Using P, M, A and S Modes

What are the most appropriate situations to use following exposure

M
P
S
A

for example, i'd like to hear things like

A - Good for portrait
S - Action photography etc..

I have always being using Auto mode. But trying to move to specific modes. But bit confused which one is "usually" best for what ?

first,, I use M 98 % of the time,,

except when I am time constrained, and then use these two criteria

Make the Speed the lock - S
Make the Aperature the lock - A

I never use P

and well, M, P, A, can be used in ALL portraits, Action etc, it is more the decision of Aperature and Speed that matters,

So,,

S for Action
A for Portraits

is accurate,

Course my vote, just keep it simple, leave in M,, and control the settings yourself.

Most people use A or S modes.

I'm like stmv except I use M 100% of the time (when I am constrained for time I go f8 and usually 200 shutter 200 ISO depends on light and I will bump the shutter up or down) mainly because I have only old school lenses but also because I like to control the inputs as much as possible even if it means missing some shots. You have to remember though I came from old film cameras as in not even auto exposure so I was already well grounded in manual shooting before I ever picked up a digital unit.

I don't like P&S cameras that don't have manual and when I use other people's cameras I always switch them to M...

SJD said:

What are the most appropriate situations to use following exposure

M
P
S
A

for example, i'd like to hear things like

A - Good for portrait
S - Action photography etc..

I have always being using Auto mode. But trying to move to specific modes. But bit confused which one is "usually" best for what ?

Click to expand...

Personally speaking I don't think I can say I feel one mode is generally better for one type of shooting over another. Each mode allows for a different kind of creative control and it's up to the user to decide how to apply them in order to get the results he wants.

As I see it, the difference between someone taking snapshots and a photographer, is a point-and-shoot user just wants to capture a moment without having to think about anything. A photographer, on the other hand, has an idea in their head about what they want and they set out to "get" that shot. In order to do that you look at your toolbox (your camera) and decide how best to go about that considering things like composition, exposure, motion, shutter speed, depth of field, how exposure affects color and so forth.

It can be a little overwhelming sometimes, I think, but that's what you're paying for, in large part when you decide to step up from a point and shoot that makes all the decisions for you; it's somewhat like going from driving a car to flying a plane. I think the best thing you can do is deepen your understanding of what those modes DO and how they will affect different subjects.

Once you really firmly understand what the tool is capable of doing you can begin to use it effectively and creatively without locking your thinking into little boxes like "A" is shooting portraits and "S" is for shooting action. That mode of thinking is nothing more than a recipe for frustration if you ask me. Learn what those settings DO; don't let anyone tell you what they're FOR. They're for whatever you want them to be for.

Since I like to bracket my shots as often as I can, I use A mode 95% of the time. Bracketing does use up a lot of room but it also gives you excellent flexibility and keeps you from being a slave to the camera's light meter. The light meter is a good estimate but it's far from perfect, so when you bracket 5 or 7 exposures you are more likely to get that one perfect exposure that allows you to bring out the maximum detail, not to mention the fact you have HDR option available to you, too.

What he just said (#4) is really sound advice IMO.

I also bracket almost always...because of the reasons he said (#5) and because you don't need no stinking meter! If you are going to be a photographer learn the light so that you can get real close right off the top of your head...(which means you must really understand aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance backwards forwards and sideways)

Unless I'm looking to freeze motion, I shoot in aperture priority. Why? Well, unless I'm freezing motion, depth of field (or lack thereof) is what I want to control in the photo. It's all about how much control you want to have, and how much you want to leave to the camera, all the way from Auto mode (camera decides everything) to Manual (you have all the control).

It's technique only. You'll find large groups of people who do it like I do, and large groups of people, like Eye-Level, who shoot full Manual all the time. Just think about what kind of creative control you'd like to have over the photo.

SJD said:

What are the most appropriate situations to use following exposure

M
P
S
A

for example, i'd like to hear things like

A - Good for portrait
S - Action photography etc..

I have always being using Auto mode. But trying to move to specific modes. But bit confused which one is "usually" best for what ?

Click to expand...

The modes allow you to specify the important property. Your knowledge of photography tells you what that is.

Camera A mode lets you specify f/stop, and it chooses shutter speed.

Camera S mode lets you specify shutter speed, and it chooses f/stop.

Camera M mode lets you specify both.

Camera P mode lets you specify neither, the camera does it all (auto).

You specify the property important to your current picture, to insure it is as it needs to be. Maybe you need a fast shutter speed, or maybe deeper depth of field, or shallow depth of field, or whatever you think it needs.

If asking the question, then you seriously need this book. It probably is in your local library. Any beginner to photography should know that material. This is the most fundamental information that we must know.

MrF said:

Unless I'm looking to freeze motion, I shoot in aperture priority. Why? Well, unless I'm freezing motion, depth of field (or lack thereof) is what I want to control in the photo. It's all about how much control you want to have, and how much you want to leave to the camera, all the way from Auto mode (camera decides everything) to Manual (you have all the control).

It's technique only. You'll find large groups of people who do it like I do, and large groups of people, like Eye-Level, who shoot full Manual all the time. Just think about what kind of creative control you'd like to have over the photo.

