Aperture priority shooting and you

[Avotius]

When I first started out in photography I was using a Canon AE1 and run of the mill 50mm lens. I didnt understand anything about what the A or the E in AE1 meant so I used the camera as a full manual one for a couple of years and took a lot of photos with it. Being the idiot that I am I "upgraded" to a Canon EOS film camera and auto focus zooms then DSLR's and so on. I did like the full manual back then but something sure has changed recently.

A while ago I got into rangefinders and found that I liked the way of viewing and compact size advantages. As we all seem to along our path through rangefinders I ended up with a Leica M6, after using a bessa r2a for a while. Since I got my M6 I never used the bessa and it had crossed my mind a few times to sell it. Then I noticed a problem, a rather big problem. I fumble with my M6 a lot, always changing the shutter speed or thinking about this or that and so on. So a few weeks ago I pulled my r2a out and gave it another go.

Boy was I surprised.

I feel so much more carefree using this camera and I think it is down to the aperture priority shooting mode. It is something less to play with and I was surprised how many more photos I took and how much easier it was for me to capture those quick moments. I also took the liberty of using my new Zeiss 21mm lens with the accessory viewfinder on the camera and it became such a free experience.

I dont know if anyone else feels this way but as much as I love my M6 I think the camera gets in the way of my "zen", when I am out on a really serious shoot it is as if I flow from picture to picture, location to location and really take the "thinking" part out then later looking back on my film and thinking "oh yeah....". I have found that my M6 is distracting and breaks my flow....that is pretty concerning to me not to mention the next jump would be an M7 and that is a lot of extra change!

 

[benlees]

It's funny; when I use a meterless camera I stick to sunny 16 and hope for the best. If the camera has Av then that is what I use 90% of the time- also hoping for the best. I screw up much less using Av! I figure if the camera has a meter you might as well use aperture priority, if available. When you change the aperture you are also considering the shutter speed so sometimes it does matter that one does not have worry about another dial when trying to get the shot.

 

[dazedgonebye]

I love aperture priority. As Double Negative said above, 1/60th is as good as 1/500th (in most cases). So, creative control of the aperture is most important with only monitoring shutter speed to be sure I've not gone too slow.

One more thing taken out of the decision process, if that thing really doesn't much matter, is a positive step. This is one reason I'm looking toward something modern in medium format. I like my old folders, but using a seperate meter and then setting shutter and aperture slows things down a bit too much at times.

 

[Avotius]

A lot of people will say that it is easy for a light meter to get fooled by a tricky light scene and that blindly using an Av mode has pitfalls but seems to me if you know your meter, its conditions and habits then it is not too much trouble to shoot away. For instance, on my bessa I think the meter exposes a tad on the bright side so I leave it exactly at +-0 and let it do its thing because that's the way I usually shoot, my M6 on the other hand underexposes and so I usually set the film speed a 2/3 a stop slower then indicated and go from there.

But yes, I am not too worried about motion effects in my photos and if I am I switch to full manual anyway, but for the most part in my shooting the aperture is all I really worry about other then focus of course but that is a given.

I seem to remember a long time ago reading a review on the M7 on luminous landscape that said something like "of course aperture priority shooting makes sense in a camera like this" or something like that and its true, it really does make a lot of sense!

 

[bmattock]

I use aperture priority a lot more than I use shutter priority. It's a useful feature at times.

 

[monochromejrnl]

I use my M3 with a 50/1.5 Canon LTM when I can afford to slow down and take a more considered approach (often using my Sekonic L308 meter).

My kit is complimented by a Hexar RF and a 35 Summicron that I use when I need to work faster. The automatic film advance and excellent meter, coupled with AE and AEL modes and a separate exp. comp dial offers what is in my experience the fastest handling manual focus RF available.

I'm fortunate to have the best of both worlds.

 

[Bruin]

Aperture priority is the only way I shoot. One less dial to fiddle with, one less thing to worry about (in most cases). I agree with Double Negative that an easily-activated AEL makes Av a LOT more versatile, to the point where it's all I use. I really like how the ZI implemented this. It would be really cool if AEL used a spot meter that covers the focus patch!

I would only buy a camera with Av, which helps cut down on GAS, too 😀

 

[David William White]

I used to borrow my brother's Nikon F3 and it was like trying to land a 747, and I bought an FE and for the longest time used it in aperture priority mode, with nice big needles instead of LED's and +/- signs flashing at me in the viewfinder.

Then I got into meterless medium and large format (taking an ambient reading with a meter), so I became less concerned with the readings and settings at the moment of exposure. Seemed less stressful.

