ALWAYS change these 5 camera settings

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I have set up dozens of new and used cameras and have forgotten to change settings and features that have ruined my photos and/or shooting and editing experience. A few are just camera settings I choose to idiot-proof my camera in the future.
I'm hoping to spare you all the pain of my mistake by sharing the camera settings I change on every camera I take photos with, including:
- The right memory card
- The right file format
- My preferred drive mode
Don't forget to share how you set up your camera in the comments.
Also, I listed 9 things I change but ALWAYS is a strong word so I just put 5 in the title. That way people can argue about which ones should ALWAYS be changed and which ones are a preference. It's going to give everyone something to talk about.
Learn more about:
Back-Button AF setup: • A Better Way to Eye Au...
Memory cards: • Don’t buy the wrong SD...
Jpeg and raw: • Raw vs JPG: Image Qual...
Get a free tutorial for your camera at sdp.io/tutorial
I also just realized Tony made this SAME VIDEO but listed 10 settings. We even chose almost identical titles. We both hate beeping. We should get married. But, had I known about this sooner I would have done 11 settings to one-up him.

[@ValerieCox-VECCreative]

I always change the file name settings by changing the “DSC” to my own initials. I got into this habit when I began managing a team of photographers and needed a way to prevent files overwriting other files that had the same name when uploading to a central media catalog. Now all my team add their own initials in front of file names. This also helps me identify who the photographer of a particular picture is so that I can give proper credit to them on publications.

[@fairlessdave1834]

I didn't even know that was possible!

[@accordingtodoug]

I shoot multiple cameras. So, I use it to ID the camera the shot was taken on...

[@kathrynabbruzzese5007]

@@accordingtodoug I do this too. Very helpful for my yearbook students

[@phant0mdummy]

Those are my initials. So I never changed them 😂

[@peeweebarney]

me too!@@fairlessdave1834

[@Tinfoilnation]

Use high speed continuous - absolutely. You tapped on *Hi+* mode -- note the plus sign. Really gotta be careful with that - because it has a huge downside. Your viewfinder *stops* updating in realtime. If you've ever wondered why you were losing the ability to accurately track moving subjects in the frame and you had that enabled, this is why. Edit: Other downside is when shooting at apertures tighter than f/11 - because continuous autofocus only works until you hit the shutter in Hi+ mode at any aperture greater than f/11. If you're at Hi+ and f/16 the moment you hit the shutter your continuous AF is disabled and the focus is locked to whatever you had - and it stays that way for the entire burst. It's just a really fast way of taking an entire burst of out-of-focus images. Edit Edit: You've both often mentioned the problem of viewfinder lag. If you've had that mode enabled I wonder if perhaps this was the primary source of it? Edit x3: Something to always change on Sony cameras: *DRO* = Dynamic Range Optimization. Turn this *OFF* -- worst default setting in the history of photography. It "optimizes" the dynamic range of your JPG files. This sounds helpful - until you realize that it also affects the embedded preview JPG in your RAW files. This also sounds harmless - until you find out that your *histogram* is based upon that embedded JPG preview. If you're shooting raw and chimping to check the histogram, it is literally *lying* to you and you end up with all your shots being 1 or 2 stops underexposed. /rage

[@anweko93]

Closing shutter sound is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. Never. Turn. It. Off.

[@smaakjeks]

8:00 - I met a person who was getting into photography, and she loved her camera. She said it wasn't functioning perfectly, but she was okay with working around the limitations of its issues. She asked me to grab a quick picture of her, and yep, the diopter was completely screwed up. One spin of the finger later and she was over the moon with gratitude. It made me feel like a magician XD

[@chevypowertogo-9070]

L🤩L ... L🧐L

[@tahwnikcufos]

I have never changed the diopter of someone else's camera based on my own vision... magic huh?

[@WanderingBobAK]

@@tahwnikcufos I certainly have, many times. Set it to a correct focus for me, show the owner how and allow them to fine tune to their vision. Don't be a doo doo head.

[@tahwnikcufos]

@@WanderingBobAK I guess you missed the "my own vision part"... you should probably work on reading comprehension, before calling people out on stuff. Just a thought.

[@KevinMphotography]

That’s funny. I know a lot of people who don’t know the diopter exists. Personally, there are events where I shoot with no glasses on, so the diopter is my friend.

[@rickwovrosh6265]

My slogan is "Clear, Concise and To-The-Point. That's exactly what you have done here. I'm revisiting shooting manually again after 46 years. This video helped me to create a solid baseline to work from. Thank You!

[@lldd11]

I set pretty stuff that you mentioned. Date/Time, Image format JPG+RAW, No shutter without card, shutter release with no lens (unrecognizable lens), I also change to "uncompressed raw" type (by default it set to compressed on Sony). Sometimes I also change autofocus type - depending on what I'm planning to shoot and that is what my custom button set too. I do not switch to continues shooting unless I shoot moving subject (model, bird, bug etc). I also like my beeping otherwise I'm unsure whats going on, so I only turn it off if absolutely needed, for example during some ceremony like wedding). I use only high speed memory cards and always have 1 extra for each cam (I usually carry 2 cameras, to avoid disaster if 1 camera failed). and have 4-5 extra batteries on me (sometimes they fail and die forever, once I had to trash 2 batteries of the same day, thats why its good to have extra).

