This month: Advanced camera setup
Dig deeper into your camera’s set-up options and explore its exciting potential
Deciding which camera to buy is a serious and expensive business and most of us will pore over specifications and take a deep dive into reviews by industry experts, such as those in this magazine and online resources like www.digitalcameraworld.com.
Leaving budget and what system you already own aside, the buying decision is typically based on an amalgam of the camera’s headline features, such as its megapixel count, autofocus skills and shooting speed, plus its potential to deal with your favourite subjects, of course.
Maybe you are one of the many who goes into a local camera shop and gets physical with a prospective purchase. Checking how a camera feels in the hands is important, especially control layout and design, because we are all different, not just physically but also when it comes to personal preferences.
But rarely will any serious thought be given to the camera’s menu structure, the number of customisable buttons or how many user modes it has. Perhaps such factors need to be given a greater priority. Digital cameras are powerful devices that are designed to be ready to use straight out of the box, but getting the most from them needs a little more effort and that means spending time on set-up and knowing what’s under the bonnet.
How far you go is up to you but you don’t need to memorise the camera’s menu structure, although having its instruction manual (whether physical or online) handy is probably a good idea – at least at the start of a new relationship. This month’s Camera Clinic should help set you on your way. We’ve chosen a broad range of features to discuss and will take a close look at some of the more specialist functions on the latest camera models.
Will Cheung
An imaging journalist and freelance photographer based in London, Cheung has a wealth of experience over several decades. www.williamcheung.co.uk
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Reading your camera’s manual will pay dividends
Nothing stays still in the world of photography and particularly in the past few years, progress has been frighteningly rapid with no signs of it slowing up. Every camera brand has its own agenda, so we see some makers eschewingof eye -or subject-detect autofocus while we see different levels of interest in specialist features, such as pixel shift multi-shot capture, pre-shot and focus bracketing features.
