Are you M, A or S shooter

<p>Pretty much only "A". Once in long time "S" if the subject warrants or "M" if I need to up the flash sync...</p>

<p>Brilliant responses so far. Looks like the question was of interest to lots of you. I must admit, I have never used auto-iso. </p>

<p>70% - M<br>

30% - A</p>

<p>When shooting landscapes, natural light portraits, sporting events on snow, HDR or anything using my studio lights, it is in M.</p>

<p>When shooting events, snapshots, or anything I have a CLS flash attached, it is in A.</p>

<p>70% - M<br>

30% - A</p>

<p>When shooting landscapes, natural light portraits, sporting events on snow or anything using my studio lights, it is in M.</p>

<p>When shooting events, snapshots, or anything I have a CLS flash attached, it is in A.</p>

<p>When shooting to do HDR, it is closer to a 50/50 mix.</p>

<p>Now ask how often I use Bulb ;-)</p>

<p>Mostly aperture (>90%), but i'm getting more confident with manual exposure these days .... I've been playing a wee bit with bulb mode too with my I/R filter and with night photography too. </p>

<p>Aperture priority always made me feel more confident with MAYBE getting depth of field 'right' (Boy! Do i still get depth of field wrong!) but i'm really enjoying the true feeling of control over EXPOSURE (+/-) that my experimenting with manual control is giving me .... </p>

<p>Donaldo</p>

 

<p>My F4s and D700 have A and S mode and I suppose they work, though I have never used them! :-)</p>

<p>90+% of the time I don't even use the camera's meter, opting for a hand held incident/flash or 1º spot instead. I use the camera's meter only in a pinch. I am basically distrustful of all of them because they don't know what I am looking for.</p>

<p>M.</p>

<p>P for quick snapshots with a digital camera<br>

M for everything else. You get more control and I find it more rewarding personally</p>

<p>Mostly M. Rarely A.</p>

<p>Most of the times, i.e. 99.9% 'A', very very rare 'S'. Never 'M'. </p>

<p>With my 40D mostly M for depth of field control: </p>

<p> </p>

<p>I'd say I shoot in <strong>A</strong>perture priority 80% of the time. 10% I'm shooting in <strong>M</strong>anual. The rest is devided between <strong>P</strong>rogram and <strong>S</strong>hutter priority.</p>

<p>Formerly with cameras like FE2 and F4 mostly A. Only camera I used P more frequently was the FA (which I believe had a handy "P high" mode or was that the F-801?).<br>

With the D700 95% A, 5% M. P less than 1%, S practically never.</p>

<p>I meant A for depth of field</p>

For work I use M only. For fun I use my older cameras which don't have any dials so rely on the meter and lately

believe it or not I've been using my new light meter app on my iPhone. I'm waiting on a few rolls I shot two weeks ago

on my RZ using the waist level finder and the iPhone for meter. I'll post a few of the images when I get them.

<p>Very interesting poll. Seems most people are A photographers! That is why there are so many great pictures. I am with M (mediocre for me :) ) almost exclusively, only because I am still learning to use it. Someday I will grow up to A hopefully.</p>

<p>I always shoot Manual/Raw. Don't know how to use Aperture or Shutter Priority. May have to go back to the instructions</p>

<p>Mostly P and M, rarely A or S.</p>

<p>Nikon's flex program mode is very handy for fast changing situations. The thumb wheel lets me bias the exposure toward controlling the shutter or aperture. The forward wheel handles exposure compensation as needed. Very quick and intuitive for me compared with A and S modes, which seem awkward and constraining next to flexible program mode.</p>

<p>I'll use the manual mode mostly for manual lenses (I have several manual focus Nikkors and third party lenses). It's also handy combined with auto-ISO when I want the shutter speed and aperture to remain the same but need to make allowances for fast changing light.</p>

<p>Most of the time I'm a manual exposure chap and venture into A when I'm shooting where the results aren't being sold to clients. </p>

<p>Most of my photography is done with a Sony Alpha 700 and a Minolta Dynax 7. Whichever camera I choose it is the P mode with override I use the most. Occasionally I will use aperture or shutter priority and spot metering when the subject dictates.</p>

