Get The Most From Your Camera With The Correct Settings

From Getting Started in Photography:
A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Taking Great Pictures by Jim Hamel

 

• Set the image quality to RAW and JPEG

Go into the Image Quality menu and select both RAW and JPEG files. You will get the best quality file possible. You will also have a JPEG that is already processed and easily transferred. Once you do this, you can leave this setting alone and forget about the whole issue of file type.

 

• Set the camera mode to Aperture Priority Mode

The camera mode where you set the aperture and your camera then selects the proper shutter speed to achieve a proper exposure. It provides a good amount of manual control by allowing you to set the aperture, but at the same time, it allows you to take advantage of the computer in your camera to quickly set a correct shutter speed.

The mode you should use is called Aperture Priority mode, and will be designated by either an “A” or an “Av” on your camera’s mode dial. Think of Aperture Priority as a semi-automatic mode. It is easy to use and provides some assistance from the camera in making an exposure. At the same time, this mode gives you complete control over the camera. In fact, this mode is probably used by the majority of professional photographers today.

 

• Set the camera to focus using the center autofocus point

If you choose to let the camera automatically set the focus points, you need do nothing. The camera is probably already set up that way. In this setting, the camera will attempt to determine the subject and then set the focus on it. The camera will use presets from the manufacturers to do so.  If you manually set the autofocus point yourself, use the center point.

 

• Set the focus mode to One Shot (Canon) or AF-S (Nikon or Sony)

Stationary Focus: This is called “One Shot” by Canon and “AF-S” by Nikon and Sony. It means that the camera focuses on a thing, and that’s it. The focus does not change. It is great when things are not moving in your frame, which frankly is the vast majority of the time for most people.

Continuous Focus: This is called “AI Servo” by Canon or “AF-C” by Nikon and Sony. It means that the camera is tracking a moving subject to attempt to keep it in focus. The focus is continually changing. It is obviously used when your subject is moving, running, flying, etc.

Which focus mode should you use? In general, keep this setting on the stationary focus mode (One Shot/AF-S). On those occasions when you are tracking a subject that is moving quickly, switch over to AI Servo/AF-C to get the shot, but then switch back.

 

• Set the metering mode to Evaluative (Canon), Matrix (Nikon), or Multi-Segment (Sony)

When you are just starting out, you should go with the automatic mode and forget about it. This automatic mode is called Evaluative Metering by Canon, Matrix Metering by Nikon, and Multi-Segment Metering by Sony. Either way, it really is just automatic metering of the entire scene pursuant to some algorithm of the manufacturer.  Set it to Evaluative, Matrix, Multi-Segment, or whatever your camera calls its automatic mode.

 

• Set the white balance to Auto

If it isn’t already set this way, just set your camera’s white balance to Auto.

 

• Set the picture style to Standard

Just set this to Standard.