A question about P mode

[Arrow]

A newbie question about the P mode.
Here is what is written in my camera user manual

In mode P, different combinations of shutter speed
and aperture can be selected by rotating the
command dial (“flexible program”). Rotate the dial
to the right for large apertures (low f-numbers) that
blur background details or fast shutter speeds that
“freeze” motion. Rotate the dial to the left for small
apertures (high f-numbers) that increase depth of
field or slow shutter speeds that blur motion. All
combinations produce the same exposure.

This sounds to me like P is worinkg just like the Aperture priority mode.

What are the differences??

[Digidave]

I have never used it( usually stick to Manual mode) but here is what I think.

P mode is both Aperture priority & Shutter priority. Meaning, that if you change the Aperture, the camera will change the Shutter speed to compensate. If you change the Shutter speed, the camera will change the Aperture to compensate.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[zona5101]

Yup in program you can shift the camera's chosen aperture or shutter speed by rotating the dial and essentially are in aperture(or shutter) priority mode applying that shift to the program...

[Arrow]

isn't this the same thing that modes A and S do?

I mean, according to the sentence i posted, with the dial you select the aperture.

Ok the camera selects the right shutter speed, but also A mode does this...

[Digidave]

isn't this the same thing that modes A and S do?

Yes. I believe that's exactly what I said in my first reply.

[Arrow]

Originally Posted by Digidave

Yes. I believe that's exactly what I said in my first reply.

Yes, it was just to remark.
So, what the P is intended to be useful for?

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by Arrow

Yes, it was just to remark.
So, what the P is intended to be useful for?

for times or people who don't want to think about the settings and just push the button and have the camera do the rest.

[Doug Pardee]

In A mode you can twirl the dial to get a particular shutter speed or aperture.
In S mode you can twirl the dial to get a particular shutter speed or aperture.
In P mode you can twirl the dial to get a particular shutter speed or aperture.

The main point is trying not to have to twirl the dial, so that you can take the picture immediately.

P mode is useful for quick snapping where lighting conditions vary widely, like indoors or outdoors. Using A mode might result in unnecessarily slow shutter speeds indoors. Using S mode might result in tiny apertures with high diffraction outdoors, and might run out of aperture range indoors, resulting in underexposed pictures.

A common problem with P mode is that cameras tend to be too aggressive about changing the aperture, especially outside of the "desirable" range of "a couple stops down from wide open" up to "any higher and diffraction becomes a problem". I believe that a few camera models (Pentax?) provide some control over this.

Another advantage of P mode is that it usually adjusts automatically when flash is used, keeping the shutter speed below X-sync in bright light.

If my own camera had a reasonably smart P mode, I'd use it quite a bit. But it has a stupid P mode that loves to use f/32 outdoors and to put my lens wide-open indoors.

With some DSLR models, auto-ISO also comes into play.

[Gulf Coast Girl]

Originally Posted by Arrow

This sounds to me like P is worinkg just like the Aperture priority mode.

What are the differences??

I'm really glad you asked this.... I've been wondering the same thing.

Originally Posted by Doug Pardee

The main point is trying not to have to twirl the dial, so that you can take the picture immediately.

P mode is useful for quick snapping where lighting conditions vary widely, like indoors or outdoors. Using A mode might result in unnecessarily slow shutter speeds indoors. Using S mode might result in tiny apertures with high diffraction outdoors, and might run out of aperture range indoors, resulting in underexposed pictures.

A common problem with P mode is that cameras tend to be too aggressive about changing the aperture, especially outside of the "desirable" range of "a couple stops down from wide open" up to "any higher and diffraction becomes a problem". I believe that a few camera models (Pentax?) provide some control over this.

Another advantage of P mode is that it usually adjusts automatically when flash is used, keeping the shutter speed below X-sync in bright light.

Thank you for that answer..... I feel like the fog has lifted and I get it now. I usually use Manual because I like having to really think about my shot and make choices.... but I think I'll experiment a little with P mode and see what happens.

[andsome]

I have only had my Nikon D3100 for a very short time, but have been using P mode more than anything else. I have posted some results in another topic.

Open gardens

I think that they are all fine.