But this only applies to spot metering, no? Whereas most of us mortals use Matrix / Evaluative for most of our shots?
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What's Your Preferred Shooting Mode?
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But this only applies to spot metering, no? Whereas most of us mortals use Matrix / Evaluative for most of our shots?
Well I honestly never really understood the point of Matrix metering. Keep in mind, when I was learning, I was learning with the mind of a portrait photographer. My kids were small (and a lot fairer than they are now, almost porcelain skin when they were babies/toddlers). My goal as a photographer was to have my subject(s) well exposed. So yes, I need and use spot metering.
But now I've broadened out to landscape, macro, sunsets, etc. I still use spot metering. If I'm shooting a sunset on the beach, I usually want to underexpose it to keep the colors. I want my intended subject to be the right exposure. I can take care of shadows (and to some degree highlights) in post.
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Most often Aperture priority followed by Manual. With the EOS R there is a new mode: Fv which is actually rather useful once you get the hang of it. I still tend to use Av mode though (old dog, new tricks).
Same here. I started with a Minox 35 that only had Aperture priority, after that a Pentax ME Super (it has Aperture Priority and M) and after that Canon DSLRs. Still in Aperture Priority. Some times I try manual and like it, but eventually fall back in old habits.
It depends on the camera 
I have plenty of meterless or manual metering only cameras, so go manual with those without a second thought.
On a "modern" camera(something made since the 1980s) I generally use aperture priority most of the time. I really don't like Nikon's meter read-out on any auto exposure camera, whether an FE or F3 from the 1980s or a current DSLR, although the F4 and newer at least give you a BIT more information with the bar graph than the impossibly small and dim LCD on the F3 or the match needle that sticks into the viewfinder on the EL/EL2/FE.
With that said, there are situations where I do find manual exposure more convenient. That's particularly in areas with "tricky" and varied lighting, and I usually find it convenient to go to manual and adjust the exposure that way rather than constantly fiddle with exposure compensation. I will generally make a mental map of the correct exposure for different parts of the scene and will adjust on the fly. I was in just such a situation the other day using a Nikon Df, and even though the exposure compensation is incredibly easy to use on that camera I still found manual easier.
Also, even in manual mode, I tend to work in what I call an "aperture priority" mindset where I will tend to pick the aperture that gives me what I'm looking for(maximize/minimize DOF or maximize IQ with a particular lens) and use the shutter speed that will stop action and/or let me handhold safely. Of course, sometimes I do tweak the aperture by a half stop or so to get the exposure correct, or will sacrifice DOF for shutter speed if I need to open up the lens a bit.
Since I still shoot a lot of film, I often also get into the mindset of changing the ISO being the last resort. I will use the minimum value I need to use the aperture I want and keep a reasonable shutter speed.
I have plenty of meterless or manual metering only cameras, so go manual with those without a second thought.
On a "modern" camera(something made since the 1980s) I generally use aperture priority most of the time. I really don't like Nikon's meter read-out on any auto exposure camera, whether an FE or F3 from the 1980s or a current DSLR, although the F4 and newer at least give you a BIT more information with the bar graph than the impossibly small and dim LCD on the F3 or the match needle that sticks into the viewfinder on the EL/EL2/FE.
With that said, there are situations where I do find manual exposure more convenient. That's particularly in areas with "tricky" and varied lighting, and I usually find it convenient to go to manual and adjust the exposure that way rather than constantly fiddle with exposure compensation. I will generally make a mental map of the correct exposure for different parts of the scene and will adjust on the fly. I was in just such a situation the other day using a Nikon Df, and even though the exposure compensation is incredibly easy to use on that camera I still found manual easier.
Also, even in manual mode, I tend to work in what I call an "aperture priority" mindset where I will tend to pick the aperture that gives me what I'm looking for(maximize/minimize DOF or maximize IQ with a particular lens) and use the shutter speed that will stop action and/or let me handhold safely. Of course, sometimes I do tweak the aperture by a half stop or so to get the exposure correct, or will sacrifice DOF for shutter speed if I need to open up the lens a bit.
