What % of your phots are taken using "P" setting? C'mon, be honest

<p>80% Manual & 20% AV</p>

<p>80% Manual & 20% AV</p>

<p>There seems to be a misaprehension that the P setting somehow reduces the photographer's ability to control depth-of-field or shutter speeds. This used to be the case in the old days (pre-EOS) but since Canons now offer the possibility to shift the program curve (the relationship between aperture and shutter speed) by spinning a wheel, there is no more control to be had via AV or TV than via P. The only difference is that the former modes keep the setting until you change it while the latter revert to the standard combination when the camera goes into rest mode. Oh, and AV and TV allows for incorrect exposures if the light does not fit within the range while P adjusts.</p>

<p>I remember when the shifteable P feature was launched in the late eighties. It was one of the greatest improvements for handling a camera I had ever seen. I since have complete control of the combination of aperture and shutter speed via the front wheel, and can adjust overall exposure via the back thumb wheel. To me it is the fastest and most accurate way of operating a camera and I use it a lot.</p>

<p>I use "P" less than one tenth of one percent of the time. Normally Av or when indoors M; when shooting sports, Tv.<br>

Poster above is right, Program Shift is fine - but I find it confusing, never knowing what will change when.</p>

 

<p>On my 7D I use P for shooting video.</p>

<p>On a point-n-shoot I use P for manual flash control and being able to access RAW.</p>

<p>0%<br>

99% AV<br>

1% Manual</p>

<p>Av and M give me everything that I'll ever need.</p>

<p>Whenever I'm in the car, and sometimes when I <em>really</em> have to act quickly or get <em>nothing</em> . I have no idea what the percentage is though. It also seems to depend on which setup I'm using. In short, the camera usually "sleeps" in "P" mode.l</p>

<p>With the 5DII I purchased just about one year ago, for me the breakdown is:<br>

P= 0%<br>

Av = 95%<br>

Manual = 5%<br>

Prior to the 5DII, I was still using my 1n, and the breakdown there was:<br>

P = 0%<br>

Manual = 95%<br>

Tv = 5%<br>

My shift from Manual to Av was highly impacted by becoming comfortable with Av when shooting with my G6 (since replaced by the G11).</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Nada.</p>

<p>Zip.</p>

<p>Zilch.</p>

<p>The Big Bagel.</p>

<p>:-)</p>

<p>But then again, almost the same for M (only when using a handheld meter with my 5D or 1V).</p>

<p>I prefer Av about 90% of the time. Tv the rest of the time.</p>

<p>At *any* setting I almost always have AEB on and set at 1/2 stop.</p>

<p><em>And one should not limit oneself by not using P mode</em></p>

<p>It's got nothing to do with "limiting oneself" but simply by having found through experience that this mode does more damage than good. You give up control of how the image looks to the camera. And the camera is programmed to produce images of the quality standard of a novice. By using P, you more often have to make corrections than when using the other modes since they don't allow the camera to do as many decisions against your intent. Of course, if you're a sunday snapper and not an experienced photographer it may be fine. If you have any amount of experience under the belt working with the other modes and taking control is pretty much in your spinal cord and you're rarely consciously aware of what settings you use and adjustments you make. Having to second guess the camera's evaluative/matrix whizbang algorithm AND having to constantly adjust it for wrong aperture/shutter speed choices is just too much second guessing to do, it takes your mind away from the other elements of the photograph you should be paying attention to.</p>

<p>But you use whatever works for you. Just don't go judging people who never use P mode. They probably know what they're doing.</p>

<p>I'm not sure why one would ever use P. Maybe I am missing out. For me it's about:<br>

P= 0%<br />Av = 95%<br />Manual = 5%<br>

As a few have mentioned, how about focusing... What fraction is manual focus and what fraction is auto... :-)<br>

Manual focus = 60% (and most of my better images)</p>

<p>What's the P mode?</p>

<p>No, seriously. I'm at Av 95% of the time - DoF control is essential. Manual when I shoot people indoors or handheld shots of really dark interiors. I still want to be in control of he aperture, but I know I have to underexpose to get the shot, and so I just set it to the slowest shutter speed I know I'll get sharp results from 80% of the time.</p>

<p>Depending on the subject matter, I often find I get very artistically acceptable results underexposing by four stops at ISO 1600 on my 5D</p>

<p>I also use manual for panorama shooting, though sometimes I am lazy and just meter the same spot over again and recompose.</p>

<p>A: 95%<br>

M: 5%<br>

S: Almost never<br>

P: Never </p>

<p>Because of the nature of my work I tend to use manual most of the time - I use multiple strobes on location in mixed lighting so it's often a slower process and I want to be able to adjust ambient light and strobe light individually.</p>

