There is nothing more frustrating than setting the wrong camera, especially in decisive moments. These images are probably not recoverable. That’s why you have to check your camera settings every time you go out. Just assume the settings are wrong. Always.
I really believe you are an experienced photographer. Even so, I also believe that there have been times when you have encountered a situation where the image is not as expected. This could be due to wrong camera settings. It doesn’t matter if you are a professional, an amateur or even a professional amateur. These kinds of mistakes are because you are human.
I’ve been sharing about wrong camera settings for years. In the age of analog photography, one small mistake can lead to a broken roll of images. Before that, there was no way to check the results until the photos were sent back from the print shop.
That’s why you have to be careful with the settings. You have to take everything into account to prevent this from happening. Those still filming on film know about this danger. But with digital photography, we can check the results each time the shutter-release button is pressed. You would think that more than one faulty photo is almost impossible. On the other hand, there are more settings on a digital camera that can go wrong than on a film camera.
Missing the decisive moment
Perhaps we are too easily convinced of having the correct settings when holding the camera. Maybe we know our experience and rely too much on it. However, when it comes to action photography, the decisive moment can disappear when we can check out the series of shots we’ve captured. Imagine how you would feel if it turned out that you forgot the setting you changed the day before?
I try to check my camera settings every time I plan to go out. Perhaps not everything can be set up in advance, but the most common ones are easy. Think about PASM settings, shutter speed, and ISO settings. Do you need a fast or slow shutter speed? Is auto ISO necessary? Is the white balance set correctly? Do you have the correct dialed file format? You won’t be the first person to accidentally just take a small JPEG image.
You probably need a lot of speed and special autofocus settings. If you check these things out before you go out, you won’t be in for nasty surprises. This may seem unnecessary most of the time, since you’re only taking one type of image, but therein lies the real danger. If you believe all the settings are correct because you never changed anything, then the time you actually tested it would go unnoticed until it was too late.
Wrong settings can be anything. It could be a self-timer or limiting the number of shots that can be taken in a burst. Autofocus can be set to a different area of the screen or set to false subject recognition. It is possible that exposure compensation has been activated or the ISO setting is disabled.
To prevent this from happening, it is best to assume that your camera settings are wrong when you pick up the camera. Just run through the most important and basic settings for your genre of photography. This way, you know for sure everything is going as it should.
Use Custom Settings
You can teach yourself how to check camera settings all the time by assuming one or more settings is wrong. I believe it’s a good practice anyway.
If you are a photographer who shoots a variety of genres, it is recommended that you program the camera with a custom setting. Canon calls these C1, C2, and C3. Nikon has U1, U2, and U3. Sony just has the numbers. This way you can dial in the exact custom settings and you will know everything is set.
However, be careful with these custom settings. I know Canon allows you to automatically update settings if you change them while in custom mode. This way, a simple or temporary setting change can ruin your next shot if you don’t check everything. In other words, never take anything for granted.
I have set a custom mode to capture animals and birds. The other is set for long exposure photography. The third one isn’t programmed yet, but I might decide to use it for studio portraits. This way, I can have the right settings, such as turning off the EVF’s exposure simulation, manual exposure, human eye autofocus, and one-touch tracking.
Not necessary for all types of photography
I understand this is not for every photographer. It’s for those who rely on quick action and decisive moments, in situations where you don’t have time to check the viewfinder, let alone adjust any wrong settings. If you are working under pressure and something is wrong, you can also tell what is wrong at a glance. You can’t afford to experiment to find out.
If your shooting doesn’t have that much pressure, the settings can be adjusted fairly easily. You have enough time to try everything. However, you should learn how to test the settings yourself. With that said, it’s just good practice.
Do you have any experience with wrong settings with decision timing? I would like to know if you have checked your settings the way I described or do you have another method to prevent this? Please let us know in the comments below.
