Originally posted by Hiroshi 
Hello,
I have tried TaV mode inside for sports pictures where I am trying to get the fastest shutter speed possible. Usually 160 is the fastest shutter I can set, with a 2.8 fstop without the viewfinder telling me that it is underexposed at 3200 ISO. I have noticed that the exposure is "coarser" than in "A" or "P" mode. Has anyone had that experience? Also what are other conditions where TaV mode is superior to other modes (no flash).
thanks
I'm not sure what you mean by "coarser", or what camera you have. On my K-7, I can choose to have the ISO change in one-stop increments. That is, it starts at 100 and doubles every time I change it. Or the ISO can change in the same increments as the other exposure settings (aperture and shutter speed). My camera is set on half-stop increments for those, so the steps are 100, 140, 200, 280, etc. That setting is in the Custom Settings page 1 on the K-7, probably close to that on the K-5. There are also settings for how the camera decides to raise or lower ISO, which you should look at if you plan to use the auto-ISO modes like TAv.
Another way you might mean "coarser" is the grainy look to a photo taken at a high ISO, also called noise. Noise reduction can reduce or eliminate that effect. It is worth the time to figure out the best way to do this for your photos and camera. It will allow you to use higher ISO settings without worrying much about lost quality.
Brief mode dissertation: Modes are all about adapting the camera to how you work. If your shutter speed is 1/250, aperture is f2.8 and ISO is 1600, the camera will take the same shot in M mode or P mode or TAv. The only difference between modes is how the settings happen. So one mode is superior to another if it allows you to get the right settings quicker. For some people, that's the same mode for everything, because the controls all do the same thing, they know where all the buttons are without looking, the camera is never surprising them with a display they haven't seen before, etc.
TAv mode is good for situations where light conditions will change a lot and sometimes be bad, there's action or a story to follow, and you are trying to do many things at once. One example: bird photography with a long lens. You can set the camera to a minimum shutter speed for handholding, set the lens to a good aperture with enough depth of field to cover the size of the bird, and let the ISO automatically follow along. When you see a bird, just focus and shoot.
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