Automatic Digital Camera Modes

 

Before we look at all the camera modes let's talk about the most common modes and how you would use them.

 

In my opinion digital camera manufacturers have gone crazy with the variety of scene modes that are being added to digital cameras.

These modes are a simple way for you to "tell" the camera what type of picture you are taking and allow it to make adjustments to give you the best chance for a good picture. .Some modes change how colors are recorded while other change the flash settings and shutter speed. Having run out of logical scene modes the manufacturers have taken to adding special effect modes. My suggestion is to never shoot in a special effect mode. That is what your editing software is for. It is a lot easier to make a picture sepia or b&w than to change it back.

 

 

Automatic Mode

There is probably not a lot of instruction needed on this one. It is the most used setting by most photographers. The Automatic mode puts the camera in control. It will set the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, focus and flash to take the best shot based upon what it sees in the sensor. Cameras do differ in this mode. Some will let you control some things such as flash or change it to red eye reduction. This mode works great in average shooting conditions. The thing you want to remember is that in this mode you are not telling the camera anything about the subject and the shooting conditions. When you use the other modes you are telling the camera a little more about the subject. Just like people, cameras like to know what is going on too.

Use this mode when you are in evenly lit areas shooting average subjects which are not involved in fast moving action. When using this mode the camera will look at the scene and make adjustments based upon what is believes the subject is. This mode is really designed to be a point and shoot mode. In many cases it will work just fine.

You will want to read your camera manual as how this mode works and what setting adjustments you can make varies from camera to camera.

Portrait Mode

Portrait mode is best used when taking portraits of people, pets, and anything that deserves special attention. The best portraits are taken when the subject matter is in sharp focus, but the background is out of focus. The camera achieves this by choosing a wide lens opening, or aperture. This minimizes the depth of field. (Depth of field is defined as the area that is in focus.)

 

This effect causes the background behind the person to become slightly blurred, while still retaining a sharp focus on the subject. The camera's flash may also be set to the “red-eye reduction” mode. This mode will give your people photography and more pleasing look. It is very similar to Sports Mode in that it will create a narrow area in focus. Unlike sports mode is does not assume that your subject is moving.

 

One newer technology on some of the digital cameras incorporates autofocus technology that scans the picture looking for faces. The mode is often called "Face Priority" or "Face Detection". This comes in pretty handy when the subject is not in the center of the image. You should check your owners manual to see if your digital camera uses this technology and when and how it can be enabled.

 

Your people photographs will look more professional and pleasing when the subject matter is in focus while the background is out of focus.

What the average digital camera does in this mode:

• Wider aperature (Smaller f-stop number)
• Lower ISO (Better image quality)
• Slower shutter speed. (Not needed)
• Less contrast (Picture style setting)
• Color settings which enhance the look of skin tones.

 

 

 

Landscape Mode

This mode is almost the exact opposite of portrait mode in that it sets the camera up with a small aperture(larger f-stop number). The landscape mode of your digital camera is your best option when you want to maintain as much detail, or depth of field, in your photograph. With landscape mode the f-stop is smaller which gives you the most depth of field available.

 

At times your camera might also select a slower shutter speed in this mode (to compensate for the small aperture) so you might want to consider a tripod or other method of ensuring your camera is still. Pay attention to what the camera tells you when taking pictures.

 

One topic which people don't often know about is the picture style of their cameras. When you shoot in a landscape mode your camera will often make assumptions about your subject and enhance some colors commonly found in land such as green.

 

The thing to remember about this mode is that it will attempt to maximize the area in focus and will slow down the shutter speed so a tripod or sturdy support is recommended. Check out Amazon.com for a variety of tripods for any camera and any situation.

 

What the average digital camera does in this mode:

• Smaller aperature (Larger f-stop number)
• Slower shutter speed (Landscape don't move. If you are shooting out the car window use sports mode or stop.
• Adjustments to the color mode to enhance landscape.

 

 

Sports Mode

 

From a kids soccer game to an NFL game, Sports mode is designed to help you freeze the action. Your digital camera will set the shutter speed as high as possible for the lighting conditions and shoot with a more narrow dept-of-field. Some cameras will put your camera in Continuous shooting mode which means that it will shoot more than one picture per shutter press. If allowed, setting the ISO to 400 or 800 will also help. Some cameras will automatically do that for you. One other common setting is turning off the flash.

 

If you think about the exposure triangle, you will see that when you increase the shutter speed you will either need to have a wider aperture, this less area in focus, and typically a higher ISO. (Depends upon the camera model.) Always note that a higher ISO will mean more digitsal noise.(though this may be Auto-ISO), which will mean that extra noise is the downside for the best chance in freezing the action of the moving person or subject of the photograph.

 

When shooting in sports mode get as close to the action as you can. This will help improve image sharpness by reducing how much of the zoom you are using.

