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02-04-2009, 03:25 PM   #1
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when and why to use Program AE mode

I love the colors I got on this photo:


so I checked the EXIF file to learn what I did right and found out the exposure mode was Program AE. coming from k1000 I am not exactly sure what it is.

I remember that when i took the picture I thought I am on AV mode so I set the aperture to 2.4. and the speed changed accordingly just like in AV so what is the different?

on the K1000 I am used to set the speed only once in a few shots or when I need a spacial long shutter and just play with the aperture ring before every shot so 1/30 f2.4 that is what I would probably do on the K1000 as well... so I think I am loving this P mode... the AV mode don't work so great for me for some reason. I think that on the next shoot I will use M and shoot just like its the K1000

02-04-2009, 04:15 PM   #2
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Really cool photo, no matter what you did to get it.
02-04-2009, 04:28 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Wheatfield Quote
Really cool photo, no matter what you did to get it.
Thanks so much!
well I am trying to feel comfortable with the K20D. and also to get better at taking pictures of the city. for that I have to become faster especially now in the winter when the street are empty and I can not hide in the crowd.

I love the k1000 BC its so simple you have no options which gives you more time to actually think about the picture your taking rather then the camera
02-04-2009, 09:06 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by redpigeons Quote
...I remember that when i took the picture I thought I am on AV mode so I set the aperture to 2.4. and the speed changed accordingly just like in AV so what is the different?
Program mode on the K20D is a lot different than on something like my *ist DS. On that camera, there's almost no user input; the camera decides everything, except I can adjust Ev comp. There's not even an explanation in the manual for how the camera chooses its settings or how the exposure is compensated. I sometimes use it with a fully automatic flash.

On the pro-oriented models, you can choose among three different types of programs, and continue to make adjustments to the settings with the e-dials. Page 84 of the manual explains it, but I don't really get it without the camera in my hands.

Programs are sort of a gimmick anyway, because ultimately there are still the same variables to work with: aperture, shutter speed and ISO. A program can help get you there faster within certain parameters but you can take the same photo in M with the same values. The K20D programs seem to be extremely flexible but I'm not sure I would ever bother.

02-04-2009, 09:23 PM   #5
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If you want to use your camera like the K1000, set the mode dial to M for manual. With the K10D and K20D, an exposure scale will appear in the top LCD display and just to the right of centre in the viewfinder.

Using an A lens, with the aperture ring set to A, the two e-dials control the shutter speed and aperture. They also appear in the viewfinder. Where you balanced the exposure on the K1000 by centering the needle in the brackets, with your K20D, you match exposure by showing only one green bar at the 0 point on the scale.

Using a K or M lens, or an M42 lens with the adaptor, you won't see the aperture, and you will need to hold the Depth of Field preview (on the on off switch) over to see the scale. It will stop the lens down and display the exposure indicators. There are copious threads here about exposure troubles with lenses without the A setting. Your best source of information about this, if it affects you, is in the Pentax Photography Articles forum.

If you want to get fancy, you can set the menus to give you either 1/2 stop or 1/3 stop increments. With 1/2 stop increments, you can see 3 stops each side of 0, with 1/3 stop increments, you see 2 stops each side.

Press and hold the [OK] button to turn the front e-dial into an ISO dial.

After a while it becomes almost second nature to use the camera this way.
02-04-2009, 11:30 PM   #6
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QuoteQuote:
Programs are sort of a gimmick anyway, because ultimately there are still the same variables to work with: aperture, shutter speed and ISO. A program can help get you there faster within certain parameters but you can take the same photo in M with the same values. The K20D programs seem to be extremely flexible but I'm not sure I would ever bother.

I'm just the opposite. There are 4 Program modes on the K20D - high shutter speed (freeze motion), small aperture (thick depth of field), lens MTF (sweet spot), and "normal". Choose one that leans in the direction you want, worry less about adjusting settings when the light changes. You can still use EV compensation when needed.
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