Does anyone use modes other than P,Av,Tv,M on Canon DSLRs?

[PhotoHobbyist]

It seems everyone only uses P,Av,Tv,M modes on Canon DSLRs. Why are the other modes ignored?
I just discovered a possible very useful option on my T6i in SCN mode that does HDR of three shots in camera. If it works, it would be awesome.

What other interesting things are hidden in these lesser used modes? Do you use any of them regularly?

 

[RBL QLD]

I think the custom modes are pretty cool.

 

[KJ_North]

I guess it what works for you. I have always shot in Manual.

 

[smoke665]

I have a lot of money invested in my "tools", why would I want to limit myself to only using one. Knowing when and where to use shooting modes and sub menu options is the key.

I've used HDR in camera, but prefer to combine post for greater control of the final image. The exception to that is when wind or other movement between shots might be an issue. In the case of in Camera HDR the rapid fire shots are less likely to be affected by small movements.

 

[Overread]

So in general the more automatic a mode the more you are giving control to the camera.

Now this isn't inherently bad but it means one of two things for most people;

1) The user has less skill/awareness of how the camera operates and thus is more willing to allow the camera to make choices for them

2) The user has a more advanced understanding of how the camera works and thus needs to understand how the camera thinks to judge if how the camera thinks is how they want it to think in the given situation.


This is why you might often see beginners or the less keen/experienced using more automatic heavy modes whilst those with more experience will often shy away from them. It's not that they are inherently bad; and honestly there's a LOT of really smart auto-stuff in cameras these days; its just that sometimes the user knows what they want to achieve and the camera just doesn't.

This is even more true if you want to take photos of a style that isn't "standard". A camera aims to achieve the "standard" but creativity doesn't have to follow that convention. You might want an action scene with lots of motion blur; you might want over/under exposure in a scene etc...


Personally I tend to use AV (aperture priority) or Manual mode the most; then TV (shutter priority) and Bulb (rare but it has specific uses). With those modes I can basically do anything I want with the camera. I will also use Custom modes since those are just allowing me to use a pre-set configuration of camera settings for very specific common situations, esp for different menu options where I either need to be able to change to them very quickly or where I don't want to have to go into the menus to change lots of things for a very different shot.

That said I make use of a lot of automatic aids now - auto ISO can be great in manual mode when you want a certain creative effect of aperture and shutter speed; I use a double back-button AF system now (one button set to engage eye detection AF the other to single point AF) and many of my lenses are EF so have fulltime manual that I can use just without using either backbutton AF options.
There's a whole bunch of automatic AF systems in play as well and other stuff that I'm likely forgetting.

 

[Ysarex]

I insist on maintaining total control over exposure with all of my cameras and to that end I typically use them in Program mode with the ISO set by me.

 

[smoke665]

I insist on maintaining total control over exposure with all of my cameras and to that end I typically use them in Program mode with the ISO set by me.

I'm confused here, did you mean to say "Program"? In camera settings, program mode (P mode) allows the camera to "automatically" select the shutter speed and aperture for the exposure. While you can use EV adjustment, the camera takes away most of your control. Mine will automatically shift to AV mode if I try to change the aperture, TV if I touch the shutter. Pentax Hyper Mode will allow you to adjust ISO manually, but the camera still chooses shutter/aperture. This is counter intuitive to your "total control" statement.

The user has a more advanced understanding of how the camera works and thus needs to understand how the camera thinks to judge if how the camera thinks is how they want it to think in the given situation.

In studio it's full manual, but outside, even with supplemental lighting I'm usually on one program mode or another due to changing lighting. PTTL is faster at recalculating exposure in changing light, plus hitting the EV adjustment gives quick on the fly control. The same applies to submenu options for highlight, shadow, and noise control. As I said earlier the key is knowing how and when to use the tools. People tend to shy away from things they don't understand rather than learning to use them properly. Anything I can do "in camera" that limits my time spent post is a winner in my book.

