important to you, shutter speed, DOF, ISO to achieve the effect that you want.

You set the one that you want, then adjust the other 2 to get the correct exposure.
 
Harvey_nikon said:
check this out it may help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8NEa-ghHbo

Correct exposure depends on what you want to achieve.

You need to decide what is most important to you, shutter speed, DOF, ISO to achieve the effect that you want.

You set the one that you want, then adjust the other 2 to get the correct exposure.
Click to expand...

Cheers, just watched it and had a mess around during the video, how important is it to get it spot on then, does it matter if much it if out by a 1/3?

I am asking as when i was messing around if a moved slightly it would show its in correct, and as i shoot a lot of sports they would be moving so was wondering how precious it has to be.
 
If you are out by a 3rd it can be corrected easily enough if you are shooting in RAW, most of the time.

You are getting into an area I still consider myself at and that is the histogram. You will need to be able to read it, some people say shoot slightly to the left, (darker) others say shoot to the right (lighter). I prefer to have it slightly lighter than 'correct'

Best bet would be to find a sports tog on here and ask them what they do while shooting sport as I have no idea.
 
Harvey_nikon said:
If you are out by a 3rd it can be corrected easily enough if you are shooting in RAW, most of the time.

You are getting into an area I still consider myself at and that is the histogram. You will need to be able to read it, some people say shoot slightly to the left, (darker) others say shoot to the right (lighter). I prefer to have it slightly lighter than 'correct'

Best bet would be to find a sports tog on here and ask them what they do while shooting sport as I have no idea.
Click to expand...

Ok cheers, i will look into the reading the histogram and try find out about using manual mode in sport.

Thanks for the help

Tyler
 
As you say, in Manual mode you control all the settings for exposure, but you're still reliant on the amount of light in the situation you are in, which may not give you the combination of Shutter and Aperture you wish.

If you use Shutter Priority and set 1/250th second, and the camera gave f4, if you then changed to Manual Mode, set 1/250th second, you would adjust the Aperture till the Exposure Indicator in the viewfinder is centred, it 'should' also be f4. You don't gain or lose light by choosing Manual Mode.

The same is true if you chose Aperture Priority and set it to f4 and the camera gives 1/250th second. switching to Manual, and setting the the Aperture to f4 you would adjust the Shutter so that the Exposure Indicator in the viewfinder is centred, it 'should' be 1/250th second.

I say 'should', because any slight movements could give slightly different readings, but a camera on a tripod aimed at a scene where the light doesn't change will give consistent readings.

If in this theoretical scene, the light doesn't change, but you wanted f4 and a faster shutter speed than 1/250th, the only way is to raise the ISO. If you wanted a slower shutter speed than 1/250th second, but still f4 then the only way is reduce the amount of light entering the camera with a filter.

I hope that makes sense. :shrug: :lol:


I see there have been a few posts while I was writing this, but I'll post it anyway. :lol:
 
redhed17 said:
As you say, in Manual mode you control all the settings for exposure, but you're still reliant on the amount of light in the situation you are in, which may not give you the combination of Shutter and Aperture you wish.

If you use Shutter Priority and set 1/250th second, and the camera gave f4, if you then changed to Manual Mode, set 1/250th second, you would adjust the Aperture till the Exposure Indicator in the viewfinder is centred, it 'should' also be f4. You don't gain or lose light by choosing Manual Mode.

The same is true if you chose Aperture Priority and set it to f4 and the camera gives 1/250th second. switching to Manual, and setting the the Aperture to f4 you would adjust the Shutter so that the Exposure Indicator in the viewfinder is centred, it 'should' be 1/250th second.

I say 'should', because any slight movements could give slightly different readings, but a camera on a tripod aimed at a scene where the light doesn't change will give consistent readings.

If in this theoretical scene, the light doesn't change, but you wanted f4 and a faster shutter speed than 1/250th, the only way is to raise the ISO. If you wanted a slower shutter speed than 1/250th second, but still f4 then the only way is reduce the amount of light entering the camera with a filter.

