Hearing more about using P mode, not Aperture

[Nancy Moran G]

Thank you Christina for your comments on many posts, I learn ALOT also.
I was taking pictures of the Mayflower (replica -obvioulsy) in Plymouth ,Ma, USA at sunrise.
Maybe our friends 'across the pond' will enjoy them when I post it
Nancy

[Manfred M]

I noticed an 800 ISO, and asked him @ that high #. He said he shoots many ISO's and let's camera do work, and he had missed many shots with Manual mode, which ironically, I was using at the moment.

Nancy - Everyone has a different workflow. And I do understand where the photographer you were chatting with is coming from on the auto-ISO. I personally have turned it off and will only consider using it where the light is changing from dark to light quite rapidly; for instance a concert. I rarely shot concerts, so rarely set my cameras to it.

I tend to be a low ISO (as low as I can go in a given situation, which can be up tp 25600, but usually I try to stay under 6400). Normally I try to stay at or below 800, and if I am shooting in good outdoor light, most of my work is at ISO 100. Low ISO gives me two things I am looking for; maximum dynamic range and maximum colour range; the moment you get off your camera's base ISO, these start dropping, and the higher one goes, the worse this gets. Sensor noise starts creeping in as ISO increases.

I also tend to shoot with a fairly wide open lens to give me shallow DoF, so again, low ISO works in my favour.

[Brownbear]

Thank you.

I'm looking forward to seeing your images of the Mayflower...

Thank you Christina for your comments on many posts, I learn ALOT also.
I was taking pictures of the Mayflower (replica -obvioulsy) in Plymouth ,Ma, USA at sunrise.
Maybe our friends 'across the pond' will enjoy them when I post it
Nancy

[Nancy Moran G]

Thank you Manfred. I was 'taught' to use Aperture mode and low ISO, when I bought the camera from a local shop.
When I saw he was using 800, I thought, I am not enlarging the photos, why not? So I will keep experimenting, reading forum, trying new things and listening to all the great advice here
Thank you, Nancy

I pay for all my data usage, so I can not always post a photo for critique, but maybe I need to just bite the bullet to learn!

[rpcrowe]

Basically, you have total control of your image when shooting in Programmed exposure mode...

However, you need to monitor the shutter speed and f/stop in order to ensure that you are getting the best combination for your shot. You need do be aware of your shutter speed. f/stop and ISO in every mode except Full automatic where your camera will select those for you. BTW: The camera doesn't always make the best selection. This is true when you are shooting full auto, aperture priority, or shutter speed priority. ANY METER camera or hand held can really only suggest the optimum exposure. It is the photographer who will choose the correct exposure....

Using the Programmed mode...

You can adjust the f/stop and shutter speed

You can increase or decrease the total exposure with = or - exposure control

You can select the ISO

You can use auto exposure bracketing

It is a pretty good mode on which to leave the camera because if you have to make a quick shot; you have a pretty good chance of getting an in-the-ballpark exposure.

However there are many cases in which Aperture Priority, Shutter speed priority or Manual exposure is the far better choice.

If you are using AEB in order to gain exposures for an HDR composite, then Aperture priority would provide a constant aperture. You can also, of course, bracket using manual exposure mode. However with some cameras, when in the one of the three semi auto modes P, Av or TV (on Canon cameras) and have selected AEB and burst mode, the camera will shoot three bracketed shots and stop shooting until the next time you press the shutter button.

When shooting with flash, manual exposure is often the best - and is really the only way to work with some studio strobes.

When shooting a series of shots to combine into a panorama, manual exposure will keep the exposure constant over the entire series.

Some of the newer Canon DSLR cameras, such as the 7D allow full use of Auto ISO and with the firmware upgrade, the 7D allows you to set a maximum ISO. Using auto ISO with manual exposure mode could be an effective way to shoot. However, I am too "old-school" to shoot that way and prefer to set my own ISO.

Which mode do I use - I actually use a combination of Programmed, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority and Manual exposure modes choosing the best mode for the venue in which I am shooting. The mode I will never use is the fully Automatic because it just doesn't allow me the control that I desire. As only one example, I cannot select RAW when I am shooting in full auto on my Canon DSLR cameras.

BTW: I am totally in love with the Camera User Setting systems of the Canon 40D, 50D, 60D, 70D and 7D cameras. I can set my camera up for several different ways of shooting, register these parameters as a camera user setting (my 40D and 7D cameras have three of these settings) and then select all of the camera parameters at once with one twist of the mode dial. There are some other cameras which have this ability to store parameters in memory and selcty them easily with a twist of a dial. I think that the Nikon D7000 has this capability but I don't know about other Nikon models or other cameras from other manufacturers.

Most of today's DSLR cameras can produce excellent imagery. However, they differ in their bells and whistles. I absolutely like having these three capabilities at my finger-tips (literally).

1. Camera User Seting system
2. Burst mode in AEB in which the camera will shoot at least three AEB exposures and stop with every trip of the shutter button
3. A system, such as the Canon two dial setup, which allows me to switch parameters without the annoying requirement of going into the menu

[Letrow]

Ok, I started the thread and then got diverted all day.
He said he shoots many ISO's and let's camera do work, and he had missed many shots with Manual mode, which ironically, I was using at the moment.

