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02/19/2006 12:21:16 PM · #1 |
I'm curious as to how often you use "Creative Zone" exposure modes other than Manual (Canon: P, Tv, Av, A-Dep; Nikon*: P, A, S (?)) and in what situations? Or, do you even use Manual?
Since I got my 20D, everything (except for some snapshots: full auto, green square) has been shot in Manual (RAW + jpeg), and I think by doing that I am learning quickly. Still have a lot (too much) to learn. Am I missing out on something by not utilizing these modes? Should I just get off the computer, grab the camera and mess around with it? :-)
What do you talented and wise DPC'ers do?
* - Don't own a Nikon, never have, so I apologize if those are the incorrect exposure modes. Did a quick web search to get those... |
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02/19/2006 12:31:53 PM · #2 |
Av 73%
M 25%
Tv 2%
Always manual when using a flash, in low light conditions, or looking for motion blur (i.e. water).
Tv only when stopping action is of utmost importance.
Av all other times. I like to control the depth of field in my images more than shutter speed.
Tried program but its just letting my camera control both shutter and DOF. My camera doesn't always know what I am shooting for. Not enough control with this.
Never tried A-DEP. I'll add that to my list. Honestly, I have no clue what it does. :) |
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02/19/2006 12:47:24 PM · #3 |
I never use any modes other than Av, Tv and M. When I'm working on the tripod, I always use M. When I'm shooting by hand, I'm usually in Tv to be sure I have a hand-holdable speed, but if I have plenty of light I'll use Av to control my DOF.
R.
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02/19/2006 12:47:25 PM · #4 |
Aperture: 90%
Manual: 12%
NOTE: please allow a 2% margin of error.
Message edited by author 2006-02-19 16:45:37.
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02/19/2006 12:50:27 PM · #5 |
I'm gonna back these guys up with AV mode. I will do manual from time to time, but I am usually trying to get maximum dop, so I use that aperture mode mostly.
drake |
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02/19/2006 01:02:41 PM · #6 |
| av/m 50/50. I don't usually shoot a lot of things where I need the speed, but I know I can get a faster speed by opening up the aperture so that's where I stay most of the time. |
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02/19/2006 01:26:43 PM · #7 |
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02/19/2006 01:32:13 PM · #8 |
| AV 95% of time. I started using RAW + JPEG but soon realized I was wasting spece, RAW only now. I like to control DOF. the 1% of the time is Tv but only when fast action is needed. Manual hit or miss but not often. |
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02/19/2006 01:39:58 PM · #9 |
Manual 100%. It's easy enough to make adjustments and I enjoy having full control over the camera. I have used P perhaps 3-4 times but don't remember the last time.
At one NYC GTG, I realized that P seemed to be pretty popular for casual, outdoor shooting.
Message edited by author 2006-02-19 13:46:54.
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02/19/2006 01:42:44 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
I never use any modes other than Av, Tv and M. When I'm working on the tripod, I always use M. When I'm shooting by hand, I'm usually in Tv to be sure I have a hand-holdable speed, but if I have plenty of light I'll use Av to control my DOF.
R. |
That's exactly what I do so I won't bother writing it all over again. :) |
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02/19/2006 01:42:54 PM · #11 |
90% Manual
10% Tv, I'll probably shoot more of this for birds, especially for the skitterish ones. |
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02/19/2006 01:46:51 PM · #12 |
| Av and M (75%/25%) are all I ever use... been using them 2 mostly all the way back to my peashooter Canon Powershot S50. |
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02/19/2006 02:53:09 PM · #13 |
Av 80%
M 15%
All others 5% |
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02/19/2006 03:04:11 PM · #14 |
AV most of the time
Manual now and then
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02/19/2006 03:12:26 PM · #15 |
No, you're not missing out by not using those other modes. In fact you are doing yourself a favour, because - as you noted - by shooting this way you are learning a lot more. You don't learn anything by shooting in P mode or the other program modes (portrait, sports etc.). If you shoot in P mode, then your camera is making artistic decisions - and as smart as some cameras are, they don't have the creativity of a chimp, let alone a person.
