FORGET Manual Mode, THIS is how PROS shoot! 

💡What other topics would you like to see in the next videos? 👇

Auto Mode: the setting to choose when you're handing your camera to a family member.

I'm a professional photographer IE I support my family with my work. 90% of the time I shoot aperture priority with auto ISO with a minimum shutter of 250 (1000 for sports and action). The only time I use manual mode shooting is when I'm using flash or strobes.

I ditched manual a long time ago, now I am shooting in aperature priority, with minimum shutter speed set depending on the situation, and auto ISO, the only thing I touch during shooting is the exposure compensation dial.. this way I still have all the control I need, but I gain it a lot quicker!

For wildlife I've been using Manual with Auto ISO and that's worked great for me.

I shoot 90% of my photos in aperture priority, both for still subjects and for action.

I find the priority modes are still too variable from shot to shot. And this is bad when editing hundreds of photos for a wedding. Plus if i have to worry about exposure compensation i might as well go manual. I usually shoot at 1/160 or higher (unless I'm using flash which let's me shoot slower) but i need to be in control of depth of field because i might be shooting a group versus an individual and in control of iso. I could limit the iso range for any priority modes but i find it just faster to adjust for the situation in the moment because there are times im going to have to "break rules".

To me auto-ISO in manual mode is the best all around. I typically leave my aperture wide open (unless I need the extra sharpness or DOF) and usually just adjust shutter speed based on both light and subject. On DSLRs it was more of a pain, but with live view on mirrorless cameras there isn’t much of a chance to mess up exposure. In the outdoors with lots of sunlight I will usually just set my ISO to 100 and control exposure with shutter speed. So I am switching back and forth between full manual and manual with auto-ISO.

Old school here. I began shooting in the 60s when knowing what you were doing was a valuable asset. Until the Nikon F3, I had never shot a 35mm camera on anything but manual. I do not use program mode and would not dream of letting the camera pick the ASA/ISO for me. Even with my digital cameras, they will be set on manual or aperture mode and a Sekonic digital spot meter has a place in my Domke bag.. 60+ years as a professional with 32 years as a studio owner has taught me that there is always something new to learn! A very good, well thought out video!

If you are shooting in bright light, I find the manual mode with auto iso is the best. Especially if you are shooting moving objects as in wildlife photography. You can choose the best shutter speed and aperture, .iso will be automatically adjusted.

I use to shoot in aperture priority mode most of the time with exposure compensation and happy with it. Sometimes I use shutter speed priority for certain situations like panning again with exposure priority. I use manual mode with manual focus for astro photography only.

All anyone needs to take into account is the time factor. If you have time with no pressure then Manual is the way. If you do not have time or you are out and about with your scene changing quickly then one of the semi modes would be the choice. Studio work manual everytime.

My teacher of the basic photography class was a professional event photographer and he said he uses aperture priority 95% of the time. That broke the illusion of 'you need manual mode' instantly for me and that really helped my motivation to continu. I'm really thankful that I got that info as a beginner back then because I'm also a 95% aperture priority person now not being distracted by anything else than what I what I'm actually capturing.

This is an excellent primer for using digital cameras. I've been using analog film cameras for over 5 decades. I know what I'm doing. Digital types - not so much. I've read the manuals, and ... blah blah blah ... I just forget. This vid really makes things a comprehensive review. Well done! No BS or nonsense - just the facts!

Been a wedding photographer for a few years now, started with manual and still use manual. Sometimes i want to do shutter drag and sometimes i just get a specific look that auto wouldn't allow me. It took some getting used to, but you quickly learn to adjust the settings. At this point, it would just feel weird to switch to auto, though i wouldn't knock someone who's just starting for using auto.

There's a reason that aperture priority was the default for film SLRs for decades. It makes the most sense for 99% of uses other than stroking people's egos.

I mainly shoot in manual mode for the type of photography I do. In fact, I have to shoot in manual mode for some things. But there's times when the light changes too fast or I'm moving my camera around and the light changes that way. But instead of using aperture priority mode, I use manual mode with auto ISO. I prefer to be in control of 2 of my settings whenever possible. Aperture and shutter speed are the two most critical parts of the exposure. ISO is just an amplification of light or the exposure.

