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03-17-2016, 01:25 PM - 1 Like   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by jackloganbill Quote
In the past week, thanks to suggestions received from this forum, my K-50 images have improved 1000%. I am spending more time in AV mode and was wondering...

When sightseeing, walking around a town, shooting buildings, landscapes, etc., what mode do you generally use?

Thanks

Jack
For most sightseeing, I use Av. Whenever I go to a telephoto, though, I usually switch to TAv so that I actually am sure to think about shutter speed, not just lens performance and depth of field.

03-17-2016, 01:58 PM   #32
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I use Av mostly and if photographing wildlife such as birds or butterflies which can popup anywhere, I will switch to Tv mode. If I hand the camera to my wife or son I switch to green mode for them
03-17-2016, 02:02 PM   #33
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M for me. I moved from nikon to pentax about 4 years ago. Used to shoot programme auto on nikon all the time. When I moved to pentax, too many options locked out in green mode. So now I just shoot m.
03-17-2016, 02:06 PM   #34
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It depends: In order of frequency for me:
Av: When my priority is to get shallow or great depth of field, or depth-of-field is not important and I really want the sharpest sweet spot on the lens at around f/8.
Tv: When I'm shooting action/movement and my priority is to intentionally freeze or blur the subject or the background.
M: When I'm in difficult lighting and I need total control of the exposure with little regard to the light meter, such as at night, backlit or spot lit subjects, HDR, etc.

I almost never use P other than when I need someone else to use the camera and they are clueless about the interplay of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.

03-17-2016, 02:28 PM - 1 Like   #35
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QuoteOriginally posted by jackloganbill Quote
In the past week, thanks to suggestions received from this forum, my K-50 images have improved 1000%. I am spending more time in AV mode and was wondering...

When sightseeing, walking around a town, shooting buildings, landscapes, etc., what mode do you generally use?

Thanks

Jack
I have never used anything but M mode since day one of shooting on a DSLR. The real trick to all this is knowing how the camera will act in whatever mode you use. There is no wrong answer. The real trick like I said though is getting repeatability and consistency. I get that the best with M mode myself, but maybe that's because I have practiced on it for more than two years already.

If you want a real tip or two that will help you out is to learn how to see the light and learn how your camera reads it as well. Using the little internal meter through the view finder I will get my shot and scan all around the edges of what I want to frame up. If one half of the frame is off the right end (over exposed) and the other half is off the other end (under exposed) then that is an indication that your picture could have a problem. It all depends on what effect you want. Sometimes creating shadows is a very good thing.

I don't know if the K-50 has 'the blinkies' or not, but if it does you should ask how to turn them on. Same thing for the histogram. On my K3 I have the histogram to where it shows up on my image during the review. I also have the blinkies turned on. Any areas of the image that are over exposed will blink red.

Rather than just the mode try the histogram and the blinkies. The blinkies are self explanatory. The histogram is a very good thing too. Both of those have helped me tremendously. With the blinkies I am able to tell right then and there if my shot is over exposed or not.

---------- Post added 03-17-16 at 04:50 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
This would be an interesting poll.
Make it happen!
03-17-2016, 02:53 PM - 1 Like   #36
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I've been taking classes from a local photographer I really like, so I've been learning to shoot primarily in Aperature priority. I still switch to full auto to get at least a couple good shots <lol> but I'm focused on learning to take good photos in Aperature priority. When I feel more confident that I can get good shots there, I'll experiment some with manual, but my instructor's view is that Aperature priority will get you everything you need for great photos, and his pictures seem to bear that out. It's certainly lots to learn..
03-17-2016, 04:41 PM   #37
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I just went through this thread and it seems the two most commonly used modes are Av and M.

Can someone who had enough time with P and Av mode, and then chose to use Av mode, explain why they did so? I'm still in the learning phase and per the Recommended Settings section in the Pentax Camera Reviews I chose to start off with using P mode. I quite like the "hypermode" function and being able to quickly take control of aperture or shutter when necessary without turning the mode dial.

Other than accidentally bumping the e-dial and changing the shutter speed, my lack of experience is making it difficult for me to think of a reason why Av is preferred over P mode.

03-17-2016, 05:15 PM - 1 Like   #38
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QuoteOriginally posted by a5m Quote
it difficult for me to think of a reason why Av is preferred over P mode.
P, or Program, allows the camera to chose both the aperture and shutter speed. It is a safe mode for a safe exposure, but the photographer is essentially pointing, maybe focusing, and shooting.

With Av, the photographer that wants to do more than point, focus, and shoot, is making an intentional decision on what they want to do with their Aperture Value (a.k.a. f/stop). On a kit lens, if I want to shoot a portrait at 55mm, setting the aperture at f/4 (the lowest number=largest aperture) will give me shallow depth-of-field with my subject in focus and the background out of focus with maybe nice bokeh. Secondary advantages of this include the ability to shoot in lower light, lower ISO, faster shutter speeds. (In Av, the camera will automatically set your shutter speed for a normal exposure based on you ISO and aperture settings)

If, however, I want and need great depth of field, I can set the aperture to f/16 or f/22, and the camera will automatically lower my shutter speed for a normal exposure. OR I don't give a rip about my depth of field; if it is too shallow, it may not be very sharp, could be issues with chromatic aberration, and I could miss critical focus; if it is too great, I'll suffer more diffraction and less sharpness. So with Av and setting it to typically about 2EVs from the largest aperture (around f/4-5.6 on f/2-2.8 lens or around f/8-f/9.5 on an f/3.5-5.6 lens) I will get the sharpest IQ, least CA, etc, of the lens at that aperture.

Of course, I shouldn't ignore what is happening with my shutter speed, but it is secondary when I'm using Av.

