When to use M or AV?


If the subject is fixed then use m mode, of not av will be better right?
its really personal preferences. I use Aperture mode most of the times.. Try out both and which works better for you.
 

I use Av (aperture priority) as my first choice.. and only switch to M mode when Av can't get the shot/capture right.
 

If the subject is fixed then use m mode, of not av will be better right?

Generally but not necessary. Imagine if you were to take a panning shot of a moving card (also know as car image with motion blur), you will require a slower shutter speed which might be easier to attentain with Shutter Priority. Though, personally, I will use M mode in this card to keep in control of the depth of field.
 

If lighting is not a problem I'll be on AV mode..mainly outdoors where the sun is bright or even overcast..i'll just bump up ISO a little to get decent shutter speed..less of a hassle when you are just walking around and wun miss any shot..when shooting events or indoors I'm on M mode so that I have complete control of everything..so that' the way I shoot!
 

Av for depth of field (blur vs sharp)
S for motion control (blur vs sharp, tripod use vs non tripod use)

M when the scene is rather static with potentially high changes in meter across the scene (eg. dynamic contrast situation) and I want to work on my composition with a fixed depth of field/ motion already determined. If things are changing all the time (eg. street), then Av or S makes more sense. Or even P.
 

In short. When there is controlled light, use M.

Non control light use AV?

Or the other way round?
 

SmOcKxY said:
If lighting is not a problem I'll be on AV mode..mainly outdoors where the sun is bright or even overcast..i'll just bump up ISO a little to get decent shutter speed..less of a hassle when you are just walking around and wun miss any shot..when shooting events or indoors I'm on M mode so that I have complete control of everything..so that' the way I shoot!

Y u increase ur iso when it's too bright? Shouldn't it be reduced?
 

I'll be attending cultural nights in suntec ballroom and convention hall.. Around 500 pipol will attend its like a dinner and dance party with some presentation or entertainment.. With these event i want to shoot photos of groups and ambiance of the place, i know i must bring flash so i will, what mode shud i must used in this type of environment.. To capture nice pictures.. Considering the main lights will be focused on the stage while the tables are a bit dark.. So i want to take photo of the performances and my bosses portraits too.. ISO likewise shud inused 1600( im using D90+tammy 17-50mm f/2.8+nissin DI622 MK2). thanks
 

In short. When there is controlled light, use M.

Non control light use AV?

Or the other way round?
Dude.. there is no best way or the right way.
Its up to you. Dont confuse yourself. Use the settings you are more familiar or comfortable with.
 

I'll be attending cultural nights in suntec ballroom and convention hall.. Around 500 pipol will attend its like a dinner and dance party with some presentation or entertainment.. With these event i want to shoot photos of groups and ambiance of the place, i know i must bring flash so i will, what mode shud i must used in this type of environment.. To capture nice pictures.. Considering the main lights will be focused on the stage while the tables are a bit dark.. So i want to take photo of the performances and my bosses portraits too.. ISO likewise shud inused 1600( im using D90+tammy 17-50mm f/2.8+nissin DI622 MK2). thanks

Hi, For sure you will be using flash mode (with TTL metering) most of the time at ISO 100/200 ,so let the camera do the work for you and you will probably enjoy the evening.For stage performance,generally flash is not allowed as it will distract the performers as well as the audience so you will have to shoot in low or available/existing light ,naturally the ISO will go high,how high that depends on the shutter speed that will give you shakefree pictures,the guideline is double the focal length of the lens you are using,eg. 50mm = 100th of a second and so on.You can either use aperture or shutter priority exposure.Of course if your lens has IS (image stabalisation,VR vibration reduction) you can go lower for shutter speed and ISO for less noise in the picture?. Good luck.:)
 

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ISO 100/200? i wonder how hard the flash gonna work, what kinda shutter speed will result from the low ISO and how much ambient light will be picked up. sure the flash can freeze motion but it can only help to a certain extent, at too low a shutter speed, you will still get blurry pictures from motion blur and or hand shake.

my advice is to use a ISO which can give you reasonable hand-holdability and use the flash as a fill light to light up the shadow areas or at most use it as the main light.

