When do you use M mode

<p>100% of the time and 95+% of that time I use external meters to do my exposure measurement. I don't think I have even set the D-700 to anything but manual, partly because the only lenses I use with it are AIS lenses and partly because I have no intention of letting a camera do the thinking for me. People may find it odd, but for me my D700 is nothing more than a digital Nikon F2. I don't trust algorithm's, the best exposure calculator is experience and a thorough knowledge of light via the zone system.</p>

<p>"I wish there were a manual "shift" mode like in the old Hasselblad lenses where the aperture and shutter speed could be synchronized, and an adjustment in one would effect an inverse adjustment of the other. Then you could dial up and down the permutations but keep the EV constant."</p>

<p>Am I missing something here ( I shoot Nikons and have never handled a Canon DSLR ) but assumed that both brands almost always have the same features but simply implemented in different ways. I liken it to Macs and PCs where both have similar functions in many cases simply implemented in different ways. Please don't start pointing out differences because I use both on a daily basis and am well aware they they have some key differences.<br>

Anyway a standard feature of Nikon cameras dating back to the first auto film cameras is something called "shift mode". I would be surprised if Canon DSLRs did not have a similar feature.</p>

<p>The way I use shift mode makes aperture priority and shutter priority almost redundant. For example, when I bring my camera to my eye or when looking at the LCD the "program" has selected f-8 at 1/250 as the selected setting that in its judgement is best. If I see this and want less or more depth of depth of field, I thumb one of the control dials to change the f - stop and it changes the shutter speed accordingly. Similarly if I want more shutter speed I simply turn that dial in the opposite direction.</p>

<p>The one place M mode is usually superior is when you know your exposure meter is going to get fooled so you manually compensate. I have one of my control dials set for exposure compensation so I can do this on the fly without resetting to M.<br>

It's not clear to me why people equate shooting in P mode as being for simpletons. P mode is a nice default mode so you are always ready but if you don't like what the camera chooses you simply override its choice. For me that takes all of a half second. If I know I am shooting landscapes I set it in Aperture priority, if I'm shooting sports I shoot in Shutter Priority, shooting Panos, Manual mode but in most cases I leave it in P mode.<br>

I will say that that the point shoot cameras with the various cute modes ( snow, beach, landscape, portrait, fireworks etc. ) drive me crazy because it is a bunch of clutter but I guess it helps sell cameras so I should not complain but I think in the long run it makes people lazy because rather than them controlling the device the device controls them because they think the camera has some sort of built in magic that can figure out the optimum setting for taking a portrait.</p>

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<p>I mainly use M mode when I don't want the settings to change. Typically I spot meter off a known tonality and ignore the meter thereafter. Great for macro, landscapes and studio stuff. Not so great for fast changing light and most action.</p>

<p>Yes, I too use M mode almost 100 percent of the time. With this mode on, you are the boss. BTW, great gallery, Sarah.</p>

<p>If the light is changing rapidly, e.g. when clouds periodically block direct sunlight, I tend not to use the M mode.</p>

<p>However, for most other situations, I'll meter the scene in Av mode (either by metering or by taking sample exposures). When I get the exposure that I want, I dial switch to M mode an dial in that same exposure. Now I can shoot several shots in a row and I don't have to worry about the exposure being "thrown off" by the presence of very dark or very light objects in the frame. (Note: Auto ISO would negate the effect of this technique, so I tend not to use it.)</p>

<p>M mode is also useful for long exposures at dusk and into the night.</p>

<p>I'd like to add that I always use M mode when shooting with studio lighting. All metering is done with an incident flash meter.</p>

<p>1) when I'm using the camera on tripod, 2) when I'm using flash, or 3) when the variability in subject reflectance is greater than the variability in incident light.</p>

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<p> I always set the camera in either Av or "moron" (M) mode. ;-)</p>

 

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<p>Wow. And all this time I thought it was for "manual". Looking back at my photos, it really begins to make sense now. Thank you, Sarah.</p>

<p>99% when I use flash and always when using studio strobes.</p>

<p>I never use M Mode, anymore. That was what we all did in the nineteen-fifties, when there were no other choices. Now there are other modes that can do everything I need to do, but better, faster and easier, so that I can concentrate on those wonderful subjects that are in <em>front</em> of the camera. </p>

<p>Ken Schwarz wrote:</p>

 

<blockquote><p>I wish there were a manual "shift" mode like in the old Hasselblad lenses where the

aperture and shutter speed could be synchronized, and an adjustment in one would effect an inverse

adjustment of the other. Then you could dial up and down the permutations but keep the EV

constant.</p></blockquote>

 