Since I still shoot a lot of film, I often also get into the mindset of changing the ISO being the last resort. I will use the minimum value I need to use the aperture I want and keep a reasonable shutter speed.
This is an excellent post.
It's hard to argue against manual exposure mode, especially when the subject is such that you are able to take your time.
Having said that, I usually shoot in aperture priority mode if I'm not on a tripod for relatively still subjects. Or in shutter priority mode for rapidly moving subjects.
The reason is that if you understand how your camera makes exposure decisions, you can potentially set it up to automatically make the decisions you would make if you were in manual mode.
For Nikons, there is a submenu in the photo shooting menu for ISO sensitivity settings (and this submenu can be added to your My Menu). The settings in this submenu dictate how the camera will respond regarding exposure settings if you are shooting in aperture priority or shutter priority. You can set things like maximum ISO and minimum shutter speed.
The exposure algorithms for Nikons seem to go something like this:
In aperture priority mode, there are break points where either shutter speed is lowered or ISO is increased to achieve what the camera thinks is a proper exposure at the given aperture. This is the behavior in low light. In strong light, the camera prioritizes a lower ISO over a faster shutter speed.
In shutter priority mode, it is more straightforward: even without limits the camera chooses the most open aperture to achieve what it considers a proper exposure and only then increases the ISO if needed. In strong light it will go to base ISO and then stop down as needed.
The ISO sensitivity menu can modify this behavior, which tends to be most relevant in aperture priority mode. You can set the minimum shutter speed or highest ISO to force the camera to aim for a minimum shutter speed, increase the ISO once that shutter speed is hit, and then only lower the shutter speed if the ISO limit is reached.
In my case, I have the maximum ISO set to 1600 (which in my experience is the highest ISO I find acceptable on my D850 or Z7). I have the minimum shutter speed set to 1/125th sec (which in my experience is the slowest shutter speed that doesn't blur subject movement when my son is relatively still).
These settings mean that I can pick up my camera and shoot my son indoors with a good chance at sharp pics. If the light is poor, I can get him at 1/125th sec to freeze motion with the possible downside that the ISO will creep up to 1600. This is exactly the choice I would make in manual exposure mode. If the light is better, the ISO will come down. Again, exactly the choice I would make in manual exposure mode.
In shutter priority mode, the camera is also mirroring what I would often choose. In lowish light (say a bouncy house) I would want to shoot wide open with the lowest ISO that the exposure allows. There are exceptions where I might want to stop down to increase DOF at the expense of ISO and in those cases I'm **** out of luck in shutter priority mode. But that is what manual mode is for
.I think aperture priority and shutter priority modes are fine as long as you understand how your camera is making exposure decisions in those modes and have set up your camera to make the choices you would make in manual mode. For subjects where you don't have time to fiddle with the exposure triad, these modes can be extremely helpful/useful.
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It really doesn’t take me any time to change my settings on the fly and my Z6 is the most intuitive camera I have ever used. For the first time ever I can change settings without looking at the camera. My D700 and D800 had the iso and WB buttons reversed and I never could remember which camera I was using. The Z6 I just know.This is an excellent post.
It's hard to argue against manual exposure mode, especially when the subject is such that you are able to take your time.
Having said that, I usually shoot in aperture priority mode if I'm not on a tripod for relatively still subjects. Or in shutter priority mode for rapidly moving subjects.
The reason is that if you understand how your camera makes exposure decisions, you can potentially set it up to automatically make the decisions you would make if you were in manual mode.
For Nikons, there is a submenu in the photo shooting menu for ISO sensitivity settings (and this submenu can be added to your My Menu). The settings in this submenu dictate how the camera will respond regarding exposure settings if you are shooting in aperture priority or shutter priority. You can set things like maximum ISO and minimum shutter speed.