 

[Overread]

In studio it's full manual, but outside, even with supplemental lighting I'm usually on one program mode or another due to changing lighting. PTTL is faster at recalculating exposure in changing light, plus hitting the EV adjustment gives quick on the fly control. The same applies to submenu options for highlight, shadow, and noise control. As I said earlier the key is knowing how and when to use the tools. People tend to shy away from things they don't understand rather than learning to use them properly. Anything I can do "in camera" that limits my time spent post is a winner in my book.

For me challenging lighting varies. Sometimes its less that the lighting is challenging and more that the subject colour might shift around whilst the lighting remains if not the same then within a set range. So I find manual actually works out better because it gets around the issue that the camera might over or under-expose because my main subject changed and its colours changed.

Of course you can also handle this with program modes and exposure compensation too.

Which is the other consideration - even if you understand things well there are still often a couple of ways to get to the same end result. As you say if you want that superfast reaction time then yep the camera can make many changes WAY faster than the user can and it won't forget to make a change because its tired after a whole day of doing things.

 

[smoke665]

challenging lighting varies

Yup! Not all options work in all circumstances. Same as not all options work when saving RAW vs JPEG. Experience most of the time dictates choice.

 

[Ysarex]

I'm confused here, did you mean to say "Program"? In camera settings, program mode (P mode) allows the camera to "automatically" select the shutter speed and aperture for the exposure. While you can use EV adjustment, the camera takes away most of your control. Mine will automatically shift to AV mode if I try to change the aperture, TV if I touch the shutter. Pentax Hyper Mode will allow you to adjust ISO manually, but the camera still chooses shutter/aperture. This is counter intuitive to your "total control" statement.

Yes, Program mode. On nearly all modern cameras (all my cameras) Program mode includes a shift function so that you can select any shutter speed & f/stop pair for the metered exposure -- makes me feel comfortable as it's just like my old Hasselblads that EV locked. Along with that on our modern cameras is an EC adjustment typically spanning a range of -5 to +5 stops, sufficient beyond reason. Put it together and I'm able then to select both the exposure I want as well as the shutter speed & f/stop combination I want for that exposure keeping the camera in Program mode and it's actually very fast.

 

[smoke665]

Program mode includes a shift function so that you can select any shutter speed & f/stop

Hmmm, All of the modes that offer some form of camera control are called "Program Modes", but the "P" mode on the camera, is the same as auto for all practical purposes with the added ability to allow switching. Pentax in addition to the MODE dial that has the program modes - Auto, P, SV, TV, AV TAV, has a "hyper mode" that automatically shifts from "P" (program) to the appropriate mode SV, TV, AV or TAV if you change the shutter, aperture, or ISO, it's reflected in the back sreen as "TV hyper", "AV hyper" etc. Even though the dial hasn't moved and still shows "P" the camera software has automatically shifted to the correct mode. If you hit the green button, it takes you back to full "P" mode.

I suspect we're saying the same thing, Fuji calls it "Program Shift". By rotating the command dial, you can manually adjust the shutter speed and aperture, and the camera will automatically adjust the other settings to keep the exposure the same. However you still don't get "total control over exposure", because the camera is adjusting to maintain what "it" thinks the exposure should be. You can short circuit that with EV compensation, but the only way to have "complete" control of the exposure triangle is shoot in manual.

 

[Ysarex]

Hmmm, All of the modes that offer some form of camera control are called "Program Modes", but the "P" mode on the camera, is the same as auto for all practical purposes with the added ability to allow switching. Pentax in addition to the MODE dial that has the program modes - Auto, P, SV, TV, AV TAV, has a "hyper mode" that automatically shifts from "P" (program) to the appropriate mode SV, TV, AV or TAV if you change the shutter, aperture, or ISO, it's reflected in the back sreen as "TV hyper", "AV hyper" etc. Even though the dial hasn't moved and still shows "P" the camera software has automatically shifted to the correct mode. If you hit the green button, it takes you back to full "P" mode.

