Cool Camera Tricks: Canon’s Camera User Settings

This week in cool camera tricks, I’d like to talk about one function I’m starting to really appreciate on the Canon EOS 40D. It’s also available on the Powershot S5IS as well as several other Canon cameras (though I wont be discussing how to setup and use on anything other than the EOS 40D). That function is the Camera User Settings; and it’s a handy way to store the camera’s configuration settings into an easy to access C position on the mode dial.

The Camera User Settings are a nifty feature found only on the 40D (at the time of this writing) that saves every setting on the camera, and I mean every setting. This includes:

• custom functions
• release mode
• metering mode
• auto focus mode
• shutter speed or aperture
• ISO
• exposure compensation

It will then set the camera to those settings when the mode dial is changed to the appropriate custom mode. You can now preform a quick reset by simply flicking the mode dial to another setting and back to the custom setting you want to shoot in.

Using Camera User Settings In Practice

The truth is I didn’t think it was going to be very useful when I got the camera, sure I saw some application but it’s been only recently that I realized the usefulness of this feature. The best way to explain it is by example.

When I’m normally shooting, I use one shot autofocus and a single frame release mode. But when I shoot birds I tend to favor the AI Servo autofocus (continuous) and high-speed continuous release (as well as some other changes that I’ll discuss in upcoming Cool Camera Tricks).

Normally when I’d go to shoot wildlife I’d need to manually set all my camera settings to what I use for birds and then remember to switch them back when I was done. Normally that would mean when I was walking out to shoot, I’d also be changing the autofocus mode, release mode, make sure the camera was in Aperture Priority, make sure my film speed was at ISO400. Then again at the end of the day, reset the camera to so that it was ready to go at my defaults when I was done.

Now all I do is flick the mode dial to C1, and away I’m set, when I’m done, flicking the mode dial back to Av and my camera is right back where I left it before I got started.

There are some caveats though. For starters the shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, etc. are reset if the camera goes to sleep.

That means if your C1 setting, for example, was set to Av with an aperture of f/8 and you change it do f/5.6 while shooting, if the camera goes to sleep when it wakes up it will be set back to f/8.

This of course can also work to your advantage, because the camera user mode saves every setting it also will reset your exposure bias and flash exposure bias when the camera wakes up. Which can be helpful in preventing you from under or over exposing a second scene some time later forgetting the exposure bias was set.

Setting Up Camera User Settings

To setup Camera User Settings on the 40D:

1. Set the camera to any of the creative zone modes (P, Tv, Av, M, A-Dep).
2. Set all the custom functions, aperature or shutter settings, film speed, biases, you want to be saved
3. Press Menu and select to the 3rd camera tools menu (the Wrech with 3 dots)
4. Choose the “Camera User Settings” menu item
5. Select the Register menu item
6. Choose the Mode Dial : C# position you want to register you settings to (C1, C2, or C3) and press set
7. When prompted to save the settings for that position, choose OK and you’re done.

Updating Saved Camera User Settings

To update a saved Camera user setting:

1. Set the Mode Dial to the C# position you want to update
2. Change the settings you want to change
3. Repeat the process of saving the settings outlined above

For more information, Canon EOS 40D users can refer to page 165 in the manual saving camera settings and what is saved. For Powershot S5IS users see page 96 for infomration about saving your camera settings to the C position on your control dial.