Shooting in Manual

fondaw16

I am going to a Photography workshop in June and we have to be accustomed to shooting in manual. I almost always shoot in av and when I try to shoot in manual, it always look out of focus. Any tips or hints on what other setting to have my 60d on??

Moose

Howdy Fondaw,

As you might already know, manual mode is a bit different than manual focus. Manual mode allows you to adjust the aperture and shutter speed to get an accurate exposure. Manual focus allows you to control the focus point, rather than letting the 60D decide for you.

My guess is the workshop is requiring you to get accustomed Manual mode shooting, rather than manually adjusting the focus.

Knowing this, make sure your lens is set to AF. When you enable Manual mode on the 60D, you'll use the smaller command dial (next to the shutter) to set the shutter speed. To adjust the aperture, you'll use the larger quick control dial (on the back of the camera).

If you're used to shooting in Aperture priority (Av), you can apply the same technique in Manual mode. First adjust the aperture to your desired f-stop. Lower f-numbers for isolating subjects and higher f-numbers for putting everything into focus.

Once you've set the aperture, take a look at the exposure level. There's one inside the viewfinder and there's another on the LCD panel, represented by a set of numbers from -3 to +3.

To get an accurate exposure, you'll want the arrow to be in the middle of the exposure level. To do this, just tweak the shutter speed. Eventually, you'll see the arrow line up in the middle of the exposure level.

Be mindful of the shutter speed that is needed for an accurate exposure. If it's slow, you'll need to use a tripod or raise the ISO. If it's fast, you can get by with hand holding the 60D.

Hope that all makes sense. Happy shooting! :)