Mode dial

Typical mode dial showing the following modes: Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, Auto, and Landscape.

Mode dial is used to change camera's mode. Most digital cameras, especially dSLR and SLR-like cameras, employ a mode dial. On point-and-shoot cameras, mode dials generally offer a range of scene types. On dSLR cameras and SLR-like cameras, mode dials usually offer access to manual settings.

Manual modes include:

• P: Program mode offers partial control over shutter speed and aperture.
• Tv or S: Shutter priority controls the shutter speed, and aperture is calculated by the camera.
• Av or A: Aperture priority controls the aperture, and the shutter is calculated by the camera.
• M: Manual mode controls shutter speed and aperture independently.

Automatic modes include:

• Auto mode gives complete control to the camera's metering system.
• Action or sport mode increases ISO and widens the aperture for a short shutter speed.
• Landscape mode shrinks the aperture for greater depth of field.
• Portrait mode widens the aperture for softer features and narrower depth of field.
• Night portrait mode takes a flash shot of the nearby subject with an extended shutter exposer to capture lights in the background.

See also

• Shutter priority
• Aperture priority
• Digital camera
• Digital SLR

External links

• Explanation of the mode dial modes and the settings they control by ScrattyPhotography