What mode do you use?

[Travis]

I used to use mostly AP and M

but now I pretty much use M exclusively, this is largely due to how the body handles flash/iso in the various modes..

I usually pick the aperture i need to tell the story.. the shutter speed I need to guarantee action freeze... if the selected combo leaves me underexposed i'll use auto-iso or flash depending on the situation to make up the difference.

I'm loving auto-iso in manual mode more and more (i was hesitant at first). I even use +.3exp comp in manual so the auto iso pulls the image to the right of the histogram. Far less noise with this method.

[BlueX]

What a wide range of responses! Thanks for sharing, everybody. I know as I get better in my understanding of photography, my ratios will change even more. I've been using program mode as training wheels or as a crutch because like Kat said, I didn't want to screw up important shots. I must train myself (and trust myself) to think more like a photographer and less like a snap shooter and take creative control.

[Gem]

100% Manual

Because I don't have a dSLR yet, and I need all the control I can gather on the camera. Undoubtedly this will probably change once I do get that camera!

[F8&Bthere]

Even though it is not the cool response, the honest answer is about 50% P mode since I find that in my hurried life with work and kids and household responsibilities I never have a second to think or plan or analyze- I have to just shoot. Even if I'm out and about, I'll have a dog escaping or a baby crying in the car, or an impatient wife rushing my every photo opp.

But I recently acquired a Pentax K10D and am really liking a mode it offers that I never knew of before. TAv mode. I can use the front/rear dials to adjust aperture and shutter independantly, and the ISO is automatically adjusted to the appropriate sensitivity for any given combination of the other two settings to obtain correct metered exposure. And I can specify the allowable range of ISO in this mode. So say limit it from 100 to 400, 200 to 800 or whatever I like.

So basically 50%P, 50% split between Aperture and Shutter Priority according to the situation.

[Marko]

I like the honest answers here, but I fail to see why anyone that understands basic exposure would ever use the program mode when they could use aperture priority.

[Mad Aussie]

I like the honest answers here, but I fail to see why anyone that understands basic exposure would ever use the program mode when they could use aperture priority.

Depending on the lens, and in lower light, aperture priority often chooses shutter speeds too low for hand held shots. I think that might make some people shy of it.

[BlueX]

I like the honest answers here, but I fail to see why anyone that understands basic exposure would ever use the program mode when they could use aperture priority.

The biggest reason why I set my camera on P mode as a "default" setting is because I've been burned a few times when I'm in a rush to take a pic (which is most of the time I pick up my camera) and I for get to change the aperture from, say f/16 or f/11 from shooting outside to something wider for shooting indoors. Then when I take the shot, I get a click, then a long pause because the shutter is still open, then the click of the shutter closing and tons of camera blur. And of course I missed the moment I was trying to get. Stuff like that will happen when I am reacting and taking a picture as opposed to planning things out and making a picture. I forget to check my pre-flight check-list.

As I get more practice in, it will becomes more like second nature and I'll be able to react faster. And this forum has motivated me to use P mode less and less.

[F8&Bthere]

The biggest reason why I set my camera on P mode as a "default" setting is because I've been burned a few times when I'm in a rush to take a pic (which is most of the time I pick up my camera)...

Ditto that for me....exactly. So often I am in a blind rush to turn it on and blast away or miss the opportunity. Keeping in mind that during the long cold Canadian winters my main photo subjects are my kids. And when they're in that moment doing something cute or whatever, I have no time to think at all. And also in P mode on my cameras I still have some latitude to make easy shutter or aperture adjustments with front or rear dials. So I usually keep it in P mode to start with and then, if I have time, I change it from there to where I want to be for the situation. It's like "home base" for me I guess. Other times I just start clicking as fast as it powers up. Some of us even share our camera with someone else in the house that only does point & shoot. And one last factor from my book of excuses is that both of my bodies are fairly new to me and I switch between a Nikon and a Pentax and I find myself needing a moment to get my bearings whereas if I was really familiar with one camera I may be able to get into a habit of using something other than P mode as my go-to no-brainer start & shoot mode....but not quite there yet. Now if the question was what mode do I use for my more artistic endeavors.....

[Marko]

Ok I understand now...I guess for me it's just second nature to always peek at the shutter speed or listen to the shutter on aperture priority.

After you play with the aperture mode for a while you can hear when the shutter is too slow.

[Ben H]

After you play with the aperture mode for a while you can hear when the shutter is too slow.

Yes - I was just going to say this. It doesn't take too long to get a feel for the shutter speed based on the audio feedback you get from the shutter.

Of course, you should also get in the habit of taking note of your settings through the viewfinder before/during taking pics so you know you're in the ballpark (I'm trying to force myself to do this as well), but the audio feedback is a nice extra reminder...