Many canon DSLR owners never use more than one or two fo the shooting modes on their cameras. Maximize your shooting experience, learn what the other modes do and start getting the shots you've really been wanting to get.
Basic modes available on all but the 1D series are designed to allow quick shooting of generic pictures without the need for in-depth understanding of how the camera exposes the shots. Settings like Auto Focus, Drive Mode, Metering Mode and ISO are configured by the camera in order to be "optimal" for the situation. Before I talk about each, let it be know that Auto Modes do not shoot in RAW. A large tradeoff in my opion and one of the reasons I almost never shoot in these modes.
Portrait
For shooting people, f-stop is set as low as possible for a small depth of field (DOF). The drive mode is set to low speed continuous and auto focus mode (AF) is set to one shot.
basic portrait shot, the flash did fire
Landscape
Ideal for nature shots. The camera sets the f-stop as high as possible given the lighting conditions and what is needed for correct exposure. Drive Mode is one shot since ladnscapes don't typically move. AF is set to one shot.
wide DOF in landscape mode
Close Up
For shooting items close to the camera. Uses a low f-stop just like portrait mode except the drive mode is set to single shot and a differend picture style is used.
narrow DOF in close up mode
Sports
For shooting anything with fast action like sports. This mode uses the high continuous drive mode and tries to keep the shutter speed as high above 1/50 as possible. Auto Focus mode is set to AI Servo.
sports mode freezes the motion
Night Portrait
For shots of people when there is low light. This mode uses the camera's on board flash to provide fill light for the subject and a longer exposure to allow the background to expose a little. The drive mode is one shot and the Auto Focus mode is one shot.
night portrait mode
normal portrait mode in low light
Flash Off
This is simply an auto mode that won't fire flash. All of the other modes will fire the flash if it is needed for correct exposure. Obviously, that can be counter productive and this mode allows you to have all the auto shoot benefits without the flash going off.
Full Auto
If you want to shoot and not think, this is the mode for you. This mode, like the other Auto Modes, shoots jpeg, with AI focus, single shot drive mode and with center-weight average metering mode
So that covers the "Auto" modes. they are great if you want to achieve a desired effect and don't know how to use your camera, or if you are in a hurry. There are a number of downsides though. No shoot in RAW, little flexability/control over ISO, shutter, f-stop, etc. I never shoot in these modes because of those limitations.
The advanced shooting modes put the power of the camera into your hands. For all of these modes you can shoot in shoot in RAW, adjust AF mode, drive mode, metering mode, ISO and more. These are the settings I shoot in and they let me get all the shots I want. Let's go into some detail about the different advanced modes.
P Program Mode
This mode is very similar to Full Auto except for 2 things. The flash won't fire for underexposed shots and you can adjust the shutter speed after the initial exposure settings are calculated called Program Shift. This is a good basic way to take advanced shots and still have the camera's computer to be a safety net. If you are in a rush and not sure, shoot P in shoot in RAW and you'll typically end up with a shot that works.
Tv Shutter Priority
When motion blur, or lack of motion blur, is key to your shots, Tv is the way to go. Shutter priority mode means you set the shutter speed to whatever you need, from 30" to 1/8000. THe camera will then try to correctly expose the shot by moving the aperture up or down as needed. Since ISO is not automatic, the aperture adjusment may not be enough, but that is why it is an advanced mode.
car lights streak by as the shutter is set slow,
but notice the deep DOF that the camera chose to expose the shot
Av Aperture Priority
Let's say that depth of field is your main concern, shoot in Av mode. If you are shooting portraits, fix the camera at a low f-stop. Capturing landscapes? Set f-stop to f/16 or up. The camera will adjust the shutter speed to get correct exposure. This can introduce the problem of motion blur or camera shake if you aren't paying enough attention to the exposure meter.
f/1.8 set in aperture priority mode
had someone been playing, the camera set at 1/6 shutter speed would have
resulted in a very blurry shot
A-DEP
A-DEP stands for Auto DEPth of field. The camera uses the auto focus points to calculate the apperture needed to get all the subjects in focus. I tpyically think of this mode as the same as stepping the f-stop to f/22. While that isn't quite accurate, I hardly use this mode, but if you are uncertain and need to get everything in focus then this mode can help.
full focus of the fence achieved in A-DEP mode
M Manual
So you've got a handle on your camera settings do you? Then this is the setting for you. With manual mode, everything on the camera can be controlled by you. I shoot this mode, but it requires practice for sure. After a little time, it becomes easier to know what combination of ISO, aperture and shutter speed is needed for a given setting. With the increased control I am able to get the DOF and exposure that I envisioned in my head. I have also found that reliance on the camera's TTL metering system is more important with this mode. Overall, the shots you get leave you feeling more pleased with yourself.
low light shot exposed correctly with manual mode
C Custom Modes
Some models support custom shooting modes. These modes allow you to store all of your own shot settings for later use. ISO, shutter speed, aperture, white ballance, AF mode, drive mode, metering mode, etc.
This is useful if you have standard shot settings that you use often or if you have two predefined shoot areas that you will be taking pictures in and need to quickly adjust. For example, an event that has an indoor and outdoor area. I currently don't have a custom mode on the canon 30D but look forward to having them on the 5D Mark II.
Summary I hope that this list illustrates a little better what the differences are between the different shooting modes are on your DSLR and why you would want to use each. I recommend trying them all out for yourself and try working up to manual mode. Learning to use these modes correctly will help you turn your mental shots into amazing real shots.
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Nice pic! I\'ve downloaded several more by means of http://torrents.rapid4me.com rapidshare search engine made by the same camera, but they were worse... I don\'t know why that happened.
owners never use more than one or two fo the shooting modes on their cameras. Maximize your shooting experience, learn what the other modes do and start getting the shots you've really been wanting to get.
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