>>2574090Manual mode isn't some awesome mode you need to graduate to. It's the slowest, least useful, and easiest mode to screw up, and it provides no benefits over the priority modes in almost every circumstance.
Notable exceptions include:
Working with off camera flash
Crazy lighting scenarios such as stage lighting or intense back-lighting
Creative exposure that goes beyond your EV Comp dial's boundaries.
For anything else, you should be using P/A/Tv and spending your energy on the scene at hand. This applies whether you've been shooting for a day, or 30 years.
People who claim that manual mode is the most pro are camera technicians obsessed with gear and "congrol" rather than actually creating photos.
Read your manual a couple of times as you shoot for the first few weeks, and then once you have a grasp on your major settings, just forget about the camera and spend your effort on the scene you're capturing.