<p>That’s <em>exactly</em> what Canon’s P mode does. Spin the one dial and the EV

remains the same while the aperture and shutter are proportionally changed. Spin the other dial and

exposure compensation changes.</p>

 

<p>I’d tell you which dial does what, but I never use the mode, myself….</p>

 

<p>Cheers,</p>

 

<p>b&</p>

<p>I find myself using M mode constantly with on occasion using A every now and then. But then even when I use A I check what the camera suggested and switch back to M and fine tune it from there.</p>

<p>I use M mode anytime flash is the main light source. Canon has this annoying habit of always trying to expose my background "properly." In M mode, I choose depth of field (using aperture) and I choose the ambient level (using ISO and shutter.) The flash on E-TTL does its best to light my subject properly. <br>

Now, there are some variations depending whether I need to stop action, it might come down to a combo of shutter speeds and flash but the basic formula remains the same: M mode is crucial.</p>

<p>Personally I've never used anything other than "M". For me, it's way easier to a) know what the camera will do in any situation and b) know what the finished photo will look like. Call me anal, but I don't like giving up creative control to a computer. I never know what the camera's going to pick in any situation so I'd just as soon do it myself.</p>

<p>All the time on my M6. What else can I do? On my d300, after sundown and before sunrise. Never use flash.</p>

<p>hey everybody i like to share with you this question :) , for me most of the time i use M i can say 99% </p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>Ben Goren wrote:</p>

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<p>Ken Schwarz wrote:</p>

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<blockquote>

<p>I wish there were a manual "shift" mode like in the old Hasselblad lenses where the aperture and shutter speed could be synchronized, and an adjustment in one would effect an inverse adjustment of the other. Then you could dial up and down the permutations but keep the EV constant.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That’s <em>exactly</em> what Canon’s P mode does. Spin the one dial and the EV remains the same while the aperture and shutter are proportionally changed. Spin the other dial and exposure compensation changes.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Yes, just like the "P" mode, except that the exposure (EV) would be fixed from frame to frame and not change with changing lighting conditions.</p>

 

<p>i'm in agreement with the previous examples and add that for me, i always use it whenever i am in spot metering.<br>

meter the critical item in the image, set your f and s, and blast away without regard to changes to background brightness, the subjects position in the frame, or the subjects changing size relative to the frame.<br>

and, wow, do i ever love the user settings (c1, c2, c3). i have been yearning for this for many years. c1 is set for Av with evaluative metering and c2 is set for M with spot metering. that's all i ever shoot, and sometimes i'm back and forth with every other shot. i don't even need c3. it's for sale if anyone is interested.</p>

<p>Maybe I'm lucky, but I find that in most situations setting my Canon to Av mode does the trick. Digital cameras have three variables, not two like with film. 95% of the time I have a particular depth of field I want to have in focus, and I'll adjust the ISO if subject speed is an issue. It's true that this has it's limits (1600 will not be as good as 100), however we photographers often pick an ISO and stick with it, because that's what we did with film.<br>

That does not mean that I never use manual mode, because I shoot night scenes, and I often have to leave the shutter open longer than the camera will allow. Yes I know that this is "B" for the time setting, however it is manual control of aperture and time. Also, night scenes offer their own challenge, since the dynamic range of the scene combined with the inherent inaccuracies of automated exposure at low light render anything but manual problematic.<br>

I'll also use it for panoramas, because you want constant exposure across the image. Moving the camera will cause problems. It just does.<br>

Lastly, when I make an HDR image of a landscape I'll go manual to assure consistencies of exposure and depth of field. The fewer variables one has to contend with, the better.</p>

<p>For what I shoot, I use "M" 99 % of the time. The other 1% is split between Av and Tv.</p>

<p>I use it every time I turn the camera on.</p>

<p>Always.</p>

<p>When I am shooting with flash - indoors. Always when shooting with studio flash and often when shooting with my 550EX.</p>

<p>When I'm at the track for sprint cars I normally shoot the practices and qualifying in AV Mode but once the races start I always put my camera in Manual mode for the rest of the night. When I shoot other types of motorsports, I shooting 100% in Manual mode. I hate it when i go through the photos when I get home to find that most are overexposed or underexposed. It happened to me at quite a few events, then I started to shoot Manual and I haven't gone back since and that was 3 years ago.</p>

<p>Once I get my exposure down, I'm ready to rock and roll.</p>

<p>Ken wrote:</p>

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<p>Yes, just like the "P" mode, except that the exposure (EV) would be fixed from frame to frame and not change with changing lighting conditions.</p>

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<p>Yeah, that would be cool. Make the AE-lock sticky by default. Would seem they only need a custom function, not a whole different mode.</p>