I am reading about shooting in creative modes, and most of what I read states that most photogs shoot in AV mode, unless circumstances dictate otherwise. I understand that concept because I assume most are concerned with controlling DOF.

My question is... isnt P Mode just a combo way of using AV & TV? Whats the difference?

Thanks in advance.

Kevin

P mode is neither fish nor fowl. In Tv mode you can select the shutter speed that you want, while in Av mode you can select the aperture that you want. In P mode you don't get to select either one; you are at the mercy of the camera. And the camera has no idea what it is that you're taking a picture of.

For me the biggest problem with P mode is that it will gladly open the aperture all the way up or close it way down. Opening the lens up will visibly reduce sharpness on most lenses, while stopping way down will introduce diffusion softness and make sensor dust visible.

P mode is a fancy basic mode that allows you to do things the other basic modes don't. You're allowed to force the pop up flash, to change the ISO, to use burst (not all basic modes allow that), and of course to change the aperture or shutter speed. That mode and the other creative modes are the only way to access some menu features as well.

I find P mode to be a helpful way to go from the basic modes when learning. My mother has a 300D, and I'm slowly getting her to use P, since she can do everything the same as she used to, but now can control more as she wants. Eventually, she'll learn Tv and Av, but she doesn't fully understand when you need to use one or the other.

What I dislike about P mode:
It relys on slow shutter speeds which may or may not be fast enough to get a working shot, even though it could have opened up a full stop or two.
I seems to think I either want massive DoF or very little DoF. It never seems to decide on a middle ground...unless it is dark out, it then decides not to use the lens wide open (who cares about motion blur anyway, right?)
Flash. Because we all love 1/60th of a second flash shots.

I'll admit I used to use a green box mode when I was learning (though, to be fair, the first creative mode I used often was M), then went to P mode most of the time, and now the last time any of my cameras were in P mode was when the dial accidentally was turned, or I was scrolling through the program options and accidentally stopped.

I never really saw the "value" of P mode (or the basic modes on consumer bodies). Most people with a little experience probably do shoot Av or M, less so Tv. If I want the camera to do pretty much all the thinking for me I just leave the SLR at home and bring my P&S instead.
Either way P does not combine Av and Tv modes - you may want to pick up a fairly basic text on how a camera captures an image and how the relatioship between shutter speed and aperture works in order to create a properly exposed image. Try a book titled "Understanding Exposure" (search at Amazon, etc. for it).

One thing that's easily missed with P mode, though, is that you can actually control it - it's a listed feature, something like "program shift". My Canon A-1, one of the first SLRs to have a "P" mode, from 1978, allows this as well if I remember right.

By turning the dial normally used in Av and Tv modes, you basically turn it into a semi-automatic Av mode. Turning the dial just changes the aperture, and picks the correct shutter speed based on that... which is what Av mode does.

Thus, I use P mode a fair amount, usually for less important situations - it is, like the others said, basically an automatic mode that allows you more control over settings. You don't worry too much about getting the right exposure, important in spontaneous situations, and then if you have more time to think before your shot you can control the aperture as well to get it just right.

That said, it's not too difficult to just use Av in the same situations most of the time, which often will yield you a better image, but that requires more concentration on the camera and you can easily miss out on experiencing the moment first-hand and can miss it in-camera as well. Unless you're a paid professional and aren't concerned about sharing the moment with your friends or family, P mode has its use. Of course, a lot of practice in Av will give you the speed to use it in those situations I just said P mode was for (yes, I need more practice in Av mode )

While in P mode the camera chooses itself the aperture and shutter speed, in Av or Tv you choose the value you want and let the camera choose the other to get a good exposition.
When I got my first SLR I opted to go M at first, just to learn. Now, I'm into digital world and I find myself using that Av mode most of the time, and only use the M mode when doing some creative work. P mode is unknown for me...

I was playing around with a D200 today and I could not figure out how to do program shift for the life of me.
Not that I ever use P; I use Av all the time except when I use flash.

I have been shooting with slrīs for over 25 years. To me the most important thing is to have total control of both shutter time and depth of field. That can be achieved quite conviniently with the Av-mode. I use this 99,9 % of the time. For fast wildlife shots itīs for me the best way to go. P-mode would make there for a huge amount of failed shots as you lose practically all control of both time and aperture. For street candids aperture priority is also a good choice as there my interest lies in the control of the DOF-area. The Tv-mode would be the second best choice especially in good lighting conditions. The last choice for me is the P-mode. Especially in bright daylight the P-mode tends to result in a unintetresting medium DOF-area with the result that in crowded situations you lose both the ability to isolate the subject and use a large DOF when you want to. In Av-mode if you want suddenly a large DOF-area just turn the "aperture wheel" under your finger while looking through the lens and take the shot with your other finger that has all the time been ready on the trigger and vice versa. I control this way the camera settings instead of the P-mode making uninformed guesses.

In short: Yes, it is true that the P-Mode = Av+Tv, but the thing to also keep in mind is that P-Mode = a combo of very uninformed Av + very uninformed Tv. For this reson I switch the slr to P-Mode only in family photography situations where the slr isnīt all the time in my own hands.

I think of the P mode as a crutch to get the most DOF allowed while keeping the shutter speed high enough for most folks to hand-hold.

Yes, it does love 1/60th @ f4 for flash shots but remember that the P mode is basically a 'snapshot' mode. So the default idea is to get the most DOF in any given situation. Since the built-in flash is not the strongest thing, the P mode limits itself to 1/60th @ f4.

I use the P mode for those times I am too hurried taking 'snapshots' to fret with the settings to get that 'perfect' shot. I would rather walk away with a little extra DOF in the bag to make up for any miss-focused shots.

Brian

I thought the whole point of getting an SLR was for more control over shutter speed and aperture for the creative results (and being able to change lenses). Else I should have just saved a few thousand dollars and just stayed with my Ixus 600 point&shoot....

as pinetree says P mode is very useful for when other people want to use your camera to take pics. turn on all the focusing points as well and keep your fingers crossed! it's like handing over a p&s.