Skip MANUAL Mode, Try This Instead!
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- Опубликовано: 16 апр 2024
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In this week’s video, we discuss why you should skip Manual Mode and try this camera mode instead. There's a common misconception that those who use Manual Mode are somehow better photographers or more professional than those that don't - and that couldn't be further from the truth. In this video, I'll review the problems with Manual Mode along with what I've found to be the best camera mode for photographers of all skill levels to use. There is no perfect camera mode and there isn't a one size fits all solution either, but this approach is by the best that I've found! I hope you enjoy this week's video and as always thanks so much for watching! - Mark D.
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🌟QUICK QUESTION: Which Shooting Mode do you use most often?
Aperture almost always
As I shoot portraits mostly in the studio with strobes, I shoot manual mode mostly. That being said, I use and feel aperture priority otherwise for everything else (mostly portraits) and just adjust with the exposure compensation dial. I don't shoot fast action and rarely use shutter priority.
Shutter Priority for video. Aperture Priority is my most common stills shooting mode, but I use shutter priority frequently. When I use Manual mode, I almost always use Auto ISO. I commonly use zebras set to 100+, and use exposure comp to adjust exposure so they just disappear.
I am learning them all now
Manual, always!😄
Manual with auto ISO
Started photography not so while ago and for everything moving i am just using Manual with Auto ISO. I control the SS is the key and usually the aperture is wide open anyway, so just figure out the rest on its own. When i walk around and am shooting just city, whatever, stuff around me, especially when the light is good, Aperture Mode. And full manual for static shots usually with with tricky light.
Came here to say the same 👍🏻
Isn’t changing SS when in auto-ISO with a “fixed” aperture just a variant of Aperture Priority? ISO & SS just play off against each other to give a workable exposure for the aperture you’re using. In effect you’re messing with the degree of noise by changing SS, not exposure.
this is the way
This for me is usually the best solution. Especially with the ability of today's software to get rid of noise.
Canon mirrorless shooters have another mode to choose - FV mode or flexible priority, meaning you can change any individual or all modes on the fly from auto to manual from your rear screen. Once you get used to it, it's a fairly powerful tool to quickly change exposure settings.
It's a game changer.
Have been using it for past two weeks. Amazing!!!!
From when I first started, I put my camera in manual mode. I really haven't looked back. I truly wanted to learn photography and for me that was the best way. I do portraits, weddings, and landscapes. I think it's a preference thing once you learn how everything works. Side note: I love the shirt! Thank you so much for making all these amazing videos for us!
I agree that it is imperative to understand the exposure triangle and what each leg controls. As a sports photographer, I always shoot in manual mode because I want to capture the action (fast shutter speed) AND control separation of the player(s) from the background (wide open aperture). The default ISO setting with Nikon is floating ISO, even in manual mode unless you change a setting to manually control that separately as well, so I leave ISO floating to compensate for the other two. My other genre is travel photography and I virtually always shoot in aperture priority for that.
I used to shoot in manual mode because I thought to be a real photographer I had to. For years I’ve used aperture priority and it’s by far my favourite.
For landscapes, I almost always use Aperture Priority. I use the exposure compensation dial if I want to under- or over-expose based on what I see in the viewfinder. I usually use manual mode when I shoot images for focus stacking.
I am on the same page as you. I mostly shoot at Wakodahatchee Wetlands (wildlife) and I don't have the time to shoot in Manual mode. When I go out to shoot a sunset there is plenty of time to adjust my settings. Some of my friends are set in their ways and often miss the shot... All I can do is share my experience with them.
I'd add in a 4th mode. Manual with Auto ISO*. Just saves you setting the ISO. You should keep eye on it though in case you would be better adjusting speed or aperture to keep correct exposure within your desired ISO range.
*Edit:- Auto ISO in conjunction with exposure compensation if required.
Nice one, Mark, beautiful location too!
