Technology in cameras

Don Stauffer in Minnesota wrote:
...with a good camera you can pick
and choose which technical aids are appropriate for the shot you are
taking. That is why many folks like a camera which allows manual
modes as options.

The unexpected benefit of a D200 over D70 was much more that can be adjusted manually more easily with many more buttons & knobs. I don't use that many but am glad the ones I want are there... perhaps a little super-glue & whiteout would help. Everything shows in the viewfinder too.

Personally, I like auto exposure but very seldom use autofocus. I do
not trust the tiny little computer in the camera to decide what it is
I want to focus on, and I find it easier to focus myself than move
things around to get the edge of the subject in one of those little
focus reticle marks.

I use an SLR because it allows me better manual focus.

Yep, I autofocus more than half the time: a little flick of the left fingers without looking switches that on & off for most lenses. I have many favorite manual lenses. Stopped down, you don't notice much but yes it does still matter.

Even with auto exposure I still like to be able to set aperture
manually (aperture preferred exposure). I can let the camera decide
how long to make the exposure. As long as the camera is on a tripod,
I don't care how long the exposure is.

Very seldom do I do a complete manual exposure.

Yep, I choose the aperture & watch the shutter.
It keeps life simple :-)

Manual is useful for consistent exposure but is seldom faster than auto with exposure compensation & chimping. I do fiddle with the exposure on probably half my shots, that was almost my only trick on the P&S. I learned on a Canon AE1 with a meter where you centered the needle with the aperture ring & shutter wheel. The new metering & stuff is usually spot on but I do check & adjust, still throwing the meter away is not a consideration.

I do wish there was a button to switch into manual mode with the current settings, do other cameras have that?

I use the various pre-programmed exposure types very little.

Never here. I did shoot in auto for several months moving from a P&S to DSLR.

There are times, however, when I use either auto or even programmed
exposure when things are changing rapidly. I even use auto focus
occasionally. At least for the wide to normal focal length lens. The
longer focal length lens I bought does not autofocus, so I obviously
don't use it for long shots.

For wildlife or sports or something fast moving like that, autofocus can do amazing things these days. I have a 70-200/2.8 VR AF-S and it's great at that. The 300/2.8 manual Tokina is real tough to follow a hawk swooping by not impossible though I'd sure rather have AF as an option if cash was endless. I also have an archaic Century 500mm f/4.5 which is almost completely hopeless for tracking birds: it takes several muscular full-body-motion arm cranks to run the length of the focus. I did manage to get reasonably OK shots of hang gliders by focusing & waiting for them to cross the plane of focus. It is great for birds sitting on branches, if I had a $10K lens I'd turn off the AF with a flick of my fingers in that situation (after using the AF to get me in the ballpark).

So, in summary, having some of those technical aids is okay as long as
I have the option not to use them. But none of the technology helps
composition.

Bigger better viewfinders & focusing screens would help some.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

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