Manual vs Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority

[OnlyOneKenobi]

Just curious, there seems to be a perception among certain photography enthusiasts that you should always be using (full) manual mode on your camera as opposed to Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority. Whilst I fully understand how to set the relevant settings to get the correct focus and exposure in manual mode, it is somewhat cumbersome as you need to adjust the settings for just about every shot (depending on the situation). I tend to use aperture and shutter priority a lot as it gives control over certain aspects but alleviates the burden of having to constantly change ISO, shutter and aperture settings during the same shoot... I tend to use shutter priority when I want complete control over shutter speed, ie. fast moving subjects or wanting to take long exposure photos. I use aperture priority more casually and for portraiture, where I have control over the depth of field and such. I usually switch to manual if I can't get the right results using shutter or aperture priority modes... What's your opinion on the matter?

 

[naeem]

depends on the shoot and subject i guess.

Personally I'm just used to only shooting manual.

Had to actually google how to us Shutter and Aperture priority modes when a colleague wanted to take some pics and i was away.

 

[agnouja]

Use what works for you and gives the best results for the situation. For what it's worth I shoot the same way as you.

 

[TehStranger]

Full manual mode will always give the best results (if you've got a strong understanding of what all the setting do). That being said it can become quite a mission to constantly adjust the various settings if you're not used to it (and sometimes even if you are used to it but have to change settings on the fly).

I tend to view the priority modes as a nice bridge between auto and full manual, it takes some of the effort away and allows you to become more familiar with the various settings before stepping up to full manual mode.

 

[Sinbad]

Just watch out for the flares.

Seriously, I will use either Aperture or Shutter priority depending on what I'm shooting...
I don't do any studio type work, so conditions are too variable for me to dick around with full manual.

 

[Paul Bedford]

In my case it depends what I am shooting.

Most of my work is shooting motorsport and there I use shutter priority almost exclusively. I know what shutter speed I need to get the effect (wheel movement etc) I am looking for and let the camera sort the rest out. There isn't time to reset things should a cloud obscure the sun or something else change the scene as the cars or bikes are coming past.

In other cases where I am after a particular depth of field I tend to use aperture priority or sometimes manual mode.

Where I am shooting with flashes, or other lighting that I can control, then manual mode is the way to go for me.

These are certainly not hard and fast rules, but what I have found works for me after many years of shooting.

 

[prod]

Landscapes - Manual or Aperture
Anything with a fast moving subject - Shutter

Depending on conditions I would put on auto ISO as well, just be sure to set the max prior.

 

[bwana]

Depends on what I'm shooting and what the lighting is like. Mostly though it's manual with auto-ISO. Nothing wrong with aperture or shutter priority though... hell, there's nothing wrong with any mode as long as you get the photo you're after.

 

[sybawoods]

The bulk of my shooting is in AP. When I don't feel time-pressure to capture something I force myself to shoot in manual. I've recently gone full mirrorless with an Electronic Viewfinder, which makes shooting manual much easier - you get a real-time preview in the viewfinder of the impact of your exposure settings, so hard to get it wrong.

There's 2 settings I love on my camera, which helps to get the shot quicker: (1) min shutter speed (2) auto ISO

When I'm doing street photography, there's often a very brief window to capture the moment you see and you need to react quickly. Lighting often varies depending on which way you're pointing the camera or as you walk from one spot to the next. I want a min shutter speed to freeze motion, but also want some control over the aperture (at least f8) to maintain depth of field. I often use AP, with a min shutter speed set at say 200 and then let the ISO float up or down within the auto range I've set. I guess the same can be accomplished in full manual, but I'm not sufficiently confident and it means more to me to get the shot.

When I'm doing landscapes, it's much easier for me to flip to full manual. I have more time to capture the same scene over a few times with different settings until I'm happy with the shot.

 

[CliffMastr]

As most members already noted: I use either of the three modes, depending on the situation.

Last Saturday I was in a controlled environment, in a church, shooting scenes from a play, so I used manual mode.
The previous week I was on the beach early morning and used Aperture Priority, but soon moved to manual to get a certain look.
Before that at a carnival, I used shutter priority with auto ISO (knowing that my body would go to wide open F1.8)

So, imho, use whatever mode that get's the shot for you.

 

[bromster]

These cameras have been developed over generations. I just use shutter or aperture mode, set the iso as low as I can and let the camera figure it out. Generally works out fine.

The only times I will use manual mode is if I want a specific depth of focus whilst using a large aperture, or at night. Generally, both need a tripod.

 

[garyc]

This also depends on the camera to some extent. The more modern dual sensor SLRs are very good with scene evaluation and tend to sort out the exposure very well most of the time. Tricky lighting and flashes is a different matter, manual is still required.

Manual is good for when you need to react quickly. Set up the camera beforehand and just press the shutter when needed.

I am finding the mirrorless cameras good for manual work. In addition to the live preview one can also get a histogram display superimposed on it. For fast reaction one needs to also pre-set the focus manually on these cameras since the focus speed is slower than an SLR.