Photography Life

PL provides various digital photography news, reviews, articles, tips, tutorials and guides to photographers of all levels

  • Reviews
  • Learn
  • About Us
  • Forum
  • Search
Home → Photography Tutorials

Understanding Digital Camera Modes

Having a thorough understanding of camera modes is important to get the best out of your camera

By Nasim Mansurov 114 Comments
Last Updated On September 15, 2022

Having a good understanding of the digital camera modes is essential to control the exposure in photography. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced amateur, you should know what each camera mode does and when it should be used, under what circumstances.

Table of Contents

  • What are Digital Camera Modes?
  • Types of Camera Modes
    • Program Mode
    • Shutter-Priority Mode
    • Aperture-Priority Mode
    • Manual Mode
  • Where Can I Set the Camera Mode?
  • What About ISO?
  • What About Other Camera Modes?

What are Digital Camera Modes?

Digital Camera Modes allow photographers to control the parameters of an exposure, specifically, Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO. While certain modes can fully automate the camera exposure, there are other modes that let the photographer manually control some or all parameters of the exposure.

Camera Modes

Back in the old days, there was no such thing as a camera mode – everything was manual. Photographers had to manually set the aperture, shutter speed and choose the right type of film for their cameras. To evaluate the intensity and the amount of light, they used to carry special light metering devices that measured the light and provided the exposure information, which they would then use in their cameras. In 1938, Kodak introduced a film camera with an integrated light meter and in 1962, a Japanese company called “Topcon” introduced the first SLR camera that measured the light coming through the lens into the camera. What this meant, was that photographers no longer needed to carry special light meters with them – the camera would do it for them. New “Automatic” camera modes started appearing on cameras, which would evaluate the amount of light that passed through the lens and would automatically pick the right exposure parameters to produce a properly-exposed picture.

Today, most digital cameras have various types of camera modes that can be used in different situations. While most point and shoot cameras concentrate on automatic modes for simplicity’s sake, more advanced cameras feature modes that allow both automatic and manual exposure control.

This image of Zabriskie Point was captured in Aperture Priority Mode. Knowing all camera modes is important in order to get the best out of your camera equipment and to be able to get the best exposure.
Zabriskie Point
NIKON Z 6 + NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S @ 35mm, ISO 100, 1/250, f/5.6

Types of Camera Modes

Here are the four main types of camera modes that can be found in most digital cameras today:

  1. Program (P)
  2. Shutter Priority (Tv) or (S)
  3. Aperture Priority (Av) or (A)
  4. Manual (M)

Program Mode

In “Program” mode, the camera automatically chooses the Aperture and the Shutter Speed for you, based on the amount of light that passes through the lens. This is the mode you want to use for “point and shoot” moments, when you just need to quickly snap a picture. The camera will try to balance between aperture and shutter speed, increasing and decreasing the two based on the intensity of light. If you point the camera to a bright area, the aperture will automatically increase to a bigger number, while keeping the shutter speed reasonably fast. Pointing the camera to a darker area will decrease the aperture to a lower number, in order to maintain a reasonably fast shutter speed. If there is not enough light, the lens aperture will stay at the lowest number (maximum aperture), while the shutter speed will keep on decreasing until it reaches proper exposure.

I personally never use this mode, since it does not give me much control over the exposure. There is a way to override the camera-guessed shutter speed and aperture by moving the control dial (on Nikon cameras it is the dial on the back of the camera). If you rotate the control dial towards the left, the camera will decrease the shutter speed and increase the aperture. If you rotate the dial towards the right, the camera will increase the shutter speed and decrease the aperture. Basically, if you needed to get a faster shutter speed for freezing action, you would rotate the dial to the right, and if you needed to get a large depth of field, you would rotate the dial to the left.

Shutter-Priority Mode

In “Shutter Priority” mode, you manually set the camera’s shutter speed and the camera automatically picks the right aperture for you, based on the amount of light that passes through the lens. This mode is intended to be used when motion needs to be frozen or intentionally blurred. If there is too much light, the camera will increase the lens aperture to a higher number, which decreases the amount of light that passes through the lens. If there is not enough light, the camera will decrease the aperture to the lowest number, so that more light passes through the lens. So in Shutter Priority mode, the shutter speed stays the same (what you set it to), while aperture automatically increases and decreases, based on the amount of light. In addition, there is no control over subject isolation, because you are letting the camera control the depth of field.

I try not to use this mode either, because there is a risk of getting an overexposed or underexposed image. Why? Because if the amount of ambient light is not sufficient and I set the shutter speed to a really high number, my exposure will be limited to the aperture/speed of my lens. For example, if the maximum aperture of my lens is f/4.0, the camera will not be able to use a lower aperture than f/4.0 and will still shoot at the fast shutter speed that I manually set. The result will be an underexposed image. At the same time, if I use a very slow shutter speed when there is plenty of light, the image will be overexposed and blown out.

