Damien Demolder

(Tharg the Mighty)

12/07/2008 14:42

Poll - who's in control?

This week's poll is about how much control you have over your pictures, and whether it is you or the camera that determines the outcome. You might shoot with everything set to manual, or shoot in raw to deal with control later. If you shoot in auto anything, is it because you don't know how to do it yourself, or you trust the camera to make the right choices or so you can free your mind for more creative matters?

I wonder if it is important to have control, and whether having control gives you more ownership of the resultant picture. Maybe nothing matters except for the look of the final image, rather than how it came about.

Let us know what you think, and tell us who wears the trousers in your photography. Go to the Amateur Photographer home page to vote.

Thanks

Damien

(Action Man!)

12/07/2008 14:54

Re: Poll - who's in control?

It's a joint effort

I use manual on the camera most of the time. Flash is usually in auto mode as auto with flash exposure compensation seems to allow finer control of flash output than manual.

(Sasquatch)

12/07/2008 16:34

Re: Poll - who's in control?

The camera is just the beginning as far as I'm concerned. Always set to RAW, usually Aperture Priority but maybe with Some degree of exposure control set in. White balance is usually left to auto but I try to include a white balance card in my initial pic and use that in Capture One to dial in what I want afterwards. Otherwise I might set a custom white balance beforehand.

I always tend to crop most of my pics to 5x4 format so I'm not bothered about framing 100%. My camera is just a tool at the end of the day.

When I was using film then sometimes framing was an issue as I often printed full frame using a filed out neg carrier so as to get a natural border. With digi that's not necessary (as well as not available lol).

There are times I get really frustrated with my dSLR - when I press the shutter button and the camera decides it doesn't want to release as there is a focus issue. No idea why - pain having to stick it in manual and maybe miss a pic opportunity. Suppose it is an oldie digi so I guess I have to give an take.

(Going potty)

12/07/2008 16:50

Re: Poll - who's in control?

I've gone with joint effort...

When all my cameras were manual and film I'd say I thought I was in control (self delusion, theres nowt like it....

) but now I have automated and digital I do find myself letting the camera get on with it more than is probably sensible - though I still manfully wrest control back from time to time.......

(Marvin)

12/07/2008 17:13

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Quote:

or you trust the camera to make the right choices

Nope, I trust automatics to make wrong choices. They make things more difficult for me because I end up thinking about fooling the automatics into getting the effect I want instead of just taking the picture. I understand manual settings and it's much easier to me to set the camera in such a way that when it doesn't work it's my fault and I can do something about it.

Quite a lot of the images I make, I'm so far outside the design parameters of the camera that the automatics stand no chance at all anyway.

(Dead Horse Flogger)

12/07/2008 17:13

Re: Poll - who's in control?

I feel that I have control over the camera. It may make the initial reading of a scene but I set the aperture I want and any compensation I feel is required. I shoot in raw. I then have control through to the finished result.

(Made-it Man)

12/07/2008 17:54

Re: Poll - who's in control?

I use program mode (sometimes aperture priority) and always raw. Unless you guess or use another meter for the exposure calculation then you are using the camera metering anyway so why not use all the camera's computing power?

Anyway my camera knows what sort of lens I have on so in program mode it chooses very appropriate shutter or aperture settings. For example with a macro lens it’ll always try to give as small an aperture as feasible and conversely with a telephoto it’ll try for short shutter speeds as far as possible. Not much point in me trying to better it - most of the time.

(Carpal \'Tunnel)

12/07/2008 19:17

Re: Poll - who's in control?

I'm generally happy for the camera to make most of the decisions. I'll check mthe results (via histogram) on the display just to make sure it's getting it about right and most of the time it does. Most of the time, I stay in P mode and adjust to get the shutter speed or aperture I'm after if I disagree with the camera's idea.

However, I'm equally happy turning the dial or pressing the buttons to get as much control as possible back, although with digital, so many of the decisions are beyond user control anyway!

(Pooh-bah Hoo-ha)

12/07/2008 19:27

Re: Poll - who's in control?

