Rethinking shooting in manual all the time...

TheBurningCrown wrote in post #10731671
I have autofocus set to * and AE Lock set to the shutter half press. As long as I keep the shutter half-pressed, the AE lock remains. Incredibly easy, actually....

But one of the previous poster's points was that you lose that setting after the shot, it is only held while you half press the shutter. As soon as you press the shutter button all the way, it's gone. With * used as AE lock if you hold it down while you press the shutter button it will hold the AE lock for the next shot (or shots if you continue to hold it down) but this is one thing you can't do with * button focusing. If you have an AF-ON button then you can retain * AE lock but it is tough to press and hold * for AE lock, press AF-ON to focus and then hold * while pressing the shutter button. I find Manual is just simpler if lighting conditions really aren't changing but use whatever works for you!

hpulley wrote in post #10732104
But one of the previous poster's points was that you lose that setting after the shot, it is only held while you half press the shutter. As soon as you press the shutter button all the way, it's gone.

...I don't know what camera you have, but on my XT it keeps that setting as long as I have the shutter pressed down half way, no matter how many pictures I take. A caveat: drive mode has to be on continuous (even if you're taking single shots), otherwise it will refuse to take a second shot without fully pulling off of the shutter.

If you are in a situation where lighting conditions truly aren't changing (at all), then absolutely manual mode makes the most sense. I don't think anyone would rationally disagree with that...

dontcallmeash wrote in post #10710852
i tried Av (and its retarded nikon sibling) and found that i still needed to set exposure compensation as needed, so what's the point?

The point of Av is having the camera do some tedious (and sometimes time consuming) work for you. You set the aperture value and the camera changes the shutter speed for you. For instance little kids might not hang around long enough for u to switch settings in M mode going from a view in bright sunlight to them in the shade.

With practise it is often easy to work out what the difference is and make the adjustment semi automatically - ie I would stop down about 3 stops for the bright sun/ shade transition and would probably find the exposure is pretty good.

The problem with relying on AV or TV is that the scene (and objects in it directly affect the exposure value) so a kid with a white (or dark) Tshirt running across the image might cause the meter to jump (depending on metering mode). This can mean that images 5 secs apart and in the same location can be exposed vastly differently. Unless you watch the metering mode and the subject, you can still miss the shot using AV.

neilwood32 wrote in post #10744394
With practise it is often easy to work out what the difference is and make the adjustment semi automatically - ie I would stop down about 3 stops for the bright sun/ shade transition and would probably find the exposure is pretty good.

The problem with relying on AV or TV is that the scene (and objects in it directly affect the exposure value) so a kid with a white (or dark) Tshirt running across the image might cause the meter to jump (depending on metering mode). This can mean that images 5 secs apart and in the same location can be exposed vastly differently. Unless you watch the metering mode and the subject, you can still miss the shot using AV.

Exactly. Good example. Obviously each photographer needs to do whatever works for him/her, but these sorts of situations are exactly what caused me to lose interest in Av and Tv.

I have to say I really don't get the mentality that M mode is somehow hard core. If you can use Av or Tv, you can use M. It's really not any more tedious; in most situations, it just makes things easier. But if for some reason using it causes you to miss important shots, then do something else.

The trick with all modes is to understand what you are shooting and how it will affect the metering.

The thing that makes M work for me is the consistency. I control what the exposure is, not some camera software. And it works perfectly well for landscapes (I have time to work).

I can completely understand why some folk use AV/TV but its not my preference.

neilwood32 wrote in post #10744394
The problem with relying on AV or TV is that the scene (and objects in it directly affect the exposure value) so a kid with a white (or dark) Tshirt running across the image might cause the meter to jump (depending on metering mode). This can mean that images 5 secs apart and in the same location can be exposed vastly differently. Unless you watch the metering mode and the subject, you can still miss the shot using AV.

But the same is true for M mode. If you're shooting a burst of a kid with a white (or dark) Tshirt which you have exposed properly runs from the sun into the shade, you've missed the shot as well. A situation where Av mode may have gotten it.

Phrasikleia wrote in post #10745018
I have to say I really don't get the mentality that M mode is somehow hard core. If you can use Av or Tv, you can use M. It's really not any more tedious; in most situations, it just makes things easier. But if for some reason using it causes you to miss important shots, then do something else.

Agree, but disagree. M mode is only "hardcore" because no one who isn't photographically inclined uses it. So it's "hardcore" because photographers use it, and not Joe Schmo. But M mode can only make things easier in SOME situations, just as Av or Tv mode can make things easier in SOME situations. It depends on the situation and the subject matter. If you're constantly stuck on Av or M, you're going to miss a shot eventually when the time calls for the other. It's about choosing the best tool for the job. If manual always gives you the results you want and you have absolutely zero problems working that way for what you're shooting, by all means stick with that. But if you're fighting with the camera constantly to get a decent exposure as the lighting conditions are changing, by all means work with Av mode.

My 40D stays on Manual. It takes one or two seconds to assess a situation and know whether Av or (less likely Tv) or P (usually with +/- EV compensation) will be faster or better.

I back button focus almost exclusively, mostly in One Shot Mode, sometimes in AI-Servo.