Manual VS Aperture VS Shutter Speed VS Program

[CHADbee]

After reading many photography books and magizines i have seen so many pro photographers suggest that shooting in A.P. and S.P. in alot of different situations. i have seen many people frown upon not shooting in full manual mode 100% of the time though, almost as it is "cheating" but after reading alot of books(they have helped and i have learned alot) it almost seems like these pro guys are saying that only about 10% of shots REALLY call for full manual shooting mode. i have even read a few authors suggest P or full auto mode when walking around cities cause that way you are ready for something to happen and are ready to shoot on the spot without having to adjust your settings.

sometimes i shoot in full manual mode, sometimes in A.P. and when i am doing rolling shots of cars i ALLWAYS shoot in S.P. but i really have no clue how others feel about that and what mode they shoot in.

id say 70% of my stuff from the past few months was shot in full manual, 25% in A.P. and 5% in S.P.

what mode do you shoot in and why?

[87 Turbo II]

I shoot in P, it's practically Tv(timing variable, or shutter priority) AND Av(aperture variable or aperture priority) if you know how to use it right. It can almost be M at the same time. You just change the ratio of the shutter speed and aperture, and adjust overall exposure with the other scroll wheel (on the 20D at least). It, in a sense, lets me pick every thing I could adjust in manual anyway. And if I see something want to take a picture of really suddenly, I can stop looking at the numbers and know that the camera will be ready to shoot anyways. I usually combine this with the center AF point only (it focuses the best, as it is cross-type) and Af lock for re composition, custom white balance for the area, unless there are too many different light sources, then I shoot RAW and mess with WB later. And I also use partial metering (I'd use spot if I had it) to meter exactly what I want, so that my setting the camera generates in P are aiming to expose the part of the frame I metered on, and I can pick either the shutter speed or aperture I want by changing the ratio as well as adjust for small metering errors with exposure compensation.

[Nemesis]

Ive never shot anything other than Manual mode. But more importantly, read your histograms.

[james]

full manual is the way to go. why not be in total control of something?

its also the way i was taught.

[87 Turbo II]

but P does give you full control, just using a little bit of auto exposure to give you a ballpark field of settings to use. I mean, I can do the stuff in manual, but it just takes longer for the same thing.

[james]

but P does give you full control, just using a little bit of auto exposure to give you a ballpark field of settings to use. I mean, I can do the stuff in manual, but it just takes longer for the same thing.

ummm. loss for words here.

[EJ_Allmota]

Ive never shot anything other than Manual mode. But more importantly, read your histograms.

Histograms are where its at.. I normally shoot in full manual M but would fire a shot in P just so i can get an idea of how you gauge myself when i switch back to M.. I used to shoot in A and S but found limitations with both.. P is really good though for as Chad stated on the fly shots like walking through the city and not taking much time to capture the shot.. What i love about M though is the fact that as long as the lighting conditions stay relatively the same shots are more consistent.. A and P the camera tends to meter the shot based on what the center point is and if is a dark area images tend to get blown out..

[87 Turbo II]

ummm. loss for words here.

how?

Look

meter, it gives you lets say 1/80 @ f5.6 you have a tripod, so you can afford to lose a bit of shutter speed ot get a narrower aperture, you turn the dial so it reads 1/60 f/6.0 then again at 1/50 f/6.3 and you're good to go, you still want the shutter speed to be a little higher than 1/50 but don't want to lose your aperture of 6.3, so you use exposure compensation to nump it down 1/3 EV and you get 1/60 @ f/6.3 and take the shot. Where as with manual, you'd just dial in f/60 @ f/6.3 then look at the meter which would say - 1/3 EV same thing, only thing is, the camera gave you a ballpark of settings to use in the semi-auto program AE with your given ISO at your set exposure. I don't see how you're at a loss for words. The only time I really use manual is when I need more than +/- 2 EV

Believe me, I know how to use my camera, you can achieve the same ffects in both P and M.

[87 Turbo II]

What i love about M though is the fact that as long as the lighting conditions stay relatively the same shots are more consistent.. A and P the camera tends to meter the shot based on what the center point is and if is a dark area images tend to get blown out..

yeah, I tell it to meter off the center on purpose, then recompose. It's custom function 4 on Canon models to be able to lock the meter and the autofocus separately. So I focus, recompose, meter, recompose, and take the shot.

[.blank cd]

most of the time i shoot w/ M. but i usually use s.p. or a.p. to meter, then switch back and tweak it how i want. I guess thats what P is for tho, huh. As far as histograms, i havent really learned how to read them....

[87 Turbo II]

Histograms are fun.

How to read histograms

[atlantamx3]

It really depends on the situation for me.

When shooting moving subjects, I use Shutter Priority to either show motion or freeze the action.

When shooting portraits, I use Aperture Priority to blur out the background and bring out the bokeh.

Manual mode is a great option when the other modes just arent getting the right exposure.

Program Mode is a great mix of Auto mode and Manual mode. Its like Auto, but it doesnt lose your temporary settings when you turn off the camera.


Each has their benefits, but they are on the camera for a reason, so why not learn to utilize them to make your life easier? I am comfortable in each mode and know the ins and outs and how to set the camera for my shots.

Histograms are a great tool that more peole should learn to read and use.

[The Yousef]

After reading many photography books and magizines i have seen so many pro photographers suggest that shooting in A.P. and S.P. in alot of different situations. i have seen many people frown upon not shooting in full manual mode 100% of the time though, almost as it is "cheating" but after reading alot of books(they have helped and i have learned alot) it almost seems like these pro guys are saying that only about 10% of shots REALLY call for full manual shooting mode. i have even read a few authors suggest P or full auto mode when walking around cities cause that way you are ready for something to happen and are ready to shoot on the spot without having to adjust your settings.

sometimes i shoot in full manual mode, sometimes in A.P. and when i am doing rolling shots of cars i ALLWAYS shoot in S.P. but i really have no clue how others feel about that and what mode they shoot in.

id say 70% of my stuff from the past few months was shot in full manual, 25% in A.P. and 5% in S.P.

what mode do you shoot in and why?

you suck.

just quit already...




















i wuv u.

[CHADbee]

It really depends on the situation for me.

When shooting moving subjects, I use Shutter Priority to either show motion or freeze the action.

When shooting portraits, I use Aperture Priority to blur out the background and bring out the bokeh.

Manual mode is a great option when the other modes just arent getting the right exposure.

Program Mode is a great mix of Auto mode and Manual mode. Its like Auto, but it doesnt lose your temporary settings when you turn off the camera.


Each has their benefits, but they are on the camera for a reason, so why not learn to utilize them to make your life easier? I am comfortable in each mode and know the ins and outs and how to set the camera for my shots.

Histograms are a great tool that more peole should learn to read and use.

im the same. i allways use Shutter Speed Priority when doing objects in motion. i used to Aputure when shooting people but now i use M mode more and more.

you suck.

just quit already...


i wuv u.

you wish i would

NO!~

i know...fag.

[.blank cd]

Histograms are fun.

How to read histograms

ahhh i c nao