Shoot in Auto or Program Mode

[dennis_mansour1]

<p> I am now semiretired and what is the best way to shoot in auto mode. I am using a Fuji S5 Pro and love the camera. I used to shoot in camera manual mode and flash manual mode for years. I was teaching a woman how to shoot in auto mode so it would be easier for her than manual. I was surprised to see how excellent the photos came out in Auto mode and flash in auto mode. Is program mode better or more closer to getting the correct exposure? thank you</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>I hardly ever use full manual mode with my digicams, other than for completely stationary, inert objects. No point for candid photos of people or similar situations. The various auto modes work fine and are much quicker for rapidly changing situations. If I'm concerned about motion blur or DOF I can quickly bias shutter speed or aperture as needed without resorting to full manual control. Same with exposure compensation for strong backlighting.</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>I use all available modes except the pre-programmed ones (sports/night/etc) and the green square auto mode, I'm a Canon shooter, I assume Nikon has more or less the same modes.<br>

For the rest I use all other modes: P, Tv, Av and M, depending on the situation. Often I start with P, the camera setting will be about right so I dial in the right shutter speed or aperture. Av is used for macro work. M for flash photography. Actually I use what suites me best at the time of shooting.<br>

This was different when I used a Canon A1 with primes. I almost always disagreed with the camera's choice with regard to shutter speed and/or aperture so I never used P. But things have changed for the better nowadays.</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>double posting, removed.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<blockquote>

<p>what is the best way to shoot in auto mode.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Happy April 1st to you, too! :-)</p>

<p>But seriously... Your manual mode shots should be AT LEAST as good as full auto if you are basing your exposure decisions on the right things. There is obviously no difference, for instance, between a full auto 1/200s f/8 at ISO 400, and a manual 1/200/s, f/8, ISO 400. So the reason your manual shots aren't coming out as good is that you are doing something wrong.</p>

<p>One common mistake is trusting the LCD, which might be too bright or too dim. If you learn to trust the histogram instead, you'll be much better off. Then there's the matter of knowing how to interpret the histogram, and deciding which information is important and which is not. That is where the art comes in.</p>

<p>Here's what I would recommend to anyone using the M mode: Pay careful attention to the little meter at the bottom of the viewfinder. When it is centered, you have an exposure setting that the camera thinks is correct. You would get a similar exposure on P -- perhaps with a different speed and aperture combination that would yield the same exposure. Then take a shot and view the histogram. If you are happy with the results, then take your final shots, and you're done. If you want to make adjustments, then make them. It's not quite as fast as shooting on P, but neither is it laboriously slow, and it will give you quite a bit more control.</p>

<p>There's certainly a place for auto -- when lighting conditions change so rapidly that it becomes difficult to keep up with them, or when you're just after a quick snapshot and don't have the time to snap off multiple frames.</p>

[willis]

<p>I am a Canon user.<br>

I use the program mode in the factory default mode.<br>

It is pretty close to the auto mode with out the flash.<br>

For just general shooting I use program because it is my choice to use the flash when I need it.<br>

Not when the camera wants to.</p>

[ron_dunnington7]

<p>The very basic difference is that in "Auto", not only the f/stop and speed are chosen for you, the<strong> ISO is also adjusted</strong> to what the camera thinks is necessary. In "Program", the ISO does not change, unless you change it. Particularly in dim lighting, the Auto mode may increase the ISO up to a point where the noise renders the picture unusable.<br>

Ron D.</p>

<p> </p>