Which DSLR Mode?

[MarkBarbieri]

What mode do you most often shoot in? Full Auto? Program Mode? Shutter Priority? Aperture Priority? Full Manual?

I usually use aperture priority. I find that I am usually more concerned about the aperture than anything else. Even when I'm concerned about the shutter speed, it is often in the context of wanting to maintain a certain minimum or maximum aperture.

On my last WDW trip, I tried keeping it in program mode (where the camera picks the aperture and shutter speed) most of the time because conditions changed very rapidly and there lots of times when I wanted to just point and shoot. Even still, I found myself adjusting the aperture in program mode a lot of the time anyway.

I sometimes use full manual when I am shooting indoors with relatively constant lighting and a flash. It allows me to make sure that I get the aperture and shutter speed that I want and camera uses the flash to cover the difference.

I'd like my next camera to allow me to specify more constraints on program mode. Ideally, I'd like to be able to tell it things like - "keep the aperture between f/3.5 and f/5.6, keep the shutter speed at 1/200 or faster, and pick the lowest ISO that accomplishes that.

[Anewman]

Full Manual(partial metering) 90% of the time.
Sometimes I shoot shutter priority= outdoor sports/cloudy day... when the sun goes in and out of the clouds often.

But if lighting conditions are stable I never stray.

[handicap18]

I mostly go back and forth between Program and Aperture Priority. I'll use Shutter Priority and Manual when the needs come about. For night shots I almost always use Manual.

I like using Aperture Priority to control DOF for what ever situation I have. Otherwise if it doesn't matter I'll just switch it to Program so that I can at least control the ISO. I haven't used one of the preprogramed modes since the first couple of weeks I had the camera (a few weeks shy of a year now). When I give the camera to someone else to take a picture for me I try to switch it to AUTO, mostly because of the auto focus points, in AUTO it isn't a specific area, but rather more of a general focus. I handed the camera to a CM at Disney on the last trip and I left it in Program and the auto focus point that I had it in from the previous picture I took made the picture of me and the characters out of focus. DOH!

[ukcatfan]

I also mostly use aperture priority for the same reasons, but will switch to manual mode when needed. I sometimes use program, but almost never use shutter priority.

Kevin

[DueyDooDah]

I've been shooting nearly all in aperture priority. I have been shooting alot of twightlight photos lately and find my 30D shooting brighter than I'd expect so have been using compensation, also. Usually 1 full stop.

I'm still nowhere near as comfortable with digital as I was with film. I always used manual mode when shooting with my F1 and Pentax cameras. I found that I could get exactly the shots I wanted. I have not been as successful with digital. I'm not sure why, although it could be I had not shot photos for about 20 years prior to getting the 30D. [as an aside, my colateral duty while in the Navy was ship's photographer. By the time they used me up, I was done with it.]

I'd like my next camera to allow me to specify more constraints on program mode. Ideally, I'd like to be able to tell it things like - "keep the aperture between f/3.5 and f/5.6, keep the shutter speed at 1/200 or faster, and pick the lowest ISO that accomplishes that.

I think somone's been looking again. :thumbsup2

[Master Mason]

I mostly shoot in Av mode at this time. Sometimes TV when needed. I haven't ventured to the full auto too much yet.

[jann1033]

at first i was shooting in tv, lately more in av due to the light bulb going off that i wanted to control different dof ( talk about a dim bulb) although i still can't see much difference when i push that dof button. so far i have enough to remember with out messing much with "M". and i have never used the autos and don't use p much which i should use just for snapshot things sometimes

i totally agree with dueydd, i don't really get why changing from film to digital threw me such a curve unless it is older brain=doesn't adjust. just seems like there is so much "stuff" i have to remember. shooting in RAW is helping since i can mess around more post photo if i forgot to check something( like 90% of the time) this sounds like an excuse ( cause it is) but i think if the lcd read out was on top instead of the back i'd look at it more and notice when i had the wrong wb or something.

[0bli0]

generally AV mode unless i'm shooting team sports on a sunny day - then most often manual.

[fitzperry]

Aperture priority more than anything else--as others have said, because I want to control dof. In low light, I usually use manual and play around with different exposures (I guess I should figure out how to use the bracketing function).

[Gdad]

Probably aperature priority most followed by full manual a close 2nd.

