The mode dial can be the most daunting dial on a camera when starting out but rest assured it's not as scary as it seems.  I break it down in the video and blog post below.    

When you move from a compact or point and shoot camera to a DSLR or mirrorless camera you are greeted by this circular dial with a load of symbols on.  What does all this mean?

Let’s take you through it.

You might be keen to lean about exposure, focus, depth of field (DOF) etc. but we need to learn the layout of the camera and that comes with learning about the Mode Dial and what each mode is for.

We will get in to the different modes in more detail in upcoming posts but for now we will get to know the names and what each mode allows you to control.


1. Auto – Green Square

This is where we all start. Auto.

Auto is your friend when starting out or when you get stuck.  It will get it done or get you close in many situations and it’s handy for when you hand your new camera to friends or family at the birthday party.

In this mode the camera does all the thinking for you… well almost it can’t see a good moment or photograph that’s down to you and that comes much later.

The camera brain is at the helm and it’s telling all the parts to make it so.  In Auto the camera will decide..

The AF (Auto Focus) mode.
The metering mode.
The shutter speed.
The aperture.
The ISO.
Set’s AWB (Auto White Balance)

The only control we have is on deciding what to point the camera at and when to press the shutter.

It gets you up and running and out of the gate and it can be your best friend if you let it,  ok ok so Auto wants to do everything and sometimes because boring but if you listen to Auto you can learn a thing or two.
When YOU take a photograph your camera will write either a JPEG or RAW file (depending on camera setup) to your memory card, with this image file will be EXIF (Image Data) that will hold camera settings such as shutter speed, aperture, iso etc in that data.  Now you might be wondering what use that will be to you so allow me to explain.
As you start to learn the fundamentals and about exposure you can refer to this EXIF data on your older images and find out what settings the camera selected and also from the photograph you will be reminded what the conditions were like.  Please note that this info will give you an idea of where to start and is not a go to setting for every single sunny or cloudy day, the amount of light changes per day, time of day and per location/situation you are in.

    Auto gets you started.


2. CA – Creative Auto. (A learning mode)

This mode may well be called something else on your camera or might also be a number of different modes to cover (Portrait, Sports, Landscape etc).  I remember my first DSLR the Canon 500D having these modes and I never used them.

I have also never used CA in any length myself but we will take a closer look at this and other modes in upcoming posts and tutorials.

So what does CA do?  Basically, it gives you a visual control to take some control of the camera.  This control is usually accessed on the main rear screen and has a few scales.

One which allows you to dial in a setting for shutter speed but in a visual way by letting you select a still subject or fast moving one as well as a few settings in between.

The other control gives you some control over the Depth Of Field (DOF) with a visual scale you can change from a blurry background through to a background in focus which is what you would typically want in landscapes.

Combining this with the EXIF data mentioned when I talked about AUTO mode could help you learn more about the effects of aperture on both depth of field and exposure.

Think of this mode as a helper.  Whilst I have never used it myself it can be a useful tool when starting out. 

 

3. P – Program Mode (A more advanced Auto Mode)

Program mode does give you more control over the camera settings allowing you to dial in…

Exposure Compensation
Change Auto Focus (AF) points
White balance
Metering
Aperture
Picture Style
Drive and AF modes

All of this will be alien to you when starting out but these features and terms will all become clear as you learn the fundamentals. Think of Program mode as a more advanced Auto mode and a slightly dumbed down Aperture Priority Mode (AV or A).



4. TV / S – Shutter Priority Mode. (sports, wildlife, moving subjects)

The name of this mode has most likely given its purpose away.  Shutter priority allows you to set a fixed shutter speed and the camera with work out the exposure via aperture at the given/set ISO. E.G

ISO 200, Shutter Speed (chosen by you) 1/125th sec (One hundred and twenty fifth of a second), The camera then selects and aperture based on its meter reading of the scene it is being pointed at.. let’s say it gives F5.6.

You exposure at this point is…

ISO 200
1/125th sec
F5.6

Which may or may not be a good exposure.

Let’s say we are out on a bright sunny day at our kids football game and we want to stop the action of the players, this means we will be setting a shutter speed of 1/800th – 1/1000th sec.  We have plenty of light because it’s full sun so we have ISO 200/400 set to give us wiggle room for cloud cover if it comes over. 

The camera will then select an aperture for you and it will change shot to shot.

You set the ISO (or go Auto ISO) and set the shutter speed and let the camera do the lifting for you.

Sports and wild life photographers will use this mode a lot along with others.

What we are telling the camera is you must give me 1/500th of a second and you can’t change it, also you figure out the aperture for me and you need to do all this at ISO 200. 

We also have full control over the other settings like Metering, White Balance, Exposure Compensation, AF points and modes, Drive, Picture style etc.