Aperture-Priority Mode

In “Aperture Priority” mode, you manually set the lens aperture, while the camera automatically picks the right shutter speed to properly expose the image. You have full control over subject isolation and you can play with the depth of field, because you can increase or decrease the lens aperture and let the camera do the math on measuring the right shutter speed. If there is too much light, the camera will automatically increase the shutter speed, while if you are in a low-light environment, the camera will decrease the shutter speed. There is almost no risk of having an overexposed or an underexposed image, because the shutter speed can go as low as 30 seconds and as fast as 1/4000-1/8000th of a second (depending on the camera), which is more than sufficient for most lighting situations.

This is the mode that I use 95% of the time, because I have full control over the depth of field and I know that the image will be properly exposed under normal circumstances. The metering systems in most modern cameras work very well and I let the camera calculate and control the shutter speed for me.

This image of Roseate Spoonbills at Sunrise was captured in Aperture Priority mode, but Shutter Priority would have worked equally as well in this case.
Roseate Spoonbills at Sunrise
NIKON D3S + 300mm f/4 @ 300mm, ISO 3200, 1/250, f/8.0

Manual Mode

As the name suggests, “Manual” mode stands for a full manual control of Aperture and Shutter Speed. In this mode, you can manually set both the aperture and the shutter speed to any value you want – the camera lets you fully take over the exposure controls. This mode is generally used in situations, where the camera has a hard time figuring out the correct exposure in extreme lighting situations. For example, if you are photographing a scene with a very bright area, the camera might incorrectly guess the exposure and either overexpose or underexpose the rest of the image. In those cases, you can set your camera to manual mode, then evaluate the amount of light in darker and brighter areas and override the exposure with your own settings. Manual mode is also useful for consistency, if you need to make sure that both shutter speed and aperture stay the same across multiple exposures. For example, to properly stitch a panorama, all shots that you are trying to put together need to have the same shutter speed and aperture. Otherwise, some images will be darker, while others are lighter. Once you set the shutter speed and aperture to the values of your choice in manual mode, your images will all have consistent exposures.

In order to properly and consistently capture the different phases of the Total Lunar Eclipse, I had to switch to manual mode and take full control of my exposure
Phases of Total Lunar Eclipse
NIKON Z 7 + 300mm f/4 @ 420mm, ISO 200, 10 sec, f/8.0

I only use this mode in extreme situations, when shooting panoramas or when using on-camera or off-camera flashes.

Where Can I Set the Camera Mode?

The camera mode dial is typically clearly visible on all entry-level and semi-professional cameras – it is a large rotatable circle that has the modes listed as “P”, “S”, “A” and “M” in Nikon DSLRs and “P”, “Tv”, “Av” and “M” in Canon DSLRs. Here is a picture of the mode dial on the Nikon D5000 DSLR (highlighted in red circle):

Nikon D5000 Top

And Canon 50D:

Canon 50D Top

On professional cameras, the mode dial might not look the same. Take a look at the picture of the Nikon D300s, where it is a small “Mode” button on the top right hand side of the camera:

Nikon D300s Top

What About ISO?

In most DSLR cameras, the ISO does not automatically change in the above camera modes, so you have to set it manually. If you do not want to manually set the ISO all the time and have an “Auto ISO” feature in your camera, enable it, then set the maximum ISO to “800-1600” and your minimum shutter speed to something like 1/200th of a second. If you notice too much noise, change your maximum ISO to a lower number. If you do not have an “Auto ISO” feature, then set your ISO to the lowest ISO number and increase it in low-light situations.

What About Other Camera Modes?

Many of the entry-level and semi-professional cameras have other modes such as “Portrait”, “Landscape”, “Macro”, “Sports” and “Night”, depending on the camera (professional cameras do NOT have these modes). I won’t go through any of these modes for three reasons:

  1. They are simply a combination of the above four modes plus some camera-specific settings
  2. Different cameras have different custom modes and you should not get used to any of them. If you ever switch to a different camera brand or get a professional camera, you might get lost, just because you relied too much on a specific custom mode.
  3. All of these custom modes are evil :) Stop using them and learn the four main camera modes explained in this article.

If you have any questions or feedback, please post your comments in the comments section below.

