How to set manual exposure in M

camera64

How do I set:
1) manual exposure in M?
2) shutter speed in Aperture priority?
3) shutter speed priority?

Thanks

ohyeahar

How to set manual exposure in M?
Rotate rear dial to adjust shutter speed.
Hold the aperture button and rotate rear dial to adjust aperture.
Best way to adjust ISO is to set your Fn button to adjust ISO sensitivity, then you can just hold the Fn button and rotate the rear dial to adjust ISO. Alternatively, you can adjust ISO using the Info menu.

How to set shutter speed in Aperture priority?
Short answer is you can’t.
This is a semi-auto mode and the camera will always try to maintain proper exposure, so you can adjust both Aperture and ISO which will in turn adjust the shutter speed. Just watch the values change in your viewfinder or the LCD.
It’s important to note that rotating rear dial in A-mode will adjust aperture rather than shutter speed.

How to set aperture in Shutter priority?
Short answer is you can’t.
Again, this is a semi-auto mode and the camera will always try to maintain proper exposure, so you can adjust both shutter speed and ISO which will in turn adjust the aperture. Just watch the values change in your viewfinder or the LCD.

It’s important to note that Aperture and Exposure compensation share the same button. The button adjusts your aperture only in M-mode. In A, S, and P modes, it adjusts your exposure compensation.

bruto

If you're working in manual mode and want to override the camera's meter, remember to go to the menu and turn off auto ISO in P,S,A and M modes. If you don't do that, then the camera will override your chosen ISO settings when the meter calls for it, and though exposure may be right, it will not necessarily be what you were looking for. If you set the ISO to change with the Fn button, as ohyeahar recommends, you'll find it becomes very quick and easy.

As noted above, since all the settings are interdependent, you can choose one - say aperture priority - and after some practice, you will be able to use your aperture and ISO adjustments to select shutter speed too. The advantage over manual mode here is that you can choose your settings but the camera will still fine tune the exposure on the fly. If a cloud comes by, it will make a little adjustment, and the shutter speeds chosen will be stepless. So, for example, if you have chosen a shot and the display says you have ISO 100, f/8 and a shutter speed of 1/250, the camera might shoot at 1/265 or some unlisted speed to get the exposure just right without really changing what you wanted. I like A mode because small variations in shutter speed are likely to be the least important, so I set ISO and aperture, and as long as the shutter speed is in the range I want, let it go.

When cameras first came out with some automation, Aperture priority was usually the mode they came with because it favors an all-mechanical lens, and the implementation is fairly straightforward. Many of us had cameras that only had M and A options, and you'll still see a lot of photographers sticking with A because it works so well and predictably.

ohyeahar

Just wanted to add to what @bruto mentioned about auto-ISO in M-mode:

M-mode with auto-ISO on is actually how my camera is set up all the time. Exposure is almost always spot on. When there are times I feel like I need to override the camera’s metering, I adjust the exposure-compensation in the Info menu. This is much quicker than going into the settings menu to toggle auto-ISO.

bruto

I can see how that works, if you're in M mode by habit, but I think it's a choice of style. I don't care for auto ISO, in part because it makes its decision invisibly, and even though most of the time it makes no difference, I prefer to know what to expect. I generally default to A mode with fixed ISO, which is what I'm used to. I go to M mode if I need to second guess the meter, and with fixed ISO I simply disobey what it calls for.

Much of the time when I am in M mode it's because I'm using a non-metering lens, and for that the auto ISO does not function anyway.

ohyeahar

I can see why auto-ISO might not be the best for D3xxx users. As you said, the camera decides what ISO to use invisibly. On the higher-end bodies, there’s a spot in the viewfinder that shows the ISO, so you can watch the ISO change as you point your camera around at differently lit areas. So it’s just like when you put it in A-mode with auto-ISO off, you point your camera around and you can see the shutter speed value change.

Anyway, to each his own. There’s no right or wrong way to go about it. For the longest time, I shot in P-mode, then I switched to A-mode for about a year. Now I’m in M-mode. I may switch to S-mode or (gasp!) Auto next.

bruto

Yes, on the D3200, and I presume the D3100 as well, the auto indicator in the VF flashes, but it does not tell you what it has chosen. In addition, on this model whatever maximum ISO you set for the Auto function is also the maximum for manual selection, but the display does not tell you this.

For example, if you want to limit auto override to 400, although you may select a higher ISO manually (and the display will show it as selected), the camera will ignore it when it shoots. I don't know which other models share this odd feature. The D7100 does not, making its auto ISO function much more useful.