Canon S5 ? ~ Difference between P mode and Auto

[TwingleMum]

I just got my S5 yeaterday I am sooo excited. I am a real newbie. I was tired of the slow shutter speed of a P&S and my HP 5MP broke during a trip to DL. So I "had" to get a new camera. I chose the S5 after a lot of research. It seems to me the best settings initially for a beginner is Auto or P. Could someone give me advise on where to start with these settings. I already made the classic S series mistake of not lifting the flash for flash pictures Thanks for your patience. I'm really excited to get out there and start using my new friend.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I'm not sure about the S5, but in usual Canon terminology, Auto means that the camera overrides all of your settings. P means that the camera handles the exposure (aperture and shutter speed) but uses your settings for everything else.

 

[TwingleMum]

Thanks Mark. What sort of things might you want to change in the P mode rather than letting the camera choose?

 

[MarkBarbieri]

ISO (sensitivity); flash/no flash; processing settings like sharpness or saturation; white balance; focus bracketing; focus point selection; color swap or color accents

I'm just guessing at those. I really don't know the features of the S5 very well nor do I know which ones are overridden by being in Auto mode. I would think that the manual would tell you, but manuals rarely seem to have much useful information these days.