Shooting in Auto mode?

[fs_tigre]

Hi,

This past Saturday I went to my sister-in-law’s wedding which was in the park and took some pictures. I started shooting in AV mode since it was sunny and the clouds were moving fast until I asked the hired photographer what mode he was shooting in and to my surprise he said - “AUTO” since there are a lot of shades (from trees) and I said really? And started shooting in “AUTO” and honestly the pictures came out nice if not better than the ones I took in AV mode (I know I'm not a professional anyways).

Is it common for a professional to use Auto? Is Auto a choice for outdoor shooting?

Thanks

[Maureen Souza]

Cameras today are very smart.....in decent light there is nothing wrong with auto mode, IMO. We all do adjusting in our editing programs anyways:)

[tim]

In auto RAW isn't available. In P, which is pretty much the same as auto, it is. I very very occasionally shoot in P mode if it suits the circumstances.

[bric-a-brac]

In auto RAW isn't available. In P, which is pretty much the same as auto, it is. I very very occasionally shoot in P mode if it suits the circumstances.

I was about to mention shooting in "P" for "Professional". :p

[dmbpettit]

I thought the "P" stood for Piss Poor
:)

[bric-a-brac]

I thought the "P" stood for Piss Poor
:)

sounds to me like someone needs to read his camera manual. :lol::rolleyes:

[egordon99]

List of reasons why I could never shoot in AUTO mode -
1)Can't shoot raw, only JPG
2)Can't choose the focus point, the camera chooses which part of the scene to focus on.
3)Can't use exposure compensation.
4)Can't decide whether or not to use flash, camera decides for me.
5)Can't use flash exposure compensation (not sure about this, maybe you can?)
6)Can't select f-stop, what if I want to shoot at f/1.4? f/2.8? But since the camera is picking where to focus, I guess it can pick the aperture :(
7)Can't select ISO
8)Can't set the shutter speed
9)Can't select the metering mode
10)Can't select focus mode

Just to verify, I just grabbed my Xsi, spun the dial to GREEN BOX (shudders....) and pretty much all the options I set during the course of a shoot are disabled. I might as well put a blindfold on.

Did I miss anything? ;)


Oh cr*p, almost forgot to set the dial back to Av mode before putting it back in the bag....

[dmbpettit]

sounds to me like someone needs to read his camera manual. :lol::rolleyes:

Just being funny.

[bric-a-brac]

Just being funny.

don't worry man, me too! in fact, I'm actually in total agreement with you. I think I used P mode once in my life... just to see what would happen. the "P for Professional" comment was just a satirical stab at the growing number of people who bought nice cameras and are now "professional photographers," even though they use the green box for everything.

[bnlearle]

End result is ALL that matters. If that's AUTO, P mode, M, AV, TV... who cares!?

Joe Buissink (sp?) I believe shoots P mode, if that helps...

I shoot all manual, but just because I'm better at that than I am when shooting the other modes. If I could get it to where I could shoot more consistently in Av or P mode?! I'd do it in a second! Some will make it seem like the photo is more legit if it was shot in M mode. Not true at all ;)

End result is all that matters.

Bobby

[Valjoy]

I totally agree with the above comment from Bobby.
I dont think ...what mode you use has anything to do with being a professional. The end result is what matters.

I bet if you gave Bobby and other true professionals a Point and Shoot in auto mode. They would have far better shots than many that claim to be professional, because they shoot DSLR Cameras in Manual, Av or Tv mode.

It is all about how much control you want and how comfortable you are with each mode.

Condescending attitudes from people that look down at others that dont use Manual....does not always mean they are better photographers.

[bnlearle]

True story. For a good year, I though shooting "M" meant shooting MANUAL FOCUS! Everyone said it was better so I figured "I should do it then..." So I shot MF for a good while :D

[Rachel B]

if i am shooting one type of shot then something catches my eye and its happenin gto quick to change the settings I through the camera i to P mode, I was shooting landscapes at f22 and slow shutterspeed and as I turned around there was about 22 mini coopers driving by behind me, so I switched to P and shot away...

Auto is fine if you don't care about your camera's brain deciding on the settings, but camera is a machine and a machines don't always have the correct answers, A skilled photographer could get better photos from the camera in manual mode than the camera selecting everything.

[tim]

Auto is fine if you don't care about your camera's brain deciding on the settings, but camera is a machine and a machines don't always have the correct answers, A skilled photographer could get better photos from the camera in manual mode than the camera selecting everything.

I would say auto's fine if you understand how your camera works. Honestly, if you understand Av you understand P mode already, with a few tiny differences, and if you understand P you pretty much understand auto. So it's really just a choice of auto or manual.

[fs_tigre]

Thank you all very much!

[Gibbo]

List of reasons why I could never shoot in AUTO mode -
1)Can't shoot raw, only JPG
2)Can't choose the focus point, the camera chooses which part of the scene to focus on.
3)Can't use exposure compensation.
4)Can't decide whether or not to use flash, camera decides for me.
5)Can't use flash exposure compensation (not sure about this, maybe you can?)
6)Can't select f-stop, what if I want to shoot at f/1.4? f/2.8? But since the camera is picking where to focus, I guess it can pick the aperture :(
7)Can't select ISO
8)Can't set the shutter speed
9)Can't select the metering mode
10)Can't select focus mode

Just to verify, I just grabbed my Xsi, spun the dial to GREEN BOX (shudders....) and pretty much all the options I set during the course of a shoot are disabled. I might as well put a blindfold on.

Did I miss anything? ;)


Oh cr*p, almost forgot to set the dial back to Av mode before putting it back in the bag....

THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED AUTO!!! :)

[elisesanchez]

There are a thousands reasons not to shoot in auto mode. If you take your self seriously you wouldn't even consider shooting in auto. Control is the name of the game. Yes, cameras are smart. But choice shutter speed, dof, and iso should not only be technical decisions but should also lend them self to defining your style. Would you let a machine choose your style?

[NVcameraman]

When I was a photographer in army the one unit I was in had a saying for newbies when the conditions were ever changing.
All right Private...... Repeat after me.
"When in doubt put it on "P" because this camera is smarter than ME!"