Why should I use Manual (M)?

[Pigelin]

Iv'e had my camera for a while now and it really is the ultimate hobby. However, often I hear people using Manual-mode (M) on their cameras. I get it if you try to do some lightning photography, or perhaps when taking a shot at night. Even I have used M in those cases.

But why do people use it in everyday photo? If you use Tv or Av you get controll of one parameter, which for most cases is quite enough. If you then want to adjust exposure you can do it by changing exposure settings with a few clicks. Do you really need to directly control parameter number two when changing exposure stops does the same thing?

When using M (at least for me), I always look at the exposure meter in the viewfinder to help me. But if I then follow this to some extent I'm bound to wind up with about the same settings I would get by using Av or Tv, simply because they automaticly follow the exposure meter.

So my conclusion must be that people who use M don't use the exposure meter due to the fact that it could as easily be done by Tv or Av + exposure compensation. Is there any reason to use M I have overlooked? Please convince me of the possibilities of M.

[RichardTaylor]

When shooting action you do not have time to continually adjust the exposure, it can be a picture saver, especially if shooting in consistent lighting.

Here is an example.


Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/11.0
Focal Length: 400 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

Before this race started I metered off the track and grass and manually set my exposure. What that means that if a white care comes around or a black car comes around then the exposure is basically right (also I am shooting RAW). Also notice the sun glinting off the rear window of the airborne car. That will play havoc with the metering system and severely cause underexposure.

I do not use manual exposure very often however in situations where the colour of the subject changes it can come in vary handy.
I also use it a lot in night photography where streetlight bulbs can cause similar problems.

[JACOBY]

Good point Rich nice shot also. I shoot manual most of the time

[Sime]

I would say shoot with whatever you feel comfortable with BUT if you want full / ultimate control over your camera - you're going to eventually end up in manual mode.

I used to shoot AV pretty much the whole time, after about a year I switched to manual mode and wondered why I'd faffed about with Av for so long... Shooting live music the lighting is constantly changing, Av goes a bit nuts, Manual I can take a reading and set and forget - if I'm shooting RAW (Which I always am) I can adjust other stuff, within reason, in post.

[RichardTaylor]

Thanks Jacoby.

[inkista]

I agree: aperture or shutter speed priority is good for most situations. But I most often move to Manual when I want to "lock down" the settings for consistency shot-to-shot, or to override whatever the auto systems want to do. Because the auto modes are based on metering, and the metering changes once you shift the scene, the settings shift, too. If you want each shot in a given situation to use the same settings, Manual's the easiest way to do that.

For example, if I'm shooting member photos that I plan to stitch into a panorama, my mantra becomes "manual manual manual". I want Manual mode so the exposure doesn't shift from shot to shot. I use Manual focus, so the focus point doesn't shift from the AF system. And I use a non-Automatic white balance, so my color temperature doesn't shift from shot to shot.

Another reason to use Manual (and you've discovered this with night shooting), is when the auto system is going to be off by more than you can easily shift with exposure compensation.

And then there's flash photography... because shutter speed has a different effect on ambient light vs. flash illumination registering on an image, you may need to juggle aperture or iso to get exactly the balance between flash and ambient that you want. Again, this is more easily done with precision in Manual mode, and can remain consistent from shot to shot.

[kencaleno]

Why manual? -Because you are making decisions on how to make the image,instead of letteing a silicon chip do your thinking for you. Ken

[RichardTaylor]

Here is another reason.
To remove unwanted backgrounds when shooting in daylight.

Example from today: Shooting outdoors in the middle of a bright sunny day.


Camera: Canon EOS 350D Digital
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200) .... Max Synch speed
Aperture: f/29.0 .......... minimum aperture
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: On, Fired

Lighting was day light (severely underexposed ) + single diffused off camera flash.

[sybren]

I shoot in manual for the same reason Inkista gave: consistency. I use flashes a lot, and those are in manual mode too. Somehow I find it difficult to understand how exactly the chip in my camera comes to a decision about a good exposure, especially in the combination with TTL flash. In manual everything is quite simple: nothing changes unless I change it.

[dcclark]

Use the tool which is most appropriate to the job.

Others above have given good examples of situations in which Manual mode is useful. On the other hand, if you're not in such a situation, a semi-auto mode like Av or Tv may be better -- it can make your life easier and let you focus more on composition than on technical details.

There is no single answer here, only "use the right tool at the right time".