UKC

I'm a bit stumped and think that I am suffering from user error.

If I take a shot in Auto mode and then duplicate the settings in either manual or, aperture priority then the shot taken in Auto is always better. This is most visually obvious when taking shots indoors and using a flash, SB 400.

The image always seems more sharp and exposed more accurately. Is this user error or something to so with the settings that I have chosen before I hit the shutter?

I know this is asking a shot in the dark question when you have not seen my camera or any test shots, but I'm hoping a little brainstorming will help me solve this conundrum.

In reply to The Lemming:

Auto will auto-adjust ISO. Aperture Priority mode will not. Are you allowing for that?

In reply to The Lemming:

What camera? Does it have a a P mode separate from Auto as well as A,S and M?

Are you shooting in JPEG or RAW?

Nikon SLRs override nearly all user settings (sharpening, colour saturation etc) when shooting in auto and also switch to auto ISO. The former will mostly only affect the picture if you are shooting in JPEG (although they may affect the image you see on the camera screen when reviewing).

Are you duplicating the ISO set in Auto mode as well? That could be the reason, especially if you are finding the manual exposures don't seem to match the auto ones.

In reply to The Lemming:

But why are you shooting with aperture priority? There has to be quite a good reason (typically to do with depth of field). Shutter speed priority is often more useful when depth of field doesn't matter, but freezing the frame does. Or, of course, you can just do it the old-fashioned way with an external spot meter, and just set aperture and shutter speed manually, bracketing on either side.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:


Not sure really.

Most of my images are quite still or not moving so quickly that I almost always have my SLR dialed to Aperture Priority and fiddle with the setting to get various depths of field.

If stuff moves fast then I use Shutter Priority. But if I'm indoors and using my little flash, then I use Auto, because that gives me the best results hands down.

If I'm feeling really brave, like shooting fireworks or a special project the I go fully manual. I got some great results with this plus a ND filter but I mostly live in Aperture Priority.

As for trying to emulate my Auto and Aperture issue, I have experimented by taking a shot on auto with a flash. I then read the meta-data and replicate the aperture, speed and ISO on the same subject but the image never looks as sharp, focused or well exposed.

I never shoot RAW because I think its a waste of my own personal time, when all I am going to do is convert to JPEG later. Let's all step away from the RAW/JPEG argument because I have no desire to use RAW. Life is too short.

Maybe the camera over sharpens the images in Auto without me knowing. I have chosen Picture Control as Vivid. Sharpening ranges from 1-9, and I have set it to half way.

In reply to The Lemming:

I just typed a long response then my device died and I lost it

Auto may help in fact. Hwever,better, read manuals and on-line stuff. If your flash co-ordinates properly with camera (same make?) it's actually easiest to set to manual, sensible shutter speed, and aperture and let the flash compensate. As well as dof, the aperture will (partly) determine how much the flash fills in the background.

In reply to Nutkey:



Depends on the camera.

On the new Canons you can get Auto ISO on all modes, including Manual (which kind of makes it not Manual, but does make it Awesome! Is that a new Mode?)

In reply to The Lemming:

So you are replicating the shutter, aperture and ISO. That should give you exactly the same exposure, so unless your camera is broken the differences you are seeing must be in the processing... unless it is an issue with the flash. Do you see a difference without the flash or only with the flash?

If it's only with flash, check what flash mode you have selected and whether you have flash exposure compensation set to something other than zero.

If it's without flash, set up a test shot that you can replicate exactly with the two settings and post it on flickr or similar at full size and the wise of UKC will inspect it.

In reply to ChrisJD:

I think 'Awesome!' mode could only justifiably be employed if you were shooting snowboarding or some Red Bull-esque event.

In reply to The Lemming:

dont forget to adjust other things such as metering, wb, autofocus etc

In reply to ChrisJD:

On the new Canons you can get Auto ISO on all modes, including Manual (which kind of makes it not Manual, but does make it Awesome! Is that a new Mode?)

Awesome mode and other top tips explained: -

http://www.27bslash6.com/photography.html

In reply to FactorXXX:

My PC is full of images like that

In reply to ChrisJD:

My PC is full of images like that

That's because you're a professional!

In reply to Oujmik:


Do they always? I shot some night stuff at ISO3200 the other night on a D3200, and the next day a friend took some climbing photos on auto - which were also all taken at ISO3200 in brilliant sunshine.

In reply to FactorXXX:

Excellent, I'll be pinching that link!

In reply to FactorXXX:



With Awesome! Mode

(need to TradeMark that)

In reply to Tall Clare:


Or stills for The Lego Movie

In reply to The Lemming:
Pretty sure most cameras when in 'auto' do a whole load of fancy-schmantzy stuff apart from just set the exposure. They have huge banks of prototypical images against which the scene is compared, and aside from adjusting the exposure parameters, the camera also fiddles around with sharpening and other local/global contrast issues, colour curves, saturation etc etc. to suit what it thinks is the nature of the scene.

If you switch to aperture priority, you will be getting more 'stock' processing, presumably also controlled by the 'vivid' settings you have selected.

I think it's possible this could affect focusing too. In auto mode, the camera is making some more specific assumptions about where the area of focus is likely to be in terms of depth and composition, so might be making some more specific guesses. I'm not so sure about this - it's possible that AF applies all the same workings out regardless of mode?

Last thing - could it be linked to the way that your flash is set to work in the different modes? Is it compensating or doing something otherwise unexpected/specific when in aperture mode, and just 'getting the job done right' in auto?

In reply to hamsforlegs:



Got to admit that using a flash, even a basic one, is a dark art.




Thank you everybody for the advice and suggestions which I will mull over and inwardly digest.

Cheers

In reply to The Lemming:


Have you tried switching it on?