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Using Manual with 750D/Rebel T6

mike21
Enthusiast

Mostly I photograph birds and use the manual setting with auto ISO, because both shutter speed and aperture are important. Often the exposure, as shown on the resultant screen image and histogram, needs adjustment, so I then manually set the ISO up or down, because "exposure compensation" will not work in Manual with Auto ISO. This way is crude because varying the ISO means one stop rather than theone third of a stop with exposure compensation. Is there a better/faster way?

27 REPLIES 27

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

"I photograph birds and use the manual setting with auto ISO..."

 

That isn't really manual mode. Is it? If the camera automatically sets something for you how can it be manual mode? Of course there can not be exposure compensation in manual mode. You told the camera not to mess with that.

 

"Is there a better/faster way?"

 

Yes, there is.  At least the way I do it, it works for me.  Use Av (aperture priority) mode. You fix the aperture, usually one stop down from wide open is best for most lenses, IQ wise. An adjustment might be necessary as conditions change. The camera now will select the fastest SS that will give a correct exposure. You choose and select an ISO that is optimal for the conditions.

I like ISO to be fixed. I want it where I want it.

There can be instances where this won't work. All camera/lens combos have their limitations.  You than need to make changes in something. Exposure settings, a faster lens, higher ISO or lower, etc.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Waddizzle
Legend
Legend

@mike21 wrote:

Mostly I photograph birds and use the manual setting with auto ISO, because both shutter speed and aperture are important. Often the exposure, as shown on the resultant screen image and histogram, needs adjustment, so I then manually set the ISO up or down, because "exposure compensation" will not work in Manual with Auto ISO. This way is crude because varying the ISO means one stop rather than theone third of a stop with exposure compensation. Is there a better/faster way?


I suggest that you continue using the camera in Manual mode with ISO set to Auto.  That is a popular operating mode for shooting fast action with many photographers when you are facing widely varying light conditions.  I suggest setting an upper limit on how high Auto ISO can go.

What metering mode are you using?  Stick with the default Evaluative Metering mode.  Make sure that you are not locking the exposure, too.

 

What focusing mode are you using?  Metering behavior changes when you use One Shot focusing compared to AI Servo focusing.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

diverhank
Authority

I'm not familiar enough with the T6 but I believe that ISO can be configured to change at 1/3 stop as well.  For parked birds, you're better off using manual everything.  You have all of the controls that way.

 

For action shooting, I also shoot with M with Auto ISO (this is not manual, but who cares - I get to control aperture and speed).

In higher end models like the 7DII, 5DIV, 5DSR, etc you do have exposure compensation in this mode.

 

If the need to compensate is great (which I think it is - I use it all the time), I'd recommend Tv mode for action (birds in flight).  Most birders take pictures wide open (lowest Av) anyways and in Tv, that's where the camera will go.  You can set a fixed Av but a high shutter speed is not assured without a lot of fuzz.  In Tv mode, you can do exposure compensation.

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Diverhank's photos on Flickr

Thanks for all the replies. I usually set shutter speed at 1/250 for static birds and 1/1500 for birds in flight, with an aperture of f8, which is optimal resolution for my 55 - 250 mm lens, plus auto ISO. Av would be no good because the speed would invariably be wrong. I will try Tv and have the option of exposure compensation, although the aperture will then probably be f5.6, which is the widest at 250mm. I use spot metering and spot focus with AI servo, and the centre group of focus points for birds in flight. It is interesting that some higher end models have exposure compensation. If the image appears over exposed I can get small incremental changes by increasing shutter speed slightly, but generally when there is a problem it is under exposure. when it meands adjusting the ISO. 


@mike21 wrote:

Thanks for all the replies. I usually set shutter speed at 1/250 for static birds and 1/1500 for birds in flight, with an aperture of f8, which is optimal resolution for my 55 - 250 mm lens, plus auto ISO. Av would be no good because the speed would invariably be wrong. I will try Tv and have the option of exposure compensation, although the aperture will then probably be f5.6, which is the widest at 250mm. I use spot metering and spot focus with AI servo, and the centre group of focus points for birds in flight. It is interesting that some higher end models have exposure compensation. If the image appears over exposed I can get small incremental changes by increasing shutter speed slightly, but generally when there is a problem it is under exposure. when it meands adjusting the ISO. 


That’s what I thought.  Stop using spot metering for action photography.  Use the default setting, evaluative metering.  If you are using AI Servo, then enable all focus points in the camera.  

 

2320540014832018_06_021001646.jpg

 

The AF system will always try to lock focus on the nearest subject.  More times than not, the nearest subject will be your BIF.

 

Perfect pictures do not come out of the camera.  They often can benefit from a little post processing in the digital darkroom.  Save your photographs as RAW file format, and edit them in DPP.  I used Adobe Lightroom to brighten the area under the wings.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

Its usually one particular water bird out of many, about 100 or more yards away - hence spot focus, also most birds in flight are against the sky where I assume evaluative would result in under-exposure of the bird itself. I use the excellent Afinity Photo for post production - cost equivalent to several months Photoshop subscription and its mine.


@mike21 wrote:

Its usually one particular water bird out of many, about 100 or more yards away - hence spot focus, also most birds in flight are against the sky where I assume evaluative would result in under-exposure of the bird itself. I use the excellent Afinity Photo for post production - cost equivalent to several months Photoshop subscription and its mine.


How big are these birds?   A distance of 100+ yards is pretty far, and a tall task for 55-250mm lens, which is roughly equivalent to a 100-400mm lens on a full frame body.  The only good thing about that distance is that all of the birds would be in focus, because they would all fall within the estimated Depth of Field.

 

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

 

Take a look at the calculator at the above link.  It is old,  so use the Canon EOS 7D as your camera.  The 7D is the default, which is half the reason I like this site.

 

 

115FB38A-2A00-49F6-BE19-48F99FC3FF74.jpeg

 

Look at the estimated range of the DoF.  It is nearly 140 feet deep.  I do not think you need to worry about spot focus.  Again, I suggest that you use Evaluative Metering, and AI Servo with all AF points enabled.  I would only use Spot Metering [and Focus] with a MUCH closer subject, one that was not moving, and the camera mounted on a tripod.

 

Your photo software should be able to make subtle adjustments in light and dark areas, assuming that you shoot as RAW.  

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

"...about 100 or more yards away..."

 

That is way, way too far away.  It is too far away for even a 600mm lens. Unless you are shooting a pterodactyl. Smiley Happy

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

I think you mean pterosaur like:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatlus

 

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