What's The Best Setting For...
The other day, somebody asked for my help. She wanted me to tell her what’s the best settings for her Canon for…
I regularly get the same question but in a different form:
- What’s the best camera…
- What’s the best lens…
- What’s the best camera bag…
- What’s the best way of using the flash remotely…
There’s no best setting for your camera, there’s no best lens, there’s no best camera bag…
Tip
Use the force Luke
— Star Wars
I’m modifying it to “Use the professional mode (P).” Actually, “the professional mode (P)” is quite good. The camera manufacturers have spent millions and decades to perfect it. It’s quite good. Does it replace your thinking, your taste, your decisions…? No, but as a starting point, if you don’t know which setting to use, it’s a better place to start than “what’s the best settings…?. "
Info
My preferred sport / action settings are:
- Evaluative metering
- AF-ON back button for focusing
- Zone-AF
- 70-200/4IS fairly wide open
- Higher ISO to reach the minimum shutter speed to capture some “sharpness”
These are my preferences. This is what’s likely to work better for me in most circumstances. I don’t know what are your circumstances? Where will you be seated? Where will you be standing? What’s the lighting? What’s your access? How good are you as a photographer?
I’m sure that some other photographer, with completely different settings, will make better photos than mine. It could happen! But these are my preferred settings and these settings are my starting point. My preferred settings gave me good photos the last time. Next week, my preferred settings could change.
Tip
In today’s world, there’s no bad camera, only bad photographers…
— Robin Wong