Is "Auto" setting on pro bodies still necessary?

[LensBrew]

I'm surprised to still see the "Auto" setting on pro bodies, such as the A1 and A7R5. I believe who every is going to pay that price tag should have already passed that skill level. Even more so in this era of internet knowledge and advices from experienced photographers. Program should suffice if someone wants the camera to control everything.

Personally, I would like to have a 4th custom settings selection instead for quick changes. Three are not enough for my setups anymore, and if Sony decides to go for 5 I would be even happier.

What do you think? Is the "Auto" setting a waste on those cameras?

[LensBrew]

Just to clarify, I meant the green "Auto" on the selection dial.

[tonygale]

I don't have an issue with it being there. When I teach intro classes, I tell people if everything is going haywire and they don't know what to do, use green auto and figure the rest out later. I don't think I have ever used it, but I do think it can be useful if something is going wrong and you don't have time to figure out why.

[ST]

The green "Auto" setting was handy recently. I was at an event with a friend (a visual artist). I handed them my A1 with 24-105, showed them how to use the zoom ring, and they were all set.

 

 

[CarolineJensen]

I agree with Tony. I have had students with cameras that are far beyond their ability and without the green button, they would not know where to start. 

[jb]

The magical "auto" setting is intended to be a problem solver.  Unfortunately, it can create more problems then it solves.  I have all my cameras set for back button AF.  The auto mode does not revert back to shutter=AF-On.  Handing a camera set to back button AF to an inexperienced user who expects to simply "press the shutter button" to take a photo is not going to work.  I've been in that situation before and ended up just having the other person use a phone to take a picture.  It was simpler than changing my BBAF settings or trying to teach them how to push two buttons at once.  Since the memory recall modes don't store the shutter+AF setting, you cannot use one of those as a "custom" auto mode either.

The "auto" mode is really only designed to work on a camera that has all other settings in default.  That makes it really useless for more advanced users wanting a quick "just press here" mode when handing off a camera.  "Auto" really should either be removed or enhanced to set custom button and dial options back to defaults too.

[LensBrew]

I don't have an issue with it being there. When I teach intro classes, I tell people if everything is going haywire and they don't know what to do, use green auto and figure the rest out later. I don't think I have ever used it, but I do think it can be useful if something is going wrong and you don't have time to figure out why.

It makes sense to have it as a teaching setting, but does it make sense to have on a flagship body? I understand on intro bodies, as I don't think someone would start their photography journey with the A1 for example (only in rare occasions).

If something goes wrong, wouldn't Program suffice? It is almost the same as Auto.

[LensBrew]

The green "Auto" setting was handy recently. I was at an event with a friend (a visual artist). I handed them my A1 with 24-105, showed them how to use the zoom ring, and they were all set.

 

 

I use the Program setting when I hand my camera. But I never had a non professional asking to handle the camera, non-photographers tend to steer away in fear of breaking it.

[LensBrew]

I agree with Tony. I have had students with cameras that are far beyond their ability and without the green button, they would not know where to start. 

But would someone buy the A1 without knowing what to do with it?! Those would be a rare specie.

I'm only talking about the flagship cameras though. I do believe Auto is necessary for intro and some mid-level bodies though.

[LensBrew]

The magical "auto" setting is intended to be a problem solver.  Unfortunately, it can create more problems then it solves.  I have all my cameras set for back button AF.  The auto mode does not revert back to shutter=AF-On.  Handing a camera set to back button AF to an inexperienced user who expects to simply "press the shutter button" to take a photo is not going to work.  I've been in that situation before and ended up just having the other person use a phone to take a picture.  It was simpler than changing my BBAF settings or trying to teach them how to push two buttons at once.  Since the memory recall modes don't store the shutter+AF setting, you cannot use one of those as a "custom" auto mode either.

The "auto" mode is really only designed to work on a camera that has all other settings in default.  That makes it really useless for more advanced users wanting a quick "just press here" mode when handing off a camera.  "Auto" really should either be removed or enhanced to set custom button and dial options back to defaults too.

I had the exact scenario happened a while ago. I also back button focus and have everything customized to my workflow. My friend even though he broke my camera when it didn't make a sound with he depressed the shutter. I had it on silent electronic mode.

My reasoning was that you rarely hand over an A1 to someone that doesn't know how to handle a camera and have them take some pictures. And as you mentioned, the custom recall is just frustrating, and I don't want to remember everything and set it every time I format my memory. That is why I would like to see a custom setting in place of Auto in the new iterations of flagship bodies.

[jordanphotog]

I cannot imagine paying $ 6K for a camera and ever considering using Auto setting.  If one hasn't learned photography before shelling out this kind of money for a camera, then _______________.  I have nothing for that blank space.

[Joey-Austin]

To be honest I haven't used it since I learned the basics of photography and it's so much more fun to have full control, and I agree if you are paying the A1 or A7R5 price tag then you better know how to use the camera in manual setting

[OrvilleG]

Agree! Green AUTO should be remove or at least Sony should allow users to reprogram that setting. For example, the AUTO could be changed into your main working setup.

[pm-r]

I agree for only the a1.  That body should not have the green Auto setting.  The rest should as so many photo enthusiasts buy all the rest of the bodies but the a1 is different IMHO.

[LensBrew]

On 5/4/2023 at 10:29 AM, pm-r said:

I agree for only the a1.  That body should not have the green Auto setting.  The rest should as so many photo enthusiasts buy all the rest of the bodies but the a1 is different IMHO.

I can't wait to see what upgrades they make to the A1, it should be very interesting in terms of hardware. Hopefully some of their engineerings are reading around these forums.

[TrekRover]

Hmmm.... I think the main use case for the auto would be the spur of the moment situation when you don't have time to fumble for changing settings.

[LensBrew]

9 hours ago, TrekRover said:

Hmmm.... I think the main use case for the auto would be the spur of the moment situation when you don't have time to fumble for changing settings.

But that's where the custom settings come in. I have one set up for overcast street photos, another for panning shots and the this for portraits. This leaves me with my manual setting for general work. If we can get more custom settings, that should give us more "presetting" for other kind of shots.

With the "green" auto, you might end up with a slow shutter and you want the opposite, or smaller aperture when you need it to be wider.