The 35mm format in cameras allow more options. Some of us that came from film are still left and learned how manual and a meter worked. Flash in those days were manual as well. Great training. I feel too many entering into the field want it easy and not have to learn the basics of light both natural and flash.

I like full control of everything. I only shoot in manual mode. I don’t think just because manual mode you’re a pro. It gives you the opportunity to learn how to deal with every situation you come across. And for me I like full access of everything. That’s just me

This is humorous! Manual mode FIRST, second Aperture priority in certain cases when I know I have adequate light and I'm not as concerned with ISO or I'm on a tripod giving me further latitude. If you learned as I did, with a Weston II light meter, the Zone System, and on a tripod with sheet film & field cameras... ...then well I just don't need all the bells and whistles, do I? But of course, in wildlife or sports photography the other modes, can be very handy. But for any beginner or someone a bit more experienced, Manual forces you to learn what settings are workable or best for the particular type of photography you're doing. You'll fail until you figure it out. That's the only reason why I don't ever suggest letting these SMART cameras do the work for you. When you don't fail, you DO NOT learn but you become complacent, and you don't try because you're not forced to ask WHY are my images of my son's baseball game always blurry, why was my family portrait in the garden too dark, why, why, why? It's the why's that teach us. The ONLY thing these smart cameras have done is to cause far too many people to THINK they are great photographers. I know that I'm an "Old Fart" but any type of automatic function even (including the seeing eye dog, which revolutionized the way we took pictures) in some ways robbed photographers of my generation of one more learning curve. I can only thank my father, and his friend Minor White and our other friends who forced me to ONLY use a light meter and learn the "Old" way of doing things, before I was turned loose with an early SLR with a seeing eye dog, that is through the lens metering by the way! All this aside, with the advancements in digital, and I'm ALL digital ALL the way baby, I find myself in many ways ALL the way back to my beginning, having to learn NEW stuff in my quest to make images. RAW/JPEG/PSD/PSB/TIFF when to use them, when to unclick "Layers" and all the nuances of Photoshop! UGH but I've learned some stuff and I'm still learning because guess what it's ALL still about the light, BUT I have an advantage: I learned the Zone System so on occasion my editing time is reduced. And, in the end THANK YOU Photoshop because we all still under expose or overexpose or are just faced with a scene we can't photograph in the "Old" way and be ensured of a satisfactory result, and the magic of digital and photoshop is that we can get there, even with a poor exposure! Guess what I'm still learning about layers and masks, radial and linear gradients, exposure layers! JESUS it is a long way from Saint Ansel and even with dodging and burning, he'd still end up meticulously doctoring some of his images with India ink, a magnifying glass and a hell of a lot of patience!

Didn't know that rule about shutter speed vs focal length when shooting handheld. Learned a lot, thanks

Best video of the week! I’ve been watching seemingly hundreds of videos and this one was very handy and took the fear of a new camera a7iii away from me. Thank you! I’ll go try it out tomorrow!

Someone finally explained it very well! Thank you

Do this if you are an action photographer, like wildlife and sports Set your camera to Manuel mode set your speed to freeze the action Birds for example 2000/ of a second, open the aperture to max for background blur then set ISO to AUTO! for best results this is the magic for sports and wildlife! And you will never miss the action! the camera auto selects the ISO in accordance with what you need to freeze the action! this is AUTO mode without the AUTO Mode!

I shoot weddings mostly in Aperture Priority, auto ISO and minimum shutterspeeds locked in. WB at 3500K indoors and 5500K outside. All flash work is done in 100% manual I don't have time for changing settings as I'd miss shots I wanted. I believe getting the shot and removing any inconsistencies in post is preferable to getting consistent shots and missing some.

The advantage to shooting in manual really comes into play when you are editiing. If all the exposures in a series of photos are exactly the same, then batch editing is a breeze.

When in manual mode you do not have to control all 3 sides. You can use auto ISO on manual. It is used by sports photography all the time.

TY! I used to teach beginning photographers. They usually said I shoot manual. When I asked why they would say pros shoot in manual. I’d say there was a time when that was true but in today’s cameras there are better modes depending on what look you want. To prove I’d let them shoot in manual while I shot in program. It usually took them at least 3 shots to get a good exposure. Case closed. From there they would listen to me.

As a landscape photographer, when I shoot handheld, aperture priority reigns king when I know the slowest shutter speed will still give a sharp image, however when focus stacking and other forms of blending, its much easier to shoot in manual while on a tripod.

