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Modes Part 2 - The poorly understood and unjustifiably maligned 'P' Mode.
Now we will begin looking at each Mode and when one might be more appropriate than another starting with 'P' or Program mode. 'P' mode gives you more control over your exposure than 'Auto' mode. (The green square on a Canon designates Auto mode.)
Traditionally in 'P' Mode you choose the ISO and the camera sets the shutter speed and aperture. Remember our bathtub analogy? You can quickly change those settings to a more appropriate one for your image and the camera will still fill our bath up to just under halfway! Lets use a few exposure examples.
As I write this with my camera in 'P' Mode I set my ISO at 100 and the camera has set my exposure at 1/250 second with an aperture of f5.6. It chose those values for a middle ground balance between shutter speed and aperture values. To get the same exposure all of the combinations below will give you the same amount of light!
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1/30
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1/60
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1/125
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1/250
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1/500
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1/1000
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1/2000
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100
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100
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100
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100
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100
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100
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100
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For a different setting all I need to do is roll the dial next to the shutter button and the camera will scroll through all these different exposure combinations! So if I want more depth of field I turn that dial to give me a higher aperture value, but at the inevitable cost of slower shutter speeds. If I want a faster shutter speed I turn the dial the other way but there will be correspondingly less depth of field. 'P' Mode is like having the best of both aperture priority and shutter speed priority modes at the same time!
So when is 'P' mode a good choice? Anywhere you want the camera ready in an instant but where the subject matter or compositional priority between shots will vary. So field trips, vacations, street photography, and events, especially when using a zoom lens, are all times to use the 'P' mode.
Next time shutter speed priority and when to use it. Also, at the end of this series on Modes I'll mention all that technology has added to the exposure equation. Remember all the modes do is determine the optimal ISO, aperture and shutter speed faster. If they aren't doing that they are just getting in your way so practice with another method that is more intuitive to you. Just because your camera has umpteen Modes doesn't mean you need to be proficient in every one of them. Please email me any questions via the club.
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