[@NPJensen]

One thing I do, you haven't mentioned, is to change the the copyright information on the camera. You can change it in post, but it's easier to have it set up correctly from the beginning. Other than that, I agree with you on almost every setting - except for shooting mode. I change that according to what I shoot. I often use old manual lenses, and I prefer to shoot in single shot mode, when I do that. Switching between modes is so simple and easy to do, I like to think, I get more out of my camera by using different modes for different things (beyond the obvious 2 sec. self timer for landscapes when using a tripod and slow shutter speeds).

[@HR-wd6cw]

The copyright I found (embedded in the RAW) is only really useful if hand out your raws, which most don't do. I put a basic copyright in mine, but I put a more extensive one in post using LR and a Metadata profile. For mine, it's basic info (simple copyright note and my name and email address but that's it).

[@zekethedego]

I often shoot birds and have found when I have a subject that is intent on looking away the beep will draw its attention toward the business end of the camera and I get better shots. With hummingbirds, who's color changes with just the slightest movement of their heads it is most helpful.

[@bobfox2733]

I’m the same on that but everyone is different

[@DamienOnTheGo]

What I love about this video is how you're not projecting to be perfect. You'r like hey I mess up but this is what I did to correct it. I dunno just made it seem like I'm not the only one....lol Loved this.

[@leo.girardi]

No, I think she is projecting that there are people that know so little about photography that they are willing to pay her.

[@softlandingproductions907]

They could redo it , but using mess-ups is part of everyone's formula these days

[@ussmillerco]

She’s also bubbly and not bad to look at.......sorry Tony.

[@leo.girardi]

@@ussmillerco I could not argue with that if I tried...

[@chevypowertogo-9070]

@@leo.girardi L🤩L ... L🧐L

[@darylspencer3918]

Enjoyed this video! Some necessary info for folks. I'm a bit more obsessive...I get a new camera and I go through EVERY SINGLE MENU item enabling, disabling, and modifying options. The up side of being that obsessive is that I've seen every option in every menu and helps me get just that much more familiar with my camera :-)

[@isaiasanchez1987]

Same here, i go through every setting and learn it with the instruction manual as reference 👍

[@edwhitt3727]

Some things I like to change or check after shooting (and, because I don't always remember, before I shoot as well): Go back to base ISO; zero out the exposure compensation; zero out bracketing; set f/wide open; go to single shot (that's where I stay unless I really, really need burst shooting because, unlike you, I only use it when I need it - different strokes!). I like my Black Rapid strap, but only when I don't have my camera railed onto something like a tripod head. Thanks for the video!

[@ForrestWest]

Great video thank you! When I am adjusting my diopter I look at the numbers in the viewfinder instead of the scene. I find if those numbers are sharply In Focus for my eyes then the focus in the viewfinder is correct out in the real world

[@garycoombs797]

Great tip! It works!

[@michaelkozic4146]

I always have looked at the # and not the scene. My camera readouts are only on a short time so I need one finger to spin wheel and one to hold shutter down. Problem I want to use index finger for both. Need a third hand

[@anaphylaxis2548]

When I first got a new digital camera years ago, I forgot to change the setting to shoot without a card. I shot a bunch, and then later wanted to cry. I have not forgotten that one since.

[@leo.girardi]

Why would anyone buy a camera that allowed you to "take a picture" without a memory card?

[@R-A-F]

@@leo.girardi some people control their camera from a laptop... you can save the photos directly to laptop hard drive 😊. Great if you're taking longer exposures through telescopes and star trackers 👍

[@rbolwell]

One of the first settings I change is the AF Assist Beam. This goes off straight away! I mean, who really needs that, and how annoying is it for the subject to have that keep going off all the time throughout the shoot? That, and setting up back-button focus, and turning the beeps off is a must for me with any new camera.

[@Dudeitsbrian]

Yeah I find that it’s a situational thing. I went into a cave with my camera where it was pitch black but then some candles were lit and so I went to take a shot and the light came on and was super dumb so I covered it with my finger and then changed the setting. Oops. But yeah especially if you use MF lenses like I di now, remove the beam

[@okaro6595]

The focus assist beam makes the subjects close their eyes.

[@noelchignell1048]

I have IR assist on which I presume is invisible infrared light

[@lh3540]

that was the first thing that pissed me off right out the box. I was testing my new camera on my aquarium and immediately freaked out my fish and they all hid

[@iSleepDoc]

That beam is definitely annoying but it is there for a reason… to get better and faster focus in dark situations. I use it when it is needed, just learn how to quickly turn it on/off on your camera.

[@daven953]

Thanks Chelsea. I was into photography many years earlier with a 35mm film camera. I didn't survive the jump to digital. However now I am just getting back into it with a new to me camera and lenses. D5200. I am finding it a little overwhelming with the lingo and all the settings. I have watched you and your husbands vids on youtube along with many other folks vids. However I find yours to be the easiest to understand for me. So I will be getting a couple of your books soon.

