Originally posted by Class A Many good reasons posted here but having constant exposure is not always an advantage. If bright objects may come into the scene dynamically it can be of advantage if the exposure is adjusted dynamically in order to avoid blown out areas.
True. Whether you use M or one of the more automatic modes, there wil be *some* situations where you can basically just forget about exposure shoot away, and *some* situations where you have to change some sort of setting from one shot to the next in order to get the results you want. No mode is foolproof.
I actually find the *number* of shots that require some sort of fiddling to be roughly the same regardless of mode. So it really comes down to, which mode fits the way you think so you're likely to *notice* when a shot you're about to take will require you to take some sort of action and also be able to figure out quickly how you need to react. That's why it's so personal - it has to do with what triggers *your* brain to recognize that action is required and figure out what that action should be.
Quote: I find the arguments presented here to shoot in manual very convincing (and have shot in manual a number of times myself) but there are applications for some of the automatic modes as well.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: with very few exceptions, *any* picture can be take in any *any* mode, with appropriate use of manual overrides such as exposure compensation or use of AE-L. So it really doesn't matter what mode you choose as long as you know how to squeeze the results you want out of it.
Some people really have it figured out as to which mode is going to be the most natural fit (in the sense of requiring the least amount of user intervention, mostly) for which situations, and they are able to switch their thinking from one mode to another. If you really nail it, you can probably minimize the the number of buttons you need to press if you switch modes according to situation.
Me, I'm not that smart. When I switch modes, it messes with my thinking, and I just end up making mistakes (not anticipating shots that will require intervention, not responding correctly when I do recognize action is needed) until my thinking readjusts. I do better when I stick to one mode. In the days when I didn't use manual lenses much, I was happy having that one mode be Av - and to be honest, I used Av a lot with my M lenses too (since I tended to only use M lenses when in situations where I'd want to use them wide open anyhow). It was only as I started using M lenses more - including wanting to use them stopped down - that I had to start dealing with M mode, and started realizing that switching modes wasn't working for me.
But again, it's all personal. If you can handle the change in thinking required when you change modes, great. And if you don't use M lenses, you can do just fine in Av all the time (or Tv, or P, or Sv, or TAv...). The difference between these ways of working is more about the *photographer* than about the situation - eg, none of this "hockey needs Tv, portraits need Av" BS.