Having watched way too many of your videos in the past couple of months, I thought I may as well subscribe and not miss any 🤣
Nicely said!
that was a great explanation. thank you
Great video Mark... your explanation makes good sense as I am only a hobbyist but always willing to learn more about photography... cheers from Australia 🦘🦘😊
Good video and advice
Thank you Mark 😀
Another super video Mark. Couldn't agree with you more. My wife and I do both landscape/city (architecture and museum) and wildlife photography so we are using both aperture and shutter speed priority. I use manual for night time/astrophotography.
Well articulated.
Thanks Mark. I do mostly landscapes and I use full manual model almost all the time. Last week I ran into a soccer game and switched to shutter priority of course.
Great video, Mark. Have used fully manual for many years and only recently decided to try manual mode with Auto ISO on a helicopter flight! Worked brilliantly! Am very happy that it gives me another option!
Well presented
Well said Mark.
I don't know why I haven't thought of this before but when not having a wireless shutter button, using the the timer (which you did in this video) was an absolute "Duh...." moment. Your videos are good and I am learning so much. The time and thoughtfulness put into your explanations is very much appreciated!
Excellent, and well explained. As someone who started using a totally manual camera sometime back in the late 1960s, manual mode and setting aperture and shutter speed is very easy to understand. I am not sure when someone came up with this exposure triangle to explain exposure, and maybe it is me too set in my ways, but I think it is totally stupid! Maybe that makes more sense for someone just starting out to understand, but I think it adds complication unnecessarily.
Great video Mark! What bag are you using in this video?
I would have to say that I shoot in manual the most as the majority of my shots are landscape of cityscape. Having said that, I also use aperture and time modes when required. Thanks for another great video. Cheers.
Love the first part of the video Mark!
A short film of you taking the picture while you talk over it with the theme of the topic.
I really think you should expand on this and really build up the short film aspect of the topic and talk over it and explaining what and why you are doing this and that.
Always loved your B-roll and this might be the next step in expanding it.
I understand that this would eat up on your time budget though 😅
Thanks for the great video! You hit the nail on the head with this one. I am an amateur photographer and I shoot pics for a hobby. People, animals, aircraft, etc. Because I shoot Pentax, both film and digital, I shoot in all weather conditions, and I change settings based on what, where, and when. No such thing as one mode fits all. This is from 50+ years of playing with cameras.
I am giving this video a thumbs up even before I watch it: mainly because it is well under 10 minutes. I rather watch several 5-minute videos in a week (from same creator) than one video that well exceeds 10 minutes.
Great video. Was nice to see clips of tou on the field too.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Definitely depends on the situation.
Great video for those who think they have to always shoot in manual mode in order to be a good photographer.
I use the neglected mode also known as Program on Nikon cameras. I consider it a semi-manual mode as I can change the aperture or shutter easily to fit the moment.
I love your t-shirt!
Totally agree. Portraits and events: aperture; sports and nature: shutter; landscape, stars, long exposure: manual.
Been burned too often on various auto modes - camera jumps to a crazy high ISO instead of slowing the shutter when on aperture priority, or drops the shutter down to 1/10 instead of raising the ISO - this even when I set the ISO range to reasonable bounds.
You can set max ISO values in the camera and you can probably set a minimum for shutter speed as well.
I set my auto iso to max 6400 and it has worked out very well.
Great video again, Mark. Thank you!
I shoot in aperture priority in 90% of my pictures, setting the ISO manually and letting the camera care about the shutter speed, the other 10% in shutter priority. In my opinion, using manual mode seems to be cheating to a certain amount, because photographers still rely on the camera's meter. And if it shows over- oder underexposure with the current settings, then they will correct their settings according to the meter's readings. So using manual mode is in most cases not different from using aperture or shutter priority. That's why I don't use manual mode at all, but use all the other dials including exposure compensation to achieve the desired result.
Having said that, everybody has to find her or his way to make a reasonable decision. I just can't stand some of the snobs that tell everybody, that anyone who doesn't shoot in manual is no proper photographer.
fully agree!
Complete beginner here, I use Manual mode for landscape photography but I have custom setting C1 on my Fuji x-s10 set to shutter priority and Auto ISO for when I want to quickly switch over to Wildlife mode! It is great advice to use Manual mode to learn all settings though and I use that 95% of the time.
