What mode do you use most?

[lazarus219]

Once again, I got the thought from another thread and thought it might be interesting to see more about the way everybody shoots here.

I've seen a lot of interesting things in regard to this, people shooting manual but with no actual regard for what settings they are dialing in- just making sure the needle is in the middle (I do not see any purpose in that, you are still just following the meter in a slower fashion than it could do itself). People using shutter priority as a reverse way of controlling DOF. All different things....


So, For your general shooting, what mode is your camera most likely to be in?

For me- it's something like 70% aperture priority and the rest manual.

[ricktas]

I said manual, as its what I use most of the time.

Though If i am really unsure of a shutter speed/ aperture combination, I will use Av / Tv and use that to take one shot to get a 'reading' then swap back to manual. I will for instance set an aperture of F2.8, take the shot, to get a shutter speed result, to then use in manual.

[Kym]

So, For your general shooting, what mode is your camera most likely to be in?
For me- it's something like 70% aperture priority and the rest manual.

AP for me 50% of the time (DoF reasons), Action (Shutter priority) 10%, other modes for special effects the rest.

Mentally I shoot in two modes (P&S and Serious). P&S at social functions etc. and serious when the wife and I go out with a plan as to what we are shooting.

Even in what I call P&S mode I'm trying to think of composure, DoF, Lighting etc.

Takes a while to get disciplined.

[mercho]

With my new camera I find that i am using manual mode most of the time. However as Rick said, If i am unsure of the lighting conditions i will switch it to Av mode to find out the shutter speed, or vise versa....

[pgbphotographytas]

I started off with Auto when I got the D40, went to manual and now I mainly do Tv (Shutter priority) mainly with a bit of manual sometimes.

Paul

[ving]

seeing that i do alot of macro, mostly manual as i dont have a choice. when any af-s lens is on tho it depends alto on what i am tring to do.... cant really say one or the other. i use all modes except the auto/scene modes.

[winterstorm]

As the majority of my shots is in the studio, I use manual, but if I'm outside I use aperture priority and then hope for the best.

[Luke Thompson]

pretty much manual all the time, other then when my camera is in my housing or if im shooting surf and the light keeps changing

[MrJorge]

While I'd love to say Manual, I do try to use it as much as I can.

However I find I use Av mode for my sports stuff the most due to it being hard to change settings as quickly as required when a cloud comes over and goes away and comes back in the middle of a match.

[Steve Axford]

I leave it on Av but switch to manual quite frequently

[stevemack]

I try to make it habit to use manual or i will use AP.

steve.

[Redback51]

90% manual where I tend to shoot underexposure. 4% Program mode (particuarly when using flash) and rest Av. Cheers

[arthurking83]

........

For me- it's something like 70% aperture priority and the rest manual.

Ditto!

Unless I want to specifically shoot in manual for some reason, I'm always in [A] mode.

Once or twice I've used [S] shutter priority, and that was for some action/sport type shot, which I don't normally do.

Dial in some exposure compensation quickly with the shutter dial.. and all is achieved quick'n'easily

If I end up using flash whether on board or speedlite, I tend to find myself going to manual and matrix metering. Seems to work best for me until I learn more about how flash photography works.

[jev]

I'm somewhat surprised to see so many people using "manual". Why would anyone do that unless (1) you're using an external lightmeter or (2) use flash?

Anyway, I would have to check to see what I'm using most - which I'm far too lazy for . So, I answer: "it depends". Fast moving sports, especially when panning: Tv (for non-Canonists: that's probably 'S' on your camera ). Other ambient light photography: Av. Studio or flash: manual.

[I @ M]

I'm somewhat surprised to see so many people using "manual". Why would anyone do that unless (1) you're using an external lightmeter or (2) use flash?

Anyway, I would have to check to see what I'm using most - which I'm far too lazy for . So, I answer: "it depends". Fast moving sports, especially when panning: Tv (for non-Canonists: that's probably 'S' on your camera ). Other ambient light photography: Av. Studio or flash: manual.