The exposure algorithms for Nikons seem to go something like this:
In aperture priority mode, there are break points where either shutter speed is lowered or ISO is increased to achieve what the camera thinks is a proper exposure at the given aperture. This is the behavior in low light. In strong light, the camera prioritizes a lower ISO over a faster shutter speed.
In shutter priority mode, it is more straightforward: even without limits the camera chooses the most open aperture to achieve what it considers a proper exposure and only then increases the ISO if needed. In strong light it will go to base ISO and then stop down as needed.
The ISO sensitivity menu can modify this behavior, which tends to be most relevant in aperture priority mode. You can set the minimum shutter speed or highest ISO to force the camera to aim for a minimum shutter speed, increase the ISO once that shutter speed is hit, and then only lower the shutter speed if the ISO limit is reached.
In my case, I have the maximum ISO set to 1600 (which in my experience is the highest ISO I find acceptable on my D850 or Z7). I have the minimum shutter speed set to 1/125th sec (which in my experience is the slowest shutter speed that doesn't blur subject movement when my son is relatively still).
These settings mean that I can pick up my camera and shoot my son indoors with a good chance at sharp pics. If the light is poor, I can get him at 1/125th sec to freeze motion with the possible downside that the ISO will creep up to 1600. This is exactly the choice I would make in manual exposure mode. If the light is better, the ISO will come down. Again, exactly the choice I would make in manual exposure mode.
In shutter priority mode, the camera is also mirroring what I would often choose. In lowish light (say a bouncy house) I would want to shoot wide open with the lowest ISO that the exposure allows. There are exceptions where I might want to stop down to increase DOF at the expense of ISO and in those cases I'm **** out of luck in shutter priority mode. But that is what manual mode is for
I think aperture priority and shutter priority modes are fine as long as you understand how your camera is making exposure decisions in those modes and have set up your camera to make the choices you would make in manual mode. For subjects where you don't have time to fiddle with the exposure triad, these modes can be extremely helpful/useful.
I agree. I've just gotten so used to using aperture priority mode that I default to it for snapshots. The vast majority of the time it does what I would do in manual mode and I can concentrate on composition without having to think about exposure (because I've set limits in the ISO sensitivity settings submenu that mirror the choices I would make in manual mode). But your point is well taken regarding the ease of changing aperture and shutter speed on higher-end Nikon bodies. I may need to start shooting more in manual mode
.A major "gotcha" can happen with Nikon bodies in aperture priority mode if you are using flash (either on-camera speedlights or off-camera speedlights). In aperture priority mode, the fastest shutter speed the camera will use is 1/60th sec. There is a submenu somewhere that lets you choose the minimum shutter speed for flash, but the fastest option is 1/60th sec.
This is a horrible design decision. 1/60th sec is frequently too slow for moving subjects (people, pets, etc.). Any hand movement, head movement, body movement will blur at 1/60th sec. For posed shots this often isn't a problem. But for non-posed shots it can become one. As I stated in my previous post, 1/125th sec is the slowest shutter speed I've found acceptable when shooting my son in a relatively non-active state. Flash with a shutter speed of 1/60th sec will freeze him at the time the flash fires (obviously), but there will be very obvious ghosting or blur for the parts of the exposure that weren't lit by the flash. This isn't always objectionable, but it can be annoying (or even ruin a shot). For this reason I always shoot in manual mode when using a speedlight with my D850 or Z7. Aperture priority mode is a poor choice in these situations, at least on a Nikon body.
I also set the ISO manually when using a speedlight. Balancing ambient light with light from the speedlight is an extremely important creative decision and I don't want the camera making any exposure choices when I'm using flash. I will let it determine flash output on its own, though, as I've been relatively happy with the way Nikon handles this. But I have my exposure compensation button set to only affect flash output if I'm using a speedlight, so it is easy enough to vary this on-the-fly as needed. With studio strobes I'm always in full manual mode for everything (obviously).