[@chrish7336]

Dave, I was looking at the 5200 at one time but found the 3000 Series was more comfortable in my hands. Also noted that the 7000 Series was what I preferred to keep sensor compatibility with the Studio I was working with at the time.

[@alansach8437]

Aren't settings essentially the same? I mean, you have ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Aperture priority, shutter priority, manual all work the same. Focus, either manual or auto are the same. Push the button. It's the computer stuff that's different, but most film photographers were scanning slides into the computer and using Photoshop before switching to digital cameras, and some programs like Elements are really intuitive.

[@jessicaroley]

OMG THANKYOU!! I’m extremely new to this and I got some lenses on Amazon and could not figure out why they were not focusing but turning off the setting to use without memory card cleared it up. Not real sure why no one mentioned that! Seems pretty important!

[@MikeDittmanmachining]

Not a fixed setting but always double check your settings. I do a lot of wildlife photography and being disabled I drive and shoot from my vehicle. I've missed a few really awesome things because I was photographing the moon the night before and didn't go back to my wildlife settings. The best shot of a kestrel I ever had was completely over exposed.

[@urbananjar]

Done about the same. Had ISO set for a candle lit ceremony indoors. Then went out in the sunlight for celebrations. Do ho think I remembered to put down ISO to a reasonable value?

[@BlokeOnAMotorbike]

luckily you can use the RAW data to correct overexposed shots.

[@grey_tracer5283]

@@BlokeOnAMotorbike You can indeed, but that wonderful feature only works to a certain degree as well. The more correction & editing is neccessary, the more quality is usually lost.

[@sawlens]

I haven't tried back button focusing before. I was wondering how it would work with wildlife photography but you said you like using it for that so I'll give it a try. I also want to start doing more night time photos this summer so the example you gave will save me a lot of future trouble. A strap with a quick release sounds super handy, especially when I want to use a gimbal so I bought 2 straps. My photography mistake stories: With my first wedding shoot my memory card filled up during some group photos. I didn't notice since my camera took and previewed the images like normal. Fortunately, I had switched out the memory card after the group photos so I didn't miss out on too much afterwards. When my diopter was first off, I thought maybe something was dirty so I cleaned everything. I was frustrated when all I saw was blurriness again looking through the viewfinder. Finally I wondered, "what does this little scroll wheel do?.... Ohhhh."

[@danbrowning2418]

Good tips. You might consider a video on what settings to check EVERY TIME you go out on a new shoot. I've screwed up a lot of photos by failing to check my settings. Specifically, white balance, flash on/off, shutter rate (continuous, single [for studio], self-timer [I've left it on after doing self-portraits or long shutter speed releases], ISO, etc.

[@tomwebb3081]

Luckily my camera allows multiple setting banks, which I can label, to stop me from doing this. It's saved my bacon more than once.

[@kathrynabbruzzese5007]

I'd like to see this idea too.

[@williamivey5296]

Re: Checking the diopter knob. Some years ago I bought a Nikon off ebay the seller said had a blurry viewfinder. Got a great price on it. Sure enough, all that was wrong was the diopter knob was just cranked to one end of its range.

[@artmaltman]

I also change the "shutter focus priority" button. At least on Sony, they let you tell the camera how long to try to focus before giving up. I found selecting priority "focus" is best for me. That is, I tell the camera don't release shutter until you have achieved focus. Sony's default is "balanced" which allows the camera to try to focus, give up and shoot anyway. (I don't use back button autofocus.)

[@DragNetJoe]

1:45, part 2. Take the time to change your date and time when you go to a different time zone. This may not seem like a big deal, but most of us are shooting with cell phones as well as a dedicated camera. If you are on vacation and want to organize ALL your photos this will become important because the cell phone will update date and time and your pictures will end up all mixed up by whatever time zone difference (or possibly date). Ask me how I know. Oh, and that was way more than 5.

[@speterlewis]

Great tips, Chelsea. I would only differ with you regarding straps. I'm a professional product and lifestyle photographer and I haven't had a strap on any camera in years. My cameras are either on a tripod (90% of the time), in my hand, or plunked down on the ground. Street photography? Hiking? Sure, straps make sense. But in the studio or on location, just one more thing to trip over or get tangled up in...and I'm clumsy enough already. Thanks to you and Tony for all the great content you two put out!

[@peeweebarney]

I strap mine on, so I don't accidentally drop it.

[@benoloughlin1557]

I have a lucky strap as well (one of my kids gave it to me as a gift). I've never taken it off my camera even when I've gone on multi-day hikes in the wilderness. The strap is a couple of years old now and very soft! Thank you for the video, Chelsea!

[@EJohnDanton]

Great tips! For a strap, I keep an old thick 35mm era strap - those suckers are built to take a bit of weight! You can find these at thrift shops, often with an old camera and lens for less than the price of a new strap. And I agree - I've been asked more than once about blurry viewfinders to find that someone mistakenly adjusted the diopter.

