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

[William Michael]

<p>Brian, the TTL meter is the same meter whether the camera is set to "M" "P" "Av" or "Tv"<br /><br />The salient difference is, in "M" mode the user makes the first selection of Aperture and Shutter Speed. . . with "P" "Av" and "Tv" the camera makes that first selection. . . But that is all the camera does. <br /><br />The user can vary that initial selection with a flick of a wheel BEFORE the shutter is released . . . <br /><br />Control of Aperture and Sutter Speed, is in the user's hands, in all the four aforementioned Camera modes.<br /><br />How the user chooses to employ the TTL meter's information and decide to adjust the exposure (or not) can be learnt to done with equal ease* in any of the four modes.<br>

<br />*Some might prefer one mode to another, but Zone Metering and any consequent exposure adjustment, can be employed in all four Camera modes. <br /><br />WW</p>

 

[brian_thedell]

<p>I guess you all are just that much more advanced than I am. I know that altering my aperture to nail the exposure alters my depth of field; alternately, changing my shutter speed affects the degree to which I stop or blur motion. I honestly DON'T know what all the various fancy modes on my camera do (though I do understand AV and TV).</p>

<p>I prefer the "M" mode because it is the one mode that behaves exactly the same on all my cameras. Whether I'm using my Russian-made Leica-knock-off rangefinder, or my (film based) Canon Elan II, or my Canon Rebel XT, or my view camera + hand-held exposure meter, the rules for setting exposure are the same. I never read my RebelXT's manual, and I bought my Elan II used, so it has no manual. I know that "M" mode behaves exactly how I want it to; it does my bidding reliably and consistently, and if there are any exposure problems, they're MY fault.</p>

<p>I guess I'm just too much of an airhead blond to keep track of BOTH a complex program mode AND an exposure compensation value on the fly, instantly, at the same time. :) I'm sure there are more advanced photographers, shooting in rapidly changing lighting conditions, that are more nimble than I. I was just trying to provide an explanation for newbies (like how I was about a year ago) as to why "straight" programmed-mode settings—uncorrected by exposure compensation—tend to produce muddy, dull pictures.</p>

[William Michael]

<p>Brian it is not a matter of being more advanced, that is certainly NOT what my reply to you was about.<br>

<br>

What I was saying was, if you are using the TTL meter and you have your camera on "M" and the scene is a white person in snow the camera's light meter will <strong><em>still meter the same</em></strong> no matter if the camera is in "M" "Av" "Tv" or "P" <br>

<br>

<strong ><em >There is no change to how the light meter operates by selecting P, M, Tv or Av.</em></strong> You change how the light meter operates by changing those light meter settings – e.g. Evaluative, Spot, Centre Weighted Average, etc.<br>

<br>

***<br>

<br>

To put it another way - if you poke your EOS model XXD at a scene, and I do the same, with the same camera and lens and we both select Centre Weighted Average Metering and we both select ISO400 and you use manual and decide that F/4 @ 1/400 is your exposure, and I have my camera set to "P", my camera might (initially) select F/5.6 @ 1/200 - it is the same meter reading.<br /> <br>

It is just a difference in the functionality of how we get to any exposure combination. <br>

<br>

Likely you picked up your camera and had to turn two dials, to dial in the Tv and the Av - whereas in “P” mode the camera chooses the first Tv / Av pair for me and if I want to, I can easily select F/4 @ 1/400s with a flick of the Quick Control Dial. <br>

<br>

***<br>

<br>

Now if you want to overrule the LIGHT METER ’S suggestion because you know the Zone system and you note that this particular scene requires you to open upon more stop, you might set the your shutter speed to 1/200s . . . <br>

<br>

I can easily do the same in “P” mode (also in Av or Tv mode as well) – I just might be using a different knob, button or wheel to do so.<br>

<br>

***<br>

<br>

“P” mode <strong ><em >does not</em></strong> magically change the metering nor disallow the selection of different shutter speeds or the Aperture choice, or the use of Zone Metering or restrict or inhibit the selection of the TTL metering mode you wish to use.<br>

<br>

“P” mode is NOTHING like the green rectangle mode – I think many here are confused what “P” MODE actually is and how it works.<br>

<br>

If anything, in really simple terms “P” mode is “Tv” and “Av” mode, combined. <br>

<br>

WW<br>

</p>

<p > </p>

 

