D40 - P Setting

[undetthumb]

Hi all,
I'm still trying to get to grips with my first DSLR and one of the many things I don't understand is why, when I put my D40 into "P" mode, moving the rear dial brings up the P* to tell me I've changed the apperture / shutter settings, but it doesn't tell me what I've changed them to. Are you supposed to guess?
Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks.

[Bigdrift]

it might tell you in the manual ?

[GetCarter]

undetthumb said:

Hi all,
I'm still trying to get to grips with my first DSLR and one of the many things I don't understand is why, when I put my D40 into "P" mode, moving the rear dial brings up the P* to tell me I've changed the apperture / shutter settings, but it doesn't tell me what I've changed them to. Are you supposed to guess?
Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks.

I've done this on other Nikons - it means you have strayed from the camera's 'best guess', and if you look through the viewfinder you'll see that as you move the dial you are altering the exposure and speed (so, for instance - if you are taking a photo of a fast moving car, you can freeze the action whilst keeping the exposure constant)

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 26th January 11:28

[iamlofi]

Yep the P you get more control over the camera that you would get in Full auto but less control over than say Full manual or A or S modes.

Its the first step i took before venturing into the full manual modes

[beano500]

Suppose camera assesses "correct" exposure in its programme mode as 1/125 at f8. The firmware is programmed to offer up this as a midway compromise, and obviously doesn't do any thinking about what the subject and your objective might dictate.

You can keep this exposure level, but still achieve it with a different combination, so twiddling one way on your controls from the "standard" P setting changing it to this P* will give you, progressively, say:


1/60 f11

then 1/30 f16

then 1/15 f22



and twiddling t'other:



1/250 f 5.6

1/500 f4

1/1000 f2.8

Note - all of these still give the same overall exposure (or "EV" value) so the lights will be just as light, the darks just as dark and a mid tone will be teh same mid tone whichever you pick.


Don't use it myself, but could be useful if you're at some event and want to quickly make decisions about, say, depth of field, then about shutter speed for freezing and blurring any action all in quick sequence, or even to get quick succession of different effects.


(Personally, I can't multitask, so would rather work on just one variable, but I am sure many find this useful)


Does that explanation help at all?

[undetthumb]

Thanks,
Yes, thanks for the notes. I would rather be shooting in "A", but I'm trying to learn more about what the camera can do.
When I move the rear dial when I'm in P mode I'm expecting it to change both the apperture and shutter speed whilst keeping the exposure the same but my problem is though that although it comes up with the P* to tell me it's moved away from the standard, it doesn't tell me what it's changed it to. Frustrating!

[GetCarter]

undetthumb said:

Thanks,
Yes, thanks for the notes. I would rather be shooting in "A", but I'm trying to learn more about what the camera can do.
When I move the rear dial when I'm in P mode I'm expecting it to change both the apperture and shutter speed whilst keeping the exposure the same but my problem is though that although it comes up with the P* to tell me it's moved away from the standard, it doesn't tell me what it's changed it to. Frustrating!

On mine I just look through the viewfinder, and as I turn the dial, I see what I am changing. Does yours not?

[beano500]

Ah - I've just looked at the spec - it has no top display, does it.

Is it in the viewfinder??

Or is it on the rear screen - like in this link?

[undetthumb]

No. I can see the F stop number and shutter speed on the back and through the view finder - the only think that changes when I move the dial is that I get the P* for the first click either way.

[beano500]

Then I wonder if you have to use the other dial to change it - or at least there's something else to change on the '40 that I don't get. Just 'cause it's a Nikon doesn't mean they all do the same things

[undetthumb]

beano500 said:

Then I wonder if you have to use the other dial to change it - or at least there's something else to change on the '40 that I don't get. Just 'cause it's a Nikon doesn't mean they all do the same things

Will just have to keep messing. Maybe I'm expecting it to do something that it's not going to do.
Oh, there is no other dial! Thanks anyway.

[Simpo Two]

Sometimes I see P* and it means 'bollox, I've turned something by mistake'. A quick fix is to switch the camera on and off, which sets it back to P so you know where you are. Or try A instead, it's not really any harder.

[undetthumb]

Happy at last!
I tried this outside today - plenty of light. The camera does what it said it would and adjusts both settings. It must have decided that it would not be a good idea to change the settings when the light was poor.
Thanks all.

[Russell B]

undetthumb said:

Happy at last!
I tried this outside today - plenty of light. The camera does what it said it would and adjusts both settings. It must have decided that it would not be a good idea to change the settings when the light was poor.
Thanks all.

A new lense may help