P Mode

[Shadowman]

I like this article as it sort of mirrors my own evolution into photography, the only difference is I didn't undertake learning about photography for the sake of it; I did so that I could capture specific effects and to eventually call myself something other than an amateur. Additionally, P Mode just doesn't get the shot for me 90% of the time, you just have to know what works to get what you want.

http://petapixel.com/2016/04/18/favo...e-photography/

[Manfred M]

When I am shooting in situations where I have time to properly plan, set up and take my shot, I generally shoot in aperture priority, shutter priority or manual mode, with manual selection of the ISO I will be working with.

On the other hand, when I am shooting in situations where the conditions (especially the lighting) or my focal length selections are going to be made quite quickly in order to get a shot where I haven't got time to set everything up in one of the semi-automated modes, I find I do switch over to "P" mode. I find this helps me get more "keepers". The situations I do this are very similar to the ones identified in the Petapixel article you have linked to.

[rpcrowe]

I agree with Manfred... For quick off the cuff shooting, P mode will normally get you within the ballpark. Combine P mode with AEB and even a newbie can be assured of coming home with usable imagery.

BTW, at least with my Canon cameras, it is very easy to select apertures and shutter speeds different from what the P mode originally selects. It is equally as easy to increase and decrease the exposure.

I don't say that I use P mode consistently but, it is just another viable tool in my photo tool box...

I really feel sorry for new photographers who think that they will get better results in manual exposure before they have learned to expose correctly. IMO, it's your image, not how you arrived at the image that counts...

[William W]

. . . P Mode just doesn't get the shot for me 90% of the time, you just have to know what works to get what you want. . .

My view is that it is critical to appreciate that P Mode is little more than an "advanced Fully Automatic Mode" unless Program Shift is activated. (canon terminology).

So therefore it is also necessary to know all the functions which are available and also how those functions work - before determining if those functions will work for you or not.

With Program Shift activated and the understanding and speed and skill to use Program Shift, P Mode then becomes a very powerful combination of Tv Mode and Av Mode.

Additionally, with EC activated (Exposure Compensation), the modern DSLR is a very powerful semi-automatic tool with very versatile and speedy controls that allow the photographer to initiate and override a versatile semi automatic mode to suit almost any changing Available Light Shooting Scenario.

Obviously (one of my pet subjects): understanding the METERING MODES is essential.

My experience is very few learn and then practice the functionality of Program Shift and Exposure Compensation for using the camera in P Mode. This is probably because, if a semi-automatic Camera Mode is chosen, then Av Mode is reasonably suitable for a lot of shooting scenarios they encounter.

I can relate to sitting in a comfortable position and not learning something for the purpose of then assessing if it will be beneficial: it wasn't until only recently that I began to use Auto ISO (thanks to CiC - Mike Buckley if my memory is correct) - I just never took the time to practice the Auto ISO functionality and then after mastering it - work through how it might be useful to me. I had owned cameras with AUTO ISO for several years: I was happy setting the ISO manually as I always did . . . and I just continued that habit. But thanks to Mike, I now have another very powerful tool in my kit that I can pull out and lock in very quickly when I need to use it.

I only scan read the article - but as a result of that one scan I think that the author did NOT mention using Program Shift and/or EC with P Mode.

WW

[rachel]

P mode was my first experiment with non-auto. I had googled to see how to get good photos of the moon and read that I should use P, put ISO on minimum and reduce the exposure. It worked!

I still use it regularly, in preference to auto, precisely to be able to set the ISO.

[Thlayle]

I'm sure P Mode has a lot to offer. I tend to shoot manual, aperture or shutter priority modes in most situations. When pressed to get shots quickly, I find myself going to full auto mode. Seeing this article renews some interest in trying out the P Mode again.

[george013]

Concerning the exposure value there is not much difference between M,A,S or P. Only in M,A and S you've control over what you think is the main variable, in P it is kind of a guess. So I wonder why one should use P. I use standard A, set it on a certain value and there is no difference anymore in using the camera compared with P.

I don't know what's meant with exposure compensation activated and program shift activated. For me exposure compensation is just changing the off set.

George

[IzzieK]

When I was trying to learn my camera, turning my button choice to P had been essential, because it taught me where to start looking when I then go to manual. I got sick of that later on and got down on my hair on the deck and started turning buttons the right way -- via an article on the exposure triangle. Last February was the only time I started learning about Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority. 'About time I go back to normal manual mode...

[William W]

Concerning the exposure value there is not much difference between M,A,S or P. Only in M,A and S you've control over what you think is the main variable, in P it is kind of a guess. . .

I don't know what's meant with exposure compensation activated and program shift activated.

Program Shift allows the user to move the program selected Aperture and Shutter Speed PAIRS - which, as you imply are the TWO main variables, thus it is not a kind of a guess, because absolute control and selection of the PAIR is in the hands of the operator.

WW

[Shadowman]

P Mode helps until you finally read the manual. One of the first things I wanted to change was the location of the focus indicator and then eventually how to shoot RAW.

