mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Yes, but how easy is it to choose both a specific shutter speed and a specific aperture for the same image, not one or the other. I do that all the time in manual mode and very quickly. In manual mode I'm not constrained by a default either/or situation.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Of course you are. You're constrained by the same default we are all constrained by; getting the best exposure for the scene luminance. Once you select an aperture there's only one "best exposure" shutter speed and once you select a shutter speed there's only one "best exposure" aperture.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

That is not always correct. The exposure the camera selects may not be the best one for my specific goals and my specific images, and for me it often is not. There is not just one best exposure. That idea would explain why so many people seem to like using P mode so much. The exposure the camera chooses is a guideline, not a rule. That's the whole point about using manual mode. I decide the proper exposure for my images, not the camera.

And even if there was one best exposure, manual mode lets me set the specific aperture and the specific shutter speed I want and if I'm using auto ISO I can adjust the overall exposure using exposure compensation. But the key here is I'm using both the aperture and the shutter speed I select, not ones selected by the camera.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Yes it is.

Of course not. I almost never use the exposure the camera would select.

Yes there is if you're making the exposure decision as I always do.

As I said I almost never use the exposure the camera would select. That's the whole point of using program mode. I decide the exposure for my images and never let the camera make that choice.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Pretty funny stuff right now. NOT useful, in any way, but FUNNY! Go use your cameras instead of arguing about them!!

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

If you cannot select the both a specific aperture and a specific shutter speed for an image in P mode, that is a significant limitation that does not exist in manual mode.

If I am shooting a lens wide open at say f/1.4, I want that aperture to stay at f/1.4 no matter what I'm pointing my camera at, no matter how the light changes, no matter whether I turn my camera on or off. If I am using P mode on a Canon or Nikon camera and I turn my camera back on there is no guarantee what aperture my lens will be set to. If I'm using manual mode or aperture priority the lens is always set to the aperture I choose.

If I'm using a prime lens with image stabilization like my Canon 35mm f/2 IS USM, I can set
a very slow shutter speed with lens wide open without having to jump through hoops when i use manual mode. Using P mode initially makes the decision what shutter speed and what aperture I am going to use. That is unacceptable control over my images.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

I can.

That's true of my Fujis as well. But I can change it really fast. And when you turn your camera off and then later turn it back on in M you have no guarantee you'll be anywhere near the correct exposure you want whereas in P mode I'll likely be within 1/3 stop of the correct exposure I want. All much ado about nothing.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Again I cannot speak to the Fuji camera system but are you saying you can keep a lens set to say f/2.8 and modify the shutter speed to a specific value without it changing the aperture value? If P mode works like that on your camera, it is essentially the same as manual mode.

For most people using P mode it's more of a yin and yang kind of situation. Changing the aperture modifies the shutter speed and changing the shutter speed modifies the aperture. This is mitigated by exposure locks an exposure compensation. In the end though it is not the same as explicitly and easily setting an aperture value and a shutter speed value. There is a reason that manual mode exists even if most people choose not to use it.

BebuLamar

Yes that can be done. Just not easy or simple.

Bill_de Loc: US

In P mode, if you select the E/C first, then turn the dial to get the Shutter Speed you want, the camera will select the proper Aperture.

If you select E/C first, then turn the dial to get the Aperture you want, the camera will select the proper Shutter Speed.

Knowing how the camera works lets you get it right, no matter what mode you use.

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lautenk2

Not quite, ... you are PROGRAMMED

I used to think I was what I ate, now I know better.

User ID

Just as easily, and sometimes even more easily. For me its due to use of toggled ael in p-mode. I use it in several brands of cameras, so I know that its a rather common feature.

Acoarst UHH SOP is to make claims as if the writer is some kinda "expert's expert" when they actually barely know anything their own gear.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

I know how P mode works and I also know its limitations. After setting the shutter speed, I would want it to select the SPECIFIC aperture that I want, not a "proper" aperture the camera selects for me. That is why P usually fails to meet my needs except for casual shooting. If I set Auto ISO on, when I'm in Manual mode I can set the the shutter speed of a stabilized lens like my Canon 35mm f/2 IS to 1/15/sec, set the aperture to f/2 and then use EC to modify the Auto ISO to give me my preferred exposure. If I switch to P mode the aperture may remain the same but the camera thinks it knows better than me regarding what I want and increases the shutter speed and ISO value. Now with some effort I might be able to change it back to exactly what I want, but its more effort than just setting it in manual mode in the first place, and in manual mode the Aperture and Shutter speed don't change, ever, unless I want them to. For me, it is not just about getting a balanced exposure, it is about shooting with the exact settings I want.

P mode may be a great solution for many people, but it is not a great solution for those of us who know through long experience exactly what settings they prefer for a given situation.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Yep, that's how I use P mode. Except that I set the shutter speed and f/stop simultaneously and in doing so I set the f/stop I want and not the f/stop the camera would otherwise select for me. All my cameras with P mode include a shift function that allows me to get the specific f/stop shutter speed combination that I want.

If I have a lens that I want to use wide open at f/1.4 then I select f/1.4 along with the shutter speed I want for my exposure and not the shutter speed the camera would otherwise select.

I'm able to do that easily and quickly making sure I get the exposure that I want and not the exposure the camera might select. I do so by use of the camera's EC control. As a result I can set the same exposure you would set with the camera in M.

I don't use auto ISO as that is actually relinquishing control to the camera and I'm not willing to give up any control.

User ID

Clearly, you simply dont understand how it works.