point to note, image stabilisation does give you some room to maneuver about by eliminating or lowering the risk of hand shake. but if your subject is moving, you will still need a fast enough shutter speed to prevent motion blur, or you can use a combination of flash and fast shutter speed to freeze motion.
 

tecnica said:
ISO 100/200? i wonder how hard the flash gonna work, what kinda shutter speed will result from the low ISO and how much ambient light will be picked up. sure the flash can freeze motion but it can only help to a certain extent, at too low a shutter speed, you will still get blurry pictures from motion blur and or hand shake.

my advice is to use a ISO which can give you reasonable hand-holdability and use the flash as a fill light to light up the shadow areas or at most use it as the main light.

point to note, image stabilisation does give you some room to maneuver about by eliminating or lowering the risk of hand shake. but if your subject is moving, you will still need a fast enough shutter speed to prevent motion blur, or you can use a combination of flash and fast shutter speed to freeze motion.

Use tripod then. U r right abt flash light. Hehe. I use flash light in day broad light to remove shadow.
 

ISO 100/200? i wonder how hard the flash gonna work, what kinda shutter speed will result from the low ISO and how much ambient light will be picked up. sure the flash can freeze motion but it can only help to a certain extent, at too low a shutter speed, you will still get blurry pictures from motion blur and or hand shake.

my advice is to use a ISO which can give you reasonable hand-holdability and use the flash as a fill light to light up the shadow areas or at most use it as the main light.

point to note, image stabilisation does give you some room to maneuver about by eliminating or lowering the risk of hand shake. but if your subject is moving, you will still need a fast enough shutter speed to prevent motion blur, or you can use a combination of flash and fast shutter speed to freeze motion.

Actually, flash can be very strong even at low ISO. Even the pop up with only GND 10 to 13 can give quite a strong boost (becos you can only fire direct). The problem is, I personally feel, a table shot with only the guest litted while the whole hall pitch dark dun look pleasing. Hence u need a balance with the ISO rating and flash strength to achieve sufficient ambient light while your subject are not flashed till overblown.
 

Actually, flash can be very strong even at low ISO. Even the pop up with only GND 10 to 13 can give quite a strong boost (becos you can only fire direct). The problem is, I personally feel, a table shot with only the guest litted while the whole hall pitch dark dun look pleasing. Hence u need a balance with the ISO rating and flash strength to achieve sufficient ambient light while your subject are not flashed till overblown.

He meant the ambient light... If exposure is too low, the background ambient light may not be bright enough... leaving you with dark backgrounds.

And I am confused about your use of GND?
 

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i thought choosing the right mode is rather simple...

with auto-ISO:
shoot Av to control depth-of-field (or to choose the sweet-spot of the lens for sharpness/chroma/etc.)
shoot Tv to control motion blur / freeze action
shoot M to control both of the above (auto-ISO usually takes care of exposure).

M + manual ISO to control noise in addition to all of above (now you have full control of exposure).
 

Actually, flash can be very strong even at low ISO. Even the pop up with only GND 10 to 13 can give quite a strong boost (becos you can only fire direct). The problem is, I personally feel, a table shot with only the guest litted while the whole hall pitch dark dun look pleasing. Hence u need a balance with the ISO rating and flash strength to achieve sufficient ambient light while your subject are not flashed till overblown.

precisely my point.

Litted subject with pitch dark background just doesn't cut it. You don't even know where the photo is taken.
 

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He meant the ambient light... If exposure is too low, the background ambient light may not be bright enough... leaving you with dark backgrounds.

And I am confused about your use of GND?

I think he meant gn = guide number
 

Use tripod then. U r right abt flash light. Hehe. I use flash light in day broad light to remove shadow.

You can use the most sturdy tripod in the world, or even cement your camera to the ground, but if your subject moves, you still gonna get motion blur.
 

Yah it's GN I meant, my iPod learns this new word GND and autocorrect GN silently when I wasn't paying attention :p
 

Y u increase ur iso when it's too bright? Shouldn't it be reduced?

Sorry I din explain myself clearly..with AV mode if i walk into shade or something and shutter speed becomes too slow..i'll bump up ISO a little to compensate and get a better shutter speed without affecting DOF..hope this makes it clearer! heh heh!
 

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