I'm just getting started and bought a used camera without a manual and this video was so helpful for understanding these different settings!

I use TAv mode most of the time and I get excellent results. I set the shutter speed and aperture and the camera will select the iso speed.

Full-time commercial photographer. Only use manual. Not that makes it right or wrong. Prob 90% of my jobs I shoot tethered so it is so easy to fix things quickly. Also, sometimes I am sharing zoom / remote screen and I want to cut down the "bad" images before someone else gets to judge. Today cameras are so incredibly good at adjustments I can see how using Priority Mode makes some jobs that much easier.

I am glad I eventually found how to use program mode with the other settings ! There are different settings for different situations . Program mode is a great compliment to the others ! The camera is a complete tool now ! Thanks for posting this !

I LOVE shooting in full manual, but it's not always the right mode to use. Today I went out shooting with a friend who's interested in photography, so I gave him my backup camera and explained some things as we went. Full manual is a lot of fun, but it takes me longer to get the shot when I also try to talk to my friend and get the settings in the camera correct at the same time. Manual with auto ISO is something I also really like. But today was an aperture priority day. I figured if we both were in the same mode and could swap cameras, it would be the easiest. I also set the minimum ISO to 400, so we'd have less blurry shots while still getting very clean images. Also it snowed a lot over the past days, so I set both cameras' exposure compensation to +1 stop. When considering you kind of have to do that, full manual doesn't make much of a difference anymore. But even if I didn't, it's still just 1 stop which is easy enough to fix in post. We both had a lot of fun and honestly, I don't think there were more than a handful of shots I would've gotten a lot better with manual settings

Finally, some light has been shed for me with this video. I make artisan jewelry and need to take photos of my product so I recently bought a new camera and some lenses. I am new to photography think point and shoot to mirrorless camera new. I know the most VIP for me to learn is the exposure triangle and get familiar with my new mirrorless camera button function and settings. I have watched many YT videos and I take lots of notes. This is a learning curve for me and I am enjoying this part of my journey, but it wasn't until I watched this video you made that let some "Light" in. You made it easier for me to understand the different Modes function on my camera. I know one day I will look back and wonder why it seemed so confusing at first. Thank you I am a new subber. I appreciate your video/s Angel from The Bay Area, Silicon Valley, CA USA

The full auto mode is needed in two cases: 1. for beginners, to be quite sure they're not gonna blew it; 2. for the situations where the absolute priority is to shoot "in no time".

For me Manual mode with auto iso is magic.I have full controll over 2 of the most important things, and i let the camera handle the iso. You need experience to use it properly ofc.

Nice 👍. When people tell me “I only shoot in manual” I usually wonder, if they know what they are doing. It sound to me as if they actually want to say “I am a great photographer”. Why are there P, A, S, M and auto iso on every pro camera?As you perfectly explain: For a reason! 🤩. One of the few situations where I prefer full manual without auto iso is indoors, when the room light - once measured - does not change, in order to achieve consistency in a series of pictures. Like what you would also do with a hand held light meter and measure the light source - not the reflected light (as the camera does).

my preference is manual mode with auto iso and exposure comp wheel.

I had a coworker who swore by Program mode and loved it and he did a pretty decent job getting photos, but as an old timer I had so much trouble trusting anything but M mode. I started when we were shooting B&W and developing our own film and my camera at the time didn't do well in tough lighting situations so M mode was all I used. I couldn't even trust autofocus until I bought a Sony A99.

Thanks. I never used program mode, but sometimes it's exactly what I need. For instance, a few weeks ago I was walking around central Rome. The light was constantly changing, and there were lots of shadows. I gave up and just put it in auto mode because I didn't have enough time to make manual adjustments every time while navigating the busy streets. I would have had the time to make a single adjustment, though, to capture what I wanted.

When it's a lazy day and I just want to experiment I use the manual mode and study the results of my photos. But in stressful situation I use program mode. For scenes of seas, waterfalls, I prioritize shutter speed and for landscape, I switch to aperture priority.

Manual if you want total creative control, all other settings if you are amazed by everything that comes out of your camera right now. You will know when it’s time to switch lol.

Well explained use of each mode. Every new photographer should see this video. Even long time shooters would find this video handy like a refresher course.

