Why don't people like program mode?

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Because I like taking pictures.


I don't like pushing a button and having a little black box do it all.


On a slightly less personal note.....

Program mode is an idiot setting. In experienced hands it's almost useless, but can be pushed to it's limits, However such a derogatory or otherwise term develops biased on it's application and not it's potential. So as long as dSLRs are being sold to novices who never try to learn how to use the camera and leave it in program mode, the sentiment will always remain that it is an idiot setting because the number of applications sways heavy to the inexperienced side in comparison to the number of those who know how use it to it's potential.

Almost as bad as auto focus!

I don't mind auto focus if I'm shooting quickly. One thing I love about the 80d is being able to digitally zoom in and gone focus manually on still subjects.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

In all honesty, when i bought my 80D which was an upgrade from my XTi, i looked at it and was somewhat disappointed. I guess in certain situations like handing someone your camera to compose a shot with you in it somehow Auto or Program mode would be a good choice, but in all honesty i wish they would just get rid of the dial and only incorporate P mode. I may be prejudice but it drives me crazy when people buy expensive DSLR and keep them in Auto mode or P Mode (which i view as one in the same) and expect their pictures to come out "professional" just because they look the part. They're similar to the people who load their garage up with snap on tools but don't know how to properly diagnose a mechanical failure in a vehicle. Looking the part... I really only use P mode in the same situation i described using A mode, except when i don't want the flash to go off. Set ISO, hand camera.

I was at bestbuy several times the past weeks to check out the Nikon D500. It has a professional body and setup, along with the D810.

The lady I was talking to was telling me how every so often people would come in and they are upgrading from the D3x00 to a D810 and are angry that the D810 (nor the d500) doesn't have an AUTO mode. All they have are PASM and no Scene or Effects features either. By that time up the ladder you should know what you are doing, otherwise the camera is just about as good as the lower end cameras except faster and bigger and more expensive.

I'm in Manual essentially 100% of the time because I usually want a specific Aperture and a specific Shutter.

Second nature to me to compose, meter and change. Just like driving stick shift.

 

[otherprof]

Because I like taking pictures.


I don't like pushing a button and having a little black box do it all.


On a slightly less personal note.....

Program mode is an idiot setting. In experienced hands it's almost useless, but can be pushed to it's limits, However such a derogatory or otherwise term develops biased on it's application and not it's potential. So as long as dSLRs are being sold to novices who never try to learn how to use the camera and leave it in program mode, the sentiment will always remain that it is an idiot setting because the number of applications sways heavy to the inexperienced side in comparison to the number of those who know how use it to it's potential.

Almost as bad as auto focus!

I don't mind auto focus if I'm shooting quickly. One thing I love about the 80d is being able to digitally zoom in and gone focus manually on still subjects.

I was being a smartass, but trying to make a point. Sometimes auto is good, and sometimes I trust my camera more than I trust myself, particularly when time is of the essence.

 

[Dave442]

Wow, you would think that over the past almost 10 years of this post that camera makers would have eliminated the P mode if it was so bad. P is not any more automatic than the A or S modes.

Had an old Agfa rangefinder that had a sort of P mode; you took your handheld meter reading, set the shutter speed and aperture to what the meter gave and adjusting for any EV you want, the shutter dial and aperture dials were interlocked so then you turned them together to reach the combination you wanted. Just like today you would turn the one wheel to move the combination of shutter speed and aperture the DSLR chose to the combination you want and dial the other wheel to the EV desired.

 

[snowbear]

 

[Ysarex]

Wow, you would think that over the past almost 10 years of this post that camera makers would have eliminated the P mode if it was so bad. P is not any more automatic than the A or S modes.

Using a camera in P, A, or S semi-auto modes is not a disadvantage, quite the contrary. People who think the semi-auto modes are inferior to using the camera in M typically don't understand how their cameras work.

Joe

Had an old Agfa rangefinder that had a sort of P mode; you took your handheld meter reading, set the shutter speed and aperture to what the meter gave and adjusting for any EV you want, the shutter dial and aperture dials were interlocked so then you turned them together to reach the combination you wanted. Just like today you would turn the one wheel to move the combination of shutter speed and aperture the DSLR chose to the combination you want and dial the other wheel to the EV desired.

 

[Ysarex]

In all honesty, when i bought my 80D which was an upgrade from my XTi, i looked at it and was somewhat disappointed. I guess in certain situations like handing someone your camera to compose a shot with you in it somehow Auto or Program mode would be a good choice, but in all honesty i wish they would just get rid of the dial and only incorporate P mode. I may be prejudice but it drives me crazy when people buy expensive DSLR and keep them in Auto mode or P Mode (which i view as one in the same) and expect their pictures to come out "professional" just because they look the part.

I have an expensive camera (well, just bought a new body for $1700.00 if that counts) and I leave it in P mode and use it in P mode. And I'm in no way disadvantaged doing so compared with what you do. I suspect it's not prejudice but rather just misunderstanding how your camera works.

Joe

They're similar to the people who load their garage up with snap on tools but don't know how to properly diagnose a mechanical failure in a vehicle. Looking the part... I really only use P mode in the same situation i described using A mode, except when i don't want the flash to go off. Set ISO, hand camera.

 

[Derrel]

P-mode today is virtually always "shiftable programmed automatic" mode, as it was called when first invented.