[@iSleepDoc]

I wouldn’t recommend an old and second hand strap for hygiene purpose. Imagine sweat and dirt from an unhygienic person transferring to your neck. In fact when I buy a second hand camera, I buy a new strap also and leave the old strap in the camera box to sell it later with the camera.

[@SalamanderFangskin]

I use an eye test chart when adjusting the diopter, and remember to use the same eye when taking pictures :)

[@robertweir5755]

The diopter adjustment is to make the viewfinder information, f stop, shutter speed and other information sharp. It's not to get the subject of the photo sharp, focusing the lens does that.

[@badkeiser]

You and Tony have been great for me. I’m buying my first camera soon. I travel globally, full time and everywhere is a photo opportunity. I’m loving the results I’m getting with just my phone.

[@KevinMphotography]

Custom settings/functions. I just added two additional cameras, and the first thing I do is change the function buttons and settings to match my normal shooting environments. I was just shooting a sporting event the other day, and one photographer said man I hate how the clouds keep coming out right when I’m shooting something. I remembered him from a couple years back. I reminded him that if you had custom settings set up, all you would have to do is flip a switch when the clouds come out and keep on shooting. Plan ahead of time with custom settings, and you don’t have to miss the shot.

[@peterhendrickson264]

I really like the calm and informative way of which you (and your husband) convey information in a calm an interesting way without being too quirky like some photographers with KZbin channels try to do.

[@jeffjgale]

My photos might not be really great, but I always set the Copyright Info so they are mine.

[@keblakev]

If you do not mind me asking. How do you do that? I have a canon 90D. Thanks

[@niallchurch2679]

@@keblakev not sure you can!

[@keblakev]

@@niallchurch2679 understood. Thanks

[@johnfoos4477]

On my 80D Copyright info setting is under the yellow wrench icon in the Menu.

[@joejackson9986]

Not sure anyone wants to pass off your crappy photos as theirs. Maybe as an example of what not to do. But definitely not to make a profit.

[@emilycross4527]

Great video! I turn off the wireless and Bluetooth until I need them to avoid draining the battery unintentionally. BBAF all day long, cannot be overstated.

[@quaimage]

I love the beeps. I couldn't live without them.

[@sebastianmatthews1663]

You've got "shoot without lens" backwards. It's usually disabled by default and keeping it off is what stops lenses/adapters without electronic contacts from working. You want to *enable* that option, _not_ disable it.

[@superfluidity]

Enabling it also lets you do freelensing, if you can bear the risk of dust on the sensor. Not sure what the point of ever shooting without sd card is though.

[@wooster7571]

A bit of a mystery how they let a video out with only 5 tips one of which is completely wrong. Maybe we need to "Chelsea - proof" KZbin?

[@Chris_Wolfgram]

Not sure about most other cameras, but she is exactly right that this is "enabled" by default, with my R5. Of course I disabled it right away.

[@chasw417]

@@superfluidity I believe the purpose of the shoot without card option is so a salesman at a retail store can let the customer take a photo and view the photo for demo purposes. If they had to put cards in the demo camera they would be losing cards all the time.

[@barneylaurance1865]

@@chasw417 Perhaps, seems a shame though if they put a big misfeature like that in the camera just to make them a bit easier to demo. You can get find some low capacity SD cards for $5-$10.

[@paulhanscom6402]

It's always nice listening to you Chelsea. I always change to single point AF too. Thanks again.

[@swistedfilms]

I just got a 90D last week and went through this entire ritual. Thanks for all the great information!

[@jimtipton8888]

That's a great camera! Enjoy it!

[@swistedfilms]

@@jimtipton8888 I already got a chance to take it out attached to the 400MM f/5.6 prime. Now I'm waiting for the full moon on the 26th.

[@jimtipton8888]

@@swistedfilms That’s awesome! Mine lives with a 100-400 on it and it’s my go to for wildlife.

[@faizeljoemrati6329]

Hi Chelsea, addition to #7. Connect an external harddrive to your computer and load the pictures to the external drive. More ideal setup for backups, use a NAS drive with (at least) 2 HDDs in backup mode (the 2 drives are backing up each other every time) When 1 drive fails, you are still save with the other drive. Call Murphy when all your NAS drives having a bad hair day and both drives are broken ;) Cheers from The Netherlands 😎

[@superdave513]

It's the very first thing I do !! I run two Synology NAS and all my images go there before any editing !!!

[@bobcole612]

I set my D800 to RAW to CF card, JPEG to SD card. Also use back button focus.

[@bnguyen112]

Great tips. I have not done #1 and #2. I never use the camera strap that comes with the camera. I use the Peak Design camera strap connectors with a camera strap I like. The quick release design on those are great. I do change or set custom buttons to make changes such as ISO more convenient.

[@tommynikon2283]

Yep- I had all those settings, plus some more: I turn off Auto ISO, wanting to dictate that with older digital cameras. But for most people- myself included, I think the most helpful/best feature is: Back Button Focus. I find it functionally, ergonomically better....more intuitive to my workflow for capture.

[@MOAB-UT]

I use it too but then you can't use that button to lock autofocus? What do you use then?

