I'm a bad boy... I used the Green Box today.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #10113906
Yeah, but P is everything that Green Box is with the added bonus that you can override anything you wish. With Green Box, you're completely stuck with what the camera gives you.

If my ISO is set at 100 when I turn to P, will it remain at 100, or will it go to auto until I reset it (after going to P)?

I'm at work, I don't have my camera with me right now.

Not sure, because I never use auto iso... ever. I think it does, but don't quote me on it.

However, Canon's Auto ISO is severely crippled no matter what. There is no control. You can't set a max ISO etc..

As I understand it, it simply defaults to ISO 400.

[Edit for clarification]

In M mode, auto ISO default to 400. In other modes, the range of automatically-calculated ISO values is fixed to comply with a 1/focal length shutter speed formula.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #10113906
Yeah, but P is everything that Green Box is with the added bonus that you can override anything you wish. With Green Box, you're completely stuck with what the camera gives you.

I agree -- next time, use P.

Also doesn't green box only allow to shoot in jpeg?

^ True.
I also want your wishlist

photoguy6405 wrote in post #10110221
Out doing some shooting with my niece and nephew. I normally shoot in M. I would occasionally swing around and take a shot of them, playing around. They were in the shade, and whenever I tried to do any exposure adjustments the "moment" would be lost. Finally, I just said, "Screw it! Use the green box.". So I did... and they came out pretty good.

They were just snaps, for fun, and I'm ok with that. Of course I switched back to M for the serious stuff.

AV would've done it as well, you still get control over DOF

You know, it really doesn't matter. If the photo is good, it worked, if it isn't, it didn't. Just like with the other 42,000,000 possible combinations of settings on our cameras.

The photograph doesn't know how it was shot. It is either a good photo, or a bad photo, and everything else is irrelevant.

Hey, if it's there, use it. When I'm taking photos while riding my bike or when I need the shot "Now!", I'll use it. What the hey?

There's nothing wrong with using an automated mode, what I'm saying is why use one that gives you no options? Use the P mode instead. All the benefits of Green Box, but you can still override anything if you need/want to. Why wouldn't you use that instead?

Okay.. I did a very quick test this morning. I turned on my camera, which was in manual, and setup to photograph in RAW. I set the ISO to 200 (too low for an inside picture in my den).

Then I flipped it to P and took a picture.
Then I flipped it to □ and took a picture.


The two shots, which were both captured in RAW, have been converted and attached. P did not change the ISO, nor did it activate the popup flash. I am sticking with my strategy: if and only if I would otherwise miss the moment, flip it to green box, point and shoot.

The argument that P is better because I can take control is void for me: if I have time to take control, I am staying in M or Av. The pictures are attached with EXIF intact (the shots certainly aren't worth looking at)

edit: I just noticed in the EXIF that P also retained my prior metering mode and exposure compensation settings from when I was last in Av and/or M.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #10113906
Yeah, but P is everything that Green Box is with the added bonus that you can override anything you wish. With Green Box, you're completely stuck with what the camera gives you.

and you can't shoot in RAW if I remember correctly.... so you're stuck with Jpegs........ the horror!

Last week my wife had to go take some pictures at a customer's store. I gave her one on my camera's (50D) and put it in Green mode. After she gave it back to me it wouldn't let me turn it on for two days.

They're all tools. There will always be a best tool. And if it happens to be full auto, relax. Take a photograph.

I like P. I use P. But sometimes I get better photos from the same situation using full automatic. And that is absolutely true with my G9 and Nikon P5000 point and shoots.

There is no award for finding and using the most difficult path to the optimal solution. There are only photographs.

Interesting experiment -- I guess, to me, one of the biggest benefits to "P" is that it will NOT use the pop-up flash. But I guess no one can never say there will never be a time they won't use the green box. (I use P or AV most of the time anyway.)

For what it's worth.. I hate the popup too (about as much as I hate green box). The biggest problem for me with P, however, (after that test) is that it retains my settings (e.g., ISO, Exposure Bias).

Most of the time when I have used green box, it is because I knew my current settings would not work... so P wouldn't help in those situations.