Question about using auto mode for snapshots

How many of you do it?

I've been incredibly frustrated with my 40D on full auto mode, when indoors. It always shoots with the flash, but using an aperture of 4.0 and shutter speed of 1/60-way slow. I consistently get horrible results, I'm able to achieve much better results with any random small digital camera on auto.

What do you use for snapshots when you don't have time for full manual?

It works well - I do it often on DSLR for vacation and preety girls.
On MFDSLR its incident and manual.
Try higher ISO.

What do you mean by not having time to shoot in full manual? I shoot weddings with changing lighting conditions and am still able to use full manual. The less you rely on full auto, the more comfortable you'll feel in a situation where you are in full manual and have little time to make corrections. Full auto is horrible imho even for snapshots. I hadn't used full auto on my 5dii for obvious reasons and tried to use it the other day just to see how the results came out and it was so confusing. What specific changes are you getting hung up on during "snapshots"?

When I'm shooting the reception and have OCF, I know I'll most likely be shooting at 1/200 and a low enough aperture to keep the ISO reasonably low so that leaves adjusting ISO and flash power to suit my needs which takes a couple of seconds.

I'm thinking about times like at my children's birthday parties-where I'm hosting, cutting and serving cake, running games, with changing light needs (like under a shaded gazebo, but photographing in the shade and sun simultaneously) and the camera is around my neck but I don't have extra time to spend tweaking each picture.

I almost always use full manual, but when I'm forced to use auto, it is highly disappointing. I don't use it unless tweaking in manual is absolutely impossible.

Hmmm double duty as host/photographer is definitely a hard task to accomplish, much less, do well. In that case I'd split it between manual and auto and go with an aperture priority setup. If you're using the 17-50 then set it to 2.8. This way you at least are in charge of one option.

Try Tv (shutter priority), dial in the shutter speed you want to maintain and set your ISO between 400 and 800. You still won't get as consistent of results as you would with full manual; but it should still be remarkably better than what you're getting out of GB (green box).

Camera on manual, ss speed around 1/125 or so. Aperture at F4 or whatever you want. Flash set to ettl and bounced if possible.

ashleynaugust wrote in post #11841505
I'm thinking about times like at my children's birthday parties-where I'm hosting, cutting and serving cake, running games, with changing light needs (like under a shaded gazebo, but photographing in the shade and sun simultaneously) and the camera is around my neck but I don't have extra time to spend tweaking each picture.

Actually, moving subjects into shade should not have you changing exposure. It should have you mounting a Speedlight and preparing to light them with flash. Changing exposure for shade means the sunlit background will blow out.

I pretty much always just use manual, it's not slower.

But in the rare times the incident light is really changing moment to moment I would use Av mode in most Canon cameras and M mode + Auto ISO with the 1D Mark IV.

My camera doesn't even have an auto function

When the OP describes "snapshots" and then mentions the pop-up flash popping up, well, to me that spells trouble. Yes, you can work with the built-in flash, but anyone who has shot much with a P&S camera in low light should have seen more than enough duds -- this is why we latch onto Speedlites and such.

ashleynaugust wrote in post #11841306
when you don't have time for full manual?

Manual is less time consuming if you use it properly.

Even if you just chimp in the proper exposure (rather than metering) you can set-and-forget and shoot away.

LowriderS10 wrote in post #11842719
My camera doesn't even have an auto function

Sure it does. If it's not manual, it's auto.

timnosenzo wrote in post #11844829
Sure it does. If it's not manual, it's auto.

Umm...what? haha...

LowriderS10 wrote in post #11844997
Umm...what? haha...

P, AV, TV, all auto modes. Some may consider AV and TV semi-auto.

timnosenzo wrote in post #11846420
P, AV, TV, all auto modes. Some may consider AV and TV semi-auto.

Semi auto is not auto. As I have stated earlier, my camera does not have an auto function.