Beginner Am I wrong to use Auto mode?

[KIPAX]

Perhaps I'm picking this up wrong but...

I would say thats the only bit of your post you got right

Using Automatic means the camera takes control, the photographer has no input,

Good grief...

And, most important, Automatic fires the on-camera flash, which I never want to happen.

Last SIX cameras I have owned don't have a flash bult in..

Whenever I answer this question I suggest moving to P for Program mode

I ahve to admit that whenever I refer to Auto I am (yes I know wrongly) reffering to the P mode. But wihtout changing anything ..so..

I do not consider Aperture or Shutter Priority are automatic modes at all.

really? well they are.. the camera is deciding on the exposure... yes you can step in and make changes and thus then it becomes semi auto.. but any change in circumstances and its ultimatly the camera making the decisions.

whatever you take from this post, please, read the manual.

we could close down the forum and tell everyone to read the manual.. accept there are people like myself who got a camera.. got a manual.. and didnt understand anyhting in it

 

[big soft moose]

we could close down the forum and tell everyone to read the manual.. accept there are people like myself who got a camera.. got a manual.. and didnt understand anyhting in it

and people who bought a camera second hand and didn't get a manual.

mind you if we're doing confessions, when i first got an SLR (many many years ago) put it on A assuming that was auto - which probably explains why , many years later. i still shoot 99% of shots in apperture priority

 

[Marc]

Using Automatic means the camera takes control, the photographer has no input,

Exactly

Well, apart from selecting the point of focus

But, apart from focus, the photographer has no input.

Oh wait, there's also choice of subject.

So, apart from point of focus and choice of subject, the photographer has no input.

Ah, hang on, there's also composition.

So, apart from point of focus, choice of subject and composition, the photographer has no input.

Ooh, and there's lighting!

So, apart from point of focus, choice of subject, composition and lighting, what have the Romans ever done for us!



Ok,; so my post is a little flippant but the serious point is that there is a lot more to photography than just a correct7 exposure.

 

[Phil V]

...
Ok,; so my post is a little flippant but the serious point is that there is a lot more to photography than just a correct7 exposure.

Of course there is...




It's got to be sharp too...

 

[jojo90]

Light, composition, colour, and texture should be learnt before manual exposure. The reality with modern digital cameras is they will do the exposure for you, however it won't do the other things. It is important to learn some basics, like for bokeh use a smaller f-stop number, for sharpness use a high f-stop number, for action use a shutter speed of at least 1/250, for low light bump up the ISO for static subjects to 1/focal length shutter speed, etc.. but again your camera will mostly get this right for you.

I'm not saying exposure isn't important, because it really is, but take time to get your photographers eye first.

From the photographs you've posted so far I'd say the exposure is fine. Some of them could have been improved by using aperture mode & selecting the lowest number to isolate your subject. I've not looked at the EXIF so perhaps your lens is limiting you when it comes to shallow DoF.

After a while all this automation will become frustrating, even in A mode, as the camera is constantly changing variables when you know what those variables should be for the exposure you want. It will take quite a while to get to that stage so don't worry too much when you're just starting out!

 

[woof woof]

So, apart from point of focus, choice of subject, composition and lighting, what have the Romans ever done for us!

Ok,; so my post is a little flippant but the serious point is that there is a lot more to photography than just a correct7 exposure.

A lot of my 35mm film SLR shots were taken in a (sort of) auto mode but in those days I had little time to change settings and concentrating on seeing the shot and getting it seemed to matter more than settings and indeed more important than even ultimate quality and auto modes can be good for that. A while after starting to use a Canon DSLR I switched away from Auto mostly because of the settings that Canon made Auto select, JPEG only, f4 and ISO 400 spring to mind although I forget what shutter speed it liked.

So, if someone is happy with Auto and doesn't feel the need to be in complete control over everything then all is well and indeed I can envisage times when Auto could offer advantages.

