Episode 364: What is the PSAM Dial For???

Show Transcript

In today's episode, the PSAM dial and what it means to your photography.

Greetings, you’re listening to the Liam Photography Podcast, I’m your host Liam Douglas and this is Episode 364. In today’s episode I am going to explain your camera’s PSAM dial and what it is used for. Now first let me explain that not ALL cameras have this dial as none of my current five Fujifilm cameras have one. But they are fairly common on most all DSLRs and many of today’s Mirrorless cameras have them as well. But what is the PSAM dial and what can you do with it in reference to your photography?

Well the PSAM dial is also known as the Mode dial on your camera and it allows you to switch between the different shooting Modes, such as Aperture Priority or Manual mode. The full acronym for the PSAM dial is Program Mode, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual Mode. Now some cameras also have other slots on this dial such as C1-C3 or maybe more depending on the camera and some even have entry level modes such as Macro, Sport, etc, but today we’ll stick with the main ones mentioned a moment ago. Now I will explain what each mode does for your photography and how they can benefit you and your shooting.

Program Mode

When setting the dial to “P” you are entering Program Mode, but what does this mode do? Well when in Program Mode, you set the ISO for your exposure and the camera automatically sets the Shutter Speed and Aperture of the lens. This mode is handy when your main concern is having the ISO at a fixed value to prevent noise in your images or any other time when Shutter Speed and Aperture will not have any negative effect on your final image.

Shutter Priority

The “S” mode on the dial stands for Shutter Priority and means that you set the shutter speed you want to use and the camera sets the ISO and Aperture for the exposure. This is a mode you can use when the Shutter Speed is the most important part of your exposure such as for sports or to freeze action in wildlife photography such as shooting hummingbirds. Shutter Priority can be so handy when shooting motorsports, which I did a lot of when I lived in Atlanta, especially NASCAR, IMSA or Super bike racing.

Aperture Priority

The “A” on the PSAM dial stands for Aperture Priority, which allows you to choose the Aperture of the lens that you want to use for your exposure. When using this mode, the camera will choose the ISO and Shutter Speed. This mode is handy when you want to maintain a specific depth of field for your images. A good example of a time when you might want to use Aperture Priority is when shooting portraits and you want to maintain a consistent look to your images. With a really wide aperture lens you can shoot in incredibly low light and still get that shallow depth of field.

Manual Mode

The “M” position on your PSAM dial stands for Manual Mode and is the mode used my many professional photographers. In Manual Mode you have to choose the ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture of your exposure. This mode is the preferred mode when you need to have ABSOLUTE total control of your images and how your exposure looks. I am not saying you are not a professional photographer if you don’t use Manual Mode as even many pros prefer to use Aperture or Shutter Priority or even Program Mode. Many new photographers are afraid of Manual Mode, but if you take the time to learn it and use it in conjunction with your exposure meter built into your camera, it will take away all your fears about using this mode.

Custom Modes

As I mentioned at the start of this episode, many camera also include what are known as “Custom Mode” settings. What these slots are used for is when you want to save preferred camera settings for quick use when out shooting. So let’s say you have a preferred group of settings for Outdoor Portraits. You can choose the settings, your ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed and then save them to one of these Custom Slots on your camera. Then you might have a different set of exposure settings for outdoor landscapes and another still for outdoor sports. Once you have all of these Slots configured and save, then you can quickly jump back to those settings by just turning your PSAM dial to the corresponding Custom Mode Slot.

Photo News:

DJI is following up its Osmo Action 3 from last year with the new Osmo Action 4. It promises similar performance but uses a larger sensor to deliver improved image quality.

The Osmo Action 3 used a Type 1/1.7 sensor and that is getting an upgrade in the Osmo Action 4 this year, which uses a Type 1/1.3 sensor without changing the 155-degree field of view. That exact sensor measurement is unusual and the only other camera system that seems to use it is the new Air 3 drone (which has two of them), so given that both these systems are coming from DJI, it’ probably reasonable to assume they’re the same sensor. Outside of that, for reference, Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra used a Type 1/1.33 sensor, which is pretty darn close.

With this new sensor, the Osmo Action 4 will be capable of 4K 120P video as well as 10-bit D-Log M color. This new sensor is, according to DJI capable of producing more true-to-life colors and tones no matter the shooting situation, even underwater.

My Thoughts

This new sensor in the new DJI Osmo Action 4 sounds exciting and like it might get the Osmo Action 4 closer to the image and video quality of the GoPro Hero series of cameras, which have reigned supreme for many years in the action camera market. I have one of the Osmo Action 3’s now and instead of getting a second one as I had planned to I think I will wait for the Action 4 and see how it compares to my Hero 11 Black.

Viltrox 75mm PRO Lens

Third party Chinese lens maker Viltrox has now officially released their popular AF 75mm F/1.2 PRO lens for both the Sony E mount as well as the Nikon Z mount in addition to the existing version for the Fujifilm X Mount.

My Thoughts

This is super awesome news for both Sony and Nikon shooters as this lens is a killer high quality portrait lens with a maximum aperture of F/1.2. That Aperture makes it super easy to get great images in most any low light situation, especially when shooting weddings, or concert photography. The best part is the price did not change at all being listed as available for $549 on Amazon and Pergear. If you want a great lens at F/1.2 and don’t want to spend thousands on your camera maker’s lenses, then the Viltrox is the answer for you.

Real Estate Agent Fined for Drinking Milk

A real estate agent from Canada has been fined $15,000 after a surveillance camera caught him drinking milk that belonged to the homeowner.

Mike Rose was caught on a Ring camera in the city of Kamloops walking over to the homeowner’s fridge, grabbing a carton of milk, and taking a big drink from it before putting it back. The agent said he was unusually dehydrated from a new medication he was put on and was stressed and he apologized for the incident. Rose has since moved to a new firm but has agreed to pay the Financial Services Authority 20,000 Canadian dollar ($15,000) plus another $1,875 in enforcement expenses.

My Thoughts

As someone who used to shoot tons of real estate photography when I lived in the Atlanta area, I always made sure I carried snacks and drinks in my car so I could sustain myself especially when many of my days were 12-16 hours long depending on the time of year and I am diabetic. I also take some medications for pain management that also require that I have something on my stomach in order to take them so it was always best practice to have food and drinks handy when I worked in the field all day.

Remember I now have my own discount code for all Platypod branded products at http://www.platypod.com using my code LD20 you can save 20% off on ALL individual Platypod branded products EXCLUDING Bundles, which are already discounted and Square Jellyfish or Lume Cube branded items.

I also now have my own affiliate link for Think Tank Photo, use the link to guy any of their gear, get a free gift and free shipping!!!

https://www.thinktankphoto.com/?rfsn=7232819.5f5392&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=7232819.5f5392

Also be sure to join the Liam Photography Podcast Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/liamphotographypodcast/ You can reach the show by call or text @ 470-294-8191 to leave a comment or request a topic or guest for the show. Additionally you can email the show @ liam@liamphotographypodcast.com and find the show notes at http://www.liamphotographypodcast.com.

You can find my work @ https://www.liamphotography.net and follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @liamphotoatl. If you like abandoned buildings and history, you can find my project @ http://www.forgottenpiecesofgeorgia.com. and http://www.forgottenpiecesofpennsylvania.com.

Please also stop by my Youtube channels Liam Photography

Forgotten Pieces of Georgia Project

Forgotten Pieces of Pennsylvania Project