I hope that makes sense. :shrug: :lol:


I see there have been a few posts while I was writing this, but I'll post it anyway. :lol:
Click to expand...

Cheers, think i have got the idea of it now, so is their much point in using manual then as when iam doing it iam going to pick between shutter speed or DoF, where as i could just pick this by choosing shutter priority or aperture priority and have the camera work out the rest.?

I am guessing it is good to know so will have a fiddle but is it worth the extra time to get it correct when i can just get the camera to do it?
 
Tyler138 said:
Cheers, think i have got the idea of it now, so is their much point in using manual then as when iam doing it iam going to pick between shutter speed or DoF, where as i could just pick this by choosing shutter priority or aperture priority and have the camera work out the rest.?

I am guessing it is good to know so will have a fiddle but is it worth the extra time to get it correct when i can just get the camera to do it?
Click to expand...

If you're in a situation where you don't want the settings to change between images (affected by changing light), say you were taking a panoramic picture, you wouldn't want the exposure to change significantly between each shot, as it could do in one of the semi automatic modes, as it would make it hard to stitch the images together later.

Or if I take pictures of Fireworks, I would start with settings which I think will give me the effect I like dependent on the amount of Fireworks I expect. It is not a scene you can measure before the fireworks are let off, and is not really something you can really measure as they are going off. I would just start off in Manual, and then adjust by checking images as I go.
 
Tyler138 said:
Cheers, think i have got the idea of it now, so is their much point in using manual then as when iam doing it iam going to pick between shutter speed or DoF, where as i could just pick this by choosing shutter priority or aperture priority and have the camera work out the rest.?

I am guessing it is good to know so will have a fiddle but is it worth the extra time to get it correct when i can just get the camera to do it?
Click to expand...

You've got it :thumbs:

There is no point in using manual if all you do is centre up the viewfinder indicator, you might as well let the camera do it for you. Think of manual as Set & Lock, because it won't change no matter what happens to the light or what the exposure meter tells you.

Bear in mind that the meter, any meter, is only telling you what it thinks is the correct exposure, and there are a lot of variables and assumptions that go into that calculation.

If you want to know what exposure you have actually got, then check the LCD. Learn to read the histogram and switch on the blinkies - the Highlight Over Exposure Warning (in the menu). Good link on histograms here http://www.sekonic.com/images/files/HistogramsLightmetersWorkTogether.pdf
 
Tyler138 said:
Cheers, think i have got the idea of it now, so is their much point in using manual then as when iam doing it iam going to pick between shutter speed or DoF, where as i could just pick this by choosing shutter priority or aperture priority and have the camera work out the rest.?

I am guessing it is good to know so will have a fiddle but is it worth the extra time to get it correct when i can just get the camera to do it?
Click to expand...

It takes no more than a second or so extra once you get used to manual. Look at scene, decide on aperture, pick what to meter off, point camera, take reading, set shutter speed, take photo. If shutter speed too low to hand-hold, change ISO. Take another reading, set shutter speed again, take photo.

The camera is quicker, and it will get things technically right (almost) every time but it isn't telepathic. Achieving something specific will always be quicker on manual though.
 
A lot of people have the wrong end of the stick.. Hoppy has it and wins a cigar

Tyler138 your so close but making the one slight mistake so many make... Yes you get the exposure bar center when you are setting the exposure..

You then say when you move about it changes to off center.... replies in here say shoot in raw and reset this that and other... all rubbish..

When you have set the exposure you should then totally IGNORE the exposure meter and dont worry where it goes.. This is why we use manual so the camera doesnt decide what the exposure is...

Keep checking the histograma nd every now and then recheck how you originaly set the exposure in case the lighting has changed..


Simple rule.. when you ahve set the exposure... then ignore the exposure meter :)
 
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