Manual vs Shutter vs Aperture modes

[lerabu]

Hello all!

So, the big mystery I guess I have started dabbling in photography fairly recently. I have ordered the book Understanding Photography by Bryan Peterson, should arrive on Friday, read alot on the internet and practiced a bit in the past few months.

I have grasped a fair understanding of most basics such as right exposure for the right lighting conditions, aperture for what I want to show, ISO etc...

I have finally understood how to work with Manual on my camera and know how to get the right exposure so that it is OK according to the camera metering (doh! Took me a while to understand!). I have read and read everywhere that in Manual mode you can get what you actually want from a shot, and I firmly believe that, but there are some things I don't understand.

You can for example make a photograph underexposed by increasing the shutter speed in Manual mode, but you can make the same in Aperture mode by setting the EV bias of the camera and effectively get a faster shutter speed (underexposed shot). Is it just better in manual because you can have more minute differences than with the cameras EV bias or is there actually a difference.

I am sure I have only just scratched the surface of Manual mode, but this is one of the aspect that has interested me lately.

The wonderful thing in Manual is that I can finally expose different parts of the composition correctly and blend them into a single shot with the Enfuse plugin in Lightroom

I am sure there is even more to discover! Such as getting the right DOF and shutter speed for movement blur and then regulating the ISO sensitivity or mounting a neutral density filter so as not to overexpose the shot etc

Is there more???

[wulf]

The beauty of manual mode is that you have control over all the points of the exposure triangle and so can balance out getting a suitable amount of light with the side effects of each setting. If you don't allow your camera to adjust the ISO setting, you can get close to this kind of control with aperture and shutter modes; if the camera can tweak ISO for exposure, then all bets are off.

Personally, I use manual mode most of the time. I am forced into it to a certain extent (my favourite lenses are old and not compatible with the other modes on my camera) but I normally stick with it even when back on the kit lens.

Wulf

[jml79]

I use mostly priority modes. I lock the ISO set my priority and then use the ev compensation. I just find it faster because the ev comp is usually the same shot to shot or just needs a little tweaking.

If I don't like the way the camera is metering I will switch to manual but it slows me down and I am mostly shooting people and domestic animals outdoors.

[Digidave]

You can for example make a photograph underexposed by increasing the shutter speed in Manual mode, but you can make the same in Aperture mode by setting the EV bias of the camera and effectively get a faster shutter speed (underexposed shot). Is it just better in manual because you can have more minute differences than with the cameras EV bias or is there actually a difference.

They are exactly the same.

[dcclark]

Personally, I usually start my thought process with "what sort of effect do I want this photo to achieve?" The answer is usually "everything in focus", or perhaps "only one bit in focus". Alternately, "a moving object should be frozen in time" or "I want some motion blur".

Then those get translated into exposure terms. In order, they would be: "small aperture", "wide aperture", "fast shutter speed" and "slower shutter speed", respectively.

Then I choose an appropriate exposure mode. If I want something that has to do with aperture, I hit "A" mode (or "Av" on Canons), and set my aperture. If it's shutter speed I want, I hit "S" (or Tv). And so on.

If, however, the answer is "I want a very specific exposure which experience tell me I cannot get in a semi-automatic mode", then I hit manual, or possibly change my metering mode.

Personally, I think that thinking in these terms ("what do I want to achieve?") is very useful, and will re-emphasize the importance of choosing the appropriate exposure and the right mode to most easily achieve that.

[sk66]

In fact, manual mode usually has somewhat *less* adjustment to it..e.g. you can't select "in between" ISO's.
My approach is pretty much the same a dcclark's. I'm seldom in manual, and when in manual my ISO is usually set to auto (with limits)

[lerabu]

Thank you all for the replies! You have cleared up the questions I had in my mind.

I agree with you dcclark, that is the way I approach the shots I want to make, but I was wondering if there was something I was missing out on.

To me usually when I shoot scenery or when a fast reaction isn't of the essence I am more and more using Manual to get exactly what I want from the photograph.

Before shooting anything, I look at the light and set the ISO. I always treat ISO as fixed and not a variable so that I set one part of the exposure triangle fixed, and then fiddle with the one that is of the essence for the shot. Similar to jml79.

Digidave, thanks for clearing up that mystery for me! I was really thinking there was something I wasn't understanding!

As wulf said though, with some older lenses I guess it is important to have a good grip on Manual!

The main reason I posted was that I didn't understand why sometimes people were in Manual as the shot could have clearly done in Aperture for example, but you have cleared up this question too =)

[tamcry]

I only use manual mode when in a studio using lights. Other than that it is generally aperture or shutter. I’m an old Scott Kelby student and this works for me. I think everyone has his or hers own way and what works for them.

[TheEagleSpirit]

I have several books by Bryan Pererson and watch his videos on youtube. However I found "Mastering The D90" and Field Guide on the D90 very useful. In other words get movies and books pertaining your camera. They give more details on all the camera settings.

[Krusty79]

Originally Posted by lerabu

The wonderful thing in Manual is that I can finally expose different parts of the composition correctly and blend them into a single shot with the Enfuse plugin in Lightroom

Is there more???

I would also check out auto exposure bracketing. It can be handy when you don't have time to meter a shot and can also be used for the exposure blending. You can also set the amount you want to over/under expose the shot yourself.

p.s. - Also, shoot RAW, or RAW + jpeg. You have more latitude processing RAW files