<p>However, once you are letting the camera's meter automatically set your exposure, I'm not sure why it matters whether you set Tv, Av or P. In either case a simple turn of a one dial lets you set whatever shutter speed / aperture combination you desire, and unless you dial in compensation the actual exposure will be the same. There has always been a huge amount of snobbery involved in photography - "Professional" camera bodies, manual or auto Focus, "L" Lenses, etc. but it seems to have sunk to a new low when it now involves which auto exposure mode you choose to use - when presumably you will be checking the exposure and rotating the same dial anyway!</p>

<p>My camera has a P mode? I'd no more let a camera decide my settings for me than I'd let my car drive itself.</p>

<p>No, wait - changed my mind. If I had a cast on both arms and I was going to shoot my 5 year old nephew's birthday party, I'd let the car drive me there and set the camera to P mode. I guess I'd have to trip the shutter with my toes, though.</p>

<p><em>"And one should not limit oneself by not using P mode</em><br>

<em><strong>It's got nothing to do with "limiting oneself" but simply by having found through experience that this mode does more damage than good." </strong></em><br>

<br>

Ilkka, the whole sentence was <strong><em>"I'd like to say that there is nothing wrong with using P mode, And one should not limit oneself by not using P mode, P mode have it's own distinct advantages over other mode and vice versa."</em></strong><br>

<br>

And Mars went on to say that those advantages should <strong ><em >be investigated and applied if useful.</em></strong><br>

<br>

Your quoting small portions and out of context and then drawing references to "being a Sunday snapper" is IMO, rather a long bow to draw and is illogical.<br>

<br>

But taking small quotes out of context and inflaming the situation seems to be a skill practiced here by some – and by some, more than others.<br>

<br>

As I read both your contribution and Mars' contribution you are both saying the same thing - basically use what suits you best –after learning about everything - save for the fact that Mars was polite yet your post makes an inference that using "P" mode not only makes makes light of the Photographers skills, but directly implies that those skills are less than adequate to use or to understand any other mode:<br>

<br>

op cit:<br>

<em >"Of course, if you're a Sunday snapper and not an experienced photographer it [P mode] may be fine. <strong>If you have any amount of experience under the belt working with the other modes and taking control is pretty much in your spinal cord</strong> and you're rarely consciously aware of what settings you use and adjustments you make."</em><br>

<br>

Speaking of working with other modes and taking control, do you put you cameras away with a set protocol such that you intuitively know how they will wake up in an instant and with what lenses attached - is your spinal cord that deep?<br>

<br />WW</p>

 

<p><strong><em>"once you are letting the camera's meter automatically set your exposure, I'm not sure why it matters whether you set Tv, Av or P. In either case a simple turn of a one dial lets you set whatever shutter speed / aperture combination you desire, and unless you dial in compensation the actual exposure will be the same. There has always been a huge amount of snobbery involved in photography - "Professional" camera bodies, manual or auto Focus, "L" Lenses, etc. but it seems to have sunk to a new low when it now involves which auto exposure mode you choose to use - when presumably you will be checking the exposure and rotating the same dial anyway!"</em></strong><br>

<br>

Thank the Lord and all the Archangels for some logic and some understanding as to how the Av Tv and P modes work and can be used, on an EOS series camera.<br>

<br>

WW</p>

<p > </p>

 

<p>A 60%<br>

T 20%<br>

M 20%<br>

P 0%</p>

 

<p><1% P<br>

90% A<br>

9% M (bulb mode mostly)</p>

<p>P mode 1% for curiosity<br>

TV mode 0%<br>

M mode for portrait work<br>

Av mode most of the time</p>

<p>this has been an intresting thread and i am pleased it hasn't turned into a flame war. our choises and reasons are informative. if the guy next to me wants to use his camera differently, then except for my own curiosity, it is no business of mine to tell him to change.<br>

i would be intrested in a P-composition mode, where it analyses the image i'm trying to take and if it is ugly and stupid, a little door opens and a hand comes out and slaps me.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>i would be intrested in a P-composition mode, where it analyses the image i'm trying to take and if it is ugly and stupid, a little door opens and a hand comes out and slaps me.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>It would be easier to Canon to discharge the flash through the camera body 10KV will give you a nice shock.</p>

<p>0% P<br>

40% Av<br>

30% Tv<br>

30% M<br>

You bought an expensive SLR so that YOU decide, not the camera. Right ?</p>

<p>Never, I shoot 90% on manual. The rest of the time it is set at either Aperture or shutter priority.</p>