How often do you use full Manual control on your SLR

Adrianr said:
If it's for snap shots or general mulling around it's always in AV. The aperture has the single biggest effect (when only using ambient light) of your 3 adjustments. It is a compositional choice as well as a technical one. As long as the shutter is fast enough to produce a sharp picture (Unless you're deliberately going for motion blur, but i'de argue that style is by far in the minority for most) you really want to be controlling your depth of feild. Leaving your aperture upto it's own devices is a bad idea IMO.
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I fully agree with this.

When I'm doing my own shoots or if I've got the time to fiddle I will go full manual. However, with work, a lot of the time I'm doing press photography. You only get one chance to get it right and it's usually pretty fast paced / intense. For these instances I will go with Aperture Priority unless I'm using a flash. It's just one less thing to worry about.

My biggest drawback at the minute is that I'm using a D50 at home and a D200 at work and both of them are rubbish over ISO640.

I wan't one of the new night-vision cameras so that I can stop worrying about ISO. :(

Panzer
 
I leave my 450d in auto if on a walk about or if am taking pictures of racy cars as if somone fast happens i just lift up and press to get the quick snap, if i am taking my time i will try and use manual or the other half manual modes.
 
Use A for street and weddings where speed is needed, just wack it on the largest aperture and shoot away. For landscapes and motorsports i generally use manual as i need control of both shutter speed and aperture at the same time.
 
In a few years time when ISO performance gets even more silly, you can basically put it in Av, Auto ISO and shoot. Using Av to control DOF and leave the camera to set the shutter speed and ISO to give you a sharp and noise free shot.

That is until you shoot something that needs to stop motion.
 
M 90%
Av 10% (Snapshots and Sports, e.g. Formula 1)

And the occasional Bulb exposure when the sun isnt out yet and 30seconds (at f16 ISO100 isn't enough)

I don't like giving the camera the control.
 
Adrianr said:
Whenever i'm in the studio or location using flash.. So quite a lot really!

If it's for snap shots or general mulling around it's always in AV. The aperture has the single biggest effect (when only using ambient light) of your 3 adjustments. It is a compositional choice as well as a technical one. As long as the shutter is fast enough to produce a sharp picture (Unless you're deliberately going for motion blur, but i'de argue that style is by far in the minority for most) you really want to be controlling your depth of feild. Leaving your aperture upto it's own devices is a bad idea IMO.
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+2

I mostly shoot moving targets (wildlife / aircraft) so I primarily use Aperture Priority because I generally want to blur out backgrounds, or use the best aperture for image quality. If speed is an issue I'd rather change the ISO and post process the image to compensate than use Shutter Priority and spoil the composition. If I was shooting subjects that I had some control over (still life / Portraits) then I'd probably use Manual a lot more.
 
Depends what I'm shooting

Av 50%
Tv 15%
M 35%

M just works better than spot metering for anything that has a white BG or the Sky. You get the correct subject exosure and as the subject moves you don't need to worry about exp. compensation.

Av is what I tend to use, always with manual ISO and if I use Av it tends to be wide open more or less. Works best for everday shots and anything OOF backgrounds are needed.

Tv is good for motorsports or for creative use of flash like 1 second exposures with a flash to freeze a moment amongst a sea of colour.

It depends on what I shoot though so some days its 100% Av other 95% Tv 5% manual.I use M for all landscape (not very many but I hope to get more landscapey next year) shots partly becuase it slows me down and I have to think, Horizon, foreground, motion, colours, contrast getting the right direction for the light.
 
Manual 100%, used to use Av and Tv modes but now only use manual as I generally find it easier and quicker to get the exposure I want.

Sometimes I curse because I can't change the settings quick enough for the shot but a majority of the time it's better for me.
 
Depends what I'm doing, but most of the time I'll use manual - especially if I'm using flash.

I might use Tv for motorsport or airshows and Av if I'm shooting without flash, but generally I just use M.
 
I use aperture priority most of the time.

Well on my rangefinder, fortunately there is also Av functin :) thanks goodness.

I just haven't mastered the skills to use full manual control.
 
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