Manual Mode


billy49

New Member
Aug 31, 2010
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Hello


i am currently using cannon 550D and for the past year, i have been using flash off mode, night potriat mode, etc. however, i have always wanted to learn how to use the manual mode. but i do not know how to control the shutter speed, aperture and ISO. any of you out there able to provide me with some guidence?
 

think there's a article somewhere in the forum...u might wanna look up on it
or google also can
 

You should only use Manual Mode when you clearly understand the Exposure Triangle: Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed.
 

all settings for manual mode will varies greatly depending on what u shooting ( moving object, stationary, etc) as well as u're shooting condition (indoor, outdoor, etc....)
So its very difficult to give pointers on such topic....
 

You better of try one of the semi-auto modes ( Aperture or Shutter Priority ) if you are unsure...
 

so like i sort of focus aperture and Shutter speed first then ISO
 

you can try using P mode first and see how ISO interacts with the other 3 values, then learn how to use exposure compensation +/- EV. then move on to Av and Tv modes.
 

so like i sort of focus aperture and Shutter speed first then ISO

Focus has nothing to do with exposure.
Start reading here and have your camera manual at hand to check how and where to adjust the parameters mentioned here.
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309544
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=206981
could TS referring the "focus" as in "paying attention to"
 

Hello


i am currently using cannon 550D and for the past year, i have been using flash off mode, night potriat mode, etc. however, i have always wanted to learn how to use the manual mode. but i do not know how to control the shutter speed, aperture and ISO. any of you out there able to provide me with some guidence?

Read your manual first. Learn to understand your in-camera exposure meter. That will be the most important thing. Then, you need to understand how aperture works and when you want a large/small one, as well as shutter speed (when do you need it long, when short) then you can use ISO to balance it all out.

In many cases, using the in-built scenes will give you a good start to understanding what settings the camera uses for what scenario, and use that as a starting point.
 

could TS referring the "focus" as in "paying attention to"
Possible. But since TS is very unfamiliar with a lot of technical terms I felt it necessary to highlight this.
 

Leave ISO to auto. I assumed you know how to do that. You can set ISO to be at 100 if you want to and readjust if the require exposure time is too long and causes blur.

1. Select 'M' mode
2. use the control dial turn left or right to select the shutter speedyou want.
3. Press and HOLD the top most button to the right of LCD screen, now the control dial controls the aperture.

PLay with the values. When you half press the shutter the meter

| iiii|iii |iii | iii |
-2 -1 0 +1 +2

will show you the exposure. at 0 means correctly exposed. (usually it is accurate but may not be what you like at times) +2 is overexposed , -2 is under exposed.
 

It is good that you want to learn more on manual mode. I would suggest taking small steps at a time. Manual mode is normally used for difficult lighting situation and where the photographer wants to control the exposure to create an effect. For most general photography, Aperture and Shutter priority (Av, Tv) is sufficient. You can still control the exposure by using exposure compensation - to brighten shadows or darken highlights.

Like what Diavonex says, you need to understand the interaction between Aperture, Shutter speed and ISO. The good thing about digital cameras is that you can experiment at no-cost. Get a book on exposure from the library, set up a still life composition and try out the various settings to see how the images comes up with the different settings.
 

Leave ISO to auto. I assumed you know how to do that. You can set ISO to be at 100 if you want to and readjust if the require exposure time is too long and causes blur.

1. Select 'M' mode
2. use the control dial turn left or right to select the shutter speedyou want.
3. Press and HOLD the top most button to the right of LCD screen, now the control dial controls the aperture.

PLay with the values. When you half press the shutter the meter

| iiii|iii |iii | iii |
-2 -1 0 +1 +2

will show you the exposure. at 0 means correctly exposed. (usually it is accurate but may not be what you like at times) +2 is overexposed , -2 is under exposed.
then theres no different from using P mode :/
 

then theres no different from using P mode :/

Thats not true, in P mode, the camera wants to maintain the exposure that the meters tells it and will compensate on the other parameters when you increase/decrease any parameter (aka "Program Shift"). The metered exposure is also dependent on the metering mode (Matrix/Spot/Center Weighted). In manual, the meter serves as a reference but you get to adjust all settings that you desire. In this sense they are different. ;)
 

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but what he's doing is looking at the meter and adjusting values, wouldn't exposure compensation or using Av and Tv be an easier solution? i would think of using manual as overriding the in camera exposure in certain situations like ensuring the exposure stays constant or using off camera flashes/strobes :)
 

but what he's doing is looking at the meter and adjusting values, wouldn't exposure compensation or using Av and Tv be an easier solution? i would think of using manual as overriding the in camera exposure in certain situations like ensuring the exposure stays constant or using off camera flashes/strobes :)

You're right about the consistency part, not only for strobes, it can be applied for a variety of situations, including panoramas.

will show you the exposure. at 0 means correctly exposed. (usually it is accurate but may not be what you like at times) +2 is overexposed , -2 is under exposed.

Zenix84 actually mentioned that the meter would not suggest readings that we prefer everytime. It really depends on how the user chooses to adjust the settings with reference to the meter readouts. If user follows meter readings all time it will be like what you mentioned. :)
 

Forgot to mention, Exposure Compensation (+/-EV) does not impact the settings in manual mode, however it does impact the meter reading. EV compensation also works in Program Mode.

Huh? There is no such thing as exposure compensation in manual mode. You compensate for yourself.