In this world of competition and innovativeness, digital camera manufacturers have produced a wide variety of shooting modes with the pitch of providing users more options to control their camera. For beginners, this is where the agony starts.
The shooting mode (also called capture mode or exposure mode) in digital cameras is selectable through a dial (in dSLRs or SLR-like cameras) called "mode dial" or through menu display (mostly in point and shoot cameras). The mode dial is normally located at the top of the camera, or in some non-SLR cameras, especially the thin models, the dial is found at the back of the camera.
Typical Shooting Mode dials in Digital Cameras
In very compact cameras, shooting mode is controlled via menu
The different shooting modes may be classified into five categories:
1. Automatic (AUTO) - used to take photos by simply pointing and shooting
2. Creative or Semi-automatic (P, S or Tv, A or Av, TAv) - allows more creative and technical control
3. Manual (M) - takes full control of the camera
4. Special (Movie/Video, SCENE/SCN) - optimized for shooting panoramas, videos, specific scenes or other special effects
5. Custom (C, C1, C2) - available in newer and high-end dSLRs which allows you to have a preset combination of shooting parameters you can readily switch to
Automatic
This mode is for super-beginners or for camera users who simply want to point and shoot. Set the mode dial of your camera to "AUTO" (other cameras use "AUTO PICT" or the green rectangle or the green camera icon). Do not set your camera to "A" because "A" shooting mode is something different, which I will discuss later. In cameras without the dial, select "Auto" from the shooting mode menu.
When you use the automatic mode, your camera will select what it thinks is the optimal setting for your subject. In other words, your camera practically makes all the decisions for you. This may sound great for beginners, but once you further learn and experience the other concepts in photography you may later decide to leave behind this "AUTO" mode forever.
Few notes related to automatic shooting mode:
1. In cameras with both automatic focus and manual focus modes (particularly in dSLRs), set the focus mode to automatic. This is called "autofocus" (AF) in photography. I will write about "focusing", "focus mode" and "autofocus" in my future blog posts.
2. In AUTO shooting mode, some cameras can also automatically control the ISO Sensitivity Value depending upon the available light. Make sure to read the user's manual to see whether your camera will also automatically select the ISO setting. Because, as mentioned in my previous blog, digital noise is apparent in photos taken with high ISO.
3. Depending on the lighting condition, the built-in flash can automatically fire when you press the shutter release button. However, flash settings can be adjusted independently from the shooting mode. I will write about "flash" and "flash mode" in my succeeding posts.
4. Most buttons and user settings in your camera are disabled in AUTO mode.
In case you cannot capture the desired image in AUTO mode, you may choose other automatic modes from the dial. Most common automatic modes among digital cameras are:
1. Portrait - for capturing people images
2. Landscape - for capturing wide images such as fields, mountain, trees, sky, sea
3. Macro - for capturing small objects at short distances
4. Action/Sports/Moving Object - for capturing fast moving subjects or action-filled sports event
5. Night Portrait - for capturing people against a night view
Since you are new with your camera, try to explore shooting in these various automatic modes and study the results.
Keep on shooting!
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