This is such a good video.
I sometimes get fixated o the settings and miss the moment. And it I would rely on the “Auto-ish” modes on occasion I would def have better results.
Manual with AUTO ISO, but I do watch the ISO settings. I want to maintain control of the optimum Focal point for lens sharpness and Depth of Field while making sure the Shutter Speed is set for something appropriate and that I can Handhold to eliminate camera shake.
My first camera was 3-1/4 x 4-1/4 Graflex so as much as I looked for A-priority or S-priority I couldn't find the buttons 🤣! Oh wait, the most advanced in camera function was the "seeing-eye-dog" or TTL, and my father banned me from using any of his hand-held SLR's until I'd learned the fundamentals of using a light meter and shown some rudimentary understanding of the Zone System. Even at that time, the early 70's TTL was still a luxury and the only cameras my father had with TTL were his Nikon F's and it was a while before I could get my hands on one of those. So, in as far as today goes, I'm still a manual shooter, but I do use A/S priority when shooting and I desire a certain result and the rare occasions when I'm tinkering with shooting some birds.
I shoot mostly landscapes/nature and have always used full manual mode. However, I have a tendency to underexpose a bit so I have been experimenting with manual with auto ISO. I have always been hesitant to bump up my ISO, thereby underexposing, thereby introducing noise into my photos.
Manual mode when on the tripod , aperture or shutter priority when hand held.
Totally agree! I tried Shutter priority on my Canon and found the aperture was not enough depth for my situation same with Aperture so if we are in any people event I usually go manual.
Depends like you say Depends on the scene... love your gear bag Mark. Really neat.😊
As a somewhat casual photographer with an interest in continuously getting better, one trick I employ with my Canon Rebel is to take a quick shot with one of the Rebel's Basic Mode selections and then checking out which Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO the camera chose. From there I typically move to Aperture or Manual with that starting point in mind.
Mark, good video, and don't worry about catching flak. We should be open to discussion. I go way back to before there were any Priority modes in the camera. Heck, even before in-camera metering! We thought it was great but we had already learned manual mode. I think it is good to have the options we have but I teach manual is best because the photographer is in total control in creating the image. I sometimes will use auto ISO to see what the camera will choose but use it as a starting point then I go full manual. I don't believe using the priority or full Auto, Program modes is the best teacher, who can recall all the variables to apply in future settings. I find I can quickly change any of the triangle settings with my fingers and get the shot. Depending on the metering mode, the camera can be off too. In this digital age, I know of too many people, some calling themselves professional photographers, who are using full auto and are clueless about how the shot was made. In those cases, it is the camera that is the pro.
I'm nearly always aperture priority as shutter speed has no real affect on the images I take. I'm mostly a portrait guy. Manual in the studio. Shutter if I'm doing long exposure landscapes....
Great video.
Another great video.
Absolutely, I've been shooting since I was 14 and now at 67 I can say I have never ever been a follower of the "I always shoot manual God" it is quite ridiculous to even think like that. A tip I learnt very early on from a professional press photographer (back in the day) was "If you have shutter priority on your camera always turn it off in that mode, leave it at about a 1/250 as the camera is instantly ready for that moment shot. Leave it in manual and miss every moment."
I'm with you. I watched an entry-level victim of "use Manual mode" recently at a volleyball tournament. I was standing alongside a high school senior who had saved up and just purchased a used Nikon D3200 and had a new NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8 prime attached. He was getting frustrated, checking each shot after he took it. He was adamant about shooting in Manual mode "because I can completely control everything." He would have even been better off setting the camera to Sports mode that day - he was in fact completely OUT of control of that camera.
I always configure my cameras to have exposure compensation on a dial with quick access. Then it's Av or Tv (depending on whether I care more about DoF or motion) and letting the camera complete the exposure, usually with a cap on the max ISO. If I know something the light meter doesn't (snow, dark concert, etc), then I use the exposure compensation accordingly. I'm usually using the built-in light meter/histogram to balance the exposure anyhow, so why not just let the computer do that?
