# The Omnibus Film Photography Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** photo\ **Created:** [September 16, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-film-photography-thread/1007354 "2024-09-16T17:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 285
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2024, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-film-photography-thread/1007354/285 "2024-11-15T04:33:12Z")
Well, the good news about the mode dial is only 4 settings are worth learning about. P: program mode, fully automatic. Nikon now says “P” stands for professional. That’s a stretch. A: Aperture priority S: Shutter priority M: Manual mode The rest of the modes are all gimmicks thought up by some marketing team. About 99% of the photos I’ve ever taken were in A or M. Edit: I like how [Ken Rockwell](https://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3300/users-guide/controls.htm) put it, even if he often grates on me… > **I use the P (Professional) mode.** Only rarely do I use the S, A and M Modes, and I never use any of the others. > > **I ignore the green AUTO and all the other fluff modes. They are fluff and will not be discussed here.** The fluff modes are for people not willing to read this guide as you are. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-omnibus-film-photography-thread/1007354)._