View collections of nature pictures, wildlife stock photography, and other newsworthy subjects. Browse Photography Galleries.
A new children's book released September 2010 ~ now available! Read More...
I recently received a question via my LinkedIn Nikon Photographers Forum that I tried to answer via LinkedIn. However, due to the length of the answer I decided to bring it over here to my blog. The question is, “what shooting mode do most photographs use?” You can read my thoughts below.
Nikon’s Flexible Program Mode
I use what Nikon refers to as Flexible Program Mode or the P setting 98% of the time. As most of the comments above show, using anything but Manual or Aperture priority is not very popular. However, I believe if more photographers would investigate the benefits of the Flexible Program option, in the Nikon system, they would come to understand the tremendous benefits. I specifically state Nikon since Canon’s version of the Flexible Program is a bit different and can be frustrating to rely on.
Nikon’s Flexible Program is actually a combination of Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority all rolled into one. When you first turn the camera on in the P Mode, the camera will choose what it thinks is the appropriate shutter speed and aperture. This is where most serious shooters think the downside to P mode comes in. What many don’t know is you have the option to adjust shutter speed and aperture while in the P mode. That’s where the word Flexible comes in. Let’s say the camera selects a shutter speed of
250th @ F/8. but you want a faster shutter speed to stop something with quick moving action. Presuming you have a lens that has a maximum aperture larger than f/8, let’s say f/4, you can adjust the cameras shutter speed and aperture combination to something more appropriate.
Here’s how it is done. When in Flexible Program, you turn the camera on and the camera makes a selection of say 250th @ f/8, however, you decide you want 1000th @ f/4. To change the camera to 1000th @ f/4, all you do is turn Nikon’s main Command Dial, (the big horizontal wheel on the top right, back side of the camera next to your thumb) to the right until you get the 1000th of a second. While adjusting the Command Dial and moving it to the higher shutter speed, the aperture follows right along with it, bringing the aperture up to the f/4 setting. Let’s say the action subsides and you now want better depth of field. All you do is turn the Command Dial to the left. In doing so the shutter speed is reduced and the Aperture once again follows it down to a smaller aperture setting, which in turn gives you better depth of field.
So in summary if you want to stop action, quickly dial to the right. If you want better depth of field, dial to the left. It’s that simple and very, very quick to use. As I mentioned above it is very similar to having the benefits of Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority all rolled into one easy Program Mode.
Now for my soap box on photographers who refuse anything but manual metering. Why would anyone buy a multi-thousand dollar camera or even several hundred dollar camera and refuse to use the sophisticated technology that costs a substantial part of the cameras price? I’m always amazed at the pride many photographers exude when talking about using the same technique that came onto the market with the Super Kodak Six-20 in1938. Auto metering is meant to help all photographers concentrate on the composition, the peak action, capturing the elusive moment. Those are things that only the human eye, at this point, can make a judgement on to convince the photographer to push the shutter button. I agree that there are still a few, very few, situations where moving your camera over to Manual Metering Mode is beneficial. That’s where my other 2% points come in. But I’m also confident that you are equally qualified, some may say “professional” even if you do choose to use some of the worlds leading technology to expose your pictures and help you concentrate on the other issues I mentioned above. With Auto Metering, the advent of the histogram and use of the +/- Exposure Compensation button, a photographer can easily eliminate most times it is necessary to switch back and forth from Auto to Manual metering. Knowing when to use the modern metering technology or relying on your skills to meter manually is the key.
One last note regarding the differences between Nikon and Canon on this issue of Program Mode. Canon also has a similar feature to Nikon’s Flexible Program with one big exception. When Canon cameras are in Canon’s Program Mode and the camera turns the meter off during a slow period in the action, if you reactivate the meter by touching the shutter button, the Canon camera resets the shutter speed and aperture back to what THE CAMERA wants, not what you originally chose. With Nikon, even though the camera meter will shut down, when you reactivate the system by touching the shutter button, the shutter and aperture settings are where you set them before the meter turned itself off. This difference between the Nikon and Canon systems is why I suggest Canon shooters use the Aperture or Shutter Priority setting when using an auto mode.