[@amkgvideos]

Finally someone who likes continuous shot setting. I do the same thing for street photography,

[@GreggAdventure]

AHHHH!! I turned off RAW, during my Daughters Graduation HAT TOSS, to get more shots, and avoid a lengthy saving.... Then, took a pile of once in a life time photos, with her, and left RAW off.... Fortunately, things came really well, but I want to go back in time and have those RAW images. Raw saved SO many pics from that day!

[@jamesr4891]

As a life long photographer of 52 years, I’m here to see what tips I might wish I knew about sooner. Well, I’m proud to say that being a seasoned photographer that there was not a single tip here that I’m not already doing. The biggest and most important tip if I had to give only one would be setting the image size to maximum resolution, and just leave it there. You can always decrease the image file size later if need be, and if you need to digitally zoom in to crop, you’ll have extra pixel power to work with before you start seeing digital distortion, better known as pixeling. This tip I just gave is like a gold nugget. BTW, don’t set your ISO any higher then you absolutely need, as this will minimize white noise (digital image noise) in your images. Looking forward to the new INSAIN 61MP SONY A7 IIIV

[@bobbowring1702]

I love BBF. i put a white dot on the diopter and camera so if I get a problem easy fix line the dots up. I always check there is a memory card in the camera , nothing worse than cutting the day short. Totaly with you on turning the bells an whistles of a silent shot is mor enjoyable.

[@nancysun6062]

The lucky strap blew my mind. I use a strap for shorter walks and Spider system camera belt for the longer ones. I spent so much time to getting the strap on and off my camera. Thank you Chelsea!

[@chrisloghry4005]

I learned to shut off "shoot without memory card" when I was still shooting film. With the camera I had at the time, there was no way to tell if you had film loaded or what speed it was. I shot an airshow before opening day, on the tarmac, up close and personal, with no one around, just to later find out that I had NO FILM in my camera!! I haven't made that mistake since! And I have never had that same opportunity since.

[@edwardwalker3229]

When I shot film I would rest a digit on the rewind dial which would move every time I wound on. That overcame any possibility of shooting without a film or that the film wasn't winding on properly.

[@movieman2009]

Put the camera in Airplane mode if you dont need to use wireless transfer it can save the battery. Program custom buttons for the exposure triangle at least for stills if you have to menu dive. Take the battery out of the camera if it wont be used for an extended period of time.

[@a56gs74]

Except for with Sony Alpha cameras which will, after awhile, with the battery removed, not hold the time and date.

[@a56gs74]

Re: leaving the battery out of the camera for extended periods of time

[@movieman2009]

@@a56gs74 should be easy to reset the time and date ?

[@florin.filipescu]

You can use a NAS for backup. When I have more events, usually in weekends, I keep the event on the SD Cards (double sd cards as i have backup already on my nikon z5) and then just take another ones for the next event. When I come home I transfer it to my NAS which has Raid 10. When I finished editing them and sent to the client, I format de sd card, ready for new photo shots.

[@marvinrowen5894]

Just in case you didn’t know.there is recovery software that will work even if you have formatted your card. Formatting a card does not erase it. It just lets the camera know that you can overwrite the card. If you have overwritten the card then some of the images may not be recoverable. I have used this and found very old images as well as the ones I was looking for. I don’t remember the one I used but they have a free trial to see if It works. Mine cast about $60. My second shooter did this to a card and I recovered the images. He had formatted the card and used it in another job. He though he had copied the images to the computer but didn’t. Lots of luck. Marvin

[@brianknight7208]

Boom! Already had all 5. I passed the test.

[@coz2112]

I use the Laowa zero d lens for real estate videos and it will not work with the Canon R6 unless I turn on shoot without lens. As far as I can tell, no manual lens will work if you turn off shoot without lens.

[@patrickfitzgerald2861]

I believe you are correct.

[@thejoshuatreelocationsstation]

I love you ty. Tomorrow will be my ninth paid gig and I am beyond stressed but loving every second lol thanks for the great info

[@HR-wd6cw]

Honestly, shooting without a memory card is something I don't usually set because I always check to make sure I have a card in the camera before I leave home or the hotel. I also make sure I have spare cards with me, as well as batteries, so there is little to no excuse that you should accidentally shoot without a card. In fact, most cameras will warn you if you don't have a card installed (they'll let you shoot, but they will usually show a red icon or explicitly tell you in words that there is no card installed or that it's not formatted). Honestly my top things I check before I shoot is: is there a clearn memory card installed? Is my camera set to shoot at least RAW (although I shoot RAW+JPEG most of the time unless I'm running out of card space; and for those cameras with dual card slots I set it to backup everything to the second card); set my focusing mode and focus point (usually AF single point for most things) and my metering mode (usually to center weighted). These are my things I always check when I go and do a shoot. On some camras, you can set User modes with these options and I would recommend using those if you can.

[@Krisstofers]

Thanks Chelsea! I know I heard about the back button focus from Tony. But, I was so new to photography at the time, and didn't see the purpose. So glad you did this refresher video for old fogies like me!

[@roybinson6460]

Same here!