Personally, I use
A About 90%
S 2-10% (Shutter = T on some cameras)
M 1-5% (If working with a handheld light meter)
The only program mode I could ever imagine using is night-portrait, where you're trying to balance flash exposure with background ambient light, particularly if I had to rush a grab shot. For any of the others, I'd find it faster to get the right settings on A or S than to move to the program mode.
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02/19/2006 04:10:15 PM · #16 |
60% Manual
40% Av
I like to take a guestimated shot first and then chimp as
much to the right as I can (I shoot RAW 95% of the time).
That way I can get consistent results shot-to-shot during
a shoot. Av is for those "quickie" shots, where I don't
have time to chimp, or where the light changes too quickly |
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02/19/2006 04:34:59 PM · #17 |
Av 85%
Tv 5%
M 10%
Can't see the point in all those fancy icons to the right of the green square ;-)
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02/19/2006 04:48:21 PM · #18 |
Av most of the time, M with flash usually (sometimes Av). Tv with sports, and once in a while Sports mode (kicks in AI focus on the rebel).
I used P a lot but since have given up on it. Av works the same pretty much.
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02/19/2006 04:56:12 PM · #19 |
AV 85%
M 10% (flash)
auto 5% (snaps)
I never use TV because, well, AV and TV are basically the same aren't they? same results, you just watch the shutter speed rather than the aperture :)
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02/19/2006 05:10:15 PM · #20 |
I'm going to disagree with those that say you are not in full control if you don't have the camera on full manual. In full manual you are dealing with the three settings for exposure directly (ISO, aperture, shutter speed), but I don't feel it's always in my best interest to handle the nuts and bolts of the camera operations myself.
I use Aperture priority most of the time, but switch to Shutter priority when stopping motion is most important -- and I only use manual when I am not going to physically have hold of the camera (such as when it is on a tripod). I loose absolutely no control over the camera or the exposure at any time because of this.
To illustrate this, let me give you a non-photography example. Back in high-school, as a class project, we built a small robot that could move back and forth, turn left or right and be made to speak by programming a speech synthesizer. But there were no real-time controls for it -- in order to have it do anything we had to program each step it was to take in advance and then set it off and see if it did it. Programming it was an exercise in the nuts an bolts of movement (forward so many units, turn this many degrees, that sort of thing). We got good enough at it one day we sent it down two halls, four corners and thru three doors to tell our instructor to follow it -- and then back again. It was a lot of fun and it worked without a hitch -- but took us nearly the entire course period to count the tiles on the floor, measure them, do a lot of calculations and program it.
But a few years ago my young son was given a remote control car for christmas -- one of those with a trigger for acceleration and a steering wheel to turn it. It had real-time controls -- and I don't mind tell you that it was real easy to make it do things that would have taken days to calculate and program that little robot to do.
Aperture and Shutter priority on my camera offer me to the same real-time control over the exposure without having to get bogged down with the mechanical details. In Aperture priority I 'lock' in the ISO and Aperture I want and the camera adjusts the Shutter speed based on the meter reading -- but I have not sacrificed control because I control how the meter reads by using Exposure Value compensation (EV). The only difference is instead of having to think in terms of multiplying and dividing the Shutter speed by 2, I just have to think in terms of adding or subtracting stops of exposure. It is very similar when using Shutter priority, except it's the Shutter speed locked down instead of the Aperture.
Even Program mode, should I decide to use it, doesn't rob me of any control. I set the ISO where I want it and the camera decides on an appropriate Shutter speed and Aperture based on the meter reading. But I can still adjust the meter reading with EV compensation on one dial ... and the other dial rotates thru the different combinations of Shutter speed and Aperture that result in the same exposure.