[john_bellenis]

<blockquote>

<p>"... straight" programmed-mode settings—uncorrected by exposure compensation—tend to produce muddy, dull pictures"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>This seems like something of a sweeping statement! What you are effectively saying is that unless you apply a + or - exposure compensation to the camera's recommended exposure setting you will "tend" to get muddy, dull results...</p>

<p>Obviously with certain subjects, and in some lighting situations, you may want to increase or decrease the exposure to compensate for the meter, but this is true in all modes - the recommended exposure will be the same in manual mode as in any "programmed mode settings". In manual, or any program mode, exposure compensation (if required) is a quick dial rotation away.</p>

<p>I am unsure if people are routinely getting "muddy, dull" results by exposing at the camera's recommended setting. While still occasionally fooled, cameras meters have increased in accuracy by leaps and bounds. A quick glance at the histogram will show if you are on track. There is no need to overthink this stuff - in the great scheme of photography getting your exposure right is hardly one of the major obstacles. So far, I have had a 25 year career in photography - shooting for major clients all around the world - advertising, sports, travel, fashion and editorial - using Sinar 4x5 & 8x10, Mamiya RZ, Hassleblads (both film and digital) and many 35mm and DSLR variants and not once (never) have I used a spot meter or the zone system. Obviously if it works for you, that's fine, but at the end of the day you get to choose a combination of two numbers (and with that choice you control DOF and shutter speed) and have a certain amount of exposure latitude either side now (we had effectively none shooting transparency film)... how complicated do you need to make it?</p>

[greg_peterson3]

<p>Brian,</p>

<p>I too was enamored of the Zone System when I first learned photography. I even attended a three day workshop with Ansel Adams down in Carmel in 1962. In 1969, as a staff photographer on the San Francisco Chronicle, I had the somewhat daunting task of shooting <strong>his</strong> picture at a gallery opening.</p>

<p>But when I got my first newspaper job I started using incident light meter readings (along with seat-of-the-pants compensation) and I don't think I ever even touched the old Weston Master again.<br /><br />And, in the context of this discussion, I'd note that Adams never had Photoshop, which I submit he'd have loved! (He was something of a techno nerd -- long before the term was invented.) <br /><br />So between "Levels" and "Curves", not to mention automatic bracketing, the Zone System seems as antiquated as a whale-bone corset. (Forgive me Ansel!) (Apologies to the fans of whale-bone corsets as well.)</p>

<p>As to "... muddy, dull pictures": They are far more often the result of boring subjects and bad lighting than they are of exposure settings.<br />-- Greg</p>

<p> </p>

[alan_ginman]

<p>A lot of the comments above (e.g. "my camera has a P mode?") sound like they were made by someone wearing whale-bone corsets. I bet they wear manually adjusting ones, rather than those new fangled automatic ones.</p>

<p>Regards</p>

<p>Alan</p>

[Ian Taylor]

<p>zero percent</p>

[KenPapai]

<p>OK -- better answer, 14 photos in P from me over the past several years, 20K+ shots. No reason at ALL to shoot in Pro mode.</p>

[david_wu6]

<p>0%<br>

99% AV<br>

0.8% M<br>

0.2% TV</p>

[alcb1310]

<p>I mostly shoot on M, only when I lend my camera to my kids I turn it to P and maybe I shoot one or two photos before I change it back to M. I do not like to let the camera think for me.</p>

[dereklloyd]

<p>Never. End of story "M" only. haha</p>

[w3 aed]

<p>At a party when my judgement may become impaired the camera is my designated sober friend.</p>

[jtmm]

<p>AV for about 90%, but then you can't take multiple exposures for HDRI in fully auto mode!<br>

Fully auto when I hand it to a friend to take snapshots...</p>

[holzphoto]

<p>never use P mode.</p>

[William Michael]

<p><a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/10738731">http://www.photo.net/photo/10738731</a><br>

<a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/10738772">http://www.photo.net/photo/10738772</a><br>

WW</p>

[steven_buri1]

<p>0% - I use M and nothing else!</p>

[AndyMiller]

<p>I use "P" probably about 60% and 40% "Aperture" Mode on my D3 and D700 and "P" all the time on my Infrared D100 - I only adjust the WB on the D100. Other alterations done in Photoshop. Only use "M" on my 645 Fuji Film camera.</p>