<p>Most of the time M ( 70% ) and A ( 30% ). I find M to give me full control of what I want to do with my exposure and once I find it, it will remain as I chose it. I use M also for Macro shots, portraits, difficult scenes with a lot of contrast; I use A when I get lazy and the light ( mainly outside ) is evenly bright and I do not have the time to be adjusting my setup ( then I do concentrate on my Aperture and ISO which I do start at 200 mainly but sometimes I go lower to 100 ). Rarely I use P, but mostly to study and compare how my camera meters works in different modes or when I do hand my camera to someone else. However, this mode is very accurate and I am starting to use it in between so I can compare how am I doing in compare with my manual exposure. Rarely I use S, except when I want to freeze or imply motion in my pictures. <br>

Under medium overcast weather, I use A and work with my A and ISO to get the correct exposure ( and compensation ). Heavy overcast, I go for M, which may require ( due to dark environment ) to make some adjustments that I find very easy in compare to any of the automatic modes. <br>

When using flash, definitely I use M starting with f/4, ISO 400 and the speed at / or under 1/250 (1/200 or longer ) TTL for indoors shots ( bouncing the light ). When shooting with flash outside, mostly I shoot in M, TTL ( BL ) to fill light or in HSS ( high speed sync ) TTL-FP ( BL ) under bright and sunny conditions. I will start using my flash in M as soon as I get my Sekonic L-358. </p>

 

<p>Being an "old timer", I often set my camera to manual control. I preset the ISO and F-stop, and I do not touch anything . Just shoot. I am aware of my lighting, depth of focus needs and my images come out well.<br>

Too much auto this and auto that can result in slowing down the composure of a subject, as well as compromise the results sought after.<br>

Even when I shoot sporting events, I relay upon my experience and knowledge (from the film days) to set up the lens, exposure and ISO and concentrate on the subjects at hand.<br>

I use all of my Nikon and Canon DSLR cameras in Manual mode. This has further advantages in that I often use other lens that are NOT auto-focus, aperture, etc. There are many superb lens from the past that provide results that are equal or surpass the modern auto-function lens of today.<br>

Certain DSLR cameras will not provide any metering unless they are used in A,S or P modes.When this occurs, I have my accurate Gossen Luna Pro light meter to assist me for the setup.<br>

By using RAW mode, the dynamic range can easily be extended several F-stops, so that when the light levels change quickly, I can still have a useable image to work with. Again, in the film days, film "latitude" was based upon the emulsion type and the processing used to develop it. The same principles apply to using digital devices. Each camera has its own characteristics and matching the proper lens to the camera makes a significant difference in the final results, too.</p>

<p>90% M, 10% A, never S. Not that there's anything wrong with S, I just don't use it. I use M because, as long as the light doesn't change, I can set it once and forget it. I'm lazy that way. I spot meter on the brightest part of the scene, put it in the zone I want, and I'm done. I don't have to ride the EC on each shot, nor do I have to chimp. When I frame a shot, I'll spot meter various points of the scene and may tweek the shutter and/or aperture. </p>

<p>When the light is changing (from bright to shade, for example), I'll set A to a wide aperture. That way I can quickly switch from M to A when the light changes significantly. The only problem is, in switching from M to A, the shutter and aperture controls reverse. Very confusing. I must speak to Canon about that.</p>

<p>S - Best choice for inside, especially when a flash is allowed. But even when a flash is not allowed, it's still the best option inside (crank up ISO; hone focus in on subject). This option is especially effective for inside action shots.<br>

A - Mostly choose for outside when a flash is not necessary anyway. This works effectively for outside action shots (lower F stop; hone focus in on subject).<br>

M - When using studio lighting that is syncing to a camera this is the only option.<br>

P - Rarely use because images seem too yellow. But it helps when doing test shots as a way to compare tones.<br>

-<br>

~ Hope any of this makes sense. These are my preferences based on my experience only and may or may not work best for someone else.</p>

<p>Definitely "M", so, I have total and fast control on all situation, in-front of a subject, being as a to white snowy scenery or back lighted, etc., etc., subject. "A" and AF only, only in fast and critical situation, about 2 precent of the time. . . . . Well, . . . I learned photography, and I'm not a P&S photographer.</p>