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Best camera shooting mode for travel video

mooncancook

mooncancook

Platinum Member
I was trying to shoot travel videos with my Sony A6300. I shot in M-mode and I was shooting one side of a plaza without direct sunlight and the exposure was perfect. Then I wanted a panning shot of the plaza. When I panned to the side of the plaza with direct sunlight, it over-exposed too much to be usable.

Is it a bad idea to shoot in full manual mode for outdoor city travel video? What I know is that shutter speed should be constant (x2 of fps). So is it better to shoot in Shutter-Priority mode and let the camera adjust the aperture and iso automatically for the correct exposure? or shoot in M-mode and set iso to auto? Or keep shooting in full manual mode to build a good habit and experience?
 
I just do some hobbyist videography, but FWIW, I think shooting manual is best when you have the time to consider aperture and shutter speeds you want, have time to compose the shot, and have relatively even light conditions. It's a great way to really learn your camera too so definitely keep at it when it's appropriate.

When I don't have the opportunity for manual shooting (lots of variable lighting, no time to setup, etc.) I typically shoot in aperture priority mode and allow the shutter speed to change up and down as needed. I personally find control over depth of field to be a greater priority. That is, for wide shots I like a small aperture (greater depth of field). For pulling out details, I like a wide aperture to get that bokeh effect. I try to stick to the 2x FPS = Shutter Speed guideline as much as I can. But in the times I've shot with a high shutter speed (say bright sunlight with a wide aperture) I've still been happy with the results. Sure, the frames are sharper so you lose some of that "cinematic" feel (slight motion blur) but for what I do I'm still pleased. That said, I'm trying to stick to the 2x FPS guideline more so I recently picked up a variable neutral density filter to help with this in bright light.

Anyhow, like I say I'm not a professional but this is usually the approach I take. 🙂
 
Thanks for the input. I think next time I'll try either shoot in A or S mode when there is uneven lighting, and try to shoot in M mode as much as I can. I should get a variable ND filter too.
 
i always shoot in M mode. do a trial run with the histogram up so you know what to expect.
and yes, get a variable ND filter. works great for controlling the lighting further.
 
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