I hear that--I pretty much only use Manual mode (although I leave ISO on auto and white balance on cloudy) for shooting now. As advanced as DSLRs are, they can be easily tricked, so I think manual is the way to go. I hate using the flash and try to avoid it at all costs, too. I usually only use it for a fill in midday portrait shots when shadows are bad and in nighttime portrait shots. When I do use it, I always dial it down so it doesn't wash out the picture. Neither of my P&S cameras have manual settings, so I'm really loving finally being able to have complete control over the pictures!