No. Never. The only time I've ever used a camera in "P" mode was in January, 1991. That was for an assignment using a remotely controlled F4S.
I have not used an auto mode since the second day I had my D70. D2x spends most of its time in A mode. The D2x is a "PRO" body, correct? Designed for pros? With pro controls? Then why put a Program mode in it? :? :? :? :? :? :?
Go you. :roll: Not sure why everyone's so self congratulatory about never using the P mode. So what. Can a person not be a "pro" if they use the P mode? Silly me, I though it was about the images, not what mode the camera was in.
The fact of the matter is that most people that pay close to $5K for a camera want to have control over their images.
Do I think the program mode is the exposure mode that gives you the most control over the image? No. That would be manual. Do I think it's ridiculuous for a bunch of people to be patting themselves on the back for how "pro" they are because they never use program mode? Definitely.
I personally don't see the point in "P" mode. Then again I don't really see a use for "S" mode either, with the possible exception of panning shots where you need a specific shutter speed. But in other situations even if I care about shutter speed I also care about the aperture used. So sticking in A mode and keeping an eye on the shutter speed makes more sense to me. Unless I'm shooting with Manual exposure I'm pretty much always in Aperture Priority because I can't think of any situation where I'd ever want the camera to arbitrarily choose an aperture for me.
When I say auto mode it is when the camera sets the range or takes nearly complete control of the creative process. I don't see anyone patting themselves on the back for not using P mode. What I do see is photographers answering my silly question and saying that they prefer to have control. :roll:
You do not necessarily have more (useful) control over the image in manual. Anyhow, the point is that most photographers prefer to have at least aperture control. And nobody is patting themselves on the back. The question was asked . . . and answered. If you shoot in program mode, fine. It's your camera.
Disagree. You have complete control over the exposure in manual. In aperture priority you're still relying on the camera's built-in meter to set the exposure. In any situation where you have consistent lighting (evenly lit field, studio, etc), manual will make you immune to the camera's meter being tricked. If the lighting is uneven, then aperture priority is probably the way to go. Not the way I read the thread responses, but whatever. Never said what mode I shoot in. But I certainly don't look down on people for shooting in other modes than I do as long as they can get results.
Program mode has it's place. I've used it on occasion and will use it again. I've found that the metering on the X is excellent so unless I need more control and the situation is one that warrants trusting the camera, I don't see the shame in resorting to P. I figure I spend 98% of my time shooting in Manual, I deserve a break every now and then. This was shot in Program because I wanted my best chance of getting this picture before the thing took off. I was hiding and had to step into plain view 20 feet from the subject and it was walking toward me... I had NO time to spare.
The big problem with "P" mode is that you give up your control of the aperture setting, which means for a large number of shootings you also disregard the background factor in your image. This is equal to saying you really don't care about your photography at all, so it comes hardly as a surprise that most people shy this mode like the plague The only use I can think of for "P", and the rationale behind my only serious use of this mode, is that you might have to cope with an extraordinary range of light intensities, far beyond that handled by aperture alone. Then, you need the camera to govern exposure by aperture and exposure time concurrently. I once deployed an F4 which should remotely record a critical event, and the camera had to be able to record an image whatever weather conditions it experienced. Then I had to set the camera to "P" and yes, it worked perfectly for this assignment (way back in 1991 so one can hardly say I'm a big user of "P" )..
"M" mode with "Auto ISO" allows for simultaneous control over shutter speed and aperture - maybe this is what I use most of the time when light in the scene varies wildly. It allows 100-800 ISO with 1/3 eV step. "P" mode allows to change aperture manually, using (in my case) rear dial. You will see P* when the aperture will differ from the on camera processor suggested. Shutter speed is adjusted automatically to match exposure. This is called "flexible program", as far as I remember.
Right you are, but not easy to implement on a remote camera Some of the new generation of lenses ("G") should be used in P* mode on an F4 or similar models so as to emulate "A" mode, but I don't use these cameras anymore
