>>3343115>I've just never really thought having to move a couple dials once in a controlled studio setting to be a big deal.And for you it might not be. I’d wager that for most photographers, either way is pretty much just as good.
But for the way I shoot, it’s a big deal. And given that canon keeps putting C modes on the higher end bodies, I assume I’m not the only one.
And you’re mistaken in thinking that it’s just changing the settings once in a controlled environment. First, I’ll often swap between the flash setup and the no flash several times during a shoot. Second, it’s not just for controlled setups like that.
Here’s some more examples I’ve actually done:
1. Shooting a show. Performer comes out holding an angle grinder with a steel codpiece. For some of the set, I’m going to want to shoot my normal aperture priority with auto iso. But when the angle grinder hits their crotch, sparks are gonna fly and that’s going to confuse my meter. I can set up C1 manually for sparks, c2 as normal Av, and C3 as a slightly longer exposure M or Tv so so I get more streaks.
2. Fire performer comes out. It’s difficult enough with just props because it starts out really bright and gets dimmer through the performance as the fuel wanes, but if I see they’re going for breathing a fireball, that means at some point I’ll have less than a second to get my camera ready for a REALLY BRIGHT scene that will itself last for a fraction of a second, then back to Av for the rest of the set. If I have C1 pre set up for fireball exposure, I’ll get the shot. If I have to change three dials in the time it takes the performer to take a swig and a spit, probably not.
3. Hoop performers are another good example. I usually want to shoot fast enough to freeze action but a lot of hoop performing looks just like some random yahoo holding a hoop out when you freeze it, so there’s value in being able to quickly swap in settings with a slower shutter for blur.