[@Jones12ax7]

With all due respect, Chelsea's voice is so sweet to hear

[@MTD369]

you usually preface a sentence 'with all due respect' when youre about to insult or talk poorly.

[@monstrok]

Yes! Say NO to beeps. I tried decoupling the focus from the shutter button and wanted to like it. It just didn't work for me. When repositioning my thumb to hit that back button, I found myself simultaneously losing my grip and moving the camera enough to change the composition.

[@billcame6991]

One thing about continuous, I use it a lot for taking pictures of my son's hockey games. For the 5d Mark II, there was only continuous. For my 5d Mark IV, there is continuous high and low. Initially I was using high (LOTS of pictures!) but I realized that perhaps I should go to low. My Mark II died while at Universal Studios Hollywood and it was due to shutter failure. I wondered if all those continuous shots took its toll on my camera. I was able to estimate that I had 225,000 shutter actuations with that camera. I have been using low with the Mark IV. Since you are a professional and you are making this video, reaching this may not be a problem since you probably have at least one other camera with you.

[@tomwebb3081]

Your Mk II only had a shutter that was rated for 150,000 actuations, so it did well to get to 225,000!

[@BIMLounge]

Loving these one-on-one sessions as a break from the couple videos (which are also good). About shooting w/o memory card and lenses, all the cameras I had flash a warning in my face to remind me that there is no card and it bothers me so much that I put in a card just to get it to stop 😂.

[@MOAB-UT]

Their book ...Stunning... is also very good.

[@videowatcher398]

OMG I'm already doing all these !!!!! Yassssss. I love the AF function. So good for headshots and continuous shooting. I hate beeps too lol

[@Seitenwerk]

Never understood the AF setting. Why would you want that? There is always something you want to have in focus. So the moment you take a picture without focus it won’t be sharp, especially if you shoot wide open. For DSLR I just focused then kept my finger on the shutter half pressed and pressed it for taking shots. For mirrorless like the R cameras, you usually always shoot in Servo mode. The only thing, which wasn’t covered in the video, is to decouple the focus modes. So that default shutter button is regular focus point/square while holding down the AF button will automatically use face detection. On the other side, canon also supports a combination of both modes: a single point that acts a a object face detection marker

[@MichaelConferPhoto]

For Back button focus on R5, I disable focus on shutter, enable Af on button to eye tracking people, and I set the asterisk button to AF Spot. Two focus methods with two separate buttons side by side, I love it.

[@jameskeener7251]

Oh no! It's freaky. I was saying what you said along with you. Every single thing you recommend is something I've learned - the hard way - to do. EVEN down to the end with a new leather strap. This is a must-see video. Thanks, C person.

[@SlapbackGOD]

Just keep in mind, if you're planning to use vintage lenses at some point, don't turn off the feature "shoot without lens", because otherwise you'll run the risk of thinking the vintage lens its faulty and it actually isn't. Most vintage lenses don't communicate with the camera (lack of electronic components /fillaments) and this option allows the camera to use its normal function of shooting, but because the vintage lens its entirely manual, it will work. When you turn the feature off, the camera won't shoot and you'll think the lens its faulty

[@jacobnathanielzpayag3885]

ALWAYS CHECK IF THE LENS CAP IS ON. That really gets me all the time

[@mgelinfilms7344]

Yes. It always seems when I am trying to appear cool and "professional", with everything I am doing pre-shoot, when I raise my camera to my eye, the lens cap is on.

[@chevypowertogo-9070]

@@mgelinfilms7344 L🤩L ... L🧐L

[@razu1976]

Back button AF is the best! I have it set up for AF on the back, then image stabilisation kicks in on a half press of the shutter button which makes a cool sound and the world goes weird. On a full press I have my millionth picture of a squirrel...

[@dummatube]

Love this video - thanks! Up front should be change your colour space to Adobe RGB so that if you DO end up working with a JPG file you will have the best possible colour and tonal range. You can easily convert an Adobe RGB image DOWN to sRGB for the web but you can’t put back the missing colours in a limited ‘screen/web colour’ sRGB file!

[@petervandieren]

Remember to set the correct date/time and your personal information so it gets added to the EXIF. I also like to add frequently used functions to the custom menu.

[@douglasgoodman226]

And if your camera is ever lost or stolen there's a chance it might make it back to you...

[@shadda]

I just realized that the reason my photos have been coming out underexposed, despite the preview showing them correctly exposed, is because DRO / AUTO HDR was turned on (on my sony A7R3). So...definitely check for that. Was driving me insane.

[@ivarnordlkken8082]

Current camera: Pentax K70D. I always turn off the flash. I like natural light, so I only use flash when absolutely necessary. Also I turn off all kind of light sources, like redeye preflash, focusing aid light and so on. I just think theese lights are disturbing for other people, and it draws attention to me. Not formatting the card have saved me on 2 occasions. I don't format before I need an empty card. Best regards from Norway.