I’m a flash studio photographer. Manual is all I use as the others are worthless when full control is needed based on the settings my 7 - 9 strobes are running. When shooting outdoors in available light I’m using either priority mode or manual using a remote camera control app.

I love your stage, background color, lighting!!! Your camera angle is different than everyone else's!!!! I love it!!! ❤

I have found that by using Auto ISO, You can set your aperture to give the depth of field you want, & then set a fast enough shutter speed to suit the scene you are shooting. This is probably only available on the more advanced cameras. When looking through the view finder you can see the ISO changing as you pan around. ISO changing as the metereing looks at different reflective light value.

I have a Canon m6 mark II. I use FV mode. I set ISO to auto. Now I really can control Aperture and Shutter Speed. It's all on the touchscreen. No more finding the right button. I use back button focus in auto-focus or focus peaking for manual focus. I learned how to use my Canon SL2 in manual mode, I rarely use manual anymore.

Been Manual mode for many years now I have moved over to Aperture Priority and will only go back in certain circumstances.

I always shoot fully manual - except where I want to focus on one or two things and let the camera do the rest. High contrast scenes such as dance performances are a speciality and because you usually have bright subjects against a dark background, you set aperture and shutter speed and only adjust ISO manually as the lighting varies. If I pull out a tripod for Macro, I switch to live-view DOF preview - set the aperture, stay in Av and let the camera decide on shutter speed - unless I need to freeze motion or wind shake. Squeeze the right ISO for the conditions in Auto ISO - unless I can't freeze my subject. Backup plan is HSS flash. The key isn't which mode you are using but what you are trying to achieve. If full auto does it - who am I to say it's wrong. Just apply your attention to where it will make the biggest difference and use the technology where it can speed your creativity up. Execute whatever you've practiced and are good at! - or practice it if it's worth getting good at.

Haven't done manual mode since the old 36mm days. I usually use A or S mode. A when I want a specific aperture, aka depth of field and S when I want to freeze or blur moving subjects. Cameras are pretty good these days and fill in the blanks and it's so much quicker to get the right setting for a good shot. When doing stationary subjects I tend to take several photos with different settings just so I have more options later in post.

I have been photographing weddings for 10 years, and always in manual mode, after this video I will definitely continue to photograph in that mode. For amateurs, other options can be helpful, but for professional work, manual mode is mandatory.

What a fantastic Video !! I’m still learning and just that rule about doubling your focal length for shutter speed I did not know !! This explains why my handheld shots of my child are so hit and miss when she’s moving around for getting a good focus. Thanks ever so much !! I can’t wait to try this out.

I used to work as a portrait photographer.. In the studio I usually used manual mode. 125'th of a sec, F7,1 and ISO 100. And then I just adjusted the strobes. Outdoors I almost never use manual. Either A or TV (yes, I own mostly Canon). And auto IOS set at a max at 3200.

The only thing that is important! Is the final result! Not what you know! Not using the best camera gear etc! That is the key! I can back that up 100's of times!

Understand your reasoning, but not all pros do it this way. Maybe in a fast pace event or a wedding when you just can't think anymore. A lot of my work is with strobes, indoor and out, Im strictly manual, too many variable with something in auto that will always be changing. But its a preference, just I've been in manual forever, eventually its second nature and you can look at something and determine the creative flare you want for it. A priority mode I just feel takes the creator out of it and maybe thats just me.

I like playing with manual mode to get a feel for how everything affects the shot, but I always have to take a few throw away test shots before it's dialed in, and that simply can't happen whenever I need to shoot things that might happen in the spur of the moment. Like child and pet photography. If I have to move around quickly at different angles, the light sources can change a lot and I have no room for taking test shots all the time. I don't mind the camera having to make quick ISO adjustments on the fly, but I do usually like to lock in my shutter speed (or at least have a minimum to reduce blur, I don't go below 1/80 when handheld if I can help it) and aperature. What would be cool is to set min/max ranges and then have auto adjust within that. Like if aperature below 4 isn't desired, and shutter below 1/80 isn't desired, or ISO above 2400 or whatever. This way I can avoid the camera going to extreme ends of any of the settings, that would be interesting. Another caveat of automatic OR manual settings is when a flash is introduced. If you have a speedlight or a special flash on or off the camera, then automatic exposure settings won't work since the camera doesn't know about the huge flash about to enter the scene. Unless I'm mistaken or maybe my camera doesn't have the right settings, when I use flashes, I pretty much have to go manual.