[Gdad]

I'd like my next camera to allow me to specify more constraints on program mode. Ideally, I'd like to be able to tell it things like - "keep the aperture between f/3.5 and f/5.6, keep the shutter speed at 1/200 or faster, and pick the lowest ISO that accomplishes that.

I agree that would be nice.:idea:

[tinksdad]

I typically use the manual mode, especially for low light shots. Most of my shooting use the spot metering setting the camera. I like the control. Aperture prioirity is great for the creative depth of field shots, maybe about 20% of my shots are there!!

I do use the full auto, progam mode sometimes for ease and fast changing conditions.

I like your parameters for the "new" camera Mark. Probably won't be that far in the future.:thumbsup2

[KaitlinsMom]

but i think if the lcd read out was on top instead of the back i'd look at it more and notice when i had the wrong wb or something.

Amen to that! I think it just needs to become a habit to look on the back at the LCD - But I just can't get there yet!

[allyn]

i usually use P mode. snapping photos of my 3yo, i just don't have the time to check aperture and shutter speed. i know that makes me an amateur.

i would LOVE a programmable mode where i controlled the "exposure graph" and could set parameters as mark suggested. i've been wishing for that for years. unfortunately, since the ultra-high-end canons don't even have that yet, it will probably be many years before something like that makes it to something i can afford. new features often start at the top end.

canon's 30d and previous models in the same line do have a custom function called "safety shift" that i wish would trickle down to the rebel series. safety shift works in Av or Tv mode and will override your selection if the shot cannot be exposed correctly with your selection. not as good as a programmable mode but it fixes the really lame mistakes.

[boBQuincy]

I usually use "P" and adjust the exposure compensation to suit. If I don't like the aperture or shutter speed the camera selected then I twirl the top dial to change them.

For night photography I sometimes use "Av" to blend existing light with flash. For motion I use "Tv" to get the amount of blur I want.

[Boss Hogg]

AV most of the time, for me. Albeit, for fireworks pics and show/sport pics (such as Lights Motors Action show) I use TV.

Sometimes I use auto if I am feeling lazy, and since updating from a 300D to 400D I have been pleasantly suprised with the quality of shots coming out of the camera on auto.

[senecabeach]

WOW !!!!:eek:

I see I sure have lots of reading and experimenting to do on my new D 80 now that the holidays have calmed down.
I've got to get prepared for my May "home" trip. Please keep your tips coming!!:grouphug:

[ndelaware]

M

[thptrek]

I do a lot of sports photography with the kids and find myself using shutter priority as a result.

[mabas9395]

Actually, it pretty evenly distributed between TV, AV & M. It helps that my first SLR, a pentax K1000, was fully manual.

[Groucho]

i would LOVE a programmable mode where i controlled the "exposure graph" and could set parameters as mark suggested. i've been wishing for that for years. unfortunately, since the ultra-high-end canons don't even have that yet, it will probably be many years before something like that makes it to something i can afford. new features often start at the top end.
I believe that the new Pentax K10D does this. Competition improves the breed...

Anyway, to answer the original question... I mostly go between program and aperture priority. Occasionally shutter priority, and manual mode for my two lenses that are lacking an auto-aperture mode. Oh, and bulb mode for fireworks, and bus photos... wait 'til you see what I shot last night, talk about pictures the average tourist doesn't take. :lmao:

Today we spent the day in Epcot and I spent most of the day switching between the 50-200mm for zoom stuff, and 50mm for the low-light/indoor and "0bli0"-style photos - heavy depth of field stuff. ;) Too bad they don't make one single small lens that goes from a fisheye 10mm to, oh, 300mm or so, and F1.4 at all focal lengths... boy, that'd make things easier!

[Disneyfreak92]

Too bad they don't make one single small lens that goes from a fisheye 10mm to, oh, 300mm or so, and F1.4 at all focal lengths... boy, that'd make things easier!

I want that lens! :lmao:

I use Program mode a lot for walking around, but I switch to Av for certain circumstances, and I use manual for my night shots.

[gruZ]

I want the lens too - ideally it would be < 6 ounces, and around $150!

Depending on the situation, I will use Av, Tv, or M. From time to time I will still use P, but not nearly as much.

[MarkBarbieri]

Why manual? What do use manual for and how do you use it?

If you are adjusting the exposure and shutter speed to match the camera's meter, why not just use AV or TV and skip the extra step? If you are using the camera's exposure meeting as a guideline but compensating, why not use the camera's exposure compensation?