Hey Mark, can you share that exposure triangle graphic that flew by in the video? Thanks!
For A preferred, I know the sweet spot for every lens I own, set that and, let the camera do the rest. Speed and movement I start out at 1000. Auto ISO with upper limit.
[As a landscape photographer] I switched to MM from AP some years ago. I found that I make less exposure mistakes than my camera does.
I shoot at least once a week at a salsa party. Low light, fast moving people. I don't mind motion blur on hands and hair I shoot shutter prio, auto ISO, WB set @5260K, EV +0.7. This allows me to capture enough sharpness and I get to capture the ambient light.
My camera workflow is, "Shoot in manual if I can, otherwise deviate into automatic only as needed. But don't stay manual if automatic is needed."
Manual and I control ISO as well. I got a lot out of this video - I would love to use shutter priority as I shoot birds mostly, but I’ve been told I MUST shoot manual. I appreciate learning it and am comfortable with it, but shutter priority would sure make it easier… thanks!
🤔 Thought about what you say in this video and as you say you need to use manual for control as you put more thought into taking your image. Me? I totally agree with your logic and have been doing so for a month or to now and you know I am going to continue to do so. Brilliant thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
My default is Aperture Priority. I change to Manual or Speed as and when needed.
I’ve recently switched to OM from Canon, the only thing I miss is FV mode.
With Fujifilm X-T cameras, you can have manual control of two of the three elements of the exposure triangle if you want. For example, for landscapes with nothing moving, I choose aperture and ISO, and let the camera choose shutter speed. Of course that's still just a starting point. Using the histogram, I will then adjust with the exposure compensation dial. The same result could be achieved with full manual, but I find this sequence quicker. Do Sony/Nikon/Canon allow you to control two out of three?
Have been a war photographer for over 30 years now, have never shot in Manual that i can remember since i switched away from my M4 in the late 90s.... 99.9% i'm in Aperture priority... the other 0.01% i'm in shutter priority for fast action... i would switch to full auto... but kinda never have no idea why.... the only people i really see using full manual are either landscape or studio photographers... really no need for it... the camera knows exposure better than the photographer
I don't even think knowing the exposure triangle is all that important... photography isn't about knowing those technical details... i know a commercial photographer who shot for ikea a couple of times who has no idea what the aperture is... the creative vision or maybe rather the subject is what matters for photography... the technical stuff important for a camera can be learned in a short afternoon
my prefered mode: Manual with auto ISO.
simple reason: Shutter speed and aperture create the look and feel of an image, ISO is just an instrument to balance the other 2 factors. If i shoot people i usually use 1/100s or higher, aperture as needed for more or less depth of field. Same for action, i want to be at 1/1000s or higher, mostly wide open aperture to get as much light as possible. Landscape? F5.6-F8, shutter speed dictated by "tripod or no tripod"
So in essence: i dont care at all about ISO - if an action shot requires 6400 or 12800 ISO - so be it, i dont give a damn, as long as the photo is sharp. PureRaw or Lightroom AI Noise reduction will take care of it, but a blurry shot cant be fixed. For Portraits i'm at F/1.2-F/2.8, so shutter speed is mostly limited by the light available, if its a sunny day 1/2000s or beyond, overcast or evening: 1/100s or even 1/60s - ISO will adjust to my needs... its just a necessity
A good and challenging topic Mark! About 10 years ago I was on a 4 day photography workshop with a well known Australian Landscape photographer (KEN DUNCAN). One of his well loved images was photographing a herd of Horses crossing a stream. It's an Iconic image. KEN advised us all to shoot in Tv (CANON - shutter speed priority). To my peril I ignored that advice and took all of my shots in "M". NOT ONE of my images were in focus!! This was a ONE TIME ONLY opportunity to capture this image, as the stream crossing was organised well in advance and coordinated by the owner of the 20-30 horses, all over in 2 MINUTES!!!. I was so, so disappointed that I ignored Ken's advice.
A lesson well learned. Sadly, I'll never get that opportunity again, but the lesson was profound!