I think Jev hit the nail on the head, everyone here paid good money for 21st century technology and I reckon the vast majority of the time the camera will get the exposure right when using aperture or shutter priority leaving YOU to concentrate on composition more.

For me, manual exists only when using studio flash lighting and occasionally to darken a landscape when the aperture priority mode can't give me the light I want even with 2 stops of exposure compensation.

[cwphoto]

I think Jev hit the nail on the head, everyone here paid good money for 21st century technology and I reckon the vast majority of the time the camera will get the exposure right when using aperture or shutter priority leaving YOU to concentrate on composition more.

For me, manual exists only when using studio flash lighting and occasionally to darken a landscape when the aperture priority mode can't give me the light I want even with 2 stops of exposure compensation.

The trouble is that 21st century metering technology still relies on the subject being of average reflectance to be effective. In consistent light you can't beat manual exposure for control.

I only use AE in rapidly changing light, or for taking snapshots.

[SpaceJunk]

almost always leave the camera set to aperture, but then I check the shutter speed the camera decides and alter settings if I have to, leaving the camera on aperture means I can grab it in a hurry and gets some shots off with some likelihood they will be exposed OK?, but it is pleasing to see CypherOz's comments :-

[quote]Mentally I shoot in two modes (P&S and Serious). P&S at social functions etc. and serious when the wife and I go out with a plan as to what we are shooting.

Even in what I call P&S mode I'm trying to think of composure, DoF, Lighting etc.

Takes a while to get disciplined.[quote]

that to me is great news, a bloke who takes some care with all his images, I still use a p&s a fair bit and like to think I take due care with them also

[jev]

The trouble is that 21st century metering technology still relies on the subject being of average reflectance to be effective.

That simply is not true. Did you ever look at how evaluative metering works? Try it once, see what the camera does if you're shooting bride and groom. No midgrey there. No, it's not foolproof - you will need to work the system. Yes, that can be a hard job.

We've got a saying here that roughly translates into: "Metering is knowing, guessing is missing" (in Dutch the alliteration really sticks: "meten is weten, gissen is missen"). It's just that you need to know how it works and what it measures.

In consistent light you can't beat manual exposure for control.

I beg to differ. In manual mode, where do you base your settings on? Guesswork? Chimping? Trying to read a histogram? Getting that needle in the middle (which basically is the same as the camera is doing, but than in a slow and tedious way)?

[lazarus219]

I have been thinking the same thing Jev. What your saying is pretty much what I meant in my original post about using manual but going off the meter.

My reason for mentioning that is in my class pretty much everybody shoots manual mode but always just putting the meter in the middle. I always wondered why because in the end that is just going by the meter which the camera can do a lot faster than a person turning the dials. I asked a couple of people why they bothered and they all basically seem to have the idea that shooting in manual at all times is just what experienced photographers do and that any semi-auto modes are bad.

Maybe we have totally missed something, I will be interested to see why everybody sticks to manual.

While I was typing this I thought of one other time when I do use manual. At weddings when I am shooting the couple in the shade with a bright background. I will use the ICM to meter the sky in the background.

[cwphoto]

That simply is not true. Did you ever look at how evaluative metering works? Try it once, see what the camera does if you're shooting bride and groom. No midgrey there. No, it's not foolproof - you will need to work the system. Yes, that can be a hard job.

We've got a saying here that roughly translates into: "Metering is knowing, guessing is missing" (in Dutch the alliteration really sticks: "meten is weten, gissen is missen"). It's just that you need to know how it works and what it measures.


I beg to differ. In manual mode, where do you base your settings on? Guesswork? Chimping? Trying to read a histogram? Getting that needle in the middle (which basically is the same as the camera is doing, but than in a slow and tedious way)?

Jev, I think you need to do some reading on how light meters actually work. All metering modes in your camera are based on the age-old principle of reflected light - which means when you're photographing a subject of non-average reflectance, the metering won't be accurate - Evaluative mode or otherwise.

In manual metering mode I use various methods: sunny-16, grey card, white-point, incident meter - all of them offering more control than any AE mode you care to suggest.