topic Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

pedz — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 22:11:26 GMT

I am using EOS R series cameras: R7, R5MkII, and R1 but I started with Canon's 1D and 1Ds and (at least as far as I can remember), Fv mode didn't exist. I've never seriously even tried to use it but I keep thinking that I'm missing out. I actually shoot a lot in P mode such as sitting birds. In Camera tab 2 ISO speed settings, I have Min. shutter speed set to Auto(2) so that if I have an 800mm lens, I get shutter speed of 1/4000 (at least 1/3200) so I'm kinda doing Tv mode but the shutter isn't fixed, it just has a high minimum based upon how far out I've zoomed the lens.

I am just wondering how popular Fv mode is.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

Waddizzle — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 23:02:19 GMT

I don’t use it. Far too easy to make unintended exposure changes. It’s not useful for me.

I do nearly all my shooting in M mode because it reminds of shooting a film camera. I could adjust Tv and Av. Bite, you were stuck at whatever speed film you had loaded. Until you ran out of film.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

Jkarl — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 11:44:20 GMT

I will say that FV mode has a steep learning curve and Waddizzle is correct in that it is easy to make unintended changes to the exposure. With that said the more I practice it does get easer to control and I like that extra control that you can get when you have changing conditions you are trying to working with, and the option of being able to go from full auto to controlling all aspects of the exposure without taking the camera away from your eye is very handy.

I will admit that I am still learning but as I get better at the controls used it is becoming my preferred mode.

I also learned on film cameras but I like the control digital gives you.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

kvbarkley — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:09:18 GMT

"Serious" photographers do whatever it takes to get the job done. If Fv works for you, go for it.

I forget whether it was Leica or Fuji, but there was a retro-digital camera with dials that had a similar elegant solution. Each control had an "A" setting, so if they were all "A" you were in full auto mode, if all not "A" you were full manual. Between those you could choose to set or not set any of the exposure controls.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

johnrmoyer — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:23:05 GMT

I have Fv with shutterspeed and FNumber specified saved to C1 and use it for flying birds. Fv like this behaves differently than Tv. I use Tv occasionally.

I have Av saved to C2 and use it for sitting birds, deer, other wildlife, and landscapes.

I have Av with 1.6x crop mode saved to C3 and use it for tiny sitting birds in twigs or foliage because it seems to me that the crop helps with eye detection autofocus.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

Jkarl — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:52:44 GMT

I like the idea of using custom menu settings with the FV mode for different situations. I will have to look into setting one up to try.

Karl

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

pedz — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:59:20 GMT

Yes. I had forgotten about my angst with the C1-3 settings -- they lock you into a mode. And I had decided to use Fv mode if / when I ever try to start using the C1-3 settings.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

ebiggs1 — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:50:02 GMT

" I started with Canon's 1D and 1Ds"

If you started with those and you were successful you don't need Fv or actually any of the fancy new "modes".

"I do nearly all my shooting in M mode..."

IMHO, I never do that or go back to that basic mode except in the very rare circumstance where the situation can't be accomplished any other way. As I said very rarely as to almost never to never.

I really don't even like the LCD screen on the back and muchly prefer the eye level VF.

BTW, I still have my 1D. 😊

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

LeeP — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:39:43 GMT

"'Serious' photographers do whatever it takes to get the job done. If Fv works for you, go for it."

^^THIS^^

#AMEN

Nothing beats the logic of common sense and obvious truth.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

pedz — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:55:28 GMT

“BTW, I still have my 1D.”

I’ve sold most of my old digital cameras but I do still have my Canon EOS 1V HS. 😀

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

Waddizzle — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 19:45:54 GMT

I play around with an old Nikon D4. It has a separate button for almost everything related to capturing images. It’s easy too make unintentional changes. But it’s still fun to use for walking around.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

JFG — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 05:19:47 GMT

Hi pedz,

Fv stands for Flexible‑priority AE, and it’s one of Canon’s newer exposure modes designed to merge the strengths of P, Av, Tv, and M into a single, fluid mode. It gives you direct control over any exposure parameter you care about—shutter speed, aperture, ISO, or exposure compensation—while letting the camera handle the rest.

What Fv Mode Actually Is

Fv mode behaves like a universal exposure mode where each parameter can be toggled between AUTO or manual at any moment.

Set aperture manually, leave shutter + ISO on AUTO → behaves like Av.
Set shutter manually, leave aperture + ISO on AUTO → behaves like Tv.
Set everything manually → behaves like M.
Set everything to AUTO → behaves like P.

You switch between these states instantly without touching the mode dial.

Why Photographers Use It

Fv mode is especially useful when you want speed and flexibility without committing to a single exposure philosophy.

