Using priority modes

[TheGoofster]

I was just wondering how often many of you use either the Aperture priority mode or the Shutter Priority mode.

And if you do use either / both of these modes, in what situations would you use them most often?

Are they difficult to learn to use correctly? What would be a good way of practicing with these different modes?

Again, thanks for any info.

 

[seashoreCM]

Aperture priority mode is used when you want to control sharpness of background versus subject; smaller aperture to get both (reasonably) in focus, large aperture to intentionally blur the background.

SHutter priority mode is used for moving subjects (generally 1/200'th second or faster) or if you are not that steady holding a camera (generally 1/100'th seconnd or faster).

Note that you need good lighting for shutter priority. Otherwise the aperture maxes out and the shutter slows down anyway, or the aperture maxes out and you get a dark picture. Using priority of any kind does not let you get away with smaller ISO's in poor lighting.

It would help if you knew what the shutter speed was going to be once you set the aperture, or vice versa. Sometimes the camera will tell you. You would adjust the ISO as needed. It is best to keep the aperture no smaller than f/8 for point and shoots and f/11 for SLR's particularly under bright lighting.

There is a phenomenon called diffraction that causes blurriness when the absolute size of the aperture is very small; the absolute size in fractions of a millimeter for a given f/stop is smaller for a smaller frame or sensor size which means generally smaller for a smaller camera.

Digital camera hints: http://www.cockam.com/digicam.htm

 

[YesDear]

I use aperture priority probably 90-95% of the time. I then used shutter next then auto. Manual the lowest.

I guess I used manual for 25 years until I had the choice in digital

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I use aperture priority probably 90-95% of the time. I then used shutter next then auto. Manual the lowest.

I guess I used manual for 25 years until I had the choice in digital

I'm very similar. Probably aperture priority 90% of the time, next shutter then manual and finally auto when I hand the camera to someone else.

I think that once you understand the basic differences between the two one of the best things is to put the camera on each of the settings and then take shots of the same object at different settings. For aperture priority I'd pick a static object and shutter priority something that is moving like cars, dogs or children. Moving water might also be a good practice subject.

 

[wenrob]

I shoot manual 95% of the time. Not because I think you "have to" or that I feel it's the only true way, I am just honestly more comfortable in manual. Last week DH took the kids outside to play so of course I grabbed the camera threw in aperture mode so I could chase them around and well that lasted all of 10 minutes. I felt "out of control." I know that's not true and I have plenty of control but I don't have "complete" control. I'm a planner and a list maker so it must just be my controlling nature- I'm actually doing myself a disservice and I know it but I can't seem to get myself to let go. Aperture Priority is my second choice though, my camera has never seen Auto and Program Mode makes me nuts (control freak thing again.) Even when I hand the camera over to someone I set it up in manual first. It's why I keep my flash in rear sync and ride its EC as well so I can choose how much ambient light I want and how fast or slow I want my shutter speed to be. It's not the most convenient way to shoot but it's what I've been comfortable with. That's what's key here, what you find comfortable, not what anyone else thinks you should be doing. There are some forums out there that will tell you that you're not really a photographer unless you manual focus. I say try it all, settle on what gets you the shot you want.

edited-Geeze, I really didn't pay attention to your actual question huh? Aperture Priority is fairly easy to use and once you get the hang of ISO choices and exposure comp it's a breeze.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Just a thought, but I think we should probably clearly define

Auto

Semi Auto, and

Manual here, if we all want to be on the same page.

I don't know if different manufacturers define them differently, anyone know?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I use Aperture Priority mostly, sometimes Shutter Priority, sometimes some of the scene modes if the occasion warrants, it depends. Almost never use Auto (and usually only do if I want the flash to pop up ).

Study what each one can do. In P, Av, Tv and M, you choose the settings yourself. In Scene modes, the manufacturer has chosen the settings for you. Scene modes can make your life a little easier both when you're learning to use your camera and when you don't have the skill set or desire to think too much. I often find I need more control over settings, but sometimes they work, it's just a matter of trying.

 

[mrodgers]

I use Manual mostly with my superzoom. I take a lot of photos out in the yard with my yellow Lab and know what kind of exposure I will get. The dog will reflect a lot of light and if she passes through the metering spot, the camera will underexpose the image and if she is not metered, the camera will overexpose her compared to the rest of the scene. I have a lot of dark trees in the backgrounds, so normally in Aperture priority, it will meter and move towards an overexposure as I am following the dog around in the frame. Thus, I just meter on the grass or on the sky and set manual settings according to that and use those settings the entire time. Gets me a nice exposure every time and I don't have to worry about it underexposing because I am putting my focus on the dog (I can't separate the focus lock and exposure lock on my camera.)

Otherwise, I do use Aperture priority for the rest of the time, but being a superzoom (older one) I have a max aperture of f/3.5. It is not the same as f/3.5 in SLR terms and is more like f/8 in comparison, so I can't get a lot of shallow depth of field unless I am really paying attention to focal lengths and distances. When in Aperture priority, I generally just leave it set at f/3.5.

 

[My2Girls66]

I use Aperture mode most often. Shutter if I'm trying to freeze a waterfall or my DD playing softball. Program mode if I'm out and about and won't have time to think about what settings to use. Manual for things like DD's cheer competitions where I need to control aperture and shutter and ISO. I don't like AUTO at all- in auto the flash pops up on its own and the focus is automatically on the closest subject. I like to focus from the center and recompose if necessary. These are just my preferences.