I have the same amount of control over the exposure in all four modes P, A, S amd M -- but each lets me think of the exposure in whatever way best fits what I am shooting (S for stop motion, A for controlling DOF, etc).
David
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02/19/2006 05:24:55 PM · #21 |
I use AV almost all the time cause I just feel more comfortable setting the DOF I want and letting the shutter go where it might. Obviously I glance at it and will sometimes use TV on the longer lenses.
My real issue with the picture modes is there is no RAW file and I am basically set on that workflow now. I do rarely sneak a few on these when the card fills from RAW because you can normally fit one or two on the end due to the smaller size but that's in desperation |
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02/19/2006 05:30:41 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by dahkota:
Av 73%
M 25%
Tv 2%
Always manual when using a flash, in low light conditions, or looking for motion blur (i.e. water).
Tv only when stopping action is of utmost importance.
Av all other times. I like to control the depth of field in my images more than shutter speed.
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I haven't done a lot of slow-speed phototgraphy yet, so I have a question! What is the advantage of using Manual for motion blur over using Tv? The times I have wanted to blur water or something, I have used Tv mode to set the shutter speed.
Thanks :)
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02/19/2006 05:33:17 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by David.C:
I'm going to disagree with those that say you are not in full control if you don't have the camera on full manual. |
I don't think they were saying that. I think they were saying if you use settings like "sports" or "full auto" and so on...
That being said, what do you think those national geographic photog's are shooting in? I'd bet it's a mix of aperture and shutter priority and maybe a bit of manual...
If it takes too long to meter and too long to do this or that, you could miss the shot. I've seen a lot of 'photographically crappy' images in geographic, times, and other larger publications where a great moment was caught...when it comes down to it, and you have to choose, make the exposure and capture the moment, or fiddle around with your camera until you've missed it, obviously, you gotta get the moment. I doubt many will disagree with that. Anyway, that's why I'm in aperture mode 90% of the time...besides, I trust my camera in 90% of the situations it encounters. That being said, I think about 95% of my still life stuff is done on manual.
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02/20/2006 04:29:03 AM · #24 |
Originally posted by JRalston:
I haven't done a lot of slow-speed phototgraphy yet, so I have a question! What is the advantage of using Manual for motion blur over using Tv? The times I have wanted to blur water or something, I have used Tv mode to set the shutter speed. |
Good question. Personally, when I am doing slow-speed work, I pretty much always use S (=Tv) not M. |
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02/20/2006 05:31:52 AM · #25 |
I use
95% Av
5% M
I think that the important aspect of controlling the camera is to bear in mind that you are working within a series of technical limits imposed by the limitations of the camera and lens. The limitations are fastest and slowest shutter speed, widest and narrowest aperture, and highest or lowest ISO.
You cannot exceed these technical limitations, but sometimes you will need or wamt to work at the edge of the limitations. If you are working at or near the limit of available shutter speed or aperture settings, it makes some sense to fix that setting using either Tv or Av and allow the camera to control the other.
Given the huge range of shutter speeds available within a modern SLR, you will rarely be working against the shutter speed limit. However, technology does not give us significant improvements to aperture values over time, as the figure relates to the size of the lens which remains constant. The range of availble apertures is much more limited in any camera, so most people will come up against the limits of aperture much more readily, and Av is a more useful function.
The time when I think that I "should" use Tv (but often forget) is when using flash. The flash sync-speed in my camera has a maximum shutter speed of 1/250. I hit that limit pretty frequently (eg in weddings, moving between various settings) and ought to simply dial in a Tv setting of 1/250 and let the camera manage the rest.
The aspect of this that is handled badly by Canon (but, I understand, better by Nikon) is the integration of ISO into the equation. I still think that ISO should be implemented into Av and Tv modes so that as a physical limit is reached, with an extra click or two of the control dial, the camera starts increasing (or decreasing) ISO to give you the faster or slower shutter speed that you are looking for.
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