Interesting. I guess my situations are more varied than most, and hence I don't have a predominate mode or even a preferred one. I've got my cameras set up so that even if in say aperture or shutter priority I can switch quickly, or just vary within the P mode. And with my manual aperture lenses I'm always changing around the aperture, and some are stop-down so in order to focus I have to change it.
Probably the one mode I use least often is one that varies ISO. Maybe it's because I have a hard time viewing as anything but similar to film speed, and since that was set only once and then not again until a film change I guess the habit has carried over.
I do have to train myself out of using manual mode, even though I have a lot of lenses that require it. Just too easy to forget and blow a shot in my situations, especially when I'm changing back and forth with some lenses that require resetting modes. I wish I had a camera could be smart enough that every time I changed a lens I could have custom setttings also automatically loaded that match the lens. Or an app for that phone that would quickly switch settings in the camera.
Probably the one mode I use least often is one that varies ISO. Maybe it's because I have a hard time viewing as anything but similar to film speed, and since that was set only once and then not again until a film change I guess the habit has carried over.
I do have to train myself out of using manual mode, even though I have a lot of lenses that require it. Just too easy to forget and blow a shot in my situations, especially when I'm changing back and forth with some lenses that require resetting modes. I wish I had a camera could be smart enough that every time I changed a lens I could have custom setttings also automatically loaded that match the lens. Or an app for that phone that would quickly switch settings in the camera.
For a majority of shots, I am in manual, wide open, 100 iso and adjust shutter speed to comp for light.
For Most.
Very rare occasions I need a faster shutter or flatter image and let the camera do auto iso, with limits.
Now, It can greatly change based off of subject and surroundings.
But I "try" to stay at ISO100 when possible.
Now landscapes and long exposure shots go out the window here with these settings but I will say I stay close to wide open on the lens and base ISO as is allowed for the shot.
Almost 20 years in from DSLR's to mirrorless and I still enjoy the learning process. I am defintiely honing it in but still learn from one shoot to another.
Majority of the time with non-moving objects I choose my focus point. If something is moving it is very difficult to not let Sony do this. Their system is so good now.
For Most.
Very rare occasions I need a faster shutter or flatter image and let the camera do auto iso, with limits.
Now, It can greatly change based off of subject and surroundings.
But I "try" to stay at ISO100 when possible.
Now landscapes and long exposure shots go out the window here with these settings but I will say I stay close to wide open on the lens and base ISO as is allowed for the shot.
Almost 20 years in from DSLR's to mirrorless and I still enjoy the learning process. I am defintiely honing it in but still learn from one shoot to another.
Majority of the time with non-moving objects I choose my focus point. If something is moving it is very difficult to not let Sony do this. Their system is so good now.
I always try to shoot manual unless it’s too dark. Or if I’m at a family gathering and don’t have time to setup a shot. Most of those family party photos are not for mass consumption so they don’t need to be perfect.
I was taught to use a meter when using film so that’s how I like to shoot.
I was taught to use a meter when using film so that’s how I like to shoot.
Few folks here would know what it is to truely shoot manual.
My first camera, which I used for quite a few years was manual. There was nothing electronic about it at all. It didn't even have a battery. I had to use a light meter to check the light levels, and a ready reckoner to get the settings, with some adjustment based on experience and what I wanted to do. It taught me quite a bit about photography.
I came late to digital photography, getting my first digital camera in 2012, after several years of not having a camera at all.
Now I mainly use the P (program) setting, which is essentially automatic, but allows some adjustment, which I do depending on conditions. I sometimes use some preset modes that I know work for situations I am in. I also use aperture or shutter priority, or sometimes manual from time to time.
I am more interested in what I am photographing, and not so much interested in getting the settings right, but from experience years ago I am somewhat aware of what is, or should be going on.
My first camera, which I used for quite a few years was manual. There was nothing electronic about it at all. It didn't even have a battery. I had to use a light meter to check the light levels, and a ready reckoner to get the settings, with some adjustment based on experience and what I wanted to do. It taught me quite a bit about photography.
