The question about how programed exposure modes work made me wonder. Are there situations where a program mode is good for some reason, not just as a convenience or because you don't understand exposure?
I've so far been scared of program modes because I don't know what the camera might pick. There are various tradeoffs, so there are various programs, so you have to think and select something anyway. Picking two of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed doesn't seem harder than guessing the right program mode to me. Also, selecting the program mode is usually a lot harder than changing the f-stop. For most things, I select ISO up front for the conditions, then change the aperture on the fly while watching the shutter speed the camera picks.
Am I being a control freak and there are cases where it would be good to let the camera decide, or are program modes for "dummies"? You professionals out there, do you ever use a program mode?
Answer
Program exposure mode is there to choose ONE correct exposure. While it is not entirely random, you can consider it that way. Paired with a good multi-segment metering system, you can get a good exposure 90% of times with the press of the shutter-release.
The primary advantage is that it gets you a shot faster than any other mode. This is great for events when things move fast and lighting is uneven. News and journalistic situations are good example where the shot is more important than artistic choices.
You can also combine Program mode with Program-Shift which lets you get both a shot quickly or take the time to prioritize a different exposure. This is like an semi-automatic mode without the commitment. Finally, you can use exposure compensation to adjust the metered and overall get give a good amount of indirect input to Program mode.
That being said, I am not a photojournalist and I take time with my shots, so most of the time (at least 85%) I use Aperture priority. I also know two other professionals who taped their mode dials to the A position! On my camera, I also set the second control dial to control ISO, so the only thing that is left if for shutter-speed to be selected.
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