I choose when to get the camera out. I choose what's in the frame and what's not. I choose the point of focus and the depth of field. I choose either the aperture or the shutter speed. The camera chooses the exposure. It generally gets it right but, if not, I dial in some exposure compensation. I think that makes it 6-1 to me being in charge.

With film I generally shot in manual mode but, with digital, the aim is no longer correct exposure, it's optimum exposure, so I think it makes sense to let the camera have its say about this - after all, with multi-segment metering, it's usually pretty good at picking out the highlights and putting them on the right-hand side of the histogram.

(I can pan!)

12/07/2008 19:48

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Manual man here.I very rarely use automatic modes. Including when using my flashguns.

(Hinkypuff)

12/07/2008 20:53

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Mmmm I'd say 75% of the time I use Av. The rest if the time if it doesnt look right (or if Im aiming for something non-standard eg twilight) I switch to manual and do it myself. I always use the cameras metering and adapt myself from there.

I always choose my own ISO and I dont remember the last time I used auto.

(Hotshoe Shuffler)

13/07/2008 02:44

Re: Poll - who's in control?

As always it depends what type of photography I am doing.

When using a tripod I will almost always shoot manually, carefully framing the image in live view and repeating the shot till I am satisfied with the result

Off tripod I normally use one of the auto settings, occasionally dialing in exposure compensation.

I always shoot raw + JPG, taking the JPG into photoshop, but falling back onto the raw version if I think I can improve the auto conversion result. That gives me the best of both worlds.

('Two Breakfasts')

13/07/2008 08:33

Re: Poll - who's in control?

For years I used manual film cameras with a hand-held incident/spot meter but since January I've been using a dSLR with a good built-in meter. Most of the time I used it on evaluative metering in Av and can trust the meter to give me a good starting exposure and decide whether I need any compensation.

(enthusiast)

13/07/2008 10:44

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Thanka to the SPI course im on, and excellent advice ive been given by Gary, I am quickly learning to take control. Auto every thing dosen't always cut it!

(A whiff of silicon...)

13/07/2008 10:49

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Much the way I do it.
AV is my walk about setting. If I think there may be a problem or special consideration to take into account, I take charge.

as I use raw all the time, I have some further options in post processing.

I am always in charge... My camera is simply my intelligent slave, that can do a lot on its own but needs to be directed at times.

(member)

13/07/2008 19:08

Re: Poll - who's in control?

I shoot in RAW with the camera set to aperture priority 95% of the time, so there is a bit of both I guess. I occasionally get lazy with the auto focus and pay the price by having an in focus background with the subject not really sharp - must get back in control

I actually enjoy photography more using my old film cameras which don't have auto focus, although I prefer using the semi automatic exposure on my Pentax ME Super to the fully manual Pentax MX.

(I'm 'Special'...)

14/07/2008 14:12

Re: Poll - who's in control?

I'm in control cos i'm the one who puts the camera in auto mode

Well with the quality of today,s digis and the fact that i never print stuff out who needs manual?

(Rain Kat)

14/07/2008 18:32

Re: Poll - who's in control?

When using an SLR/DSLR I'll always shoot manual in raw with manual white balance. That way I can decide if I need to give a scene more or less exposure than the meter suggests. Using a compact I'll usually set it to AV as I've found manual controls on compacts more fiddly. If using the Holga I just point it in the general direction and hope for the best

(I'm 'Special'...)

14/07/2008 19:12

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Quote:

If using the Holga I just point it in the general direction and hope for the best

Lol that made my laugh. All this technology to get a perfect exposure and you get acceptable results with a Holga! Love it! I should use my zenith like that,if i could get it to work.

(newbie)

14/07/2008 21:15

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Always manual!

RAW if I'm shooting digital. If I'm shooting BW film, then sunny 16 or standard presets that I use for shooting particular subjects eg concerts/shows. There's plenty of latitude in BW film emulsions. I just worry about framing and timing.

Charlie

(Kein Titel)

14/07/2008 22:44

Re: Poll - who's in control?

I'm in control. Full stop. Apart from the time when the camera is on the wrong settings. But, luckily, there's either:

a) Photoshop to remedy the obvious or
b) an attempt to make it look like it was intentional, eg art.