The only times I use full manual are with external lights (which the camera can't meter for) or with the built in flash when I want to tightly control the shutter speed and aperture but still want the camera to give me enough light to make my decisions work.

So why do you shoot in Manual? What advantage does it provide over AV or TV?

[MarkBarbieri]

I guess I could also see using M if you used an external meter to deal with limitations of the camera's meter.

Or if you wanted to do everything yourself to force yourself to pay more attention to your camera settings.

[jann1033]

i used manual last night cause to get the full moon it was the only thing that would let me get the shutter speed fast enough and the aperture also...so i guess that would be like the external light

[MarkBarbieri]

i used manual last night cause to get the full moon it was the only thing that would let me get the shutter speed fast enough and the aperture also...so i guess that would be like the external light

I was really thinking external flash when I said external light. If the light is constant, your camera's meter should be able to handle it. The moon is so small for most focal lengths that a camera without a spot meter might have trouble with it. Without a spot meter, I agree that manual would probably be the best way to deal with it.

A bit off topic - the full moon takes up the same amount of space in the sky regardless of whether it is a harvest moon, a moon near the horizon, or a moon way up high in the sky. Many people think that a harvest moon looks larger, but that is an illusion. Your brain "sees" the moon being larger when it is near the horizon because it has more context.

[fitzperry]

Or if you wanted to do everything yourself to force yourself to pay more attention to your camera settings.

When I shoot in manual, that's often the reason--I'm trying out different exposures. Part of the educational process I suppose.

Sometimes in low light I'll use manual and underexpose something a bit in order to use a shutter speed that I can still hand hold (I'm too lazy to carry a tripod, and even if I weren't, the presence of two impatient children and one only slightly less impatient husband makes the use of a tripod somewhat tricky). Then I can brighten it up a bit in Photoshop. Not the best technique I'm sure, but it occasionally produces an acceptable result.

[0bli0]

i'm not sure who Mark's question is aimed at... i use 'M' mode for team sports in the daylight because different people's faces and jerseys are different colours. so i take a reading for the grass and stick with that. i'll take another reading at the half or if there is a significant change in cloud cover.

[Disneyfreak92]

I use manual at night, but I guess I should say primarily for fireworks. I set my aperture at f/8, shutter on bulb, and ISO at 100. That way I can time the exposures using my shutter release and hopefully get something like this...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid201/p60e2d0142e56651de7343664d046b2a8/f011dbc1.jpg

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7df20b3127cce800f53b08a9d00000015109AZtm7Rw4awh ttp://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7df20b3127cce800f5ca9ca1b00000015109AZtm7Rw4aw

[Groucho]

0bli0 has a good point - manual allowing you to set an exposure level that you like for a location and let it stick, without worrying about the camera deciding that something should change. I hadn't even thought about that when reading Mark's question, although I did do that myself a couple times yesterday and today. Sometimes you don't want the camera to do any thinking for you.

I was thinking earlier today if we aren't overthinking by avoiding the manufacturer-created "scene" modes? I've almost never use them on any camera, and never on my DSLR. Maybe there are times where they will actually "work as advertised"? Something to play with one of these days.

[jann1033]

0bli0 has a good point - manual allowing you to set an exposure level that you like for a location and let it stick, without worrying about the camera deciding that something should change. I hadn't even thought about that when reading Mark's question, although I did do that myself a couple times yesterday and today. Sometimes you don't want the camera to do any thinking for you.

I was thinking earlier today if we aren't overthinking by avoiding the manufacturer-created "scene" modes? I've almost never use them on any camera, and never on my DSLR. Maybe there are times where they will actually "work as advertised"? Something to play with one of these days.

kind of forgot about them on my dslr but on my slr i used to use the auto "closeup" all the time and got really great macro shots, the background was really nicely blurred and the object nice and sharp even with my less than spectacular sigma "macro" lens. i think unless it's something you particularly want to try to accomplish, why not? sometimes my brain needs a rest ( sometimes my brains takes a rest whether i want it to or not but that is another topic;) )

[wdwpluto]

Mostly Av because I like to control the depth of field. But if it's a fast moving subject, I'll switch to Tv. I use M occasionally if I'm not happy with the exposure I'm getting from Av or Tv.

I do, however, love night portrait. I know there's another thread on it and that you can get the same results without using a mode, but I like the ease of it.