Camera Settings for Beginners

In this article, I want to help you get out of auto mode by learning the basics of digital camera settings.

If you own one of the famous digital camera brands with lots of buttons and settings and still use auto mode, you have missed a great opportunity to take great photos.

I agree that reading the manual does not help much in learning to use the camera. However, I recommend reading it, because it mentions many details and can be a good clue for research and search.

In this guide, you will learn the basic settings of the camera and how each one works. But I believe experience is the best way to learn. So do not be afraid, take photos and experience.

 

Recommended setting almost for every situation

If you’re just looking for the best settings for your camera, These settings are my suggestion. You can use it almost in any situation:

• Image quality: RAW(lossless compressed)
• White Balance: Auto
• Aperture Priority(A/Av)
• AF Area Mode: Single-Point AF
• Auto Focus Mode: AF-S(for static subjects)/ AF-C(for moving subjects)
• Largest lens aperture available (i.e. lowest f-number)
• Lowest possible ISO based on situation

3 Basic but Important Camera Settings

As you know, to capture a photo, we need to capture the light. In the past, we recorded this reflected light by photographic films. Today, in digital photography, the light will be captured with sensors. We need the right amount of light to capture photographs. This is what is known as correct exposure. In every camera, we have 3 different settings to control the light: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO.

Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO all work together, as you have to find the balance between them.

If you adjust one of the camera settings, you’ll have to compensate with one of the others, and so on. This is known as the exposure triangle.

The exposure triangle is one of the most important things in photography. In fact, it’s the basics of photography. Without knowing the exposure triangle, you cannot capture a good image.

Aperture

What is aperture?

‌Aperture literally means an opening, hole, or gap. In photography, the amount of light passes through the lens and reaches the sensor. It looks like the Iris of the human eyes. In high light(like a sunny beach), your eyes will reduce the amount of light to your eyes, and in low light, it will be the opposite.

In the lens of the camera, there’s a piece called the iris diaphragm. It has some moveable parts that we called blades to control the light. I don’t wanna talk about the number of blades or their shapes, but you know that the number of blades and their shapes, has a huge impact on the result. You just need to understand the aperture number has directly related to the amount of light passing to the lens. It means the high aperture number equals to pass more light to the sensor. In the camera lenses, the aperture number showed by f-number. Normally, the scale goes f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22. Some rare (and expensive) lenses have diaphragms that can go beyond this range. The f-number has an inverse relation with aperture. That means the higher f-number equals lower aperture. The lenses with smaller f-numbers are called fast lenses and are usually more expensive, especially when they’re zoom lenses.

Another important thing about the aperture is the Depth of Field or DOF. In a high Aperture number(like f/1.4), the focus range will be short. So it will create DOF. That means you can select the focus point, so the rest of the image will be out-of-focus and blurry(for making a blurry background). But in low aperture numbers, the focus range will be long and wide, so the whole image will be sharp.

Then, of course, we use the lower aperture in landscape or product photography, where everything needs to be sharp.

Shutter Speed

What is shutter speed?

The aperture lets control the amount of light and the shutter speed determines the exposure time. The shutter is what covers the sensor. In DSLR cameras, the shutter is the mirror. In analog cameras, it is a black screen between the films and lens. So when you press the shutter button to take a picture, you’re moving the shutter out of the way and exposing the sensor to light. When you adjust the shutter speed setting, you’re controlling how long the shutter will be open. In other words, how long the exposure.

Exposure time is a fraction of a second, which depending on the camera model, can be a number from 1/4000 to 30 seconds. Some higher-end cameras can shoot even faster. If you need a shutter speed of more than 30 seconds, you should change to bulb mode.

Shutter speed is directly related to the amount of exposure in photography. For example, if the aperture is f/22, based on the situation, you should use slower shutter speeds. For high aperture numbers, the shutter speed should be faster.

Keep in mind that the image will be formed on the sensor while the shutter is open, and if you or your subject are moving, the final photo will be blurry. So for taking a sharp image, it will be good if using a tripod at slow shutter speeds. Also, it depends on the focal length. For example, telephoto lenses need faster shutter speeds.

So if you want to take an image from a moving subject, with a faster shutter speed, you can freeze the subject and taking a photo from the subject. But with a slower shutter speed, you will capture your subject’s movement. The effect is called motion blur and can be used as a creative element.

