Shooting DSLR in Auto Mode = wasted ?

[rhino123]

Canon provide and Nikon don't have?

You have been asking if Nikon provide free lesson or not... and up till now not many people would know... and instead of waiting and asking and asking and asking in this forum, why don't you just simply pick up your phone and call Nikon Singapore up and ask. And don't ask why Canon, Sony or which ever brand (I think Olympus also provide free training) provide free training and Nikon don't (plus this is an assumption, whereby you wouldn't know until you call).

As to your previous question on theory behind bokeh... a simple google search with the word 'Bokeh' will yield great number of results. Plus Kei, Rashkae and myself have been writing quite abit on the bokeh 'theories' even in this thread.

Plus... this had been very very derailed from the original topic. Can we just get back to topic and forget about if Nikon provide lesson or not.

 

[steventay]

Cool 7D user.

Last week saw one girl sling a 7D camera with lens attach on the neck and takin bus, the camera knock here knock there.

I suppose the 7D is not her.

I see the camera heart pain.

 

[Shizuma]

aye don't hijack me thread matey. shiver me timbers and all that.
let's not discuss people bashing their cameras unless bashing in auto or full manual

 

[kane-rulez]

aye don't hijack me thread matey. shiver me timbers and all that.
let's not discuss people bashing their cameras unless bashing in auto or full manual

umm the 7D was in auto mode thus it was getting knocked here and there ;-)

 

[kei1309]

Cool 7D user.

Last week saw one girl sling a 7D camera with lens attach on the neck and takin bus, the camera knock here knock there.

I suppose the 7D is not her.

I see the camera heart pain.

don't go off-topic. start your own thread if you want to talk about something else.

 

[catchlights]

one more OT post from you and I will move all your posts to KPT, make a "monologue of steventay" thread, you can talk to yourself all day long and nobody will bother you.

 

[Shizuma]

I'm going to shoot full auto and P today. stay tuned

 

[chillicutter]

Hi sempais and seniors,

Sometimes, I see people shooting DSLR in auto mode. Do you think it's 'wasteful' to do so ?
(of course certainly everyone has the right to enjoy their camera no matter what format or type...)

Sometimes I see very expensive gear being shot in auto to commemorate events , kids at playground (shot by mummy/daddy, etc). I wonder if it's "overkill"? Convenience? or is photography about enjoying the moment and capturing, or just shooting nice artistic photos out of the green box ?

if there were a scratch head icon here I'd put it in. but there isn't so please use your imagination.

Personally, I feel that having a Auto mode is a good. It gives you more option. I wouldn't say shooting in Auto is wasting anything and I find it convenient at times.

For example, when I am taking pictures of my friends and my friend wanted to take a photo of me but was worried that he/she is not competant to use the camera. This is where the green box comes in. Switch to Auto and pass to the person and ask him/her to point and shoot and it barely goes wrong.

 

[eleveninth]

any mode is good as long as you get the shot.

 

[fmeeran]

any mode is good as long as you get the shot.

+1

But please do know what the mode does. A friend of mine used macro mode with his hamster and the camera auto enabled flash scaring the rodent to an inch of its life.

 

[Shizuma]

I'm going to shoot full auto and P today. stay tuned

It was pretty good shooting in the daytime - ok enough exposure, etc.

Then, I went indoors at 5pm (partially sunset) inside a church (site visit - I do decorations for weddings, including for churches) .
Lights could not be switched on [uh ohhhh ]. No time for tripod (since i am not supposed to be a photographer but the decorator heh).
I shot in P mode
Mounted my cheapo external flash, white card out (for ceiling bounce and fill...) -- severely underexposed while shooting down the aisles.
Altar piece (1 meter distance) :: harsh flash. (no flash modifiers)

summary: I suck. I suck even more in auto/P modes. (but I did not do any program shift to wider aperture values either, so as not to 'cheat' in shooting P/Auto. I probably deserved it.)

 

[catchlights]

It was pretty good shooting in the daytime - ok enough exposure, etc.

