Building on yesterdays post regarding Metering Modes, Camera Modes control your whole camera and are very important.
Camera Modes
When I speak of camera modes I speak of those little letters and pictures typically atop a dial on the top of your camera. P, A, S, M, B and then a bunch of pictures.
Or, if you have a Canon, it gets goofy with AV and TV. No, you don’t have TV on your camera (yet). It stands for Time Value (Shutter Speed) and is silly Canon still uses it. Av is for Aperture Value. Those C’s are Custom Modes.
My Canon 7D Mark II also locks those other modes represented by pictures, but a lot of cameras have them.
Standing down from my soapbox, I will list out what the modes do and how they are best used. If you think I’ll be referencing back to previous posts and starting to tie more things together, you’re right.
Oh, and a slight rant; before you get too caught up in which mode to use, it doesn’t matter as long as you are getting the shots you want. Being proficient in modes other than your favorite will give you more latitude to experiment and try new things, though.
Auto Mode
It handles practically all aspects of photo taking: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, flash use and in some cameras, it makes you coffee each morning. It’s that automatic. It’s handy, but not so useful for learning.
Use This Mode When You
- Hand a camera to someone who has never used your camera
- Are new to photography and don’t know what else to do
- Just don’t care (and also throw your hands in the air and wave them)
- Are too tired to think and your photo instincts are shot
- Don’t want to shoot in RAW
Program Mode
Yet most modern DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have quality Program Modes which handle most functions but leave many to be adjusted. For instance, the camera will pick a shutter speed, ISO and aperture setting for you. But if you like, you can manually set the ISO.
Likewise, turning a dial will adjust the shutter speed and aperture settings while keeping the overall exposure the same based on your selected metering mode. You can also pick focus points and choose to over or under expose the scene by a set number of stops and change the white balance.
I use at times and typically I will use the front dial on my camera to make a quick change to the chosen settings to adjust to my liking. Such as adding in just a bit of depth of field with an increase in aperture or quickly underexposing by a stop when I know the camera will meter higher than I desire.
Use This Mode When You
- Want to start taking control of your camera
- Have a name that starts with P (that’s my secret reason for using it; ego)
- Are happy with the camera’s metering and know what to expect
A nice thing about Program Mode is it has a safety to typically not allow you to under or over exposure your shot. This can be handy.
Aperture Priority Mode
This mode is best used to control what aperture controls, which is? Depth Of Field.
Use This Mode When You
- Are shooting a landscape
- Want to control depth of field, like when shooting a landscape
- Are thinking of shooting a landscape
- Just got out of the car on your way to shoot a landscape
- Dream about shooting a landscape tonight
- Accidentally shoot a portrait or two between landscape shoots
It’s the mode I use the most, not because I shoot landscapes, but because I primarily want control over my Depth of Field. I keep an eye on my shutter speed and use my aperture setting to adjust that as needed (remember the Teeter Totters of Doom?).
Shutter Priority Mode
NOTE: In both Aperture and Shutter Speed Modes, it is possible to over or under expose when selecting your setting, unlike in Program Mode. If the shutter speed is too fast for the aperture, for instance, the aperture setting may blink or list “LO”, indicating the amount of light is too low for a proper exposure
Likewise, if you set the aperture to f/45 and there is still too much light for your highest shutter speed to be used, your camera will still use that highest shutter speed but will blink to tell you things are going to come out all wrong. This can happen with sunset shots.
Use This Mode When You
- Are shooting action shots, like sports
- Want to ensure no camera induced blur with a long lens
- Want to control blur in general
- Are taking night shots with flash and want more control
- Are taking a picture of a yeti
Manual Mode
Getting good at Manual Mode needs repetition and practice, that’s all. Just like anything, it can be made second nature if you work at it and have a desire.
ISO can be set manually or automatically in this mode as well, for true manual control.
Use This Mode When You
- Want to brag about using it
- Lust after total control
- Are feeling creative and want to play
- Shoot in a studio and know your lighting setup
- Shoot at night and know your camera’s metering is inaccurate
Creative Camera Modes
Not all cameras have these modes and some have many, many more. But I want to list some of the useful ones. They can be used like a crutch while learning, but don’t rely on them.
Portrait Mode
Action/Sports Mode
Landscape Mode
Night Shot Mode
Other
- Child Mode – Not what you think. Does not deliver children, nor make them eat healthy snacks. But helps with taking pictures of the fast moving buggers.
- CA – This mode mystifies me. It uses sliders on the back of the camera to control things like Contrast while shooting. Might be useful to some, but kinda clunky in practice.
- B – Bulb Mode. In this mode the shutter will stay open for as long as you hold the shutter release. Great for long star exposures when using a remote trigger which has a lock for the shutter release, leaving both hands free for beer.
- C1, C2, C3 – Custom settings. Handy for certain set of situations, like maybe heading underwater or one set for studio use, etc… Records and uses any number of settings, like metering mode, white balance, etc…
- Close Up/Macro – Usually a faster shutter speed and wider aperture for flower pictures as well as small things you want to sell on Etsy.
- Pentax cameras also have some Hype modes and a Sensitivity mode. Plus a TAv which allows for more creative use.
- Snow, Sunset, Fireworks Pets….the list goes on and on and is ever-growing.
Do the modes make sense? I hope so. If not, please ask questions in the comments section below. We’ll be discussing camera modes further as we get into different shooting situations.
Up Next: White Balance
Questions? Pop ’em like Pez in the comments section below. or email me at peter@peterwestcarey.com.
Like you, I generally go with AV, although I will use TV if the light is not great and I want to avoid a shutter speed where hand held camera shake is a problem, or I want to avoid the “unhappy middle” of flowing water shutter speeds