 

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Sunrise/Sunset Mode

This mode changes how the colors of the scene are recorded. This mode strives to record the beautiful quality of light at these times of day.

Photographers refer to this as Golden Light or the Golden Hours. Try this mode early in the AM or just before sunset and notice how the colors look more dramatic.

 

 

Snow Mode

Snow can be tricky. This mode tells the camera to overexpose from what it thinks that the exposure should be. See For Photography - Shooting in Snow

Beach Mode

This mode is similar to Snow Mode in that it tells the camera to make some special adjustments to the color and the exposure. It also assumes a lot of extra light from light colored sand and water so it will tend to overexpose over other modes.

Macro Mode

Macro mode lets you move closer to your subject for close-ups. It’s great for shooting flowers, insects or small objects. Each camera manufacturer will have different specs and different capabilities in this mode.

The macro mode switches the camera into a special close focus mode and may allow the photographer to shoot less than 10cm from the picture subject. Some digital camera will allow you to be as close as 3cm from the subject. A common mistake make by photographers is to forget than in a macro mode the dept of field is very small. Precise focusing will be critical.

 

As a suggestion purchase an inexpensive desktop tripod to help steady your camera. When you are in this mode you will find that focus is very difficult and it is hard to keep in focus. Amazon has a variety of tripods for any size digital camera.

Night Mode

This can be a fun mode to use. With it you can create some wonderfully colorful and interesting shots. Night mode, sometimes called, ’slow shutter sync’ is for shooting in low light situations without a lot of movement. It works by setting your camera to use a longer shutter speed, increases the ISO, and fires off a flash to illuminate the foreground (and subject). If you use this mode for a ’serious’ or well balanced shot you should use a tripod or your background will be blurred by camera movement. You should experiment with this mode as it can give you some very creative images.

Best used when wanting to bring in a background in a low light situation.

 

Movie Mode

This mode lets you take short movies with your camera. Most new consumer digital cameras come with a movie mode that records both video and sound. The quality is generally not up to video camera standards but it’s a handy mode to have when you come across that perfect subject that just can’t be captured with a still image. Keep in mind that moving images take up significantly more space on your memory card than still images.

Other modes often seen on cameras

Aperture Priority Mode (A or AV)

This mode allows you to choose the aperture and let's the camera chooses the other settings (shutter speed, white balance, ISO etc). Remember that the aperture controls the dept of field. It can be a great mode for portraits or scenic's. Choosing a larger number aperture means the aperture (or the opening in your camera when shooting) is smaller and lets less light in. This means you’ll have a larger depth of field (more of the scene will be in focus) but that your camera will choose a slower shutter speed. Remember that with the f-stop a larger number means less light passes through the lens so you will need a slower shutter speed or higher ISO.

Shutter Priority Mode (S or TV)

Shutter priority is very similar to aperture priority mode but is the mode where you select a shutter speed and the camera chooses the other settings. You would use this mode where you want to control over shutter speed. For example when photographing moving subjects (like sports) you might want to choose a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion. On the flip-side of this you might want to capture the movement as a blur of a subject like a waterfall and choose a slow shutter speed. You might also choose a slow shutter speed in lower light situations.

 

Shutter speeds are measured in fractions of a second or whole seconds. The values look like 1/500, 1/250, 1/2 or 1 as in one second. Shutter speeds can range anywhere from 1/8000 to B for bulb. Bulb holds the shutter open for as long as the shutter button is depressed.

 

What shutter speed should you use?

The correct shutter speed depends on the type of photograph you are taking and the effect you want to create. For example, if you want to take a photograph of a water fall with the water frozen and every bead in focus you would use a fast shutter speed like 1/500 of a second. If you want to have the elusion of motion then you migt use a shutter speed of 1/4 of a second. (Don't forget to have a camera support of some kind.)

 

Quick Tips and Guides for Picking a Shutter Speed

• Slower shutter speeds allow motion to blur the image.
  
  
• Faster shutter speeds freeze action.
  
  
• When trying to decide if you can hand hold your camera a rule of thumb is to never set your shutter speed slower than the reciprocal of the focal length value. For example, if your focal length is 100mm you can't use a shutter speed slower than 1/100th.
  
  
• If your subject is moving you will need a higher number.

 

 

 

Program Mode (P)

Some digital cameras have this mode in addition to auto mode (in a few cameras Program mode IS full Auto mode.) In those cameras that have both, Program mode is similar to Auto but gives you a little more control over some other features including flash, white balance, ISO etc. Check your digital camera’s manual for how the Program mode differs from Automatic in your particular model.

Manual Mode

This is the mode for the brave at heart. You are fully in control of all settings. If you are serious about learning photography this is the mode you will learn to use.

 

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