>>4048193You should definitely get comfortable shooting in M, and there are absolutely times where M is more efficient, but you can get the same exact result(s) while in aperture priority. The biggest issue with like the OP pic, is that it will likely through off the metering, and that's where being comfortable with understanding the different metering modes and exposure compensation (EC) come in.
You really do have the same amount of control over exposure in M or A though, provided you also look at metering / EC / exposure locking.
If you're shooting in M, and just "chasing the needle" by constantly adjusting the shutter speed for proper metering, you might as well be in A.
Post can help with keeping those shadows uniformly dark too.
>>4048216For something like that, it would help to stop down to f5.6. You don't have enough depth of field to extend that whole alleyway at f2.8, so while the branches might be crisply in focus, the bush in back is not. This would also marginally improve sharpness overall for that specific lens.
X-Trans sensors do have an issue where some details / textures can look kinda wormy / watercolory. There's several workarounds for this in post, but it's honestly mostly an issue when viewing at 100%.