P mode can usually deliver fantastic results in modern Nikon cameras, whoich have 3-D, Color-Aware, multi-segment lght metering, as well as D-istance aware (AF-D, AF-S, AF-S G, and AF-S E series lenses are ALL D-aware) flash metering and exposure regulation/balancing, as well as focal-length-sensing. P-mode in Nikons works in ambient light conditions, AND with flash enabled.

P-mode can be SUPER-fast when you wish to be able to go from a very wide-aperture, shallow DOF shot, then immediately change to a mid- depth of field shot, or perhaps to a deep depth of field shot, in literally, 1 to 3 seconds, with the same level of exposure. Shutter and f/stop, both linked to one fast-to-operate control wheel. BAM! BAM! BAM! Three exposures, just about as fast as the wheel can be clicked.

With an f/1.4 lens, you can fire off shots at f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2, f/2.8, f/5.6, and f/11, meaning at SIX, different exposures, as fast as you can click the thumb-wheel, and in lock-step move the aperture and the shutter speed. Consider that each full EV value has three clicks of the wheel....if you have a DUAL-wheel camera, you would need to adjust the f/stop on one wheel, and the shutter on the back wheel...do you want to adjust EIGHTEEN clicks on the front wheel and also a matching EIGHTEEN clicks on the rear control wheel, as in the above scenario? I did not think so!

For the lower-end cameras, the ones that have the so-called "one-button layout", P mode is more valuable than it is on the more-expensive cameras. P-mode inter-connects f/stop and shutter speed directly,and shifts of the program can easily be made via the main command wheel. Users of Nikon D3xxx and D5xxx series actually BENEFIT from having a fast, easy P-mode option.

If you have the camera in an appropriate light metering mode (12mm circle center-weighted for exampler, or in Matrix mode, for example), with the right exposure comp for ooddball backdrops, you can easily easily NAIL perfect exposures, from the lens wide-open and the shutter at 1/4000 second, right down to the mid-f/stops, or to the small f/stops, in seconds. This is why "shiftable programmed automatic" was considered such a huge,huge deal when it was invented.

 

[dxqcanada]

P is for ...
M is for ...
Whatever ...
I just use what gets me the best image in the particular shooting situation I happen to be in ... and as Darrel says ... P coupled with shift can do wonders with the current exposure logic.

 

[fmw]

Program mode is nothing more than A and S priority combined into one tool. The meter provides the same exposure value regardless of the exposure mode. Since we control motion blur with shutter speed and depth of field with aperture, the program mode handles both. You can step through the various combinations of S and A to choose the one that fits what you want to accomplish. The knowledge required to use it properly is exactly the same as using A or S mode. And if you change your mind you can simply go to a different option without having to do anything else. P and M are all I ever use on a DSLR.

 

[Bebulamar]

A lot of people on here put down program mode, and I don't get why. Its not an idiot setting, its just as capable as aperture or shutter. With the program shift, you can go to whatever aperture or shutter speed you want (without possibly over or under developing the photo), and its like having both shutter mode and aperture mode on at the same time. I think its a bad idea if you use its suggestion without taking into consideration your subject (and environment), but used in its correct way, I think its far from an idiot setting.

But I'm not a very technical photographer. I understand what the numbers mean, how they work, and from there, I just make the photo how I want it. I don't really contemplate f-stop settings while taking a photo, I just tell myself how shallow or deep I want the DOF, and tune to an approximate setting (I find a few tiny steps of f-stop USUALLY does not compromise the integrity of what I'm trying to convey).

So, can someone who is anti-program mode tell me why they are that way? Am I missing out on something, or what?

I don't use it because yes I can make the camera to assume any settings I want with Program mode using program shift, AE lock, exposure compensation controls but that's a lot more work than simply put the camera in manual.

 

[Drive-By-Shooter]

the same reason many of us don't like auto transmissions; we can do better!
20 Reasons We Should All Drive Manual Cars - FQF

 

[john.margetts]

the same reason many of us don't like auto transmissions; we can do better!
20 Reasons We Should All Drive Manual Cars - FQF

I got told off for making that comparison. Doing better with manual transmission, would you still want manual advance/retard? Or crank start? Having to double declutch to change gears? Sticking you arm out of the window before turning?

Using P or aperture priority or shutter priority is like using manual gears with auto advance/retard and synchromesh gears and flashing indicators. You control the bits that matter but the car controls the bits it can do better.

 

[Frank F.]

So, can someone who is anti-program mode tell me why they are that way? Am I missing out on something, or what?

Modern cameras, if there is enough light and not too much, allow for M plus Auto-ISO.

I like to control DOF and motion blur fully, so I choose that mode most of the time.

I switch to "A" if there is enough light to freezzee the moment anyway and Auto-ISO minimizes out at 100 ISO

Downside is that I sometimes set time too fast in low light and arrive at insane ISO settings.

In high contrast situations when the Auto anything can not deliver what I like to see (blow or sink the parts I do not like), I switch off Auto-ISO and set ISO to help my idea of the picture I like to see.

"P" is the fast mode in good light, when it is important to have the picture and artistic considerations do not play any role.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I enjoy auto ISO in M but don't rely on it consistently. It's still habit to set ISO so when I see "A" I leave it be unless I have a specific task or condition that I want a certain ISO to stay at. I also like being able to set the parameters of its upper limits for auto.