()

14/07/2008 23:01

Re: Poll - who's in control?

I have checked this out and several respected sources have confirmed that.....

....its...

......Lech KACZYNSKI

Graeme

(Pooh-Bah)

15/07/2008 08:29

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Manual exposure here. I don't trust matrix/evaluative meters much so stick with centre weighted and adjust as I feel is appropriate. Depending on what I'm shooting (and more likely depending on the lens used - I only have 1 AF lens) I will use MF if in thoughtful mode, or AF in snap mode.

(Bulls Hitter)

15/07/2008 10:17

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Quote:

Manual exposure here. I don't trust matrix/evaluative meters much so stick with centre weighted and adjust as I feel is appropriate.

Maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't centre weighting just use the same information as matrix/evaluative metering but simply puts more emphasis on a central area of the frame?

(Pooh-bah Hoo-ha)

15/07/2008 11:18

Re: Poll - who's in control?

I've never had much faith in centre-weighted metering and jumped from spot metering with my T90 to matrix metering with my GX-10. My thinking goes like this... average metering (a one-cell matrix!) is exactly like saying that, overall, the light reaching the sensor should equate to an 18% reflectance grey card and so is unlikely to be right. On the other hand, if it were possible to meter from every pixel of the sensor, then the camera would be able to calculate optimum exposure every time (assuming that highlights would never burn out but excessive dynamic range might mean extreme shadow detail being lost). Matrix metering is just a cruder version of the previous scenario and is, in my view, certainly better-placed to get correct exposure than average or centre-weighted.

(Dead Horse Flogger)

15/07/2008 11:34

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Horses for courses. I use centre weightred nearly all the time. I find it more reliable than matrix metering.

()

15/07/2008 11:56

Re: Poll - who's in control?

If you use spot....you have to know (knowledge gained through experience of the meter) how the area outwith the spot will be exposed. If you use centre weight you have to learn how it deals with highlights...if you use matrix you have to know how it deals with your expossure. If you use a hand held meter you need to understand how the readings relate to the recorded image.

The long and short of it is that no matter what meter you use, in whatever mode you use...you need to know and be able to predict how it reads the light within your image.

Graeme

(Marvin)

15/07/2008 12:37

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Quote:

The long and short of it is that no matter what meter you use, in whatever mode you use...you need to know and be able to predict how it reads the light within your image.

^^^ WHS ^^^

And for normal photography you can cross-check against the "sunny 16 rule" just in case your meter starts playing tricks.

(Pooh-Bah)

15/07/2008 19:09

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Quote:

Quote:

Manual exposure here. I don't trust matrix/evaluative meters much so stick with centre weighted and adjust as I feel is appropriate.

Maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't centre weighting just use the same information as matrix/evaluative metering but simply puts more emphasis on a central area of the frame?

Different cameras have different patterns, but I suppose you're right. I find it easier to work with a central biased reading, as then I don't have to think about x number of areas and which one is pushing the reading up/down. When I started using a DSLR I left it on matrix (D70 and K100D) and I found that it was generally underexposing, and it was fiddlier to 'correct' than just using centre weighted.

I am not saying CW is superior to matrix, just slightly different, and more suitable for me.

(Little Buttercup)

16/07/2008 07:54

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Depends what I am shooting. Sometimes for the kids and garden I will leave the camera in auto. other times, like sports events, I will put it into shutter priority, and for buildings/architectural stuff I tend to use aperture priority. I invariably shoot in RAW + JPEG so have the option of post-processing

(Rain Kat)

19/07/2008 00:07

Re: Poll - who's in control?

Quote:

Quote:

If using the Holga I just point it in the general direction and hope for the best

Lol that made my laugh. All this technology to get a perfect exposure and you get acceptable results with a Holga! Love it! I should use my zenith like that,if i could get it to work.

I love the results I get from a Holga, not everyone's cup of tea but it's great fun and I like the unpredictability.

(Queen of the castle)

22/07/2008 23:01

Re: Poll - who's in control?

As im new to this and not had my camera for long, i did kinda let it do everything, now im begining to undrstand a little more im controling it more myself, cant say the shots have been coming out as expected but learning is fun!

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