For example, in street photography, you can freeze a walking person with 1/250. However, if you’re doing wildlife photography and want to take a picture of a flying bird, you might need something around 1/2000. The best way for exploring the best shutter speed settings for your situation is experience. So trying the different settings and find the best shutter speed for your situation.

ISO

What is ISO?

The ISO determines the sensitivity to the light. Let me explain more:

In different lights, the reflection from the environment is different. So we need to control the light. Till now, you know that we can control the light with change the aperture and shutter speed. With the ISO, we can change the sensitivity of the sensor to light. That means you can use more light in low ISO numbers. In lower ISO, the final image will be smoother with more details and the lowest amount of noise. In most cameras, the lowest ISO can be 100 or 200.

In high ISO numbers, the sensor will be very sensitive to light, but you’ll get a grainy effect called digital noise.

Ideally, you should use the lowest possible ISO number. But if you want to photograph at night or in low-light conditions or Astronomy Photography, You had to use the higher ISO numbers with the lower shutter and high aperture. The good news is, you can reduce the amount of noise by using post-processing software.

Remember that, along with the other settings above, you can achieve a good balance by changing the Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. For more information, read the Exposure Triangle in Photography.

The Mode Dial(Shooting Modes)

The mode dial is a wheel on top of your camera. Most DSLR cameras offer different shooting modes. But almost all of them have these modes:

• Auto – Full automatic mode
• P – Programmed Auto
• S – Shutter-priority Auto
• A – Aperture-priority Auto
• M – Manual

Auto – Full automatic mode

Ok, I’m sure you’ll notice the green camera icon or Auto text on the mode dial. This is Auto Mode. In this mode, the camera will decide about all settings. So you cannot adjust exposure settings or white balance. The camera manufacturers, trying to make the auto settings better and better every day with the new hardware and software. Almost on any new brand camera, the auto mode works with acceptable results, but it’s still not very advisable. As I mentioned before, each setting impacts more than the amount of light. If you can’t control them, you’ll also lose control of the final image.

P – Programmed Auto

Most people think that the program mode is similar to auto mode. Yes, they are similar, but the program mode has some advantages to the auto mode. For example, in program mode, ISO will not be set by the camera. That means you should decide which ISO you want to use, and the camera will adjust the aperture and shutter speed based on your ISO selection. 

Plus, you can also change other camera settings such as metering mode, white balance, and focus mode in Program – which are usually disabled when you use your camera in Auto-mode.

S – Shutter-priority Auto

Shutter-priority is a semi-automatic program. On most cameras, you can select the shutter-priority program by selecting S in the mode dial. In some cameras, you should select Tv(time value) for shutter priority.

In this mode(as the name implies), the priority is shutter speed, and you have almost full control over it. If you want to capture a motion blur or long exposure, or if you need to high shutter speed for avoiding camera shake, this mode is for you. In this mode, you can set the ISO manually, but the Auto ISO will be a better choice. So you just need to be worried about shutter speed, and the aperture and ISO will be set by the camera.

A – Aperture-priority Auto

As you probably guess, this is another semi-automatic program. This mode gives priority to the aperture value. It’s useful when you want to control the depth of field.

If you want to capture an image with a bokeh background or if you want to have everything in focus, you just need to set the right aperture. The rest of the settings will be set with the camera.

You can get the best result by setting the ISO on Auto mode. This can avoid noise due to a super high ISO or blurry images due to camera shake.

M – Manual

As the name implies, in this mode, you should adjust all settings by yourself. This mode needs a lot of practice, and you should know everything about professional photography.

Don’t get wrong, I don’t mean that you cannot use this mode. I just want to say the full manual mode is not the best jump from full auto mode, and you need to practice before start shooting with full manual mode. Till that day, you can use the semi-automatic modes for exploring, experiencing, and learning the basics.

 

Autofocus Modes and Area

Almost with all DSLR cameras, when pressing the shutter button halfway down, you will hear a beep sound that tells you the camera is on focus and ready to shoot. Based on settings, you can see the focus area or points selected in the viewfinder or LCD. You can choose the focus area manually or leave it in Auto mode.

Furthermore, you can set what happens after focus. It should be locked or refocus if the subject moves. The autofocus mode control this.

Auto-servo AF / AI Focus AF

In this mode, the camera will decide about the focus mode. Based on the situation, it will select between AF-S/One-Shot(for stationary subjects) and AF-C/AI Servo(for moving subjects).

Note that, you cannot find auto mode on all cameras. But almost all entry-level DSLR have it.

