new TIMP article... "EXPOSURE = SHUTTER + APERTURE + ISO"

Ray, just last week I discovered the P mode on the top dial of your d80. So far, I love it, Its kind of like advanced auto or advanced point and shoot!! It lets you turn on your flash manually with the button under the flash on the left side. When you get comfortable with that, you can then adjust it further by rotating the dial on the back of your camera to your exact shutter speed or apeture needs or wants, but it still exposes automatically.

 

P stands for Program Shift

 

Tim, that is a whole other article to write.

 

i don't think i've EVER used it. Av/Tv/M for me...

 

P is the bridge mode between P&S Full Auto (you know, those icons of things on the 20/30D dial) and Av/Tv/M, and to a lesser extent, ISO mode on non-Canon cameras. Once you grasp how changes in shutter speed and/or aperture work, then you migrate up to those modes.

And of course M is for those times when you want to over-rule Deep Blue inside your camera, or for bulb exposures. Or you just plain enjoy the thrill of our photography elders, when separate light meters ruled the earth. (there are lots of reasons to use M mode, another article)