5. A / AV – Aperture Priority (Portraits, Events, Changing Light, DOF control)

Next, we have AV or A otherwise known as Aperture Priority mode.  We set the aperture and the camera figures out the shutter speed based on the ISO we are at and the scene it is metering.

Aperture is one of the factors the affects Depth Of Field (DOF) which is in basic terms how much of your subject/images is in focus. 

Let’s say we are shooting portraits and want to photograph them at F2.8 to get some of that nice blurry goodness in the background (Bokeh), if we were to use Shutter Priority that aperture is going to change on us shot to shot so that’s not going to work.

Aperture priority lets us lock in an F2.8 or another aperture and the camera then works out the shutter speed again based on the ISO selected for the scene it is metering.

We also have full control over the other settings like Metering, White Balance, Exposure Compensation, AF points and modes, Drive, Picture style etc.

If I am shooting portraits in changing light (Sun, Cloud, Sun, Cloud) and I am fighting manual mode chasing exposure I might kick the camera to aperture priority to help me out. But I won’t trust it completely and I’ll keep an eye on the exposure and numbers applying exposure compensation as I go. 

Again, please don’t worry about this technical stuff right now we will get that covered and you will pick it up as you learn.

We set the Aperture and the ISO, the camera deals with the shutter speed for us.



6. M – Manual (Total Control, Portraits, Sports, Events, Landscapes, Anything)

Manual is my most used mode, I’m a 95% manual photographer and 5% aperture priority photographer. I’m not saying that to show off because you can bet that the world has plenty of photographers kicking my ass shooting aperture priority or other modes.

Manual is just the way I prefer to work. In manual mode, we have total control over every setting on the camera.

We set the shutter speed, aperture, iso, white balance, metering, AF modes etc.

What manual mode offers over any other mode is consistency.  When you dial in an exposure it stays the same shot to shot to shot providing the light you are working in does not change. 

With my work being a mix of Portrait, Head Shots, Events and Weddings I prefer consistency in my work and as a result I have more control.

Let’s say I set 1/250th sec, ISO 100, F4 to photograph a head shot session using window light, I will get that exposure in every shot until that light changes.

Manual comes in to its own once you have the fundamentals of exposure down and you know the exposure numbers, tables and values.  That said don’t be afraid to try it during your learning after all the worst we can do is fill a memory card with bad images, it’s not like we are burning film here.

You may see some people post on groups and forums telling others to only shoot manual or you are not a professional if you don’t use manual.  That’s a load of crap please ignore them but do learn it.

7. B – Bulb Mode (Start Trials, Long Exposures)

The longest shutter speed we can set in either Shutter Priority or Manual mode is 30 seconds.  If we want to shoot a longer/slower shutter speed we need to go to Bulb mode to do this.

In this mode, we have full creative control but we have to hold the shutter for the amount of time we want the exposure run for.

Personally, I would not recommend using this mode by holding the shutter button down and the reason for that is it will introduce camera shake (even on a tripod).  Instead I would trigger the shutter via one of the following options.

A. Remote cable release.
B. Tethered computer.
C. App on a wireless phone – if your camera has Wi-Fi.

This way you won’t move the camera or cause any unwanted vibrations.

An example of this would be a long exposure seascape/landscape shot where the clouds and water go blurry during a long exposure.  You can see an example of this in this image kindly provided by my good friend Mark Boadey.

8. C1, C2, C3 – Custom Modes.  (Presets for exposure and camera settings)

Not all cameras will have these, some will have only one and others three.

My Canon 5D Mark II bodies have three of them and I have them setup as stated below.

C1 – Has my exposure, white balance and other settings preset for shooting in my studio on white seamless

RAW File Type.
White balance set to 5600k (a custom flash WB).
1/125th sec shutter speed
ISO 160
F8 Apeture

C2 – Is my event starter setting. 

RAW File Type
AWB (Auto White Balance)
1/60th sec
ISO 800
F4

This is a starting point and not the correct exposure for every event scenario.

C3 – This is a second event/wedding mode.

It sets the camera up in Aperture Priority, AWB and auto ISO.  Everything else I control.

I rarely use this mode but it’s set ready as a fall back if I walk in to a situation that’s new and I need to shoot NOW.

Most of the time I set my camera in manual and dial in exposure accordingly based on the light, scene, studio setup.  The custom modes can save you some time and have a place. It all depends on how you work as a photographer.


Final Note

Photography does not come with a rule book on which mode you should be using, but you will want to get away from Auto to gain more control over your work.  Nobody can tell you what mode to use or which is best for you at this moment in your photography journey.

Start simple, slow down and learn the basics.  Walk before you try to run.

I have some more posts coming up to help walk you through this process and the fundamentals, I also offer 121 training and various workshops if you prefer in person support during your learning.

Everyone is wired differently and whilst the fundamentals of a camera and photography will not change, each person learns in a different way.

If I can help you with these posts/tutorials or in person on a workshop then that’s great.

Thanks for reading.
Rick