Sounds like you find the best solution for focus mode. Well, it’s not. Sometimes the camera cannot get the right decision for focus mode. So for the best results, you should select the focus mode by your own decision.

Single-servo AF / One-Shot

De pens on the manufacturer, the name of this focusing mode can be different. In Nikon, it’s a Single-servo AF or AF-S and in Canon cameras, it’s One-Shot. Either way, it’s fairly simple to use.

With a single-point focus, you should pick a spot. The camera will focus on it and will lock. By pressing the shooter button halfway down, you can see the focus point before taking the image. In this mode, if the camera cannot focus for any reason, you cannot take any picture. That means the shutter button will be disabled till the camera focuses.

Continuous-servo AF / AI Servo

Continuous-servo focus mode(in Nikon) or AI servo(in Canon) is the best choice for moving subjects like animals. In this mode, the camera will be locked on the subject and refocus with the subject moving. To use this mode, you should hold the shutter button halfway down all the time. The focus point will follow the subject. It’s also the best focusing mode to use when you’re shooting in burst mode.

This mode is best for wildlife photographing, action images, or sports. Don’t forget the multiple movement subject can confuse the camera and sometimes it might get it wrong.

The disadvantage of this mode is consumes a lot of battery. So you will need a backup battery for daily shooting.

Autofocus Area Mode

Autofocus area mode control how the camera selects the focus point for autofocus. Based on the camera model and manufacturer, some options can be different. So you need to check your camera manual for available options.

Furthermore, some options are available only in viewfinder photography. So let’s talk about available options.

Single-point AF / Manual AF Point

In the single-point AF(Nikon) and Manual AF Point(Canon), you will Select the exact focus spot. The camera will focus on the subject, only in the selected focus point. Note that, in this mode, the camera only uses one focus point that you choose in the viewfinder. So if you move your focus point up/down/left/right, the camera will detect contrast only on that particular focus point. This mode is useful when you want photographing landscapes, architecture, and other stationary subjects.

Dynamic-area AF / AF Point Expansion

In Dynamic-area AF(in Nikon) or AF Point Expansion(in Canon), you still must select one focus point and the camera will focus on that point. However, once the focus is acquired, if the subject moves, the camera will use the surrounding focus points to track subject movement and keep the focus on your subject. So if you want to have the acquired focus on the subject, you need to move the camera with the subject and try to keep the subject close to the initially selected focus point.

The Dynamic-area AF works great for shooting fast-moving subjects like birds. Because it’s really difficult to keep the focus on the flying birds.

In some DSLRs, you can select the number of the focus point. For example, in my Nikon D7500, I can select between 9/21/51 focus points. These numbers will be different in cameras, based on manufacturers and the models. So if you need to know the number of the focus point on your camera, read the manual.

Note that, in different brands, you may find some other focus area modes like 3D-tracking, Group-area AF, and Auto-area AF.

Metering Modes

Metering modes are the last things I want to talk about that in this beginner’s guide. In P, S, A, M mode, the camera optimizing the exposure by selecting the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. The camera will decide about all these settings by processing the received data from the Metering Sensor. So in metering mode, in fact, you will decide about the behavior of the camera for processing the received data from the metering sensor. To determine the correct exposure, you need to measure the light of your scene. The different cameras offering different metering modes, but these three are most common:

• Spot Metering
• Center-Weighted Metering
• Matrix / Pattern / Evaluative / Multi-Zone Metering

Spot Metering

This is the most exact way of metering. The camera will get all information from one spot. Usually, the data came from 3% to 7% in the center of the frame. Some high-end cameras allow you to choose between the center spot and or align it with the focus point. This mode is very accurate, and it’s the best choice when you want to capture images from a very contrasting scene.
For example, you can use it to capture the moon in the middle of the night with a dark sky. It’s also is very useful for subjects with backlight.

Center-Weighted Metering

Center-weighted metering or in some cameras Average takes light almost from the whole scene and calculates the average amount of light. The camera doesn’t consider the corners to calculate the amount of light. That’s the reason it’s called center-weighted. Of course, the area that’s considered central is wider than the one in spot metering.

Matrix / Pattern / Evaluative / Multi-Zone Metering

The name of this mode depends on the manufacturer. For example, in Nikon it’s Matrix and in Canon it’s Evaluative.
This mode has a different name because it’s run with a different algorithm. With some differences on different brands, this mode measures the scene and decides the best exposure.
This mode works very well when there isn’t much contrast. Otherwise, the camera cannot calculate the exposure very well.