Your favorite settings?

<p>When shooting film in a modern film camera, what are your favorite settings, or alternatively, what settings do you use most? Also, what camera do you use.</p>

<p>For me, with my lowly Canon Rebels of various models, I use P probably 90% of the time. If I want to change depth of field or shutter speed I use the wheel to trade one against the other.</p>

<p>The other 10% of the time I mostly use the M setting. Only rarely do I venture beyond those two.</p>

<p>For focus, I probably use automatic focus about 80% of the time and manual focus the other 20%.</p>

<p>Most of my cameras are fully manual with a couple (Minolta XG-M's) offering Aperture priority as an option. Not much to decide. With my Canon A540 digital camera I use Manual mode for studio shots for control purposes when using multiple, optically triggered flashes, Aperture priority mode for most other outdoor applications since the inherent great DOF of these cameras ensures everything is usually in sharp focus. I usually set the aperture to f5.6 to keep the variables down when using the zooming feature. ( the f2.6 lens is only f5.6 at the tele end). I almost always use auto focus on the digital camera. Keeping things simple is the best way to improve your keeper\trashcan ratio to a reasonable level in my opinion. Best, LM.</p>

<p>f8 at 1/250th with ISO 400 with most all of my cameras, keeping f8 and changing shutter speeds to accomodate different lighting conditions.</p>

<p>I'm definitely as Av guy, though I will use P sometimes for speed/ease of use. However, recently, I have been employing M for some difficult lighting or experimental situations. JR</p>

<p>Aperture Priority, most of the time.</p>

<p>I tend toward aperture priority on any cameras that have it and whose meters I trust.</p>

<p>My wife also prefers A with her F100's.</p>

<p>I tend to use shutter priority with long lenses, also on cruddy days with not much light. Otherwise I use aperture priority or manual; and if I'm using manual it's because I have a Luna SBC along for the ride. I trust the camera's meter generally, but if I'm wandering around grabbing shots I don't like wasting time fiddling with the camera's meter; I'll meter the light with the Gossen, input the settings, then forget it. Unless the light's changing dramatically.</p>

<p>I'm an M guy, 95% of the time. It's nice to study Adams:) Those times the light is moving too fast, I lock the shutter thingamajig and let the camera choose the aperture. I mean fast moving sun, police officers with flashlights chasing me, supernovas....</p>

<p>Depends. Usually if I am trying out things I will shoot with as many of the different "not-completely-automatic" modes as I can on that particular film camera. Tv Av P (especially to see how the camera works on its own), even M. <em>Never, ever</em> use anything like a "picture mode" (small trees, big flower, and such like). I do pay attention to the aperture and speed regardless of whether I'm choosing it or just using it.</p>

<p>If I am just out for a walk with the camera, I leave it on P so that it is ready even if I am not (that supernova, or a wardrobe malfunction for example).</p>

<p>As for AF where it exists, I figure if the gods had meant me to focus manually all the time, they would have given me better eyes.</p>

<p>Of course, most of my film cameras are totally manual in every dimension imaginable (> CMC).</p>

<p>I shoot in aperture priority virtually all the time, except of course with those bodies (such as the original F-1) which don't have it; in those cases, it's manual all the way! :-)</p>

<p>I tend to shoot in manual mode, but on those cameras that have aperture priority, I sometimes get lazy and use it. I don't remember the last time I used shutter priority or program modes.</p>

<p>Av or manual, even on the one or two I own with Tv / P. As I always seem to end up applying and then forgetting to undo exposure compensation, I really should just stick to manual.<br>

Oddly enough, DP Review ran a poll recently asking exactly this question. Av was the run-away winner.</p>

Back when I was using an all manual camera I used transparency film exclusively and 1/250 minimum if at all possible to minimize effect of camera shake, which is painfully obvious when viewing 20" x 30" projected images. Still try to assure a fast shutter speed, it seems to me that prints are noticeably crisper with higher speeds and f stops 2 or 3 smaller than wide open.

<p>I do a lot of shooting at airshows where I am constantly switching between planes moving on the ground and in the air, and the latter will fool any auto mode into underexposing. Nothing but M really works in this situation.</p>

<p>In more normal circumstances I'll use Av, even when my mode of shooting is shutter priority. I'll set to Av but ignore the aperture selected, just turning the aperture ring until the display tells me I've got the shutter speed I want. I do this because the aperture ring is normally the easier control to operate while looking through the finder. Basically the A mode just serves to couple the aperture and shutter controls together as used to be done mechanically on certain pre-modern cameras like my Yashica Minister.</p>

<p>I use P for convenience occasionally but tend to favor it in older modern cameras with relatively simpler metering algorithms. I have played with the gee-whiz multi-point metering in my cameras that have it in an attempt to get over my distrust of the AI, but have not fully succeeded nor have I been blown away by the results. I like to know what my camera is doing and make heavy use of AE lock and exposure comp in any auto mode; with matrix/AI metering I always wonder whether the camera thinks it is already doing that for me and I'm just screwing it up. </p>

<p>I guess you could say that I shoot aperture priority even though most of my cameras are fully manual. I almost always pick the aperture that I want to use first and then set the shutter speed to whatever is required to achieve a proper exposure. The few cameras I own that have an AE mode are aperture priority anyway but, I generally leave them set to manual. </p>

<p >“When shooting film in a modern film camera, what are your favorite settings, or alternatively, what settings do you use most? Also, what camera do you use.”</p>

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<p >Manual exposure and manual focus on my Fuji 6x7 and 6x9 medium format cameras.</p>

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<p >Manual exposure and manual focus on my Nikon F2 (has a non-metered viewfinder). </p>

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<p >Manual focus and aperture priority with manual focus lenses on my Nikon F4 and Nikon N70/F70.</p>

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<p >Auto focus and aperture priority with auto focus lenses on my Nikon F4 and Nikon N70/F70.<br>

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<p>Manual most of the time on my EOS3, occasionally Av.<br>

Haven't used my A2E enough to decide. (too many cameras)</p>

<p>Av most of the time on my T90. I wish the exposure control/metering operated like the EOS3.</p>

<p>Most of my other film cameras are not modern. For some, I'm undecided about their catagory (modern or not modern).</p>

<p>When using my modern film cameras I often have them set to P. I am always aware of the settings though, and frequently use the program shift to change the settings quickly to whatever I think is appropriate for the specific shot. The other setting I use most often is Av. Currently the (non-classic manual) cameras I'm using the most are my F100 and 1vHS, two of the nicest cameras I've ever owned.</p>

<p>I don't have any favourite settings, it depends on the subject and the conditions.</p>

<p>Can't have favorite settings as I or almost all of us don't take exactly the same pictures over and over. Each photograph requires a different setting.</p>

<p>Aperture priority? Hmmm, Sunny 16 => (f/16, 1/60) => (f/4, 1/1000). Those were the good old days.</p>

<p>I use different modes for different situations on my N90s. Most of the time, Aperture priority works fine for me. I'll switch to shutter priority occassionally for maximum sync speed with indoor flash, since I don't have the stupid Photo Secretary to change the default sync speed of the N90s. Still scratching my head on Nikon's philosophy there. When out shooting nature, and still life's, I prefer manual mode so that I can meter a scene's elements and select my settings from that. And when occasionally shooting snaps at get togethers with family/friends, I drop into either Aperture priority, or Program mode and use the exposure compensation dial when necessary. In all honesty, Nikon's matrix balanced fill flash with a Nikon Speedlight is pretty good.</p>