So then I got the Bessa R3a to replace my Nikon gear for walking about. I used the AP mode until something dawned on me. I'm often out shooting an event outdoors or just general street shooting and I really don't need to meter for every shot. Actually, I think it is better that the negatives reflect just exactly what the light looked like from where I was standing, so instead of adjusting the exposure for each shot, I let everything fall where it is. I don't open up if someone is silhouetted, I just let them render on the negative as I see them. I'm usually at f/16 and following the sunny 16 rule to get my shutter speed. If it becomes overcast, I'd probably take another reading. So as I'm dancing down the street, if it's a particularly bright reflective scene, it shows up in a straight print that way, and if it's in shadows, it shows up that way too.

Kind of a naturalist approach, and I wouldn't do a proper portrait that way, but that's the way I've been doing street photography lately. It's a lot less fiddling, and I like the look.

 

[drewbarb]

Early on when I was in school, learning the technical aspects of photography an instructor talked about the issue of mental energy and the need to split that energy between the creative, visual part of photography and the technical part. A lot of us were frustrated, thinking our images had gotten worse since we had started and were now caught up with all this technical stuff.

He drew a picture on a chalk board of two lines flowing into each other, one thin line with the point of the chalk, and one thick line with the side of the chalk. He likened the thick line to the amount of mental energy needed for the technical aspects of photography as taking up more of our attention and energy now, while we were learning it. The thin line represented how much energy we had left to devote to creativity and just using our eyes. He said that as we got better and learned the technical stuff, the two would switch, and we'd be left with more energy to devote to the creative side as the technical stuff became second nature, requiring less and less of our active concentration. I have certainly found this to be true.

Like you with your AE-1, I cut my teeth with a Nikon FE2; even though it had aperture priority I almost never used it, just because I didn't really understand it. These days, I do use AE sometimes when I have the chance and when I know how the camera's metering pattern works. Certainly it's very freeing not to have to fumble with the cameras settings, and have part of your mental energy taken up with considerations of this.

On of the reasons I sold my M6 was because I found the meter lights distracting. I want all of my attention to be on my subject and surroundings, and AE can certainly help, if you trust the way the meter works. But I've gone the other direction and now I don't really use built-in meters even if the camera has them. I take a few hand held meter readings and get highlight and shadow readings in my head; then I put the meter away and just shoot. I'll adjust my settings as needed, but I don't have to think about it when I'm shooting. I look and react, using the info stored in my head from the metering session, if that makes any sense. It becomes second nature, and making the adjustments is very different from looking at meter readings and making the adjustment based on it- it's seeing the light and knowing how to adjust, not thinking about it. Sure, if the light changes drastically I'll meter again, but otherwise shooting this way sets me free to be more fluid than I could using manual in camera metering. Shooting negatives like this yields more than 90% of my exposures perfectly printable. With chromes, the hit rate would go down, but I shoot b&w negs almost all the time.

Anyway, I think the point about letting your mind and eyes be free to work in the most most spontaneous, immediate way is useful. This is part of why we all search through so much gear- to find kit that gets out of our way and lets us capture the images we see with the least amount of fuss. But don't forget that it's what's in your head that counts the most. Gear can help, but really it's what we know and how we use it.

 

[Matus]

AE is what I use and go for M only when really necessary. It makes the life so much easier - especially if you compare to a camera without built-in meter (like my Rolleiflex).

After using Olympus XA for a while I do consider getting a more serious RF camera - the AE is a must. This is what makes the new Bessa III so much more interesting (for me) when compared to older folding cameras in first place (apart from other features of ocurse).

I somehow do not miss the AE so much with my 4x5 😛

 

[sojournerphoto]

Iuse aperture priority a lot, both on the ZI and dslrs. I also ride the exposure compensation, but that's become a bit second nature now (practice practice). On the R2M I just muddle along, but don't worry too much - generally I find that it's pretty much set it and leave for a while.

I still have my AE-1, and I find shutter priority is far from where I want to be these days, so I tend to shoot either on manual or on shutter priority, but ride the shutter speed to get the paerture I want...

Mike

 

[DougFord]

I mostly use a contax t3, secondly a CLE. Both in aperture priority mode with exposure comp when needed. Of course there are times where a manual exposure setting is a must, but those occasions are few and far between for me. When all is said and done, I’m just looking for an exposure that’s ‘in the ball park’.
[FONT=&quot]After all, I get more inspiration from Gomez Addams then Ansel Adams.[/FONT]

 

[furcafe]

Amen to much of what has been posted.

I learned serious photography w/an aperture priority camera (Kyocera Contax G2) & even when I shoot manually, I set the aperture 1st & then mess w/the shutter speed. That said, I don't find the M6 or similar cameras (or non-metered cameras + handheld meter) to be particularly distracting, just slower for me to operate. If I need to shoot quickly under rapidly-changing light conditions, I'll go w/an aperture-priority auto body every time.

