Camera Mode

[1000DUser]

Program Mode (P) or Shutter Priority Mode (S or TV) is better to use for a dinner function / outdoor or indoor. i like using Shutter Priority Mode ( S or TV ) because i can set the shutter speed, but some of my friends say only use this mode for moving objects, true or flase?

 

[Overread]

The best mode to use is the mode that will give you the best possible shots that you want to capture at the given point in time. It dosn't matter what mode that is from auto through to full manual so long as you get the shots coming out as you want them to (given the lighting and gear setup you have).

Of course added to this is the fact that the better you understand what each mode gives you and the better you understand exposure and how aperture, shutter speed and ISO work together - the more options you have and also the more control over the camera you are able to have. (that does not mean having to work in manual mode, but more not being limited to just full auto modes).

 

[1000DUser]

thank you for your response. i dont understand the apeture part completely so i only can use the auto modes and P and Tv, manual and Av doesnt work for me. also as a begginer the auto flash will just ruin pictures right? just an extra question, how is the auto flash diffrent from a speedlite? and for indoor pictures do you recomend me using a speedlite. because if i go indoor i lower my shutter speed to about 1/10 my focal is 18-55 and since i have IS i dont need to worry about camera shake and put my ISO about 800 but i cant seem to catch moving shots.

 

[Garbz]

There are a few things at play here. In the most basic form an exposure is made by the following:

ISO = Sensitivity of the actual sensor. How much output you get for each photo which hits a pixel. Higher ISO means less light to achieve the same bright image but more noise.
Shutter Speed = The duration where photons are allowed to hit the sensor. Higher speed means less light hits the sensor, but it also gives your camera less time to shake and your subjects less time to move. This would have an impact on your inability to catch moving shots. IS stabilises only the camera movement and will not tell your moving subject to stay still. If you subject is blurry ONLY a faster shutter speed will help.
Aperture = the opening iris in the lens. Lower number means a larger aperture means more light hits the sensor and more of the lens is used. This also means lower depth of field.

Now for the modes each is just a priority.
- P mode gives the camera complete autonomy over what to do to achieve the correct exposure, though often ISO is still set manually.
- Av mode means you set the ISO and Aperture manually and the camera will select the shutter speed to achieve the correct exposure. Since aperture directly affects the depth of field of an image (an important compositional tool) Av is a favoured mode amongst many photographers in many situations.
- Tv mode (S mode on Nikons) is shutter priority. You set the shutter speed and ISO and the camera will set an aperture to suit. This can often lead to dark images since there's a narrow finite range for setting an aperture, whereas the finite range for shutter speed is much wider.
- Manual just gives full control to the photographer final exposure value be dammed.

I'm sure someone here can recommend a good reference for you to read up on.

 

[1000DUser]

So as a begginer since
Tv gives me dark images, should I settle down with Av or P? I don't know how to set aperture so Av and manual is cut out, only Tv and P. Also in ISO when you say
more noise, you literally mean camera noise right? Or grainy picture?

 

[TiaS]

I use whatever mode works for the moment. If I don't have time to fiddle around with the settings, than I use Program. If I am shooting kids running around and need to get my camera ready right quick, than I use TV. I mostly use manual though, as I have the most control

 

[pmsnel]

So as a begginer since
Tv gives me dark images, should I settle down with Av or P? I don't know how to set aperture so Av and manual is cut out, only Tv and P. Also in ISO when you say
more noise, you literally mean camera noise right? Or grainy picture?

Garbz means grainy pictures, not the bleeping and zooming sound your camera makes.
My advice: Do both. If your comfortable with using the shutter speed priority, use that, but you can make all pictures multiple times: One for every mode you have on your camera. Don't be afraid to experiment!

About aperture: The larger the number in your screen, the more sharpness you will have in the whole picture. So not only the things on the foreground will be sharp, but also way in the back. To get all this sharp, your camera needs A LOT OF LIGHT! So the shutter speed will be very slooooooooowww. And in dark conditions without flash your pictures will be blurry.

 

[Robin Usagani]

READ THE MANUAL!

 

[pmsnel]

READ THE MANUAL!

That too... Or buy a how to book about digital photography.

 

[1000DUser]

So as a begginer since
Tv gives me dark images, should I settle down with Av or P? I don't know how to set aperture so Av and manual is cut out, only Tv and P. Also in ISO when you say
more noise, you literally mean camera noise right? Or grainy picture?

Garbz means grainy pictures, not the bleeping and zooming sound your camera makes.
My advice: Do both. If your comfortable with using the shutter speed priority, use that, but you can make all pictures multiple times: One for every mode you have on your camera. Don't be afraid to experiment!

About aperture: The larger the number in your screen, the more sharpness you will have in the whole picture. So not only the things on the foreground will be sharp, but also way in the back. To get all this sharp, your camera needs A LOT OF LIGHT! So the shutter speed will be very slooooooooowww. And in dark conditions without flash your pictures will be blurry.

is there a way to get my picture very sharp with a high shutter speed? does this involve a speedlite / external flash unit? also can shutter speed priority take non moving objects? like for family occasions. and i think ive pretty much found out my main problem, its everytime i go on high shutter speed the image is super dark but everytime i go on low shutter speed i cant take any moving objects.

 

[Robin Usagani]

OMG.. TV and AV are not fully automatic. You still have to set the shutter speed or the aperture with the dial depending which mode you are in. You also have to set the ISO.

READ THE MANUAL

 

[1000DUser]

Okay understood, but everytime i take a picture at low shutter speed the picture comes out bright but it comes out blurry if a moving object. if i go higher shutter speed it captures a clear picture but very dark. anyway to solve this without using the pop up flash?

 

[Robin Usagani]

Low shutter = you expose it longer = more light coming in

To compensate then you need to make the iris smaller (aperture). It is like using a funnel to pour water in a cup. A cup full = perfect exposure. You can pour it longer, but then you need smaller funnel. If you have big funnel, then you pour it quicker.

 

[Overread]

Okay understood, but everytime i take a picture at low shutter speed the picture comes out bright but it comes out blurry if a moving object. if i go higher shutter speed it captures a clear picture but very dark. anyway to solve this without using the pop up flash?

Read Garbz's post again - you have 3 settings. ISO, Aperture and shutter speed.

If you need a faster shutter speed and can't change the lighting you can adjust the othe two settings to let more light into the camera.

Eg you can widen your aperture (that means a smaller f number) to let more light in. However you will lose depth of field as you widen this

Or you can raise your ISO to a higher value to make the camera more sensative to light - of course raising this will give you more noise in the photo that you get out.

Often times you might adjust both so that they add together to give you more light without having their negative effects getting too great.

I also strongly recomend reading the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson for a more indepth (and yet still understandable to beginners) approach.

 

[pmsnel]

I would suggest using the P mode until you have read a book or manual on shutter speed and aperture. Try Wikipedia. Don't rush off and buy a external flash until you can actually take pictures without a flash. You won't learn anything from it.