Click to expand...

I bet you'll find way more digital folks who shoot in A or S rather than M...they are much wiser because they use the power of their tools...people like me who shoot in M only are gluttons for pain...LOL

smiles.. this give me my focus of my next quarterly class/Theme -> Take control of your camera -> A day shooting in Manual mode

and Bracketing works fine in Manual mode.

I try to use M all the time. If I seem to struggle at a particular shot I might slip into auto just to see what the camera might suggest then make my own adjustments after looking at the data. Even with my last two P&S cameras I tried to use manual all I could. My wife uses her P&S on auto almost all the time and despite everything she has a pretty good eye and has taken some really nice pictures, some of which I would have to work to duplicate.

Eye-level said:

I bet you'll find way more digital folks who shoot in A or S rather than M...they are much wiser because they use the power of their tools...people like me who shoot in M only are gluttons for pain...LOL

Click to expand...

I've only ever used it for long exposures and panoramas. In most other situations I'd just be zeroing out the meter anyway, so I just let the camera do it. Of course, I don't have quite the film experience that you do.

​I think a lot of new folks feel like shooting in manual equates to being a good photographer or that it's some pinnacle of skill to strive for instead of viewing it as another tool in their bag. You can build a house with a handsaw and hammer, or build it with a circular saw and nail gun, but the quality of the house really comes down to the craftsman.

I just use Aperture for the majority of my shooting. It's easy and I can get the shot quicker than if I were to have to control the shutter speed as well.

For sports, I use my U1 setting which defaults to 1/1000th of a second at f/4, ISO 400. That gives me a running start on things that I may need to change on the fly, but the fact the settings are already somewhere in the middle for the majority of what I know is coming is helpful. This setting is mainly used to freeze motion. I can shoot a passing car, a cyclist, a bird, all with this one setting and potentially little tweaking.

I'll pop it into manual every once in awhile if I feel crafty, but more often than not it's simply in A. There just arent' that many moving objects I photograph on a regular basis to worry much about shutter priority. Maybe if I owned a doggie...

Most of my day-to-day shooting is done using Aperture Priority because most of the time it gives me the right combination of flexibility and creative control. I tend to go into Manual for "trickier" shots, those times when what the camera "thinks" I want is anything but the shot I'm actually trying to get.

Remember... Left to it's own devices your camera will *always* want to shoot right down the middle path; 18% grey and all that.

I use M Mode if I have time to take multiple pictures, and want to made adjustments to shutter speed and aperture; directly adjusting exposure by changing both of these.

As has been mentioned above, I used A Priority most often because depth of field is often what I am most interested in controlling while walking around taking shots.

I don't use S Priority as much. When I do it's because I want to affect the look of surface water; such as outgoing or incoming tides. But I usually use M Mode, along with ISO adjustments, and juggle them with exposure time to get the look I'm after.

I do use P Mode sometimes. For example, if I am walking in a bamboo forest near my apartment where there is changing light along with light and dark areas. I will just use spot metering, and meter different areas and lock that in. Then I recompose and take whatever shot I want and adjust exposure from there. I find this helps if I am taking shots looking up, and alternating taking shots in different directions. I guess metering in different areas is another way of "bracketing" for lack of a better term.

Or if I am taking pictures indoors with variable lighting in different rooms. Of course spot metering works in the other modes, but I have been experimenting with P Mode lately, as a way to give priority to metering.
Is anybody else doing this with P-Mode?

Cheers,
Mitch

I almost always use M, personally. I will, however, use S for some sports or LARP events so I can quickly switch between crisp freeze frame stuff and blur to show movement (I'm far enough away that aperture isn't a huge deal as I'm zooming in and even an f/8 will give me some background blur).

I try to shoot in Manual.

Being most of my glass is variable aperture zoom, I often use Aperture Priority if I'll be shooing at inconsistent focal lengths where I am at.

I remember now that I use S mode on my N70 when using a modern G lens so that I can get a low aperture. Without the aperture ring, I can't use A or M modes.

I use every mode with the exception of Auto. I shoot Program a lot of the time because it is fast and easy and allows me to concentrate on the shot. What you can do in Program is to rotate the thumb wheel and it will change the shutter speed and aperture to match. A quick way to get either the depth of field you want or the stop action you want. I use A if I am shooting macros only and using a tripod and need depth of field. Same for S, if I am shooting birds in flight of sports and I need to stop action. If I am shooting for a panorama I will go to Manual because I have to match each frame.

These are just examples but you get the idea. Your camera is very smart and most of the time it will do a good job for you. Shoot a shot and look at the histogram and the picture and see if it is doing what you want it to. If not do something different.

If you have been shooting all Auto try to go to Program and play with the thumb wheel and see what it does. Once you get comfortable with that try A and S. See how you like it. Then once you have mastered all the above try some Manual shots. You paid big bucks for a smart camera don't limit it to just Manual.

The most important thing is to have fun shooting.

I'm working with S and A modes at this point. I tried P mode early on after getting the camera but I just felt the combinations weren't working out for the best results.