[george013]

Program Shift allows the user to move the program selected Aperture and Shutter Speed PAIRS - which, as you imply are the TWO main variables, thus it is not a kind of a guess, because absolute control and selection of the PAIR is in the hands of the operator.

WW

I know that as just P-mode, Nikon.

George

[Mike Buckley]

I can never remember whether the "P" refers to point and shoot, program, or both.

[Redbriars]

I have seen P mode referred to as ISO priority (in an article at Digital Photography School, I think).

The notion apparently is that one can set the ISO manually, and then rotate the dial (Nikon) to see Aperture/Shutter pairs that offer what the camera considers correct exposure.

I find that useful by times.

[george013]

I can never remember whether the "P" refers to point and shoot, program, or both.

If you don't have a choice, it's point and shoot. If you've a choice it's P-mode. As I see it.

Back to the article. The point of the article is not the P-mode. It's about taking pictures with more attention to the technical stuff as to the artistic stuff, or the other way. And he's doing that as there're only 2 ways to shoot: P or fully manual. However I think the easiest way is the A or S-mode. As long you follow the light meter there is no difference between any mode you choice.
If you want a certain dof, set the camera in the A-mode and you have a point and shoot with your required dof. The same for the shutter speed.

George

[Tringa]

I take more landscapes than anything else so I use aperture priority almost all the time. I use manual when taking shots of the stars and most of the time while taking a number photos for a panorama (though I have also taken panoramas in Av mode).

Dave

[DanK]

I agree with George. I don't think I have ever used P mode with any of my cameras. When I want the camera to estimate exposure, I generally use Av or Tv mode, most often the former. It seems to me that program shift is a more complicated way of getting to the same end. However, whatever works. If it works for people, great.

I think the author's comparison to manual and automatic transmissions is silly. I grew up driving a manual transmission and using cameras with no auto anything. I now drive a car with a continuously variable transmission, because by some criteria it performs better than a manual transmission. For example, it is more fuel-efficient. Shooting in P mode is giving up control for convenience and for to avoid being distracted, not because it yields better results.

[Manfred M]

P mode was my first experiment with non-auto. I had googled to see how to get good photos of the moon and read that I should use P, put ISO on minimum and reduce the exposure. It worked!

I still use it regularly, in preference to auto, precisely to be able to set the ISO.

Rachel - if I remember correctly, you shot a Panasonic? In my view P mode is really the same as IA (fully automatic) mode except that the camera lets you override some of the settings; either through the menus or the control wheel(s) on your camera. I would not think of it as "non-auto", in fact anything other than "M" mode has some level of automation (i.e. P, A and S modes) but these allow you to control specific variables of the exposure triangle (ISO, aperture and shutter speed) and the camera's computer figures out the rest for you. As a general rule, I tend to select my ISO manually and will choose the lowest ISO I can get away with, as that minimizes digital noise, while maximizing dynamic range and colour depth.

In "A" mode - this is the one I use most frequently, I make decisions on the depth of field / lens performance I want for the shot. I would guess that 80+% of my shooting is done this way.

In "S" mode - I am more concerned about motion, whether I want to absolutely freeze it or allow for motion blurring. That is something I use for perhaps 20% of my shots.

I will shoot fully manual in conditions where I want consistency in the image and the lighting is a known quantity.

P mode is fine, but going the next step will improve your photography even more.

[xpatUSA]

The gentleman does make some good points based on tech vs. artistry.

But my eyes started to glaze over when I read:

"A basic understanding of the “exposure triangle” (aperture, shutter-speed, ISO), will help you create the images you want to create."

OT, but that simply does not work on my Sigma cameras, for which I personally use the "exposure line" - with Aperture at one end and Shutter speed at the other, voila:

A---------------------------S

For example, was playing today with the SD14 in low light with the ISO set to 800:



Converted with FastStone Viewer (uses David Coffin's 'DCraw') no poofty NR there, it tells it like it is

Obviously, the sensor exposure was pretty low - living proof that the following 'exposure triangle' statement is completely false:

"ISO speed: controls the sensitivity of your camera's sensor to a given amount of light"

source: https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tu...a-exposure.htm

Sorry for diverging from the topic, Dan.

[rachel]

Rachel - if I remember correctly, you shot a Panasonic? In my view P mode is really the same as IA (fully automatic) mode except that the camera lets you override some of the settings; either through the menus or the control wheel(s) on your camera. I would not think of it as "non-auto", in fact anything other than "M" mode has some level of automation (i.e. P, A and S modes) but these allow you to control specific variables of the exposure triangle (ISO, aperture and shutter speed) and the camera's computer figures out the rest for you. .

I am a fujifilm girl but briefly used a Panasonic Lumix compact while I was struggling to replace a Fujifilm one. I wasn't happy with it and reverted to Fuji as soon as I could.

Otherwise I agree with what you say. Playing with M, A or S is all good fun, but for fast point and shoot I still prefer P over auto. In many conditions, auto ups the ISO when I would prefer to keep it low.

[chauncey]

One might ask...how many of those images that you don't have the time to properly set-up the camera
are printed and hanging in your living room