Canon
Canon 40D 4.2 pounds
Custom Settings
Canon 40D Custom Settings Ideas
Shoot in Aperture Priority mode (AV) to let you set the aperture and the camera sets the shutter speed... make sure you set your focus to AI Focus or One Shot,
AI Servo is for traking moving object...hold your camera securely with both hands...take pictures with both IS on and off to see the difference...don't forget to play around with the ISO setting..in dim light crank the ISO up to get the adequate shutter speed
C1/C2/C3 settings on the mode dial
C1 (General purpose)
AV mode
Default ISO: 200
Quality RAW
AF: One Shot
Drive: Single shot
Metering: Spot
Default AF points: centre only
C2 (Action)
TV Mode
Default ISO: Auto
Quality: Large JPG
AF: Servo
Drive: Hi Speed
Metering: Partial
Default AF points: All
C3 (Tripod Stuff)
Full manual mode
Default ISO: 100
Quality RAW
AF: One Shot
Drive: 2s timer
Metering: Evaluative
Default AF points: All
Mirror Lockup Enabled
1) Fast shooting: ISO expansion on, AF-ON button to focus, centre focus point with expansion, highlight priority on, some other complex things I've forgotten.
2) Landscape shooting: mirror lockup on, no ISO expansion, no highlight priority, some other stuff
3) For when I give it to my wife/kids: shutter release to focus, all points focus, ISO expansion & highlight priority on.
Works pretty well for me. I usually operate in 1) and usually set low frame rate (5fps) and AI Servo focus, but can toggle high frame rate (10 fps woot woot!!) v.fast.
Kdog:
valuative metering is good. Use positive EC if you're shooting against the sky, look at your results, and check your histogram. It's not uncommon to need +1 or more when shooting against a bright sky so that your brd doesn't come out underexposed. Personally, I shoot raw so I don't have to worry about white balance. I can just set it to whatever looks best in conversion. Plus, you have a much larger leeway for adjusting exposure post-facto in raw.
If there are no clouds, you might consider using all the focus points rather than just the center. You'll get a faster focus lock that way and there's nothing behind the planes to misfocus on if it's just blue sky. You might try AI Focus instead of AI Servo. That way you'll get the focus confirmation beep, but it still tracks the moving subject. Or try it both ways and see which works best. Takes bursts! The 40D has pretty bad servo mode, nothing like the pro-bodies that folks like Nomadicus use for shooting action. So if you take a burst, you increase your chances of a keeper. If you're shooting bursts in raw, fast CF cards like the SanDisk Extreme III work much better than the slower Ultra II cards.