Going manual ?

Do you mean this thread?

https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/topic/favorite-mode-and-why--13520

K10D/K20D: Av mode when using more modern lenses or older screw mount lenses. Manual mode when using K or M series lenses, or when using the camera on a tripod (light coming through the viewfinder messes up the exposure on auto unless you cover it up). In Av mode I shoot, check histogram, reshoot if necessary.

LX/ES I use Av most of the time with BW film, but manual with slide film.

ME Super: manual most of the time as I am usually using slide film and Av usually underexposes a little.

Horseman. Spotmeter and the zone system although I am still trying to get my head around the "beyond the zone system" incident metering method.

Cheers, Kris.

That's the one John. I thought it was a poll. Obviously it wasn't.

I use Av or P, although obviously I go to M if I'm using an old lens. Thing is, while you're fiddling in manual you can easily miss a shot, hence leaving it set to P most of the time.

Like most here, I find I will use Av most of the time unless I'm using an older lens.

Using Manual does mean you have more to think about but you are in complete control. Course tutors probably like everyone to use manual as It tends to reinforce the technical learning, by putting you in total control your understanding of the technicalities will be greater.

Once you have got the idea of how things are controlled, you can hand over some of the work to the camera but the understanding of what it is doing allows you to concentrate on the non-technical part of making an the image.

I have to say that although it seems a little perverse to use Manual only when you have a modern camera, it's a darn good learning tool, and Techno can only gain from the experience.

G

It's a lot more useful than the new Sony NEX-5, which has apparently discarded apertures in favour of a "background defocusing" setting.

Does it have a 'motion freezing' setting too?

Yes - with automatic de-frost...

When you have had to look up at the sky and think hmmm 50th of a sec at f8 and then set this on the camera,having a through the lens exposure meter makes you think who would want auto exposure. Yes I do more than 90% manual, for one reason I love against the light shots which often fool the Auto Exposure, but also once you get used to it it is so easy, keep up the good work keep learning to do it Manually.

Bill

If the lighting is pretty constant (sunny, cloudy day or with flash) I use manual, I simply press the green button which I've adjust that it works like "instant" Av mode and so I've a good bases and take a photo at that setting and look at the histogram and than adjust it to that.
Most of my photos look a bit over exposed but aren't clipped, I do that because I shoot raw and you get the most out of your photo then.
Also I don't adjust to shadows, only if the whole photos is one shadow..

If light changes so sunny day with clouds or if I walk inside and out and have window light to deal with and not in the other shot I simply use Av.

For lenses I would just AF if you find that it works well, luckily many modern pentax lenses have quick-shift so you can adjust if needed.

OK - well thanks a lot for your views

They have made sense and I'm certainly not losing anything by shooting manually [ which is what I thought ] in as much as it will make me appreciate what the camera normally will do for me

I'm not going to get in a twist about this

I'll keep on practising shooting manually - but when I'm out and about I'll probably use Av most of the time - depending on the situation of course

That's the crux of it - you're in charge of the camera, it does what you tell it to. You've got flexibility to use any mode you like, according to your circumstances.

I was tempted to say "I shoot in manual all the time and also like to tie both hands behind my back and wear an eyepatch". Obviously manual settings are useful and in some cases they are the only option. It's also useful to practice this way to gain an understanding of the settings. However, I don't see the point in making things harder for yourself where there isn't a benefit.

Some people are used to it or prefer it. Fine.

Some people prefer to take advantage of the camera's technical wizardry (and use Av mode etc). Also fine.

What I don't like is when people try and push their self-imposed limitations on others. There is a breed of snob out there that believes you're less of a photographer if you shoot in anything other than manual. Nonesense...

Personally I use Av most of the time. I'll switch to shutter priority if the situation demands and I also use manual on occassion. I don't think I've used full auto more than a couple of times to see what it did when I got it out of the box.

Just forgot the best thing about shooting manual in constant lighting, you can batch process photos so you can work on 5 or more photos in one time since they need the same basic adjustments.
For example I just did 118 photos in less then 30 minutes and I'm now busy with another shoot but the camera was set on M also but with P-TTL flash so exposure is different per shot and that are 205 photos in total, I'm now at photo 30 in the same time