[@DavidLilja]

I've lost photos too when both my external hard drives crashed a few days apart. Since then I've used cloud backups. I lost my third drive a year ago but I could just download 4 TB or data to a newly purchased drive. Took me a day but I didn't lose a single photo. When it comes to straps I haven't found any better than Peak Design. I've got a few anchors on my camera body and it's super easy to just clip the strap on to the camera, or take it off if it's in the way.

[@SouljahUK]

I once drove 100 miles to shoot with a model and then realised that I had no memory card inserted. Had everything else (flash, lens, soft boxes) but no memory card and couldn't even buy one as everywhere was closed in the area. It's never happened since.

[@trixieout]

I was out driving and saw a blue heron in a pond. Decided to go back home and grab my camera and take a chance it would still be there. It was, and I was so excited. Proceeded to start taking pics, and... no memory card in the camera. Sad trombone.

[@ImAlecPonce]

I know what that is like...... hurts

[@okaro6595]

Always keep spare memory cards on your bag, pocket etc. Also have a spare battery and recharge or regularly.

[@tomwebb3081]

I've taken to using pistol lanyards (seriously) to attach my card cases to my bag. They're made of kevlar, and use velcro to attach to the bag. Not only does it stop the 'forget the card' issue but with the value of CFexpress cards it can stop the loss of hundreds of dollars of kit.

[@bv42]

I switch from tripod to handheld fairly often, and forget to turn image stabilization off/on at least 75% of the time. Need to form that habit!

[@oo0RECON0oo]

I immediately calibrate my light meter to my camera so the light meter knows how my camera sees light, and then with the difference in the reading, I set the camera to see light how the meter sees light for incident readings. Now I get perfect exposure without a meter. I shoot in priority modes with auto iso, eye auto focus point for exposure, using exposure compensation for artistic expression on exposures using flash. I choose not to use a camera strap, I find they are always in the way, I use a peak design camera clip and attach it to my belt. A lot less stress on the neck too. I also like to save user settings to U1 U2 and U3. U1 I customize for portraits U2 for HDR And U3 for night shots. Also switch it over to video and do the same. Love Nikon for this feature. No fiddling with settings, just switch the modes and shoot.

[@delsydsoftware]

You just reminded me that I had taken my camera off of my preferred wildlife settings in order to do some portraits earlier in the year. I wondered why focusing seems a little weird when I was photographing birds.

[@j.kimmer1509]

Diopter - in college a friend of a friend returned her camera twice saying it was broken and then the last smart salesperson told her "its not the camera" its the diopter; you need to adjust it. We take it for granted but it can be a life crisis to some the first time.

[@donnaaggelakos9417]

I have saved friends ditching their cameras by showing them their Diopter settings......immediate gratification for them

[@RawloftheDead]

I keep the beeping in cus it helps the model know when a shot is coming and they get into pose. I've done it in silent and had models ask if I'm taking pictures. So it helps the models know when I'm taking a shot

[@peterfritzphoto]

Chelsea - I've really grown to love yours and Tony's videos - so relatable; so helpful. And I swear, your eyebrows deserve their own zip code.

[@JustLearning]

Another really good video Chelsea! I am getting back into photographer and was looking for some good tips and inspiration. I also change the strap and use a camera bag without a Camera's manufactures name on it, so as not to alert others I am carrying a camera. Enjoy all your tips. The only one i do not do is the Back Button Focus, as it is more work than just using the shutter button. BBF is a two step process while using the shutter button for focus and taking pictures is a seemless, one step process. Give my regards to Tony. All the best to you and yours. Hasta later.

[@mdrewpix1]

Use the Camera Connect app on your phone to set the time and date on the camera. Way more accurate that way.

[@peterbenson4338]

What type phone is "Camera Connect" app shipped on?

[@mdrewpix1]

@@peterbenson4338 Both Android and IOS

[@thesharpercoder]

Disable image preview. For a used camera, go through the menus and reset everything back to factory defaults.

[@billguptill7664]

I also put my D850 in AIRPLANE MODE so my battery does not run down faster than necessary from the wifi usage. Great video Chelsea.

[@thierrygillard6896]

Hello, I usually use the back focus button the other way around (disables focusing with trigger button when depressed). You seemed so convinced that I will give it a try, just because of you 🙂 I like this kind of U-turns in my life. 🙂

[@jonnyraul3166]

Actually, with the Sony, if you forget your memory card at home there is still a trick to take and save pictures: connect the camera to the phone via Image Edge Mobile app and set the app so that it will save a copy of the pictures you take on the phone. Basically, you turn your phone into a remote memory card.

[@Mr.mallaer]

If you are a photographer and you forget your memory card, you are a joke.

[@NGameReviews]

@@Mr.mallaer Everyone is prone to forgetting their memory card. Even you :)

[@sebastianmatthews1663]

@@NGameReviews I don't know how anyone can "forget" a memory card; there should always be one in the camera, period. The only time the camera should be without a card is when you take the card out to transfer files to another drive. Once that's done you put it back in the camera, or you put another card in the camera while the previous one is transferring. _Always_ have a card in the camera and you can never forget one.