Nancy

I think Manfred has worded it well already and I would agree with most of that. P as Professional mode...I have seen one guy use that on his website and that is Mr. Rockwell. He is very enthusiastic about this mode.
To be honest, I don't know why. As Manfred pointed out, you don't get what you really want in some cases, so other modes might work better.
I do use the automatic ISO feature with manual mode. I most circumstances that works best for me. You get to choose the aperture and shutter speed (important when I shoot macro photos of insects), but the ISO will adjust itself according to the needs. So far, this has not disappointed me. I could set the ISO myself of course, but this saves me time and the camera seems trustworthy.

[davidedric]

I think it has all been summed up very well. I do use P mode, especially when wildlife shooting from the back of a land cruiser when there is often not enough time to assess the conditions and set up the camera - and certainly no chance for a couple of test shots. So I use P mode and auto ISO, which also helps ensure that the shutter speed stays high enough to avoid camera shake - I am more worried about that than I am about noise.

To complete the picture, in the field I also have Tv set to 1/1000 so that if things start happening fast I know I am just two clicks of the mode button away from a fast shutter speed. If DoF is important, I find there is usually a bit more time so I don't have the Av aperture pre-set to anything specific (my 600D doesn't have any custom modes).

[AB26]

I've heard that that people who wear up market full frame DSLRs that have their cameras set to "P" usually comment to lesser mortals waving their P&S cameras around that "P" means professional and "A" is for amateurs.

You got it Brian. Shame on you for leaving out "M" for Madness.

Nancy do not be intimidated by any shooting mode. Use the one that works best for you. Try Aperture Priority with ISO set to Auto and see how few shots you miss.

Those promoting one specific mode of shooting still need to learn how to shoot. You should be able to use all the different modes and know when to use what. If you are not comfortable in one mode, please be free to use the one you have mastered but please do not neglect the other modes.

[MrB]

Shame on you for leaving out "M" for Madness.

Brilliant!

Use the one (i.e. mode) that works best for you.

Nancy, assuming you have the Nikon D7000, when you have discovered the setup that you most often like to start with, you can save those settings in one of the User Modes.

Try Aperture Priority with ISO set to Auto and see how few shots you miss.

Also, again assuming you have the Nikon D7000, in the ISO settings menu you can set the maximum value that Auto ISO will use, to limit the amount of noise (grainy speckles) in your images. This camera's sensor controls noise quite well, so you could set its maximum as high as 3200 and still get quite acceptable images. The Auto ISO will always then set the lowest value it can up to 3200, while (in probably the majority of conditions) allowing the shutter speed to stay high enough to avoid blurring caused by camera shake.

Philip

[AB26]

Thanks Philip.

Nancy, if you do not have a manual for your D7000 you can download it from the Nikon website. Read the manual and read it again. Learn how to use the features the D7000 offers you. It is a great camera.

[Nancy Moran G]

Again, Thank You ALL!
I do have the Nikon 7000 and love it as my 1st DSLR. I have the manual and do refer to it. But I get to trying something new, this week is bracketing, and sometimes get involved with that, and don't use other skills I have tried. ( Does that make sense?)
Nancy

[Brownbear]

Yes, that makes sense to me. I read my manual in little bits, and usually go back later to the same section to re-read. While useful I don't find it as informative as I think a manual should be (lacking details of the whys), and I learn far more from experimenting, reading books and asking questions here.

Again, Thank You ALL!
I do have the Nikon 7000 and love it as my 1st DSLR. I have the manual and do refer to it. But I get to trying something new, this week is bracketing, and sometimes get involved with that, and don't use other skills I have tried. ( Does that make sense?)
Nancy

[jcuknz]

I noted that my recent Panasonic cameras came with an Ai mode which I simply ignored as unneccesary complication as I have been happy with A S M modes though I can see it could be nice to have the options Manfred suggested at the turn of a dial. I don't see that using Manual should be any different or more difficult than A or S with the advice I see in the camera viewfinder as the camera 'comments' on my selections and/or tells me what it has picked, in particular the under and over exposure indication which the camera never selects. To me Manual is for situations where I appreciate that the camera is going astray and I want to take corrective measures which is a little different from Manfred's example of choosing different matching combinations of shutter and aperture based on what the camera thinks is correct.
Once you have got a rough hang of the camera it is worth going back to the manual and reading up and trying to understand what the geeks at the factory have come up for us users
The trouble with current Panasonic 'books' is that the printing is so small, icons so hard to work out which is which, and there are so many wrinkles it is hard to make sense of any of it at all. Best manuals have been by Nikon and Canon so probably you don't appreciate how fortunate you are

[Manfred M]

To me Manual is for situations where I appreciate that the camera is going astray and I want to take corrective measures which is a little different from Manfred's example of choosing different matching combinations of shutter and aperture based on what the camera thinks is correct.

Exposure compensation, bracketing and different metering modes are some of the ways that are just as easy as setting the camera on manual when it comes to tricky lighting situations. I do some manual shooting (and did a lot more when I first went from a 30+ year old DSLR), but find that there are many times that I find these techniques faster and better than manual for my shooting needs.

There are certainly some shooting situations where I will do 100% manual - panos for sure as well as situations where the lighting is changing quickly, and a few other instances.