Home Forums Main YANAP Discussion Forum This, that, and automatic modes

  • This topic has 67 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by Drew.
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  • #6742
    cameraclicker
    Participant

    I agree with Egglington, and use Aperture Priority even more, perhaps 90% of the time, the rest is split between Manual and Program modes.

    #6743
    dont.care
    Participant

    #6744
    dont.care
    Participant

    zeegads

    #6747
    KeyAndFill
    Participant

    The Histogram tells me the dynamic range data of my shot and indicates whether I have my highlights or shadows properly exposed. By observing whether it is slanted to the left or the right,  I can tell whether my exposure has been weighted towards the highlights or the shadows, and I can then adjust it either by switching over to manual or using the exposure compensation dial to fine tune the image.

    Egglington for the win!  One other thing to mention.  We all use EV to “adjust” our shutter or aperture to get the “correct” exposure (and I’m guilty too.)  If anyone has read any about Exposure Value – it was created, primarily, for use in Shutter priority or Aperture priority.  Lets say you take a photo of a kid playing in the water and you are shooting in Aperture Priority, you press the shutter release, review the image, and determine (by whatever means necessary) that it is either under exposed or over exposed.  Bollocks!  You really want to use that shallow depth of field, but the glare on the water is just too bright (because you exposed for the kid’s shadowed face.)  You use the EV button to change your Exposure Value so that your camera knows you either want to open up, or close down one stop, or more. At least that is how I understand it’s function, and what I would use it for.

    One more item to close on.  Ask yourself one important question.  What is correct exposure?  CameraClicker and I are in a church  photographing the architecture.  A lady comes in, chooses a pew, and kneels to converse with her God.  CC and I both notice the window high above the lady and the beautiful light spilling directly on top of her.   Standing shoulder to shoulder, with identical cameras and lenses we compose, expose, and go home.  In looking at our photos I see that the light is illuminating our subject, the pew, and there is lots of detail in the photo, you can even see the tiny mouse in the corner, watching all of us.  Exactly what he wanted, perfect exposure!  We look at my photo, same composition, same focal length.  Our subject is illuminated by the window, but then light falls off from there.  A good portion of detail in the rest of the frame is either very dark or lost to the shadow.  Exactly what I wanted, perfect exposure!

     

    #6749
    cameraclicker
    Participant

    Well… my 5D Mk III has the green square for Auto mode, and Canon has a sense of humour.  The manual says about that mode:  “If you did not obtain the desired color tones, change the shooting mode to <P/Tv/Av/M>, set a Picture Style other than <[ * A]>, then shoot again.”

    My 1Ds on the other hand has only P, Tv, Av, M and bulb.

    Why P mode?  Works great with a Cannon flash set to ETTL, even if you are bouncing flash.  So why not?

    #6750
    cameraclicker
    Participant

    KeyAndFill raises a couple of good points.  My Canon bodies do not offer Exposure Compensation in Manual mode.  In the other modes, I most frequently use it to tell the camera that “Yes, I really want the night sky to look like it was night” when shooting in Av mode.  Can anyone with a Nikon tell us what the interaction between Exposure Compensation and Manual mode is?

    “John Loengard, the picture editor at Life, always used to tell me, ”If you want something to look interesting, don’t light all of it.”
    Joe McNally, The Moment It Clicks: Photography Secrets from One of the World’s Top Shooters

    I subscribe to that… But my wife does not.  She is not at all a fan of dark.  If she can not see into all the nooks and crannies she is unhappy, so I have to shoot some things twice.  Once for me and once to cater to my customer.

    #6752
    dont.care
    Participant

    🙂

    #6753
    dont.care
    Participant

    :)! omg

    #6757
    Kimera
    Participant

    @ dont care – you can view my blog here:

    glasschimp.blogspot.com

    🙂

    #6758
    jim-e
    Participant

    Interesting discussion – @cameraclicker – There is no  EV compensation available in manual, well, because it’s manual. You are controlling both aperture and shutter speed, and whether you believe the meter(as you stated) or not is your decision, but it can be used as a guide if you understand what’s it’s telling you. Darker overall scene minus on meter , brighter scene + on the meter. The only time I know of it working is 0n Nikon’s, where it will adjust flash output if one is attached.

    My biggest use of manual mode is if I’m using flash (mostly indoors), or if I want consistent exposures from one shot to the next –  as long as the light is not changing. But in the end you have to use your brain and understand what the meter is telling you to get the proper exposure for that scene. I used to obsess over blown highlights, but in some cases who cares? If the subject or subjects of the photograph are properly exposed then so be it. If it’s a major problem than I will try a different composition to eliminate the problem. The biggest complaints of over/underexposure in any one of the automatic modes usually pertains to high contrast scenes. If the scene is outside the dynamic range of the sensor, than the camera has to make pretty ruthless decisions – blow the highlights or zero details in the shadows.

    I, like the OP, have no problem using one of the “auto” modes(aperture 90% of the time). I’m a hobbyist that shoots wildlife most of the time, so lighting conditions can change rather quickly. I’m amused at some(not all!) of the “manual only” shooters, who in reality are still a slave to their camera’s meter. If your flipping your dials until the meter reads “zero”, how is this any different than using one of the auto modes? The answer is it’s not.

    #6761
    Kimera
    Participant
    #6763
    dont.care
    Participant

    :)!!!

    #6766
    dont.care
    Participant

    :)!

    #6769
    cameraclicker
    Participant

    Thanks, Jim-e.  I thought that might be the case since Canons work that way, but I saw something in a thread on another form that made me wonder.

    #6770
    fstopper89
    Participant

    @Jim-e, I do agree that relying solely on the meter at “0” is kind of like an automatic mode in itself. Personally, I just use the meter as a guide or starting point, and then if I feel I want something exposed differently I will adjust accordingly. For instance, if I’m taking this photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/roxanne_elise_photography/7484378048/in/set-72157630957011380/ and it evaluated the entire scene, it might look severely underexposed on the meter, depending on what exposure metering mode I’m in. The camera may try to expose so there’s detail in the trees in the foreground, obviously, which is not what I wanted. I would underexpose (from what the meter tells me) to get the detail in the clouds and the colors of the sunset.

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