Then, I went indoors at 5pm (partially sunset) inside a church (site visit - I do decorations for weddings, including for churches) .
Lights could not be switched on [uh ohhhh ]. No time for tripod (since i am not supposed to be a photographer but the decorator heh).
I shot in P mode
Mounted my cheapo external flash, white card out (for ceiling bounce and fill...) -- severely underexposed while shooting down the aisles.
Altar piece (1 meter distance) :: harsh flash. (no flash modifiers)

summary: I suck. I suck even more in auto/P modes. (but I did not do any program shift to wider aperture values either, so as not to 'cheat' in shooting P/Auto. I probably deserved it.)

you need to set your camera to slow sync, if not, the camera will lock at 1/60s when it detected flash is using, but you still will need a tripod.

 

[kei1309]

It was pretty good shooting in the daytime - ok enough exposure, etc.

Then, I went indoors at 5pm (partially sunset) inside a church (site visit - I do decorations for weddings, including for churches) .
Lights could not be switched on [uh ohhhh ]. No time for tripod (since i am not supposed to be a photographer but the decorator heh).
I shot in P mode
Mounted my cheapo external flash, white card out (for ceiling bounce and fill...) -- severely underexposed while shooting down the aisles.
Altar piece (1 meter distance) :: harsh flash. (no flash modifiers)

summary: I suck. I suck even more in auto/P modes. (but I did not do any program shift to wider aperture values either, so as not to 'cheat' in shooting P/Auto. I probably deserved it.)

if you understand exposure and how P and Auto modes work, then you'll be able to get the shot you need based on whatever parameters are available to you when using said modes.

 

[TWmilkteaTW]

Come to think of it..composition of photo can be more critical at times than what mode its shoot at.
If you shoot well in other mode..but composition is just weird or off..the picture dont look good too.

Then again when using AUTO mode...the way you compose your shot will affect what mode the AUTO will choose too. (so...it still need some skills sometimes. lol)

 

[Shizuma]

if you understand exposure and how P and Auto modes work, then you'll be able to get the shot you need based on whatever parameters are available to you when using said modes.

thanks sempai! I would love to hear your advice on how I can game the auto mode green box in overcast sky dark church interior. ie how to control exposure in auto mode, considering the only control I had at that time (or anytime when using auto mode) is pressing shutter button?
(does exposure lock work? focus on super dark place and lock exposure in auto mode? my manual suggested that in green box my modest body is only capable of pure auto

 

[Octarine]

thanks sempai! I would love to hear your advice on how I can game the auto mode green box in overcast sky dark church interior. ie how to control exposure in auto mode, considering the only control I had at that time (or anytime when using auto mode) is pressing shutter button? (does exposure lock work? focus on super dark place and lock exposure in auto mode? my manual suggested that in green box my modest body is only capable of pure auto

Auto is Auto.. you stop thinking and let the camera do the rest. As soon as you notice that you are not happy with what the cam decides you need to change to a different mode for exposure, focusing, flash exposure etc...
As a starting point: do understand exposure, metering and focusing in daylight. Only of you grasp this, then you cam start with flash - because now the rules will change a bit. More about Canon and Flash: Flash Photography with Canon EOS Cameras - Part I.

 

[kei1309]

thanks sempai! I would love to hear your advice on how I can game the auto mode green box in overcast sky dark church interior. ie how to control exposure in auto mode, considering the only control I had at that time (or anytime when using auto mode) is pressing shutter button?
(does exposure lock work? focus on super dark place and lock exposure in auto mode? my manual suggested that in green box my modest body is only capable of pure auto

i find that the half-press to AF-lock and AE-lock works most of the time. just to lock and re-compose. but it varies across different brands and cameras. you might want to ask someone who's using the same brand and model that you're using.

 

[dennisc]

a pure auto hp cam/p&s shooting in pitch dark church? can 1 fire extinguisher douse forest fire? There are limitations, no cam can capture light when there is none, and there is no way to control low light in auto mode, that's the point of learning manual or at least half manual, unless say you mount it on tripod, might just be able to shoot a little clearer, but then again it depends on where the light sources are and ambience, bla bla best is get a new camera and read the basics!

 

[Shizuma]

not to worry, I am versed in exposure.
ideally I should get the lights on, use a fast lens (didn't select nifty fifty ) , a tripod, shoot in aperture mode or manual mode, and use a tripod.

but the experiment was to shoot in pure auto or program mode. most importantly anyway I got my reference shots for my own use, on how the layout was and the critical points without keeping my client waiting too long. (so indeed a lousy shot is better than no shot )

 

[steventay]

i try auto mode using viewfinder.. seem not bad.

how come if use live view take photo, it is slower than using viewfinder.

i try using P, S, A mode... picture take in auto better