Camera's Automatic Settings

[SimonW]

Ever since my first digital SLR my habit has been to set it to full manual with a fairly low ISO, and leave it there forever. However, This might change.....

I used to fly gliders but had to give up when my first son was born. So for my recent "round number" birthday present he signed me up for a one-day course, and came along to watch. He had never used a DSLR so I loaned him mine and set it to full "out of the box" auto mode. It wasn't a great photography situation with dark (and very cold) weather, very light white aircraft and often fast movement - yet he managed some very respectable shots, and none at all that wouldn't be usable.


   




I would probably crop and straighten several (as I've done here), but I think the exposures were all fine. So perhaps full auto has its uses after all!

[Jediboy]

This raises what I think is an interesting point. What’s important, a technicay good photo or one that captures a memory?

For quite some time I wanted to capture the perfect photo (of course I never did!) but I have since realised that what matters is the memory, what the photo means. Some of my favourite photos are snaps taken on my phone - I’ve captured a magical moment.

If I have the time I still try to take control and get the ‘perfect’ photo. So I guess there is absolutely nothing wrong with auto mode.
He’s done well all things considered.

And I hope you enjoyed your day gliding.

[anglefire]

I rarely use manual - and rarely use "P" - but with my latest camera I do use Av and Tv a lot and also auto ISO (Which is brilliant most of the time) so is semi auto.

[Alfonso_Frisk]

I use manual or Aperture when taking landscapes that I have "planned" and have plenty of time to set up with filters and waiting for light etc, but when Im out hiking or on limited time I have used the scene mode and selected landscape option. Have had some fantastic results. The same when shooting the steam trains, I select the "sports" option.

[StephenBatey]

I started photography with cameras that had no built in meter, so used a hand held one. In the 70s I started using an OM1 (then OM2 and OM4) and played match needle with the OM1 and left the others on auto (which was aperture priority on these cameras). After this excursion into the strange world of automation, I moved to medium and large format, where again the cameras I use have no built in meter - back to manual.

When I use what is actually my wife's Sony a7r/rii cameras I use manual lenses (mainly OM lenses) and set the camera to A for aperture priority. As the cameras are mirrorless, what you see is roughly what you get, and when required I can turn the exposure compensation dial.

Harking back to an earlier post

This raises what I think is an interesting point. What’s important, a technically good photo or one that captures a memory?

For quite some time I wanted to capture the perfect photo (of course I never did!) but I have since realised that what matters is the memory, what the photo means. Some of my favourite photos are snaps taken on my phone - I’ve captured a magical moment.

I'm using a digital camera to capture a memory (mostly) and film cameras when the image matters more than the memory - when I want something worth putting on the wall, rather than consigning to a (virtual) photo album. Or, as I tend to think of it, when I'm not producing snapshots.

Some photographs have to be as near perfect technically as possible or they are (comparatively) worthless; an architect would tend to have stringent criteria for what he's accept as a representation of his work for a catalogue or brochure. From my perspective, if I have the choice of producing a technically better image by using a different camera, and there is nothing that makes using that camera impossibly difficult in the circumstances, then I'll accept the trade off of quality over convenience. N.B. this applies to me, my choice of subject, and the way I want to render it it in the final print.

[anglefire]

I've not used film for years - I understand why people still use it - but its not for me. I do agree though that with digital it tends to stay in that form and not get printed out. And every time I do print something out I'm always impressed as to how good they look. Must print more out!

[Reinardina]

I used to use the 'Aperture' setting, unless I was doing street shots, where 'everything' changed all the time.
Now I only do record shots, I tend to leave the camera on auto mode, with very few exceptions.

[jinky]

I have a little running thing going on in a facebook  photography group at the moment where the general "thing to do " it seems is to shoot fully in manual and whilst having the most up to date digital cameras with an array or excellent lenses purpose made is to ignore them and buy vintage lenses cheap off ebay ad use them with cheap adapters- again manual as it is required.Some have wondered why their first forays into wedding photography or fast moving kids and nature shots have not quite worked and I get stick at times when I encourage them to work in aperture mode and use auto iso where it works effectively for them. When I was shooting for money I must have worked in aperture mode 90% of the time and manual for the rest and it always served me well. I always suggest shooting fully automatic for the first month or two of shooting  to get composition  right before moving on to less auto methods and shoot manually only for stuff that does not matter if you fail when fresh to it.

[anglefire]

I have little respect for people that insist everything must be manual for the picture to be a true work of art or reflection of what they saw at the time. I'm strongly in the camp of use every aid I have - given I spent a lot of money to get the best camera and lenses I could at the time - and worry about the things that matter - composition and positioning.

If I want to shoot manual, I'll drag out my old Russian TLR which cost less than £20.

Actually, to be fair, I do tend to shoot manual if using flash but not if I'm doing events (Like awards pictures Yawn!) when I use the Professional mode (P )

[Hinfrance]

DSLR - Av mode mostly, Bridge and compact programme and use programme shift to change aperture or shutter speed.

Flash - always use auto with dedicated strobes and manual with studio lights.

Yes, I am getting lazy about tweaking everything all of the time. 

[anglefire]

Actually the latest upgrade to Lightroom seems to have improved the Auto button to be pretty much on the money most of the time. I like the new profiles too. (Sorry a bit off topic!)

[Oldboy]

I always have the camera set at 1000s and F8 but leave ISO on auto. This is because when Nature action shots occur you don't have time to set the camera up. Mode P will set the shutter speed too slow or put the F number too low or high depending on the light levels. This gives me the most control over the shots. 

[Simple]

For me it all depends on what I am doing and how I am feeling. Nature shots same as Oldboy. The rest mainly manual. Studio and flash nearly always manual. Weddings and other high output events I start at manual and by the late evening I am too tired to think creative anymore and use full auto.
In my classes I want my students to go to full manual by the end of the first course. At the start of the course I tell them to use the pre-set modes like portrait/landscape/sport etc. They all start with JPG so it is easy for them to see the differences.

[Jediboy]

I've not used film for years - I understand why people still use it - but its not for me. I do agree though that with digital it tends to stay in that form and not get printed out. And every time I do print something out I'm always impressed as to how good they look. Must print more out!

I was the same until recently. Every few months now I print 50 or so photos and put them in an album that we can then look at when we wish. I tend to use the offers at Tesco/photobox or anyone that has an offer on. And they are 100% family photos and we all enjoy looking at them. If I didn't do this they wouldn't get looked at.

[anglefire]

Something that I particularly like on my 1Dx (And 1Dmk3 before it) is the ability to reprogram the * button to have preset settings - I tend to have it set for a slow shutter speed (Or sometimes a fast shutter speed!) so that I can switch between say 1/500" and 1/100" so that I can change from a car coming head on to panning as it goes past (For example!)

Switching speeds is otherwise a bit of a guess and not as quick or reliable!