All Settings on Your Camera’s Mode Dial Explained in Three Minutes
A good camera can make your photos so much better, but knowing how to use it is even better. If you’ve always feared turning off auto mode, our friends at Gizmodo have a video that explains what each of these mode dial settings do.
The video has all the details, but here is a very brief summary:
- P rogram auto mode is like “main auto mode”, but allows you to adjust the camera’s exposure compensation to make the scene brighter or darker.
- Perture Priority and S Hooter Priority (Av and Tv on Canon cameras) let you adjust the depth of field and shutter speed, respectively. The former is great for portraits and the latter is great for action movies. The camera sets the exposure automatically, although you can still adjust it using exposure compensation.
- The M Anual gives you complete control, letting you choose each setting yourself.
If you are unfamiliar with some of these terms, the video shows some examples for each parameter, which really helps you visualize how each one works (like this picture ). You can also check out our photography basics guide for a lot more.
How to Take Better Photos with the Camera Mode Bar | Gizmodo