Page 69 - Friedman Archives

The Auto Modes 69

discuss it so early, but let’s give it a try.
In Section 5.35 I'll talk about the Scene Selection modes (where you tell the
camera the kind of picture you’re taking, and it will make the necessary
adjustments for you). I'll also talk about the Über modes like High
Dynamic Range shooting, Handheld Twilight, and other functions where
the camera takes several pictures in rapid-fire sequence and then aligns and
merges them in-camera as a means of dealing with difficult light. These
features can be very handy, and it’s true that you do have to understand
what they do technically in order to know when to invoke them.

But what if you didn’t even want to understand what those functions did in
order to benefit from them? Extrapolating this thought process further,
what if you didn’t even want to know WHERE these functions existed in
the menus in order to invoke them?

Welcome to iAuto+ (“Superior Auto”)
mode, where the camera will analyze
the scene you’re looking at, figure out
which of the advanced scene modes is
appropriate (listed below), and then
automatically invoke it for you. It’s a
point-and-shoot on steroids!! With
iAuto+ mode, you can get all the
advanced benefits your camera has to
offer, without really needing to know Figure 3-3: iAuto+ mode will tell
much about your camera. Just be you what special shooting mode it
aware that there will be times when has selected, and whether it will
you think you’re going to take one take multiple shots (so you won’t
picture but the camera will take three be too surprised when it happens).
or six (and then say “Processing…” Here the camera’s telling you it
for five seconds, preventing you from detects a backlit object, that it
getting the next shot) (Figure 3-3). thinks the subject is moving (it’s
You’ll get used to that, and as long as not), and that it will take multiple
you’re not shooting sports or kids pictures to handle the extreme
you’ll thank the camera for taking brightness range to try to make the
better pictures than your friends were shot look “normal”.
able to get with their pedestrian
mobile phones.