Why were you photos not in focus. This video is talking about exposure modes. As far as focus mode goes, for a moving subject, such as the horses you were trying to photograph, you should be using servo mode for focus. Called contiuous focus on a Nikon. If you were shooting full manual, including manual focus, then that would accoujnt for your out of focus images. If your images were blurry, rather than out of focus, you may have selected too slow a shutter speed. My go to setting these days, where ISO can be pushed very high, is to use Manual so I can select shutter speed and aperture and combine this with auto ISO. Focus I have set to continuous with back button focusing. Auto ISO may result in high ISO but the software I use, Lightroom, is excellent at noise reduction. Interested to hear what your thoughts are.
@@IWillNotBeLabelledThanks for your comment… but the point is was making was i used the wrong camera settings. I had Auto Focus on but i chose an unsuitable shutter speed . If i had set up in Tv / 1/250 sec ( or higher)/ ISO 600-800. would have captured a sharp image👍🏻
We took our kids on that hike that's at the start. They were 6, 4 and 1. We were blissfully happy doing it at the time, but now looking back on it, it's nightmare fuel.
Aperture mode most often. May I ask what ballhead you are using ?- it does not appear to be the Aspen Ballhead which I have seen you use in the past. Tripods and ballheads are the least liked camera equipment I use!! Always looking for an easier one to operate. Thanks - always love your videos.
Auto is absolutely ideal for travel photography with a quality camera, but given the time and stability I opt for lts of manual.
If I’m out with the family I’ll put it in full auto. I don’t want to miss anything. But I spend 90% of my time in aperture priority with iso on auto.
I prefer aperture priority in combination with ISO auto and a limited shutter speed to avoid blurry photos.
Whilst it's important to understand the exposure triangle when first learning about photography, it doesn't have to remain the only way to take an image. Plenty of pro photographers use A or S priority, as Mark said, it really depends on what you're shooting. To feel like only pro's shoot manual is an incorrect perception. The shooting priorities are only another tool to use that is there to enable us to capture an image. It's no different to choosing to use a tripod, a filter or a release cable.
It SEEMS that the exposure triangle is pretty simple. What’s the big deal, right? But there are a lot of implications in Mark’s statement about understanding “the intricacies.” It’s a lot easier to understand than it is to actually make the right choices at the time you are capturing that moment. I am still screwing up most of the time unless shooting a still scene on a tripod where I have time to think. Sports and wildlife? Fugedaboudit!
I enjoy photographing birds in flight, so I use Shutter priority, set my aperture for DOF and use auto ISO. If I photograph something that I have time, I like using manual. Portraits style photos, I tend to use Aperture priority. I don’t use Program/Auto. I enjoy your videos, so thank you.
Started photography not so while ago and for everything moving i am just using Manual with Auto ISO. I control the SS is the key and usually the aperture is wide open anyway, so just figure out the rest on its own. When i walk around and am shooting just city, whatever, stuff around me, especially when the light is good, Aperture Mode. And full manual for static shots usually with with tricky light.
Thanks for watching the videos Jeff!
I completely agree with you. Knowing how to shoot manual is a skill you need to really understand how cameras work. But today we don't all drive standard cars with a clutch and a three speed gear shift; we drive mostly automatics. That doesn't mean we don't know how to drive; it means we don't know how to drive a standard vehicle. I shoot in aperture mode because I mostly shoot outdoor photos; unless I'm dealing with moving objects then shutter speed might be more important. It all depends. I enjoy getting out my older Fujifilm X-T1 because I enjoy it's manual nature. It's like driving an old car on the weekends, just for fun.
A for most of shooting. Full manual for nightscaping. Manual with auto ISO for low light street photo.
I think there is a lot of misconception about Manual mode when people start out in photography (what they are taught basically) and I think you nailed it that it's good in teaching things like the exposure triangle and other key concepts, but I think what many forget is that for certain subjects, like landscape or travel photography perhaps, sometimes you can let the camera do some work like figuring out the shutter speed, particularly if you're shooting on a tripod at base ISO where shutter speed is not really that relevant in many cases, so why not let the camera help you out... I mean you still have to decide if the shutter speed your getting (or the camera is telling you, say if you're in aperture priority mode) is fast enough for the given scene, but you don't have to take the time to figure out what an appropriate shutter speed is on top of figuring out if it's fast enough for the conditions or not. The camera can save you a step in determining a good exposure, and then you can decide (with exposure compensation) if you need more or less, but the camera has done much of the hard math for you already.
