Why is the 2-sec timer option unavailable on my Canon Camera eos t3i-eos600d

[Doug8]

Why is the 2-sec timer option unavailable for the Automatic shoot settings on my Canon Camera eos t3i-eos600? It is available on the manual settings.

[cicopo]

Auto mode is a very limited mode. Try using Program until you learn how the other modes give you more control.

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

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@cicopo wrote:

Auto mode is a very limited mode. Try using Program until you learn how the other modes give you more control.

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Think of it this way, Doug: "A" (Auto) mode is the "Windows 8" of photography. Just as Windows 8 is designed to make a desktop or laptop computer look and act like a cellular phone, Auto mode is designed to make a serious camera behave like a point-and-shoot.

[Doug8]

Thanks. I appreciate the insight. I'm pretty much a novice and I will start using the P mode to take pictures with the 2 second delay.

[Doug8]

Thanks. I understand.

[cicopo]

With P mode you can & should learn how to use Exposure Compensation & Flash Exposure Compensation, both of which are very handy & not available in Auto.

[TCampbell]

Full "Auto" mode limits what you can override. It's trying to be fool-proof by locking you out of accidentally making a change and possibly not knowing what you did to return the camera to normal function.

"Program" mode will set the exposure the same as if you were using "Auto" mode... except Program mode lets you override many things about the shot. You don't have to override anything... you can treat it just like Auto mode... but you *can* override things if you want to.

[Doug8]

Thanks. I'll start using Program mode.