Lesson Info
24. Camera Operation
Lessons
Class Introduction
07:30 2Camera Controls Overview
06:57 3Mode Dial Operations
11:57 4Creative Filters On Mode Dial
03:34 5Movie Option On Mode Dial
06:33 6Time & Aperture Value On Mode Dial
07:17 7Manual Mode Dial
02:59 8Custom Model Dial
02:36Top Of Camera Buttons
06:42 10Viewfinder Display
08:07 11Back Side Of Camera
03:40 12Playback Menu
04:47 13Playback Menu ISO & Flash Adjustments
04:51 14Quick Menu
13:09 15Left, Right & Bottom Of Camera
04:38 16Lenses & Front Of Camera
06:13 17Menu Overview & Shooting Menu
18:02 18MF Peaking Settings Menu
06:00 19ISO Speed Menu
06:54 20Picture Style & Sound Menus
11:04 21Set Up Menu
22:05 22Custom Function Menu
04:21 23My Menu & Playback Menu
10:56 24Camera Operation
07:35Lesson Info
Camera Operation
Alright folks, final section of the class is camera operations so we've gone through all the buttons, all the dials, every menu, every item in every menu so far. But, what's most important when we take this camera out and go shooting? Well, probably number one is making sure that we have a charged and installed battery in the camera. Wanna have a memory card in there, and format on a regular basis, remember that. Image quality, I like to have it set at RAW, but at the very least, large JPEG for most situations. And just go through those menu settings, and when you're going out on to an important shoot, to make sure that you haven't set the camera up to do something funny from your last shoot. And if you're taking a big trip or shooting a big event, make sure you sensor is clean. You can shoot a white wall and look for any sort of black specks on the resulting photographs. So the key settings. The camera has hundreds of different settings but the ones that you're really gonna use on a r...
egular basis for most real picture taking is controlling the exposure mode, your shutter speeds and apertures, the basic focusing, the focusing mode, the focusing method, all of those will be accessed by going into the Quick Menu. You're gonna have to use the Quick Menu to get into a few of those things like the Drive Mode and the White Balance as well. So those are the modes that I'm thinking about as we go through the following different scenarios. So these are the main controls that I'm thinking about when I'm out shooting. And if I was gonna set this camera up for super simple work, just really really simple, and I know you could use the A+ Scene Recognition Mode but I like the camera in the Program Mode because that leaves other options available for me to set. The camera will set Shutter Speeds and Apertures. I'm gonna want to have the camera set, in this case, to Auto ISO, we'll just figure it out as need be. Exposure Compensation, make sure that's at zero. That's that top dial on the top right of the camera. White Balance at Auto is gonna do a good job. The AF Operation at One Shot, which means your subjects are static, they're not moving around too much and so the camera will focus and lock in on it and stop focusing. For the AF Method, for general purpose the Smooth Zone is a large bracketed area, which is gonna work very generally good with most subjects. And as far as the Drive Mode, just taking one single shot with each press of the shutter should do just fine. And so this is good for really simple photography for you or if you're gonna hand the camera to a friend who doesn't know how to work the camera. This is a pretty safe way of getting lots of easy good shots. Next up is a Landscape Mode and here's where we want to have more Depth of Field so that everything is in focus and we're gonna want to get into a Manual Exposure so that we can really get our settings set exactly as we want them. You have a little bit more time to work with these subjects so you'll be able to really figure out the right settings. First thing I would have set, is ISO 100, because that's where I'm gonna get the cleanest, best information off of the sensor. And from there I'm gonna be thinking about Depth of Field and I'm gonna want a fair bit of Depth of Field. F8, 11, 16, 22, 32 somewhere in there it depends on the exact scene, as well as the lens that I'm using. Shutter Speed, I'm less concerned with because there's nothing moving in there but I do need to be concerned about movement of the camera and this is where you may want a tripod or be very careful about your hand holding of the camera so, a 30th of a second would be good there. We don't use Exposure Compensation here because we're in the Manual Mode. With White Balance I'll leave it at Auto until I see a problem. My subjects are not moving around so I'm gonna shoot with a One Shot where it focuses and locks. And for AF Method, I want to be very precise about where I'm choosing to focus and so I would probably choose the 1-point AF and then move that box in the frame a little bit around. And finally, I would probably use the Single Shot Mode, probably also engaging the Self-Timer if I'm using the tripod, so that it takes one picture without any sort of vibration. Next up, if I was gonna shoot a portrait with this camera, I would be thinking about little bit faster Shutter Speeds so that I can stop the movement of my subject and me holding the camera. I would probably still be in the Manual Mode. In this case I'm gonna want to probably shoot with shallow Depth of Fields to have my subjects stand out from the background. So, if I have a lens that goes down to 1.4, that's where I might set it. With the zoom lenses that are very common here, that might be at 2.8 or at 4 or even 5. depending on where the zoom is set. From there, I'm gonna want to get a Shutter Speed fast enough to stop my subject and my movement. Probably 125th of a second or a little faster. And then I would prefer to have an ISO of 100, but if I need to bump it up, I would be willing to bump it up several steps. White Balance at Auto is gonna be fine, as long as my subject isn't moving around too much, I would use the One Shot AF Operation. For the AF Method, I would probably choose 1-point, so that I could be very specific about what it chooses there but another good option would be the Face Tracking option. And then for the Drive Mode, the Single shot mode would probably be fine for that. If I'm shooting Action, I need to be thinking about faster Shutter Speeds, and I need to be changing the focusing system to change for action that is continually changing its distance. I prefer to be in Manual Exposure so that I can get the settings exactly where I want them. I'm probably gonna want a faster Shutter Speed. 500th of a second or faster. The Aperture is gonna probably need to be pretty wide open, this is where lenses that are at 2.8 Aperture will pay off for ya. And the ISO, it'd be great to have it at 100, but you're most likely gonna have to have it at 400 or higher. White Balance at Auto until there's a problem. And one of the most important changes is in the AF Operation, and that would be at Servo. And so that should be at Servo. And so AF Method would probably be in the Smooth Zone so it's looking at a large area. And the Drive Mode is probably where I would put it at Continuous High Speed. Finally, for Basic Photography, where you don't know what your next shot's gonna be and you kind of need to be ready for a little bit of everything. This is where I'd throw a little bit of automation. Use the Aperture value and I would set maybe, a middle Aperture, maybe around 5.6 or F8. I'd keep my ISO relatively low until I got into a darker environment or needed a faster Shutter Speed. I'd make sure that my Exposure Compensation was at zero unless I needed it changed and then I would just keep an eye on my Shutter Speed and if I needed a faster Shutter Speed, I would move my ISO to a higher setting. I'm gonna probably keep it on Auto White Balance, until I see a problem. And if my subjects aren't moving around too much, I'd leave it on One Shot. For the AF Method, I like the 1-point AF where I can be very precise about what I'm focusing on. That way if I'm focusing through a doorway, it doesn't lock on to the doorway, it focuses on what's going through the doorway. And then for the Drive, I would leave it on Single, so that I can get one shot each time I press down on the Shutter Release.
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Ratings and Reviews
Susan Clarke
John did an outstanding job explaining every part of this camera. As a newbie, this course is exactly what I needed to understand this camera. Thank you, John. Now, I'm going back to watch through 1 more time!
Michael Simpson
John Greengo is probably the best instructor I have come across in my short photography journey. I learned a lot about the camera, something that would have been difficult without the help of the M5 course. Thank you.
Annelie
This course is so well presented. Could not be more clear or better. It is extremely well done.
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