I mean Manual Mode is still important, particularly if you're shooting portraits with strobes as you almost usually want to be using manual mode for that, but I would say that learning to embrace some of the "semi-automatic" modes like Program, Shutter and Aperture can be time savers particularly if you're working fast. In fact my new thing whe nshooting things other than landscape is to use Manual mode, but with auto ISO. This way I don't have to really think about the ISO... I let the camera figure it out and cameras have gotten so good over the years that they will usually bias the lowest possible ISO for the given aperture/shutter speed. This lets me now focus on whether I want to freeze or blur motion and whether I want deep or shallow DOF and let the ISO fall where it may (the camera figures it out). This literally has meant getting a shot or missing a shot in some cases, where I know others who have shot purely in manual mode with auto ISO turned off, and missed the shot, while I nailed it because I was able to work faster, but still have a good majority of control over the look of the scene/image -- I just let the camera figure out a proper exposure, whichI would have had to do on my own but by letting the camera figure out ISO, it's less dials I have to move, and less thinking, and I can focus on the scene in front of me (this is a trick I learned from some wildlife photographers which is perhaps one of the little known secrets for wildlife/sports shooters - using auto ISO with Manual to your advantage).
One thing though about Aperture and Shutter priority is that unless you have auto ISO enabled, the camera will not adjust ISO automatically on most models. So you would still have to adjust the ISO for those cameras. This is where auto ISO is helpful and it will work in other modes other than just Manual.
Best ISO sensitivity setting . 3 or 4 scenario.. plz . Landscape. Portrait. Moving subject.????. ect😢🙏
Always manual, but even before this video I’ve been realizing I should use some auto modes more and have…. It depends on the shooting situation, in some cases it works well for me but often not. Mark do you have a video on shooting burst and its many modes.
I used to shoot in Manual mode all the time, because it's what everyone was telling me to understand. Now I've switched to Shutter priority for landscapes AND wildlife photography. I don't want to overthink the setup of what I'm shooting. At least for now, this seems to be working well for me.
Great Shirt
What about auto ISO?
Ok I’m original from film when in manual it was pure manual because you had to pick the film speed ahead of time now you can shoot in manual with auto ISO. Which may not be called manual but to a lot of photographers yes it is. Exposure triangle came from the film days. It can be confusing for new photographers. As you stated aperture and speed do more than exposure. So if new photographers where taught without the exposure triangle and just what they did I feel they would learn more easier.
Manual here. After shooting a lot, we should be able to design and decide what exposure triangle we need in our minds before turning on our camera. 😃
Your t-shirt 😂👍🏻
I use more often auto but lately I'm trying to use manual mode ... Sincerely I think It's the better way for enjoying the art of photography also if It's a little more difficult ....
Sometimes I shoot aperture priority but I choose the ISO ... never auto ISO. Same with shutter priority. Most of the time I am shooting in manual mode because I like to do that. jus'sayin' As is the norm, there is always something I need to learn because I will never have a handle on it all.
For what I do manual mode is essential, concert and events.
Good video but I actually don't understand why there is still this approach. I understand it, but there is a much simpler way of seeing and communicating this. Either you use (M)annual and set everything as you want, use AUTO and let the camera do everything (rarely desirable!) or use (P)rogram and fix the parameter or parameters you want fixed (e.g. aperture and iso) and let the camera fix the other(s) accordingly. Aperture and shutter priority are just inflexible leftover modes from days gone by...admittedly aperture priority is still relevant for those still using manual lenses, so I guess that is why these things still exist. One could just as well also mention ISO-priority these days too, but one rarely does.
Imagine a camera with no automation! Even the light meter is manual!
You will need to select your film speed when you buy it in the store. You must turn a small dial to set that speed number in the meter. Your biggest worry is turning the meter off because the battery is short lived, and a biohazard!
