From the course: Learning Your Nikon DSLR Camera

What is Programmed Auto mode?

From the course: Learning Your Nikon DSLR Camera

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What is Programmed Auto mode?

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- The programmed auto mode of your camera automatically adjusts shutter speed and aperture, based on a built-in program. This is often a useful mode, if you want to shoot snapshots or if you're dealing with tough lighting, and you'd like the camera to choose some of the exposure settings for you. When shooting in programmed auto mode, the camera will determine both the shutter speed and aperture. However, you're free to choose the auto-focus, white balance, ISO, and file format. So it's much more flexible than the truly automatic mode. While the camera calculates exposure using a program, you can still influence its processing, with options like flexible program, and exposure compensation, you can alter the camera's initial shutter speed and aperture choices. This is a very useful mode to shoot in, as you get more comfortable with your camera's controls. It gives you more flexibility than auto, but still ensures that you get a proper exposure in most cases. To change program mode, rotate the mode dial to P, or in the case of this particular camera, just press the mode button and use your command dial, and change it so you get P there in the LCD. As you change modes, the screen may go blank temporarily, particularly if in live view, but once you're in this mode, you'll notice that new properties are editable. Let's explore some of the things you might want to change.

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