I’m certain all of you will agree that the suggestions above are just one mans opinion and there will be many who will have their own ideas. However, keeping an open mind on how we create images is all just part of growing in this exciting world of creating images. If you are interested I other subjects on photography, conservation and quality story telling I would be grateful if you visited our blog at http://www.naturalexposures.com/corkboard/
Tags: Auto Mode, Canon, education, Flexible Program, manual versus auto, nikon, photography, pro shooting techniques
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 29th, 2011 at 12:47 pm and is filed under Photography Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Thank you for explaining this feature. I most of the time shoot in the P mode because I’m more interested in capturing the action that looking a small bar in the viewfinder to see if I’m on target with the exposure. With the P mode I can shoot away and get a rather acceptable exposure and since I usually shoot RAW I can always do final detail adjustments.
Jorge
Good for you Jorge. Glad you appreciated the explanation.
Thanks for your great comments! I have a D7000 and use the P mode most often. I’m glad to hear I have been using what I thought was the the best setting. I will check out your blog soon!
Thanks for the explanation on the Flexible “P” mode. I generally us the Aperture Priority Mode and use the EV button for exposure compensation as necessary. At time will also use the “M” mode. I will generally instruct my students to use those two modes. Tomorrow AM I will be out after Whitetails and will experiment with the Flexible P mode. However I can not see much difference than the “A” mode I can do the samething by adjusting my aperture for DOF and shutter follows along! So for a fast shuutter speed Aperture is wide open and as you begin to stop down the shutter speed slows down. Not sure what I am missing but will playing with that program this week. Always interested in faster, better ways to capture that peak moment!
John, you are right. Aperture Priority is very similar to Program. However, one of the advantages to the P Mode is that when you first turn your camera on the camera will always give you an correct exposure. It may not be the one you want but it will always be set to expose properly. In the Aperture Priority Mode, if you turn your camera off and put it away, then grab it quickly for an unplanned photo opportunity, the Aperture will always be where you last left it. It’s not a big difference but could mean a captured image or not. Additionally, I like using the control dial on the back of the camera as opposed to the front for Aperture Priority. That may be a nonissue however, since it may be possible to change the dial in back to operating the Aperture. Then are very close but my main point to my post was to encourage people to try some of the Auto options. They can be very helpful in getting the image captured quickly.
When I first started shooting digital I always shot in Program mode. Eventually I switched to mostly Aperture priority as my skill level and confidence increased. Since I’m generally shoot landscape and still life this makes a lot of sense but the advantage of putting the camera in P made while it’s sitting on the passenger seat or in the bag does make a lot of sense. Today’s cameras are sophisticated tools and the smart photographer will always think about the best way to use the features at their disposal.
Peter, you are right, good photographers look to all their tools that are the best for the job. Program has always had a negative connotation from serious photographers and the reason is, it was unchangeable before Nikon’s Variable Program. Todays version of Full Auto where, you can’t change anything, is the little Green Rectangle Mode that appears on the lower end cameras of all makers. That’s the setting that P used to be. But no longer. Most photographers are not aware of the power of the P. Thanks for adding your voice.
I find your comments inconceivable !
Aside from the fact that P will inevitably choose the wrong combination of settings due to a bright background thereby underexposing the subject or any other of numerous mistakes…
even if I accept the idea that P is “flexable”… if I have to give it that much thought I might as well use Manual ! or at the very least Shutter or Aperture priority !
Great reminder here. I had fallen out of doing this of late.
I’ve been called worse than inconceivable. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Great post! I hear some call it “Professional” mode now. I find that I need to trust my Nikons more, they are almost always right. Another thing I do is to set the contrast to “Auto” in the picture settings. This frees the camera up to evaluate the scene and deliver a better image than one where the contrast is locked in. I only set the contrast to standard in the studio.
Michael, great info. Thanks for clarifying and adding your voice.
Will, good information. Thanks for adding your voice.
Yeah, that is something I do like about the Nikon P mode. I was a little confused by some of your post. Seems like you used the word “metering” sometimes when you were really referring to exposure. While the P mode also allows different types of metering (spot, center weighted, etc), I think you were mostly speaking of exposure (aperture and shutter speed).
I guess you can think about the exposure as what the camera (or photographer) selects for aperture and shutter, and the metering is more how it is selected.
David,
I’ll take a fresh look at my post and try to see if things need clarification. I appreciate your comments and it’s always possible in my enthusiasm to get a post out that it could be cleaned up. Thanks for your input.
its a small point, but even photographers who proudly “only shoot manual” (exposure), usually rely on the camera’s automatic metering to help them choose their settings, unless they are using an off camera handheld meter. Even when I’m shooting manual (which for me is only maybe 30% of the time), I’m heavily relying on the feedback my camera’s metering system(s)give me.
Good point. Thanks for sharing.