 

[zackiedawg]

I'm probably pretty evenly split between P mode - P being Program mode, which works similarly to Auto but allows the user to adjust some settings like ISO, white balance, focus and metering modes and areas...and also using 'shift' to adjust the shutter/aperture against eachother (as apertures get smaller, shutter speeds get slower and vice versa) to control depth of field or shutter speed...and A (aperture priority) mode...those two get about 75% of my shooting. S (shutter priority) gets about 5% of my shooting - I really only use it on occasion when a fast shutter is particularly important to force...and the other 20% goes with manual (my preferred mode for night shooting, and all slow shutter work). I don't like 'Auto' or 'green box' mode, as there are no user adjustments allowed with most cameras in this mode...and I don't really use scene modes, because I'm just dangerous enough to think I can decide better than the camera manufacturers what settings I need in those scene situations.

 

[spinetnglr]

I was always an Aperature priority user but the past few months I find myself going more for shutter priority or manual. I guess I am trying to stretch my photography skills and knowledge so I am venturing outside my comfort zone. The best way to learn the different modes is to use them taking shots of the same thing and then comparing the results. Just get out and shoot something...anything ... dont be concerned if you are going to have keepers .. you are out there to learn. If you get a few keepers along the way its icing on the cake.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I use Av the most. It gives me the benefit of creative control over DOF with the convenience of auto exposure. I use Tv when I want a particular shutter speed (mostly for panning shots). I use P when I'm not paying much attention to my photography, conditions are changing frequently, and I just want to point and shoot. I use M when I am shooting with non-TTL strobes. I also use it when I am going to be shooting in one spot and want a consistent exposure level. I also use it when I'm shooting very deliberately, watching my histogram, and trying to expose to the right.

 

[Golf4food]

I use Av the most. It gives me the benefit of creative control over DOF with the convenience of auto exposure. I use Tv when I want a particular shutter speed (mostly for panning shots). I use P when I'm not paying much attention to my photography, conditions are changing frequently, and I just want to point and shoot. I use M when I am shooting with non-TTL strobes. I also use it when I am going to be shooting in one spot and want a consistent exposure level. I also use it when I'm shooting very deliberately, watching my histogram, and trying to expose to the right.

Ditto. I may even throw in some auto exposure bracketing rather than switching to full manual.

 

[JoeDif]

Aperture Priority about 80%
Shutter Priority about 15%
Manual about 5% (mostly when using flash)

 

[Gdad]

I use Aperture Priority most of the time- if I'm using a camera that has that.

 

[boBQuincy]

I use Program mode most of the time, maybe 90%. I also use program shift and exposure compensation with it, to give results equal to Manual but without as much work.

I use Aperture priority for HDR, where we don't want the aperture to change for the three exposures. Aperture is also good for blending flash with a long exposure. I use Shutter priority for motion blur or panning with race cars. Finally, I use Manual for fireworks (and not much else).

As you see, all have their uses depending on what interpretation of the scene we are looking for. That's one of the things I like best about photography.

 

[jann1033]

since i am more of a creature of habit, ap unless i somehow changed my dial and forgot to change it back, then it's usually set for ( rarely) shutter mode( tv) or p if hub was using it. the others, ie manual i just don't really see the sense of under normal conditions( wondering if there is some kind of 12 step anti manual program wenrob could enroll in), the custom settings which i have never even set and dof for when you have something in a row and you want them all in focus which i have used maybe once. i actually used the true auto macro setting a lot on my old slr yrs ago but forget it's there on this dslr and never have.

 

[wenrob]

since i am more of a creature of habit, ap unless i somehow changed my dial and forgot to change it back, then it's usually set for ( rarely) shutter mode( tv) or p if hub was using it. the others, ie manual i just don't really see the sense of under normal conditions( wondering if there is some kind of 12 step anti manual program wenrob could enroll in), the custom settings which i have never even set and dof for when you have something in a row and you want them all in focus which i have used maybe once. i actually used the true auto macro setting a lot on my old slr yrs ago but forget it's there on this dslr and never have.

There probably is but then I'd want to be in charge of what kind of coffee, which step we should choose first, what times the meetings are...

Maybe it's because my subjects are mostly people? I try to expose for skin tone first and because they are usually moving targets I try to keep my shutter speed up fairly high which has me raising my ISO so I tend to shoot to the right to lesson that..."My name is Wen and I have a problem..."

Seriously though, I don't find it much more effort spinning wheels and pushing buttons wise. If my light is consistent then it's set it up and shoot.

 

[ssanders79]

Manual ~ 50%
Aperture ~ 45%
Shutter ~ 4.9%
Program/Auto ~ 0.1% (Lazy and just need an image for some reason)

I always start with Aperature and tend to move to Manual to get the shot I really want. I really do not shoot much that requires me to stop motion so shutter prio is not used all that much.

 

[cpbjgc]

When I first got my dslr I shot almost exclusively AV mode, as I was more concerned with selective focus, depth of field, and shooting without a flash in low light.

I did occasionally shoot Tv when I was less concerned with the depth of filed and more concerned with the length of exposure, to either "freeze the action" or to have some motion blur on a longer exposure (like a silky waterfall).

I have since gone entirely manual having gotten used to the controls of the camera - I find it just as easy now to make adjustments on the fly as when I was in Av or Tv mode. I usually switch to Program mode when I hand it to someone else to take a picture (same as auto, but I can still have the picture saved as a RAW file instead of a JPG).

Try out the different modes to see what works best for your shooting style. When learning a new mode, try to do some experimenting with non-essential shots around your home/yard/neighbourhood, so you'll know what to use when you really want the shot (at your child's school play/sporting event/wedding). The number of shots I have of my kids and dog running around our house is staggering, but it translated into my getting some shots I did not want to miss later on.

Practice, practice, and practice some more!