However, I only rarely come across situations w/the M6 where I've missed a shot entirely because I was too busy changing the shutter speed. My method w/the M6 is similar to what I do w/an unmetered body using a handheld meter: I meter the general scene 1st, then shoot after making small adjustments as needed, & worry about correct exposure last. I do get the exposure wrong sometimes, but only rarely have I been so far off that I didn't have a usable photo (& that includes shooting w/slide film & digital). Also, most of the time I'm shooting, the light is not tricky or constantly changing so the lack of automation is not a real handicap.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

If you're more concerned with controlling depth of field than capturing fast motion, aperture priority is the way to go. If I am using a camera that has it, that's what I'm using. Sometimes for street I'll long for shutter priority, and will actually use it with the LX3, but for the most part I'm like benlees, it's either Av or Sunny-16. Metering is a drag--either let the camera do it, or guess!

The only problem with the Bessas for certain photography is that the shutter sound really cuts through the noise, and people notice it. The M2, nobody pays any attention. If you like to engage your subjects, though, you're golden.

AE on the Bessa really is a treat, though, I agree! Same goes for the R-D1.

And there's no shame in aperture priority, I don't think--if you know your camera, know how it meters, and know when to dial in some compensation, you will get a perfect exposure every time.

 

[carlb]

Reading this thread has made me feel much better. I've almost always used aperture priority but somehow felt a little guilty that it wasn't photography as it should really be done. I always had the niggling feeling that manual exposure was the way photos should really be taken.

In fact, on the rare occasions when I've shot manually I know I haven't used it properly because I've either just chosen the aperture I want and then selected the shutter speed that centres the needle, or just played around with the aperture and the shutter speed until the needle's in the middle. So I might as well have used AP in the first place.

I need to find a website that really explains the proper principles of manual exposure - anybody got any suggestions?

 

[mfogiel]

My take on this is simple: rangefinders excel in quick framing and focusing for grab shots in the street or so, therefore the AE is essential if you do not want to lose your best shots, and I use it 98% of the time. When I have some backlit situation where I have the time to adjust, I do it either manually or by locking the exposure. This happens most often with the wide angles. Thus I only use AE cameras, like The Bessas, Minolta CLE, ZI and M7. I must say the Minolta has the least accurate meter. I have never been able to understand people buying an MP, as you can get an M7 for the same money. If I have the time for careful exposure, I take a light meter, a MF camera, and maybe a tripod too, and then it becomes an entirely different ball game.

Hasselblad 503 CW, Planar 100/3.5, Fuji Acros, Prescysol EF, Tripod:

 

[Keith]

I used AE for the first time on my OM-2 recently and was very impressed with the results ... look at the scene you're about to shoot and as you bring the camera up to your eye dial in whatever compensation you feel is necessary. I was using the 85mm Zuiko which made the process even easier with it's smaller field of view.

I'm not a big fan of the way my Ikon has a meter bias towards the lower left of the scene ... when using AE in portrait orientation because I use the camer shutter down I can get some chronically underexposed shots if I'm not paying attention. I must say I generally avoid AE if possible!

 

[denmark.yuzon]

when i had my first auto focus nikon camera.. i was learning the basics of photography back then, i was told to put it in A mode, and was told that if i want blurred background, i set it at the maximum opening as possible, and when taking landscapes, the smallest opening.. even as a beginner, it is very useful, and you can take a lot of pictures with ease. of course i didnt know it was aperture priority..

now that i have a Nikon Fm2n, im quite used to setting the desired aperture before i take the shot, and then meter for the shutterspeed or guesstimate the right shutterspeed.. all pre-set to not miss any moment.. it has worked for me, but i surely miss the A mode.. thats why im getting a Bessa R2a soon.. but the M3 is bugging me.. hahaha..

oh well.. i love the aperture priority.. nice little feature that is very useful..

 

[Lilserenity]

On my EOS 3, it's pretty much always in Av mode - I don't have much use for shutter priority as it's not what I am about. I very rarely do any action photography.

On my M2 I have the MR meter which I find a superb little meter (once you have as with any meter worked out its little foibles and how it meters etc.) but the M2 remains largely full-manual. And as time has gone on I have grown to prefer this manner of shooting, there's greater control and I feel confident rather than using exposure compensation, I'm thinking in terms of how the shutter speed/aperture will help me nail a scene.

I did feel a little removed from the process sometimes on the EOS 3 but with the M2 I feel much more in control.

I would say the same thing about the M8 but this might be because I have only used it for about 5 hours, whereas the M2 I have had a while now but I was finding its Av mode was getting the exposure wrong -- this had much more to do with me getting used to how it metered mind.

Anyway I don't feel guilty about using a meter, because I'd much rather get the pictures that I like, than a bunch of under-exposed slides that are good to nobody.

If I am shooting B&W and C41 I'll just meter once and then adjust from there during the day-time, it helps to build up an ability to read light, get a bit more creative with it. Though it doesn't always work 😉

 

[SergioGuerra]

I sold my Minolta CLE because it had Aperture priority... I would use it a lot, and loose more photos than using sunny 16...
I am really happy with a M2 or with a manual camera with meter like the Bessa R...