What features do you never use?

PhotoMac503 wrote:

-Flash
I think it's unethical to use flash on wildlife, which is a lot of my photography.

My one exception is infrared. I have an IR-modified E-M5 and some IR filters that I can stick to the front of the flash when needed (with tape). When fired, the flash is nearly invisible to our eyes, but it still illuminates the subject with infrared light, which the camera can detect.

I also have a Lumecube for low-intensity constant lighting in some cases. I got it because it has a low-intensity mode. It's good for above/under water shots to avoid over/under exposing the top or the bottom half of the photo.

Edward Lowy wrote:

Very interesting thread - in a sense, it's asking "How did you learn to press the shutter?" For my part, that would be looking through the eyepiece of my Dad's OM-1 (the original one), and with a shutter of say 1/250, getting the exposure in the middle by adjusting the aperture.

Thanks to the OP for starting this.

My pleasure! I realized that there are many features that I never use, either because I haven't had a chance, but also because after shooting for many years, I have come to dislike some of them. When I started out I'd shoot everything in P, Auto or SCN modes - even "macro", and I have not used them in many years.

Some of the answers have surprised me - how many of us use P mode, or manual ISO. One member on Mu-43 said that they do not use the On/Off switch anymore.

faunagraphy wrote:

The Ghost of Caravaggio wrote:

Here's a few that come to mind.

• electronic shutter

I'm curious - why don't you ever use electronic shutter?

Similar question from me since e-shutter is the best tool to eliminate shutter shock. EFCS might not eliminate shutter shock 100% (although mostly not noticeable if I don;t look for it).

E-shutter might not be used 100% of the time but whenever no rolling shutter effect would be expected nor no flash been needed, I would prefer e-shutter.

• white balance bracketing

One of those mysterious modes - what is it even for? Same goes for S-OVF. What does it do?

To me it is a feature interesting, useful but not used often.

Also for SOOC JPG shooting and if I would be in a great hurry, or no chance to do "shoot-review-adjust-shoot again", use WB bracketing could be an option to ensure lesser to no WB alteration in PP be needed (a little more difficult than RAW).

• wireless communication

You aren't missing much. It will fail you right when you really need it, e.g. controlling your camera from your phone. I only use dedicated remote shutter releases now.

On my Pannys, if there would be no strong wifi signal interference around I could get very stable wifi connection far as 40+ft between my cameras and my smartphone/tablet.  Remote shutter release can't do it. Better overall I can do majority of operation through wifi remotely as on the camera, exposure setting, parameters setting, EC, select focus point, Live View...

The weakness is any strong wifi signal around (specially bad if it exists in between the camera and smartphone) the connection would become unstable.

..

I'm with you on that. I'm no purist when it comes to auto features as more often than not, I shoot with aperture priority, but I just don't like the idea of so many variables changing as I'm shooting. Like I'm OK with the shutter speed floating as I adjust the aperture and as lighting conditions change, but I don't want that and some other thing, like ISO to change. Yes, I do realize that if I really understood how best to utilize auto ISO that I might save myself a bit of headache, but I'm too used to the workflow that I have to bother with it.

alcelc wrote:

On my Pannys, if there would be no strong wifi signal interference around I could get very stable wifi connection far as 40+ft between my cameras and my smartphone/tablet. Remote shutter release can't do it. Better overall I can do majority of operation through wifi remotely as on the camera, exposure setting, parameters setting, EC, select focus point, Live View...

The weakness is any strong wifi signal around (specially bad if it exists in between the camera and smartphone) the connection would become unstable.

I know that you and I are a sample size of 1 each, but it seems that Panasonic's implementation of this might be better than that of Olympus. I purchased my remote shutter releases after one bitter experience when ...

... I wanted to take UWA close-up shots of barn and cliff swallows as they collected mud for nest repairs. I found a patch of soil which had been used for this until the summer sun dried the mud. Then I walked to the river and filled a trashbag with water. Then I carried all that weight back to the spot and poured the water out on to the soil. And I set up my E-M1ii with 8mm Pro, paired with my phone (Android) and sat a short distance away. No more than 15 feet.

Within minutes, my camera was surrounded by swallows, but every time I'd try taking a photo (with the OI Share app), the connection would be lost. After an hour of repeatedly restarting the camera, restarting the app / phone, re-pairing both etc. I gave up. I did not get a single wide-angle shot that day.

I never use the Record View.  I very much prefer to keep watching the subject I'm shooting!

Did you mean Live View = record view?

Shooting with mirrorless or MILC, I am afraid Live View is the only shooting mode. It is the same image (mostly) shows on my phone screen under wifi remote operation.

I am happier on using it. YMMV.

There was a G10 already .

On this vintage model, it indeed had video capacity to the G1 which was lacking of...

alcelc wrote:

Did you mean Live View = record view?

No, I mean the when pictures are automatically displayed after they are taken.

Menu --> Wrench Tab --> Rec View --> OFF

Ron Nash wrote:

alcelc wrote:

Did you mean Live View = record view?

No, I mean the when pictures are automatically displayed after they are taken.

Menu --> Wrench Tab --> Rec View --> OFF

I used to have it on for 0.3 sec on my older cameras because I had had times when the shutter speed had been too slow, and I shot action without realizing I was at 1/50 sec instead of 1/2000 sec. Ouch! With rec view I could tell something was amiss after the first few shots.

Now I use custom modes for different scenarios.

C1 = birds in trees at 1/800 sec

C2 = BIFs at 1/4000 sec

C3 = mammals at 1/400 sec

Just giving some random numbers. These serve as good starting points and I can vary the settings from there. It's a lot easier to flip from C1 to C2 than it is to change AF area and also remember to change shutter speed.

So I do not need Rec View anymore and I agree, it's a distraction.

Thanks for your clarification.

Same here, I have Auto Review switch off on every camera.

Yes, I should add this to my intentionally unused feature .

Video.

I am amazed at the number of folks that will buy a camera with advanced features and then never even explore any of them to see what new photographic avenues they might present.

gary0319 wrote:

I am amazed at the number of folks that will buy a camera with advanced features and then never even explore any of them to see what new photographic avenues they might present.

I totally agree with you.

I am finding this thread interesting and finding out how many users don't change their way of using a camera when technology advances.