Take me to Chapter 9: Focusing
  1. Photography Basics Introduction
  2. What is Photography?
  3. Shutter Speed
  4. Aperture
  5. ISO
  6. Composition
  7. Metering
  8. Camera Modes (You are here)
  9. Focusing
  10. Flash
  11. Camera Settings
  12. How to Take Sharp Pictures
  13. Photography Tips for Beginners
  14. Photography Ideas

Related Articles

  • Nikon Viewfinder
    Understanding Metering and Metering Modes
  • Single-Point AF-Area Mode
    Common Camera Settings for Beginners
  • ISO Sensitivity Settings
    What is ISO? The Complete Guide for Beginners
  • Motion blur comparison
    Introduction to Shutter Speed in Photography
  • Classic Umbrella Setup
    Indoors Flash Photography - Off-Camera Flash
  • D7000
    Understanding Shutter Speed
Disclosures, Terms and Conditions and Support Options
Filed Under: Photography Tutorials Tagged With: Howto, Photography Tips, Tips for Beginners

About Nasim Mansurov

Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life, based out of Denver, Colorado. He is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops, producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography Life. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook. Read more about Nasim here.

guest

guest

114 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Andy Clemmer
Andy Clemmer
March 18, 2023 8:48 am

Nasim, I have taken a serious interest in photography and your articles have been so helpful and enlightening for a beginner like myself. I have come across a used Nikon D3000, still in good condition, but several years old. Would this be suitable for a start-up camera to learn the basics on? There are 2 lens that come with it, a Nikon 55-200mm, and 18-55mm.

0
Reply
David Bush
David Bush
December 6, 2022 9:29 pm

Nasim, I love that lunar eclipse photo. Would you be willing to sell a print of it? I’m an avid amateur astronomer (from your neck of the woods – Parker) and that such a stunning photo.

0
Reply
Jordan
Jordan
August 16, 2022 9:32 pm

Hey Nasim, thanks for putting this together. As a beginner in photography it’s super helpful to have all of these resources in one place.

I have a question about the notation used to document the camera, lens, and settings for the photographs. For example, “NIKON Z 7 + 300mm f/4 @ 420mm, ISO 200, 10 sec, f/8.0”. I understand that this means a Nikon Z7 camera with a 300mm f/4 lens, using ISO of 200, a 10 second exposure, and a f/8.0 f-stop, but what is @ 420mm? Are you extending the focal point somehow? I don’t understand how the focal point can exceed the lens focal point. Another example is “NIKON D3S + 300mm f/2.8 @ 500mm, ISO 1600, 1/800, f/8.0”. How is a 300mm lens zoomed to 500mm?

-1
Reply
Pete A
Pete A
Reply to  Jordan
August 17, 2022 7:56 pm

By attaching a teleconverter to the lens:
300 mm × 1.4 = 420 mm
300 mm × 1.7 = 510 mm

photographylife.com/what-…econverter

1
Reply
Roshan
Roshan
May 4, 2022 8:23 am

Great!

-1
Reply
Ariyo Esther
Ariyo Esther
April 18, 2022 3:20 pm

Can I get pdf for this turtorial

-3
Reply
kiira isima
kiira isima
January 20, 2022 2:03 am

how an apature worka

-1
Reply
Humberto
Humberto
January 19, 2022 1:48 pm

Hi, I still don’t understand P mode. For example, let’s assume the amount of light in the scene I want to capture, the camera can choose f/3.2+1/125s or f/4.0+1/250s or f/5.6+1/500 … All these settings are the same exposure (same ISO). Which one will the camera choose?

0
Reply
Pete A
Pete A
Reply to  Humberto
January 20, 2022 2:33 pm

“Which one will the camera choose?”

An example graph is provided in the User Manual of every Nikon camera I’ve encountered. I would expect other makers to provide this information.

Notwithstanding, the best way to discover how your camera behaves is by experimenting with it.

0
Reply
Rossytha
Rossytha
January 1, 2022 12:43 am

Foto mode malam

-1
Reply
Adi
Adi
November 8, 2021 9:40 pm

Hi,
Your tutorials are really good. Thanks for the resources.

-1
Reply
Pranav Ghodgaonkar
Pranav Ghodgaonkar
June 7, 2020 12:13 pm

This is an amazing tutorial. Thanks for the resource.

1
Reply

Learn

  • Beginner Photography
  • Landscape Photography
  • Wildlife Photography
  • Portraiture
  • Post-Processing
  • Advanced Tutorials

Reviews

  • Camera Reviews
  • Lens Reviews
  • Other Gear Reviews
  • Best Cameras and Lenses

Photography Tutorials

Photography Basics
Landscape Photography
Wildlife Photography
Macro Photography
Composition & Creativity
Black & White Photography
Night Sky Photography
Portrait Photography
Street Photography
Photography Videos

Unique Gift Ideas

Best Gifts for Photographers

Subscribe via Email

If you like our content, you can subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly email updates using the link below:

Subscribe to our newsletter

Site Menu

  • About Us
  • Beginner Photography
  • Lens Database
  • Lens Index
  • Photo Spots
  • Search
  • Forum

Reviews

  • Reviews Archive
  • Camera Reviews
  • Lens Reviews
  • Other Gear Reviews

More

  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Workshops
  • Support Us
  • Submit Content

Copyright © 2023 · Photography Life

You are going to send email to

Move Comment