The advantage of manual mode

[mohammed.azmy]

Hey everybody

I am new to photography and really learned a lot from this amazing community "Digital Photography School". I only have one unanswered question that need clarification from the experts . The Manual Mode.

I have read almost everywhere that a photographer should know how to use the full manual mode since you can set both the shutter speed and the aperture separately BUT all the tutorials mentioned that I should depend on the exposure level showed in the view finder to make sure that I am having the correct exposure !!, if I am going to do this, why the need to use the full manual mode in the first place, why not any of the other semi-manual modes like AV to TV and let the camera compensate by setting the other variable.

For example, if (in Full Manual Mode) I have set the Aperture to 5 and (according to the light meter) I have to set the shutter speed to 100 to get a correct exposure, why not use the AV mode of the camera which will set the shutter speed automatically for me to get correct exposure ??

Got my question ?
I am wondering if I am missing something or my understand of this is not correct.

Thanks in advance for your replies

[teaking]

Its mostly in tricky lighting conditions for example you have a lot of white for instance snow your camera averages the scene and makes the snow grey. In manual you would change the exposure to compensate. You can do the same thing in the other modes using exposure compensation. But you cant always trust your metering modes 100% of the time.

Manual just gives you full control some people want that, and I suppose if you do understand how your exposure works it will help you in all aspects it doesnt mean you have to use manual but you will know what your camera is doing and how to compensate for it.

[dcclark]

teaking answered your question, now I'll answer a different one. :P

There are two things at work:
1. Understanding the theoretical underpinnings of photography (what are shutter speed and aperture? How do they work and why do they matter?)
2. Using the right tool for the job.

Working in manual mode is often recommended to help beginners learn #1 -- although I prefer the semi-auto modes (like Av and Tv) myself for the same reasons.

#2 is the one that's often lost in all the talk of "which mode is better". Use full manual mode when you want full control, and the camera's meter just isn't doing it for you. For example, I go full manual when taking extremely long exposures (like star trails) or in low-light situations where the meter can be fooled. But the rest of the time, I use a semi-auto mode -- usually aperture priority, and sometimes shutter priority if I'm working in a situation where that's necessary.

Finally, let me quote teaking again:

Manual just gives you full control some people want that, and I suppose if you do understand how your exposure works it will help you in all aspects it doesnt mean you have to use manual but you will know what your camera is doing and how to compensate for it.

Exactly. If you understand what your camera's doing, then you can easily use whatever mode you want and make it work out. Sometimes one is easier than the other. Exposure compensation is your friend when you're in a semi-auto mode. But, you have to understand #1 first!

[LeeR]

If you want help on this subject I highly recommend you look into the Zone System. It was developed in the early days of photography by some of the craft's finest and it is all about placing values where you want them rather than taking what your camera give you. It will give you lots of good reasons to use manual mode.

Here in our own forum kencaleno has done a masterful job of reducing the system to its essentials . I would suggest you pursue the subject a bit further than just reading that, but don't get bogged down in the minutiae; it can get very technical.

[mohammed.azmy]

Thanks all for your fast and very helpful response
@LeeR: this zone system sounds very interesting, I guess I will do more reading about this, thanks