I suspect we're saying the same thing, Fuji calls it "Program Shift". By rotating the command dial, you can manually adjust the shutter speed and aperture, and the camera will automatically adjust the other settings to keep the exposure the same. However you still don't get "total control over exposure", because the camera is adjusting to maintain what "it" thinks the exposure should be. You can short circuit that with EV compensation, but the only way to have "complete" control of the exposure triangle is shoot in manual.

My cameras (Nikon, Fuji, Canon, Olympus) all use the term Program shift and then indicate in some way if the user has indeed shifted the shutter speed & f/stop combination for example my Fujis shows a "P" in the viewfinder to indicate Program mode and then a "P*" to indicate that I shifted the program. In any case between that function and exposure comp I have complete control over exposure in 1/3 stop increments which is all that matters. Otherwise it's just a usability issue. My Fujis are retro styled cameras and actually have a top mounted classic shutter speed dial and the lenses have f/stop rings -- I could use the cameras in Manual with those controls. However with the camera in my right hand the control wheel for EC is right under my index finger and the control wheel for P shift is right under my thumb. I'm just taking the easy way.

 

[Thiophilos]

Ken Rockwell says that P means Professional Mode. That's our Ken. It doesn't mean that, but Ken's words might encourage some of his readers to use P instead of full Auto.

It doesn't make any difference how the shutter speed, aperture and ISO are set, whether by Auto, P, M, or some other setting. The pic will be the same. The difference is in ease of use.

After playing with different modes, I now almost always shoot in M. I'll change that to an auto mode in some situations, but usually it's in M.

When I shoot wildlife, my f/7.1 lens is almost always wide open. So I don't need any aperture control. The shutter changes, though, mostly to deal with movement. The shutter dial is right under my finger, so I change that manually as needed. ISO is set automatically.

In the studio or with macro photography I use flash. I'm in M with a preset aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Exposure is adjusted by flash power.

I have played around with Canon's Fv mode. It could be useful in situations where one has to change settings a lot. But that is not what I need. So I went back to M.

 

[smoke665]

Yes, Program mode. On nearly all modern cameras (all my cameras) Program mode includes a shift function so that you can select any shutter speed & f/stop pair for the metered exposure -- makes me feel comfortable as it's just like my old Hasselblads that EV locked. Along with that on our modern cameras is an EC adjustment typically spanning a range of -5 to +5 stops, sufficient beyond reason. Put it together and I'm able then to select both the exposure I want as well as the shutter speed & f/stop combination I want for that exposure keeping the camera in Program mode and it's actually very fast.

Somewhat the same end game, different paths. Pentax introduced Hyper Mode in 1991, Fuji introduced Command Shift in 2014, and Nikon came out on later models like the Z, D750 and 850. I prefer the simplicity of the Pentax Hyper Mode where the aperture, shutter and ISO (within a user set range)are set by the camera. There's no separate switch/dial/slide, any adjustment to one of the three (under the right hand), automatically puts it in the appropriate Hyper Mode. There's also a Green Button under the right thumb, which when pressed takes you instantly back to full auto. Another advantage is the ability to use Hyper Mode with flash, I don't think Fuji has that option, not sure about Nikon. Pentax also has a Hyper Manual mode for where the photographer can set both the aperture and shutter speed, and then the camera calculates the corresponding ISO based on the light levels, with flash attached the camera will use P-TTL to adjust flash power and ISO to obtain exposure. That can be both handy and and a PITA, handy in that in run & gun shooting, with variable subject/camera distance, it can account for less than optimal flash power, PITA in that it will do it's best to claw control away from you somehow. Hyper Manual mode, you have the option of locking the aperture & shutter together, so that any change to one will make an adjustment to the other. It took me awhile to learn all of the features but once I did, I use them frequently.

 

[21limited]

I use AV for almost everything. For many images I want 100 ISO and ƒ5.6 to ƒ 22. I’m willing to cheat on the shutter speed.100 ISO, most dynamic range and least noise. Aperture based on what’s best for the subject. Shutter sped I let the camera decide, but I check it in the viewfinder to make sure it’s acceptable.

The only real exception is manual foucs in macros, with input from focus assist in Live view.