Are you fighting with your DSLR?

[MHmedia]

Folks! This is a question for those of you who have found your camera settings button/dial and have decided to move it off "Auto" Are you fighting with your DSLR to take good pictures?

My dilemma concerns the fact that I grew up with that old-fashioned film stuff but embraced the digital revolution wholeheartedly. As technology progressed I bought a series of digital cameras and have now settled on a Nikon D200 with a Nikon D80 as backup: all my lenses and accessories are interchangeable.

But there's an issue - I try as much as possible not to use program mode as I don't want to lose touch with what it takes to actually take a photograph. More and more these days I'm finding myself using (M)anual settings and therefore wasting a great deal of the technology that's gone into the camera. Of course, what I really want is a fully-manual DSLR, but I don't know if such a thing exists!

What are your thoughts on this?

[jdepould]

Using manual isn't really a waste of tech. You're still using the meter (which is pretty advanced), are you using AF? There's a ton of tech in the image processing engine.

I just want the camera to give me an accurate meter reading and do what I tell it. The rest ... eh, whatever.

[TheDarkReaver]

If you just want to use manual then just leave it in manual. As jdepould said, it's not really "wasting tech" to do this. Why would a company make something so limited that would have minimal appeal and would essentially do what's already out there with other program modes on as well.

[Raoul Isidro]

Originally Posted by MHmedia

what I really want is a fully-manual DSLR, but I don't know if such a thing exists!

What are your thoughts on this?

A fully manual SLR don't need any batteries or electrical power to take pictures, advance the film, focus the lens or trigger the shutter.
A DSLR needs energy power from batteries to make the sensor function or to even just turn it on.

[zetson]

Originally Posted by MHmedia

Of course, what I really want is a fully-manual DSLR, but I don't know if such a thing exists!

If you use old lenses which lack both AF and metering, then you'll be pretty close to a fully manual DSLR, with no distracting metering or AF indication in the viewfinder.