You twist a ring on the lens barrel to set the diaphragm but the aperture doesn’t immediately make itself visible (learn what it means to “trip the shutter”) and another dial on the top of the camera body to set the shutter duration. All while looking thru the viewfinder/lens to find the meter reading on a side of the image frame. Early camera models had a slot and bar thing-put the moving bar in the center of the slot (match needle) No numbers!
Don’t press the depth of field button(the lens must be wide open to get a correct light meter reading), do turn the meter “on” by pulling the film advance lever out so that it can poke you in the eyebrow.
Film advance lever? Yep, manual crank to reset the shutter, advance the film, and control the meter. There is a button and crank affair to rewind the film before you open the back of the camera to change rolls. Want to guess where the back door latch release is located? A hint: the latch is spring loaded to provide a small amount of drag on the film sprocket. Don’t ull the latch to far or the door will pop open and the film will fall out!
Surely it had auto focus. No! Something called a split prism and a wider swimming or swirling effect to show it wasn’t in focus yet!
Now try shooting anything that moves! Even better, get someone who moves to stand or sit still!
When you said “learn to shoot in manual”, you might have heard a big “hurrumpf “ or perhaps a little giggle from the old guy(s) sitting in the back of the room. One of them was me.
After 60+ years taking photographs I've taken to using Manual mode with Auto ISO turned on (not all cameras will let you do this) as my default set up for most of my photography. It's not ideal: as you say there is no right answer and I'll still use the other two modes when I need to. It does however offer you a large amount of flexibility by keeping your eye on the ISO while using just the shutter and aperture wheels. No pesky buttons to push to change the ISO if conditions change. Yes, you have to understand the exposure triangle but then, again as you say, every photographer needs to understand that. I'd seriously consider suggesting beginners use this mode (where available) if for no other reason than to teach themselves about the exposure triangle.
I use TV the least. I mostly use AV and Manual.
I've never bothered to figure out why 'P' mode exists.
I have 3 User settings. 1) Tripod: Aperture priority, base ISO, AF-S, single focus point 2)Hand held: Aperture priority, auto ISO, AF-C wide 3)Portrait: with eye-tracking, I seldom take portraits
Conventional wisdom that shutter priority makes most sense for sport; in my (non-professional) experience, it can be better to use aperture priority. I often shoot tennis, I just set my aperture to 2.8 for maximum separation, and tweak the iso as the light changes, to keep the shutter speed *fast enough* - the precise speed is irrelevant. Motorsport is an exception, depth of field is irrelevant when you have background motion blur, whereas shutter speed is a fine balance between slow enough for background motion blur, but fast enough for a sharp subject
Id don’t be afraid to shoot on auto sometimes either. This may sometimes surprise you with how well the image is taken.
Your best mode is c1 c2 and c3
I learned photofraphy on a Ricoh Singlex TLS. 😅 There was no other choice.
photography*
With all that being said, I've found Manual Mode to be somewhat "addictive", very difficult to get rid of. Letting it go feels like learning how to use the camera once again
Many times manual and auto ISO.
Just use auto iso
Then lock in either aperture or shutter speed for your top priority, this shouldn't be changing much for a single session
The remaining last piece of the exposure triangle should then be the only thing you need to fiddle with
I never really agree with the exposure triangle model. Aperture and shutter speed are creative decision parameters, iso is only just a "compensation" for your creative decisions, a signal gain that can be altered in post especially when more and more CMOS are iso invariant.
When you start seeing iso as a light meter instead of a dial you need to control, you'll realize you only have two dials to manage. As long as you know what you are trying to capture, managing two dials should not be difficult.
For example, if you are doing a portrait session, your aperture should be staying big most of the time, it shouldn't be fluctuating.
I strongly disagree Mark as with the Manual Mode you have ALL the other modes at a finger movement... Keep the ISO to Auto and then automatically you can have S/P or A/P by choosing which finger to use with the front or back control wheel, which I think all the cameras have now...
Enjoy the Smokies. 👍🥂