 

[BruceMo]

I'd forgotten how this forum has the ability to turn a simple question into a keyboard fist fight

Shooting full auto is fine to capture shots and work on composition but you may not learn too much and at some point you will want to control the exposure.
I only usually shoot manual in the studio, but occassionally I want a certain look and a muck around with settings to achieve it, or if shooting in difficult light, I will go manual if time allows
As for the other discussion, I have a look at histogram but often choose to ignore it and it's blinkies but find it a valuable tool
My advice would be to go out and play with the camera and find shots that please you, and find a way to get the shots you want. Once your knowledge of the camera grows, your photography will hooefully grow with it

 

[juggler]

I'd forgotten how this forum has the ability to turn a simple question into a keyboard fist fight

I feel for the OP - I'm not surprised she hasn't come back. I was going to witter on too but the various idiotic dogmas presented as the one true way of taking photographs has made me realise the pointless of my own existence.

 

[BruceMo]

I feel for the OP - I'm not surprised she hasn't come back. I was going to witter on too but the various idiotic dogmas presented as the one true way of taking photographs has made me realise the pointless of my own existence.

I avoided the forum for quite a while, but am sneaking back in now as its a great place for learning and inspiration.
Newcomers must find some of these threads overwhelming to say the least

 

[jshen808]

Auto = Awesome
Program = Professional

 

[stemll]

I'm officially calling it:

The internet has finally grown up!

3 years ago this thread would gave been full of people saying you might as well have a P&S if you're not shooting Manual. 2 years ago, there'd have been a debate 50/50 auto/manual.

I do hope so. Having first picked up a DSLR 3 or 4 years back I have avoided forums for just these reasons. I had no real idea what I was doing so plonked it in Auto and left it at that but always thought I was missing something. Whenever I started reading forums the sort of comments you mention were to the fore so I didn't hang around and so probably learnt nothing.

I still shoot a lot on Auto but over the last weekend at Le Mans I probably used S the most but switched to A and even M for the night shots. Not sure there are more than a handful in Auto but mainly because I wanted to experiment a bit and had the batteries to allow me to Once I finally sort them out, I'll post a few examples up

 

[shreds]

As an example, this guy who learnt his trade with Brett Harkness and now hosts courses with Doug Chinnery :-

http://www.jdaviesphotography.co.uk/latest-news/

Is a great believer in P mode and creates some fantastic images..... why............ because he has a good eye for a shot, not because of the mode he uses on the camera.

So use what you feel comfortable with, not because 'it is the way things are done'

 

[KIPAX]

Is a great believer in P mode and creates some fantastic images..... why....'

Because he shoots things that can be done in P mode.. but not everything can... Sticking to one mode ..M, P or any other is limiting yourself..

 

[shreds]

Because he shoots things that can be done in P mode.. but not everything can... Sticking to one mode ..M, P or any other is limiting yourself..

I entirely agree, although it is my least used mode, but for reasons of speed in certain situations, when you know what you are doing it is fine. Shooting weddings in the volume that James does, he needs to manage his processing time and quite a few pros do likewise. Sitting in front of the computer is a time thief and unless you are retired, or have loads of time, it should be minimised.

I just don't think we should deter beginners however by implying all great photographers would never use automatic modes.

Let them play with the automatic modes to start with, find the limitations and explore the other modes.

I would still encourage newcomers to learn the other modes once they are au fait with their camera and starting to find that auto doesn't do everything for them. Its a bit like the mags that push Aperture mode. If you are shooting fast moving objects such as race cars, then Shutter priority may be better.

It is quite a change to the age 40 years ago, where M was the only option.

As ever horses for courses and understanding when to use them is the key.

 

[KIPAX]

I entirely agree, although it is my least used mode,

I tend to use P whenever I put a flash on the camera ... Other than that nobody could do my job (Sports photographer) properly in P mode which is why it annoys me when people say it can be used all the time.. the person you quoted as doing great with it simply couldn't do my job with it...

Nobody is telling anyone not to use it.. i think this thread is doing quite the oposite and saying ALL modes have there uses.. learn to use them ALL to get the best out of your equipment.. which we obviously both agree on