I suspect most folks using P are simply not aware of all the nuances of high and low ISO, aperture, and shutter speeds, and just want an average exposure that wasn't messed up because when they tried to use M, they made too many mistakes. With Av your control dial is your way of intentionally using a specific f/stop and the camera will set the SS for you. Makes sense?
03-17-2016, 05:26 PM - 1 Like   #39
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My camera rests in P. (No, Ken Rockwell, that doesn't stand for Professional). If I have time I set it to a different mode appropriate for the scene.
03-17-2016, 05:30 PM - 1 Like   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
(No, Ken Rockwell, that doesn't stand for Professional).
03-17-2016, 05:34 PM - 1 Like   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by Alex645 Quote
I suspect most folks using P are simply not aware of all the nuances of high and low ISO, aperture, and shutter speeds, and just want an average exposure
You don't seem to understand how hypermode works. Turn the rear dial you have Av mode, turn the front dial you have Tv mode. It even tells you so on the camera back. With P-TTL the flash programming is slightly different in P mode than Av mode, in every other situation, the only practical difference between hyper P mode and Av or Tv modes is you can switch between modes without touching the mode dial.
03-17-2016, 05:46 PM   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by FantasticMrFox Quote
For sightseeing Av, with ISO set accordingly and keeping an eye on the shutter speed.
That is pretty much how I set my camera during the day in those situations too. Though when it gets darker I usually go to Tv and set to 1/60 or 1/90 on a normal lens with the ISO locked at max 800... until it gets too dark (nightfall). I'd rather pull up shadow detail than deal with the noise beyond ISO 800.

But that is just for 'sightseeing' style shooting

For deliberate landscape shooting its in Av with minimum ISO (80 here) and whatever shutter speed the camera decides (because its sitting on a tripod )

For action shots, its in Tv set to a higher value (1/500 to even quicker) and I let the other bits figure themselves out. Though I've also used TAv mode.. that is pretty nifty too. more usable during the day so high ISO doesn't come into play. What I find makes TAv great is I can set the lens to whatever aperture nets me best sharpness and minimal vignetting and still get the shutter speed I want. I usually lock the ISO to a max of 400 on those shots during the day.
03-17-2016, 05:59 PM   #43
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Av mode 99.9% of the time for me. I rarely shoot super telephoto so, with SR, the shutter speed is rarely an issue for me as long as there's light. I also keep an eye on my ISO and try to bump it as low as I can, and use exposure compensation when necessary (although I find myself less worried about this now I shoot RAW and have more scope for adjustment in post). Av mode allows me to keep the lens in its middle-aperture sweet spot much of the time and quickly spin it to the right place if I need something else - it's the same reason that simple, aperture-priority film SLRs are my favourite film cameras. It's enough manual control to allow you enough creative control for 99% of situations, ensuring you don't lose your photo opportunity twiddling dials in M mode, and don't lose the character of your photo by letting the camera play it safe in P mode. For me, it just makes sense.
If I had come into Pentax DSLRs as my first system, I am sure I would shoot mostly in Hyper Program, but since my first proper photographic experience was with various K mount lenses on an ME Super and a Chinon CE-5, both of which are conventional aperture priority, that's where things fall naturally for me.

As ever with photographic technique, your mileage may vary. I'd encourage you to spend some time cycling through the modes and experimenting with a few different settings. After all, taking pictures is fun, right?
03-17-2016, 06:13 PM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by RGlasel Quote
You don't seem to understand how hypermode works.
Umm, yes, I do understand how the P mode works on any camera with a two dial system. If you think about it Tv, Av, and P are all splitting hairs because when you adjust one thing, the light meter adjusts the other.

I'm in Tv and I really want to change my f/stop, I can just adjust the shutter speed and I get the aperture I wanted. The only difference is intention and directing the camera to leave one parameter alone. If I prioritize aperture, then I can leave it at a set f/stop to let the camera adjust shutter.

In P mode, you can do the same thing, but whether you change the shutter to affect the aperture (like Tv) or change the aperture to change the shutter (like Av), because both are options and so similar in what they are doing, there is less intentionality by the photographer in what they are prioritizing or valuing. I could be wrong, but I would be very surprised if most photographers that shoot in P mode, are using the hypermode and understand it. However, I would not be surprised if many on PF are experts at this.
03-17-2016, 06:18 PM - 1 Like   #45
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QuoteOriginally posted by a5m Quote
my lack of experience is making it difficult for me to think of a reason why Av is preferred over P mode.
You certainly deserve an answer that isn't over the top condescending and uninformed. One good reason could be that we develop idiosyncrasies in how we set our cameras and changing those habits results in lots of bad pictures. One person's idiosyncrasies aren't better or worse than those of someone else. If your routine is to approach every shot with aperture as your key setting and you don't want the camera to forget your selected aperture if you happen to manually change the shutter speed (which happens in P mode), then Av mode might be more suitable for you. If I have both an aperture and a shutter speed I want to stick with, I'll use the TAv mode instead of P mode. But if you approach a shot with no preconceptions, hyper P mode is great and if you have to quickly whip out your camera to get the fluke shot your relatives will rave about, leaving the mode dial on P when you set the camera down is a real bonus.

My biggest problem is inadvertently turning my K-30 to video mode when I put the camera in the bag, and wondering why the mirror is up when I next turn the camera on. I could easily fix my problem by getting into the habit of looking at the mode dial every time I take it out of the bag. The only other idiosyncratic behaviour in other people that I'll rant on is the fixation on locking down ISO. Pentax cameras are programmed to only go above ISO 200 if necessary to get a proper exposure. If presented with a choice of not getting a picture because you are afraid of high ISO noise or getting a noisy picture with limited dynamic range, take the damn picture.
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