I came late to digital photography, getting my first digital camera in 2012, after several years of not having a camera at all.
Now I mainly use the P (program) setting, which is essentially automatic, but allows some adjustment, which I do depending on conditions. I sometimes use some preset modes that I know work for situations I am in. I also use aperture or shutter priority, or sometimes manual from time to time.
I am more interested in what I am photographing, and not so much interested in getting the settings right, but from experience years ago I am somewhat aware of what is, or should be going on.
Sounds as though you are genuinely old-school, having used and learned on old-school gear, Mickey! Kudos to you! I think you're right that many people don't truly understand what shooting and working with an older, totally manual camera without any bells and whistles actually means.....
I have had the suspicion for a while that some people who talk about shooting in manual while using a current digital camera only are announcing this with the idea that this makes them possibly stand out in some way, that this is something special, which blesses them with a unique cachet.....it seemingly makes them different and perhaps appear to be more talented in some way or whatever in the midst of this era of all-digital and artificial learning and artificial intelligence and all sorts of other technological advances.
In fact, those of us who have been around the block more than a few times have a different perspective on this because in the beginning when we were first getting into photography, we had no choice. We HAD to shoot manual, as that was all that was available. We had to figure things out for ourselves, use light meters to get an idea of our exposure values, and we sure didn't have any instant results to chimp, showing us whether we were right or wrong. When autofocus came along, it was welcomed with gleeful and open arms, and so was the ability to gauge our metering right in the camera rather than having a separate device....
Probably many of us old-timers embrace the new technology these days so enthusiastically because we really appreciate it and relish the ease of using it.....We now have choices, whereas in the past we really did not. We learned to use what the equipment offered us, which was pretty basic. We worked with our gear, we learned from the process, we paid our dues in the old days..... Things are different now. Why not happily take advantage of what is available to us now in this new era?
And, yes, you guys who are taking such pride in shooting in all-manual: enjoy it because it IS a great and challenging way to learn and understand photography! You also have the comforting knowledge that at any time with the turn of a dial or click of a button you can take advantage of more modern technology during the shooting process, too..... Not to mention the magic that can be wrought seemingly within minutes later on with a computer and software, an entirely different process than spending hours in the darkroom....
Kudos to you! I think you're right that many people don't truly understand what shooting and working with an older, totally manual camera without any bells and whistles actually means.....I have had the suspicion for a while that some people who talk about shooting in manual while using a current digital camera only are announcing this with the idea that this makes them possibly stand out in some way, that this is something special, which blesses them with a unique cachet.....it seemingly makes them different and perhaps appear to be more talented in some way or whatever in the midst of this era of all-digital and artificial learning and artificial intelligence and all sorts of other technological advances.
In fact, those of us who have been around the block more than a few times have a different perspective on this because in the beginning when we were first getting into photography, we had no choice. We HAD to shoot manual, as that was all that was available. We had to figure things out for ourselves, use light meters to get an idea of our exposure values, and we sure didn't have any instant results to chimp, showing us whether we were right or wrong. When autofocus came along, it was welcomed with gleeful and open arms, and so was the ability to gauge our metering right in the camera rather than having a separate device....
Probably many of us old-timers embrace the new technology these days so enthusiastically because we really appreciate it and relish the ease of using it.....We now have choices, whereas in the past we really did not. We learned to use what the equipment offered us, which was pretty basic. We worked with our gear, we learned from the process, we paid our dues in the old days..... Things are different now. Why not happily take advantage of what is available to us now in this new era?
And, yes, you guys who are taking such pride in shooting in all-manual: enjoy it because it IS a great and challenging way to learn and understand photography! You also have the comforting knowledge that at any time with the turn of a dial or click of a button you can take advantage of more modern technology during the shooting process, too..... Not to mention the magic that can be wrought seemingly within minutes later on with a computer and software, an entirely different process than spending hours in the darkroom....
