The Almighty P mode.

passerby · Feb 22, 2008

I used my camera mostly on Aperture priority as I try to get as much as possible in focus. Beside that I had achieve the setting for natural colours the way I want it. But than I play around again with it and I lost the setting I had.

Just now I shot at red colour bag with creamy bed sheet on top of it and it seem the colour is off. I add the EV click by click and no good. Than I reduce the EV click by click still no good. Than I use the P mode, and there it is! perfect natural colours.

I thought the P mode only sets the shutter speed and the aperture openings, but it seem here there is more than only those setting. Anyone can shed some light on this? I'll be grateful.

Alex_B · Feb 22, 2008

which camera? this might be very dependent on the manufacturer and model.

not sure if with some cameras, some sort of auto white balance is included in
the P mode.

passerby · Feb 22, 2008

Mine is nikon d40.

Alex_B · Feb 22, 2008

I would not know it then ... someone else please answer

(did you try playing with white balance?)

kidchill · Feb 22, 2008

Ummm, you have to be careful with the different modes that you use. Check your owners manual. I almost exclusively use S or A mode depending on action and DOF. I think (I'm NOT positive) that when you use the P mode you can adjust either A or S on the fly, but it cancels out your ISO/WB settings... I think I read that somewhere and that's why I never use it. It takes away a lot of the user settings. Your best option is to use A/S/M mode. I don't deal with M mode as I don't have proper light meters and blah blah. IF you research it, you will see that many people stick with A/S unless they have appropriate light meters and etc. So, check your manual, but I think that's why. A quick check would be to switch back to A/S mode and see if your settings are still there!

TamiyaGuy · Feb 22, 2008

Hmm... if you set the white balance to a custom setting on A mode (say, Flash), then you switch back to P mode, I think the camera reverts back to Auto white balance (or whatever you had it on before) in P mode.

Edit: Hmm... it doesn't actually... I'm not sure what it is. Maybe using a faster shutter speed in P mode brought back the white balance? I have an experience that longer shutter times tend to give warmer colours.

MACollum · Feb 22, 2008

Don't know about Nikon, but Canon has settings for saturation, sharpness and such in camera. Maybe it applies these as default settings in P mode, whereas in the creative modes, you set them.

TamiyaGuy · Feb 23, 2008

MACollum said:
Don't know about Nikon, but Canon has settings for saturation, sharpness and such in camera. Maybe it applies these as default settings in P mode, whereas in the creative modes, you set them.

I've checked, and you can set the sharpness, contrast, etc in P mode and all other "vari-program" modes. Even weirder, these settings carry over if you switch modes, so I don't have any idea.

joyride · Feb 23, 2008

The P mode offers the same features as a,s,m. It is in the same 'creative mode' area on the dial. However, you do not have the creative control over your aprture and SS.

passerby · Feb 23, 2008

Thanks for the replies guys, I got it back now and it is running on par with this almighty mode, except that I chose the setting as I wanted in aperture priority and/or in manual. I don't know what happen back then but I just put the white balance now in auto than I add +2, whatever that mean. At the moment I won't muck around with it again :lol:

I just test it now outside, in P and AP and compare them. But I am not that happy with the exposure results. They are either too bright or too dim. So I changed it to manual, and oh my my my, such is the differences between them. As I suspect all along, we should not rely too much with the computer in this boxes. After all we are the operator.