Obviously all of these modes have their place. Most of the cameras I used throughout my career were manual cameras. It is instinctive to me to work in manual mode. So I am quick with it. If I am shooting slowly there is no other way I would work. Of course all the settings I get in manual mode are possible via a priority mode and an exposure compensation dial. But just working manually is more direct for me than doing that. I can instantly decide if I want to alter exposure via shutter speed or via f stop. Whereas an exposure compensation dial only affects the opposite of the priority item you selected. Most importantly...Consider the auto exposure on a camera is only a suggestion. I do not necessarily want exposure to change on its own through a series of shots.

Aperture mode for portraits and sports! Shutter Priority for concerts! Done!

Manual mode is helpful when the light does not change in the scene. You set it once and then take all pictures with proper exposure.

It is good to learn what the P mode does in your specific camera. On my EOS M50 it keeps the shutter speed at 1/60 s or shorter. This means I use it with lenses without IS but not with IS lenses when it is dark. On my older EOS M it is 1/30 s so I did just the opposite. I think the camera should decide it based on whether you have IS or not. On Canon cameras you can set the camera so that if you in the shutter priority mode select a too short shutter speed, it will lengthen it until the exposure is right. On mirrorless cameras you can detect if the shutter sped s way wrong on the brightness of the viewfinder or the screen. (This can be disabled if needed)

My best camera is Sony A7 iii at this time. I use manual mode. Often times I set a range for the ISO, say 100 to 5000. The problem I have if I set it for Aperture Priority Mode is often times the shutter speed is too slow. The moving images in low light (live music [usually no flash/strobe]) are blurry due to shutter speed being too slow. If I understood some comments correctly some of you are able to set a shutter speed range on your camera (s). As in for example on a given frame = 1/80 min to 1/4000 max. As far as I know I do not have that option on any of the cameras I have (Sony A7 iii, Sony A900, Sony A6400, and Sony A6000). thank you

I use full auto often. especially with events. My alternative is to set a manual exposure and to adjust the shutter as needed. Auto is especially useful out of doors for events if the light keeps changing - so sun in and out of the clouds.

HELLO STAN! I really enjoyed your video and what you do! Recently took your advice and did an experiment, we shoot with an Olympus E-500 with External Flash 1/250 f.8 at 400 ISO. EV Compensation is +2 points. Picture was nice, the Histogram showed image exposed properly! Did the same experiment with Auto ISO and the picture came out dark! So in my situation where we Photograph Rock Bands that are pretty much stationary with a little bit of movement by the drummer and colored LCD Stage Lights everywhere! Manual 400 ISO is the preferred setting!

Thank you it sounds simple the way you have described it but I still can’t get the numbers into my head everyone explains differently ,I have watched lots of videos ,maybe I am just to old being over 70 I am practising with av but still have a lot of blurred photos maybe I need a try pod. I don’t want to do a lot of photography it’s just I bought a Pentax years ago a k500 which possibly wasn’t the right choice, but it fit my hands well to grip onto I always used auto but because it’s winter. I had a lot of time on my hands and decided to start to learn to do it in Manual mode, but found that there was too many parameters so tried p and now av Thanks 😊

Shutter Priority of fixed 1/180 shutter speed, Auto ISO, Auto White Balance, and variable exposure compensation setting for fast action models in an indoor fashion show with uneven ambient lighting on the catwalk, or ever changing light effects. For me, the transition between dim/ low lighting to bright indoor lighting with sports fast moving subjects will be best compensated by this combination of semi-automatic settings (off flash/ no flash used).

I use manual all the time and set my iso to auto this way I control the shutter and aperture and allow the camera to adjust the iso to get the correct exposure

Very well explained a must to see for all photographers. However, I didn't hear ' auto iso minimum shutter speed' mentioned. I also use Sony cameras and use this setting in conjunction with aperture priority all of the time. This can alter the sensitivity for setting the shutter speed relative to the focal length of the lens for hand holding without blur for still and for fast action. Program this to a button for a quick response when conditions change, ond set a mode on the mode dial for a longer change.

