A to M switch on my lens - Manual Mode on my camera - Linked?

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Dashing100

New member
Hello everyone,

I know this is a complete newbie question and I understand if I get laughed at ;) I have a 18-55mm VR II Compact lens kit. I don't [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]know how to shoot in manual yet, my photo come out poor lol, but of course I know how to put the camera in manual mode but using the mode dial on top of the camera. But when I put the camera in manual mode am I supposed to switch the button on the lens from A to M?

Also, what benefit is the A to M button useful or how am I supposed to use it.

Grateful for any help!

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J

J-see

Senior Member
If you switch the lens to manual, the camera can no longer focus it and you have to manually focus. There's no need to do that unless you really want to. You can shoot the cam in manual mode and still let it auto-focus the lens. Both are separate options you can choose.

There are advantages to manually focusing your lens. In macro as an example manual focus tends to do better than auto-focus.
 
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Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Dashing100 said:
Hello everyone,

I know this is a complete newbie question and I understand if I get laughed at ;) I have a 18-55mm VR II Compact lens kit. I don't know how to shoot in manual yet, my photo come out poor lol, but of course I know how to put the camera in manual mode but using the mode dial on top of the camera. But when I put the camera in manual mode am I supposed to switch the button on the lens from A to M?

Also, what benefit is the A to M button useful or how am I supposed to use it.

Grateful for any help!
Click to expand...
The AF/MF switch on the lens is for "Auto Focus" or "Manual "Focus"; that's all it does. Either the camera focuses for you (AF) or you focus for the camera (MF). The "M" setting on the mode dial on the camera body is something else entirely, it's an Exposure Mode.

Shooting in Manual means you know how adjust for all aspects of exposure yourself and that you want to control, at a minimum, both Shutter Speed and Aperture. Based on some of your other posts, I really don't think this is the exposure mode for you. One of the semi-automatic modes like "A"peture Priority might be better for you right now.
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D

Dashing100

New member
J-see said:
If you switch the lens to manual, the camera can no longer focus it and you have to manually focus. There's no need to do that unless you really want to. You can shoot the cam in manual mode and still let it auto-focus the lens. Both are separate options you can choose.

There are advantages to manually focusing your lens. In macro as an example manual focus tends to do better than auto-focus.
Click to expand...

Horoscope Fish said:
The AF/MF switch on the lens is for "Auto Focus" or "Manual "Focus"; that's all it does. Either the camera focuses for you (AF) or you focus for the camera (MF). The "M" setting on the mode dial on the camera body is something else entirely, it's an Exposure Mode.

Shooting in Manual means you know how adjust for all aspects of exposure yourself and that you want to control, at a minimum, both Shutter Speed and Aperture. Based on some of your other posts, I really don't think this is the exposure mode for you. One of the semi-automatic modes like "A"peture Priority might be better for you right now.
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Click to expand...

Thanks to both of you. I guess I should leave it in auto when filming in manual or is that different ball game also?
 
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