Nikon P80 - Manual (Page 62)

48
P,
S,
A a
n
d M m
o
de
s
P, S, A and M modes
Shooting in P, S, A, and M Modes
By rotating the mode dial, you can shoot pictures in the following four exposure
modes:
P (programmed auto), S (shutter-priority auto), A (aperture-priority auto),
and
M (manual). In addition to allowing you to set the shutter speed and aperture
yourself, these modes offer control over a variety of advanced settings such as
changing the ISO sensitivity and white balance in the shooting menu (
A 86).
D
Shutter Speed and Aperture
The same exposure can be achieved with
different combinations of shutter speed and
aperture, allowing you to freeze or blur motion
and control depth of field. The following figure
shows how shutter speed and aperture affect
exposure. When the ISO sensitivity setting
(
A 96) is changed, the range of shutter speeds
and aperture values at which the correct
exposure can be obtained also changes.
Mode Description
P
Programmed auto
(A 49)
Camera sets shutter speed and aperture for optimal
exposure. Recommended for snapshots and in other
situations in which there is little time to adjust camera
settings. Flexible program, which changes the
combination of shutter speed and aperture, can be used
(
A 49).
S
Shutter-priority auto
(A 50) User chooses shutter speed; camera selects aperture for
best results. Use to freeze or blur motion.
A
Aperture-priority auto
(A 51)
User chooses aperture; camera selects shutter speed for
best results. Use to blur background or bring both
foreground and background into focus.
M
Manual (A 52) User controls both shutter speed and aperture.
20 20 20 1/125 1/125 F2.8 F2.8 1/125 F2.8
Shutter speed Aperture
Large aperture (small
f-number): f/2.8 Fast shutter speed:
1/1,000s Slow shutter speed:
1/30s Small aperture (large
f-number): f/8.0