From a professional PJ that has shot anything and everything, and often on the same day: Pros shoot manual or aperture priority. Either full control or if shutter speed is not a concern, depth of field control. Auto mode and program modes mean giving up all control (and results in very boring photos). Shutter priority means giving up creative control of DOF. Again, resulting in boring photos. Auto ISO is also a no-go as this can create different looks from shot to shot (noise levels, and depending on camera, color shifts from ISO to ISO) making editing a hassle and batch editing impossible. Set a reasonable ISO for the situation and work with it. Being a pro is all about consistency and consistent outcomes.

Can I give a shout-out for shooting manual BUT with auto ISO set if your camera will allow it (my Nikon will)? You can then set both the aperture and the shutter speed as you think appropriate and let the camera take care of the ISO. Unless you're one of those photographers who stick to ISO 100 it really frees you up. Either set the max ISO to whatever you're OK with or set it to something insane and just keep an eye on it.

I can shoot in manual mode but usually only do it for Astro photography, OR if it’s a low light area and I want a specific look that the camera’s computer doesn’t auto do. Other than that I think aperture priority is best

9:10 Don't forget, in those bright daylight situations, if you want a slow shutter speed (e.g., for silky-looking waterfalls), and the aperture won't close down any further, and the ISO is at its lowest possible setting, you can still prevent overexposure with the appropriate neutral density (ND) filter. Why these aren't just built in to stills or hybrid cameras (especially for video where shutter speed should usually be a constant double-the-frame-rate, or 180 degree, setting) is beyond me.

Right on. I like my camera to work as well as the best running shoes of my 82-year life: The ASICS Gel Moro of the late 1990s. You don't know you're wearing them; all your attention is on the run.

When I shoot in a studio, I shoot manual becasue I am controlling the lighting. When I shoot outdoors or at an event, I choose a priority mode. E.g., aperture priority if I want to maintain the same depth of field whatever shutter speed the camera picks. Took a while for me to realize that.

For future videos - can you show us how you film, and get that onto / into your editing software. So simple but not for a beginner 🙌🏼

I'm not a pro photographer but I normally shoot auto or aperature priority then go to to manual if I want a specific shot or effect.

I shoot with auto ISO. I set the shutter speed and aperture. Camera auto sets the ISO. This gives me creative control depending on the conditions, then bracket exposures.

A large aperture will also make your foreground blurry as well. It all depends on what youre trying to acheive.

I shoot landscape and critter photos and use Aperture mode. Typically F8 for the critters to give depth. And low F with low ISO for landscape to even out the darkness and brightness.

Good explanation. But one thing I never see addressed in these videos is the impact of Image Stabilization on minimum shutter speed selection. That is, can the 1/100th speed with a 50 mm lens be say 1/15th with a four stop IS camera?

8:24 QUESTION: According to the rule if I'm using 35mm lens the shutter speed while shooting handheld should be at least 1/70. But if I'm using that lens on a crop sensor then for example on NIKON a 35mm would be an equivalent of 50mm lens (actually 35*1,5 = 52,5 but whatever). So if shooting on a crop sensor is that the focal length that should be used in that equation? So 35mm * 1,5 crop = 2x focal length which would mean that 35mm lens would still be a minimum of 1/100?

manual + auto iso is king, when doing some action, but usually full manual when doing landscapes

Summed up nicely - depends on the situation you’re in. But I’d also might add it depends on what you’re shooting with as well. For example, I shoot a lot of worship services and concerts. My first digital camera shooting those events was a Nikon D5000 and my lenses were not fast and though it was a capable camera, in those situations A and S mode were challenging. The exposures were either off or the image quality not good due the high ISO so for me manual mode was a better option. I shot manual for those events with the D5000, D300 and the Sony a6000. When I got the Sony a7ii and better lenses several years later I still shot manual yet it was largely because I was accustomed to it by then. When I got the 7s I kind of split between manual and A mode but now that I’m on the a9 it’s almost always A mode for the same events yet I will switch to manual if I run into a situation during the shoot where I think I need it. What I’m shooting with now is far more capable than my three early bodies and lenses so A mode for me isn’t a big deal it comes down to choice for whatever I’m dealing with but back then for what I was doing manual mode was a necessity. I wouldn’t necessarily say that pros always or not always shoot in manual but that they evaluate each situation they are in and make a determination on using manual mode or figuring they can get away without it - depending on the creativity of course.

