DSLR Geek

by Patrick Arseneau - In DSLR Basics Part I, I talked about focusing and exposure. Now I’m going to talk about the 4 camera modes you should be using; P, Av, Tv and M.

There are many other modes available on your DSLR (portrait, night, action, landscape, etc) but if you’re going to use those, you might as well sell your DSLR and get a cheaper, much easier to use, point-and-shoot camera. So let’s talk about the modes that give you more creative freedom and allow YOU to be the photographer. Not the camera.

P (Program Mode)

The P mode is great for beginners who are trying to get the hang of their camera. This mode automatically attempts to set the right aperture and shutter speed according to the available light to get the right exposure. It sounds like the automatic mode, except the P mode allows you to manually set a few other settings like the flash, ISO, white balance and focus points.

The P mode is also very useful when you want to use the M mode in a difficult environment like low light or fast action subjects for example. You can take a couple shots in P mode, check the aperture and shutter speed that the camera chose, and use those settings as a starting point in M (Manual mode). I use this technique when shooting night time images. The P mode gives me a good idea where to start when I’m shooting night shots in Manual.

Tv (Shutter Priority Mode)

The shutter priority mode allows the photographer to choose the shutter speed and the camera will attempt to adjust the aperture accordingly to get a proper exposure. This is particularly useful when shooting moving objects.

For example, sometimes it’s nice to go with a slow shutter speed to capture movement. In the pictures of the waterfall shown, a shutter speed of 1/4 second (yes, in shutter world this is slow) creates a nice flowing movement in the water. This picture wouldn’t be so appealing if it was taken at 1/100 second.

In other situations it’s nice to “freeze” the action and you can do it with a faster shutter speed. Subject like sport athletes, moving cars, etc are fun to freeze with a fast shutter speed. By accelerating the shutter speed, the aperture (eye of the lens) needs to be widened to let more light in for a proper exposure. This is when the Tv mode is useful because it’s not easy to determine the right shutter speed/aperture combination. Besides, you don’t always have enough time to figure it out.

So the easiest and fastest way to change the shutter speed without worrying about proper exposure is to use the Tv mode. This allows you to have control on the result, and the camera helps you by doing half the work.

Av (Aperture Priority Mode)

Av mode is the opposite of Tv mode. It allows you to set the aperture and the camera attempts to tune the shutter speed for a correct exposure. Think of the aperture as the eye of the lens. The wider it’s open, the more light comes in (brighter picture). This is what you control by setting the aperture in Av mode. The unit for aperture is f-stop. The lower the number is, the wider the aperture is open.

Another factor to consider when adjusting the aperture is the depth of field. The depth of field is the range of focus distance. A wide aperture (low f-stop number) will provide a shallow depth of field. This is usually good for portraits because it makes your subject stand out from the blurry background. A small aperture (high f-stop number) will give you a large range of focus. This is good for landscape pictures where you want most of the frame (close and far distance) to be in focus.

M (Manual Mode)

The manual mode is where you, as the photographer, have complete control of your camera. No setting is automatically set by the camera and you have to choose the aperture, the shutter speed, ISO (which I usually leave at 100 or 200), etc.

I usually use the manual mode when shooting in a dark environment, trying a special effect, or when I use multiple light sources. It takes quite a bit of practice to get used to this mode but it’s not impossible. A good way to start using the M mode is to take a couple picture in the P mode, remember the aperture and shutter speed chosen by the camera and then try it in M mode. Use that as a starting point and then play around with the settings. Keep in mind that if you lower the aperture, you’ll probably need to slow down the shutter speed and vice versa.

This mode probably isn’t the best if you are in a hurry and need to take multiple shots in a constantly changing environment. There is no absolute best setting for each picture you’re going to take. Sometimes different settings will give you the same result. But the only way to know what settings to choose is to practice.

Post Pictures in the Comments

I’d like to see other people’s pictures. Tell me what modes you like to use and why. Feel free to post your pictures in the comments below.

Cheers!