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I wonder if I truly know how to shoot manual when I'm behind the ground glass composing and focusing, taking multiple readings with a spot meter, and also in some cases getting out a tape measure and calculating the bellows factor to make sure the exposure is correct.
I guess I do have it easy, though, since in that case I mostly use modern Seiko and Copal shutters that are close to their marked speed and tend to hold it(but I always check them a day or so before I go out!).
Some would say that's even luxurious since I actually HAVE a shutter with marked speeds, as well as an adjustable aperture.
Everyone should have the experience of working with a field camera / large format camera! It really is a process, and not a fast one at that. By necessity the photographer really is forced to think about what he or she is doing, and what the anticipated results should be.....
Indeed.
I love working in LF, even though I don't do it as much as I'd like to. Part of me would like to flesh out my lens set a bit better, but at the same time I have a hard time justifying it given how much I use it.
Like a lot of people, I started with a Graflex(Pacemaker Speed Graphic in my case) which I still use when I want something light but pretty quickly outgrew it. I then bought a wooden field camera, in my case a Burke & James from the 40s. I bought on price(it was ~$300 with a 210mm lens) but a lot of the movements are sort of counter-intuitive and it's rickety enough that changing one often affects something else more than you'd like. It also uses weird lens boards. I then "graduated" to a modern-ish Calument(Cambo) monorail that bought as a nice kit with a bunch of spare boards, a shorter rail, and even a set of bag bellows. It's solid and uses boards that are available, but weighs enough that I tend to not want to take it out as much. I'd like to get a nice field camera, but I also have a hard time justifying it for the amount I'd use it...
I've never shot larger than 4x5, but a Velvia transparency is a thing of beauty. So is a contact print from a well-exposed negative.
I agree. I've just gotten so used to using aperture priority mode that I default to it for snapshots. The vast majority of the time it does what I would do in manual mode and I can concentrate on composition without having to think about exposure (because I've set limits in the ISO sensitivity settings submenu that mirror the choices I would make in manual mode). But your point is well taken regarding the ease of changing aperture and shutter speed on higher-end Nikon bodies. I may need to start shooting more in manual mode
A major "gotcha" can happen with Nikon bodies in aperture priority mode if you are using flash (either on-camera speedlights or off-camera speedlights). In aperture priority mode, the fastest shutter speed the camera will use is 1/60th sec. There is a submenu somewhere that lets you choose the minimum shutter speed for flash, but the fastest option is 1/60th sec.
This is a horrible design decision. 1/60th sec is frequently too slow for moving subjects (people, pets, etc.). Any hand movement, head movement, body movement will blur at 1/60th sec. For posed shots this often isn't a problem. But for non-posed shots it can become one. As I stated in my previous post, 1/125th sec is the slowest shutter speed I've found acceptable when shooting my son in a relatively non-active state. Flash with a shutter speed of 1/60th sec will freeze him at the time the flash fires (obviously), but there will be very obvious ghosting or blur for the parts of the exposure that weren't lit by the flash. This isn't always objectionable, but it can be annoying (or even ruin a shot). For this reason I always shoot in manual mode when using a speedlight with my D850 or Z7. Aperture priority mode is a poor choice in these situations, at least on a Nikon body.
I also set the ISO manually when using a speedlight. Balancing ambient light with light from the speedlight is an extremely important creative decision and I don't want the camera making any exposure choices when I'm using flash. I will let it determine flash output on its own, though, as I've been relatively happy with the way Nikon handles this. But I have my exposure compensation button set to only affect flash output if I'm using a speedlight, so it is easy enough to vary this on-the-fly as needed. With studio strobes I'm always in full manual mode for everything (obviously).
There is a recent update in the Nikon Z6/Z7 firmware that fixes the flash behavior I described in my previous post. Minimum shutter speed in Aperture Priority mode will now honor the minimum shutter speed set in the ISO Sensitivity Settings menu when using speedlights. I guess I wasn't the only person who found the previous behavior annoying...
Aperture Priority mode is now more usable with speedlights on the Z6/Z7
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