"full auto is useful for beginners" Yes, beginners like Magnum photographer Martin Parr ;) My old omd emt mk1's aperture priority and shutter speed priority don't work anymore, so I shoot only in manual. I absolutely love it. I've got so quick at setting the camera including manual focusing that I hardly even think about what I'm doing. With mirrorless cameras you can see pretty much what the shot will look like before shooting, and you always have the exp comp. readout internally to show if you're too far under or over. I do wish I could set auto iso though for 'street'.

First camera was a Zenith-E, in the 70's. Although cameras these days are pretty smart in assisting photographers, I still prefer to take control of everything. If you understand how to read light and know what depth of field you want instinctively, I see no point in letting my camera decide for me. Auto ISO set to 3200 may be an argument but if a camera has good IS and IS in the lens, then frankly keep the ISO low (unless you are aiming to add grain naturally) and use that technology on the lowest ISO setting.

I can smell a little bit of bs in that title.

You know Stan, I was going to pass by, but thought, heh, lets give the guy minutes at least. Well, I stayed to the end. You did such a great job explaining all this.

The best mode I recently discovered on my Canon R5 is FV (Flexible). Now it's my go-to mode for most things.

Thanks for this. Well done. Been out of any sort of serious photography for a while because I travel a lot and don't want to haul gear around BUT 2 days ago I bought a Sony A 6400 c/w the 18-135 mm OSS kit lens. I'm carrying one lens only and this lens seems like a decent "do all" with certain limitations. So after shooting the same subject indoors with the same natural light at the same distance in Auto, then AP, then SP, with this lens, (auto WB and ISO) the Auto shot was crap and the AP and SP were far better. Years ago I shot mostly in AP mode and after watching this video and shooting this comparison I believe I'll go back to this. Now, to answer your question. My next issue is the myriad of auto focus functions available. So many. What do they do? When do I use them? Will my wife divorce me when her tea cup is in focus and her face isn't? This inquiring mind wants to know. Keep up the good work.

I'm a pro and I shoot exclusively in manual mode. I make all decisions and the only decision my camera makes is the white balance and the initial exposure metering

I started digital back in 2006 using P mode then 10 years later I went to Av mode..every once in a while M mode, now this year I am starting M mode with auto iso

The exposure is the exposure is the exposure! How you get to it doesn't really matter. For each situation, based on lighting and artistic intent, there is only one "right" exposure. Whether you are adjusting exposure in manual mode or in aperture priority, shutter priority, auto ISO, flexible (Canon) priority or something else, you are doing exposure compensation. Unless we are following the meter blindly 100%, which is rarely the "correct" exposure, we are doing exposure compensation. Where we start from doesn't matter. Where we end up does! In doing fast action photography, I generally like to start where I can get to where I need to be in as few steps as possible.

Will this still work when shooting in a studio setting? I'm learning things as I'm growing to love photography!

I mainly shoot in Manual with auto ISO turned on, then it’s a case of making sure the correct meter Matrix is used. Also, the rule of shutter speed x2 the focal length doesn’t hold true to the higher pixel count camera’s. As when zooming in to 1:1 compared to a smaller megapixel count camera, you will notice more blur. I usually do 2.5x minimum to be on the safe side, although IBIS can help if it’s available.

THANKS FOR TAKING US BACK TO BASICS! :)

I normally shoot in auto ISO and sometimes in aperture priority. Great video!

Fotografy is art, do not depend what mode or possiblity of camera you use. Important is only result - perfect picture. It mean do not be nesesery sharp or colour thru it do not mean art.

Thanks for sharing these excelent and very clear explanations!

Hey Stan, great vid and overview. Thanks! I see you're shooting Sony cams, but with Canon DSLR and my latest ML R6 Mark II, when in PROGRAM mode with ISO set to Auto when you dial in your ideal combo of Aperture and Shutter Speed, then use the Exposure Compensation, the camera DOES NOT change Shutter Speed or Aperture - just ISO - I like to use Program mode for this reason, I can manually adjust exposure with affecting the aperture or shutter speed - just keeping an eye on the ISO to my preference. I imagine the Sony will do this, too?

The only thing I'm not understanding about this is if the shutter speed drops below 60 won't there be camera shake during portraits which means unfocused photos? I definitely do not want to use a tripod for portrait photos