Key advantages

One mode for everything — no more flipping between Av/Tv/M when the scene changes.
Fast reaction time — you can lock or unlock any parameter with one dial movement.
Great for unpredictable environments — wildlife, events, street, travel.
Smooth transitions — for example, start in AUTO, then instantly take control of shutter speed when motion appears.

Practical examples

Birds suddenly take off → lock shutter to 1/3200, leave aperture + ISO on AUTO.
Portrait moment appears → lock aperture to f/2.8, let shutter + ISO float.
Bright backlight → dial exposure compensation without changing modes.
Low light → manually set ISO, let the camera juggle shutter/aperture like Program mode.

🧠 How It Feels in Use

Fv mode is like having all the creative modes stacked under one dial position. Once you get used to it, it becomes a fast, intuitive way to shoot because you’re always one click away from the exact control you need. Many shooters end up using it as their default mode because it adapts to whatever the moment demands.

I myself like to use M and Av modes depending on the project of the day. However I use the Fv mode when I want speed and flexibility without committing to a single exposure philosophy. The learning curve is surprisingly gentle and manageable once you understand the core idea: You're not learning a new exposure philosophy, you're just gaining the ability to switch between all of them instantly. If you're up to experimenting, the mild learning curve is worth it. It takes a little getting use to it but becomes intuitive quickly. It is especially useful when you want to "ride the exposure triangle dynamically". You'll have a lot of fun using Fv mode. I ❤️Canon !

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

aviatioNKolours — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:13:43 GMT

Well, yes and no - saving e.g. TV to C1 by limiting the aperture and ISO to what you want/need by running both in Auto, AV to C2 by (again) limiting the shutter speed and ISO to what you want/need, you can easily switch from AV to TV and dial the factor as you like with all else running as it must. It can be chosen if you like the cam to overwrite your latest settings or return to those originally saved. I deem this very convenient, i.e. when I need speed but same time some depth of field I chose C1 (TV prio) with the aperture (limited from 8 min to 16 max) and ISO (limited from min 100 to max 1600) running on Auto, when I need depth of field or blurr or depth of field I switch to C2 (AV prio) by 11/16 (depth of course) or 2.8 (blurr of course) with speed (limited from 1/30 min to 1/1000 max, the actual focal lenght will limit the speed) and ISO (limited from 100 min to 3200 max) running on Auto. Able to preset which factors can be changed (better, which not) in "Lock" position (I only allow the AV/TV-preset and the exposure correction) leaves me without concern something else is not as I need it the moment I use it.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

Waddizzle — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:26:29 GMT

“

You can do all that in M mode, including AEC. Program the [Set] button for AEC.

Allowing the camera to control more than one leg of the Exposure Triangle at once is a recipe for undesirable exposures.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

LeeP — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 17:41:51 GMT

Sometimes engineering creates an answer to a dubious question just because it can. Yes, Fv is an interesting feat to accomplish, but it would only theoretically be "necessary" if the other modes were somehow unable to deliver a good exposure and that just isn't the case.

I came into photography just as automation was becoming a "thing" and now 48 years later the automation is so precise in any of the modes that manual is an exceedingly rare need because you'd have to need to go beyond the limits of the exposure compensation range to really need it when doing conventional shooting.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

Waddizzle — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 18:53:06 GMT

“ I came into photography just as automation was becoming a "thing" and now 48 years later the automation is so precise in any of the modes that manual is an exceedingly rare need because you'd have to need to go beyond the limits of the exposure compensation range to really need it when doing conventional shooting. “

I agree. I began using film cameras in the mid ‘80s. Once I loaded up a roll of film. I was locked into whatever ASA/ISO film speed I loaded.

I like the ISO Auto setting because it effectively allows me to change film speed on the fly automatically.

Using the [SET] button for AEC is the icing on the cake! While I don’t have direct control of ISO, I can nudge it up or down if I want by +/- 3 Ev.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

LeeP — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 21:48:13 GMT

My Canons have a ridiculous amount of capacity that I will never use. This is partially why I had no qualms getting an R100 as my second mirrorless body. Despite being considered moe basic than basic, it really can do a lot of astounding things. I shudder to think about my inability to fully fathom an R1.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

ebiggs1 — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:41:04 GMT

"Sometimes engineering creates an answer to a dubious question just because it can."

It's not the first nor will it be the last time engineers found a solution to a problem we didn't have.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

ebiggs1 — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:43:22 GMT

"I was locked into whatever ASA/ISO film speed I loaded."

Yeah, pretty much but you didn't know about push processing? Not Auto ISO but a small favor.

Re: Do people who consider themselves "serious" photographers use Fv mode?

kvbarkley — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:48:12 GMT

I am sure they have. But you had to push the whole roll. It doesn’t help if you need to boost iso in the middle of the roll.