[@3DWHIZZ]

@@sebastianmatthews1663 I agree. My card reader always has a card in it as it is always an immediate swap. But until I started doing that......uhhg. 🤣

[@stephengatley8144]

@@NGameReviews No long time photographers will have spares in their car, on their key chain in a case, hell i even have a 12 card wallet full of cheap Sandisk Extreme 16, 32, 64GB cards!...

[@FotoCreatives]

First of all, thank you Chelsea for your tips. The first thing I change is color space -> choose Adobe RGB instead of sRGB because Adobe RGB has a wider range of colors ;-)

[@cerberus_uwu]

only if you intend to use JPEG images..

[@lordhawkridge4116]

sRGB is better for digital format, only use Adobe RGB if you intend to print. It doesn't matter whatsoever if you shoot RAW anyway.

[@s.t.entertainmentreviews7506]

Holy smokes!! what a great quality video and sound quality, I thought you were in the same room with me! Great information. You and Tony are an awesome team as well as SUPERIOR & KNOWLEDGEABLE PHOTOGRAPHERS. Thanks (again) !!

[@stevenlarsen1691]

Six months ago I bought a Canon T7. I didn't realize it didn't come with a charger. I went back to Best Buy where I bought the camera. They said they did not carry the carger nor could they order it. Best Buy gave me the number of the charger (Canon LP-E10) and told me good luck. I was able to buy a new battery but that is a little pricey. Before buying any Canon product I would recommend either buying the charger first or choosing another camera option. I would not recommend Best Buy as where to get your best buy.

[@stuartmeador8993]

nice looking strap.... I never wear a "steal me.. I'm a Canon" etc. strap.

[@MrRobusa]

Actually...the thieves target "Canon" straps...

[@longliveclassicmusic]

Omg. 💀 The idea of Chelsea taking pictures without a memory card and finding out later is jumpstarting my entire day. 💀

[@TheVFXbyArt]

...all of those photos live where left socks live.

[@leo.girardi]

Gee, like starting out on a road trip without filling up your gas tank.

[@chevypowertogo-9070]

L🤩L ... L🧐L

[@marceldemir7514]

Thank you for making this. Back button focus really is better!

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Glad you like it!

[@stonew1927]

As I've gotten older my eyesight has deteriorated some. When I look through the viewfinder things look blurry, and the only way I can focus is when things look LESS blurry. But now I'm thinking that maybe I should check the diaptor. Never knew it was there! Thanks for the tip!!

[@gewglesux]

Good lord the video quality is spot on!!

[@davecavanaugh3300]

Helpful, Thank you. Nothing worse than when my camera starts "booping." 😃

[@GregPYatesJr]

Beeping and Booping, and maybe some chirping too.

[@CptnKremmen]

I just bought a lightly used D7200 to 'replace' my D90 and I did make most of these settings (just turned off the focus beep) and I'll give the back button focus lock ago. The fist thing I did was reset it to factory defaults, set the time and date and check for firmware updates. One more thing that I like to turn off is the focus illumination as I find that this just gives me photos of people squinting.

[@eyesonly4451]

Total thumbs-up on back-button focus. Shutter button focus will always leave you taking snapshots instead of photographs.

[@fishhead1227]

Great video. Regarding wildlife photography, I like to pre adjust my settings (Aperture, shutter speed and ISO) when I go from one lighting situation to another or when I expect to shoot something faster than what I was shooting before.

[@joernc]

I define a different file name prefix for every camera. I usually take two cameras for wildlife shooting and switch between them. At the end of the day, I throw all files in one common folder and sort by shooting time (so your second tip is essential). I had cases where the file names from both cameras collided and I missed the warning about overwriting files. So instead of "DSC..." I use "DSD...", "DSE..." and will continue counting upwards, if I get a new camera.

[@Dudeitsbrian]

Very smart. I have a couple of cameras and I just had the prefixes at BRI each. I’ll be changing them now. Thanks

[@dahebable]

Most cameras I have owned would not let me change file name. I have been a Canon and Kodak user. My new Canon R5 lets me choose a different name. That is great. File name collisions create trouble.

[@alanm.4298]

I don't do that with the files names... Mainly because I end up renaming every day's images using a YYYY_MM_DD_xxxx (where the x's are a numerical sequnce). That ignores what camera the file was made with (and I usually use at least two... sometimes as many as three or four cameras). Instead, in the photographer's name field I put (A), (B), (C) etc. after my name, to indicate which camera. This gets recorded in the EXIF of each and every image made with that camera. I don't normally need to know which camera took a shot... But I started doing this after a weird experience. I shot an event with a pair of cameras and afterward noticed about half the shots (around 1200, if memory serves) had a noticeable magenta tint. I was baffled what caused that until I discovered that somehow one camera had a color bias dialed in, which is something I never do. It wasn't enough to notice reviewing the images on the LCD in the field, but was obvious when the image thumbnails were displayed next to each other on a calibrated computer monitor. Don' t know how that got set, but I could have found the problem a lot faster had I been able to tell it was all files from the one camera. After that I set up the identifier in the EXIF described above. Of course, the problem never repeated... now that I 'm better prepared for it! 😊 Someone mentioned duplicate filenames and accidental overwrites. I din't ever habe a problem with my later generation cameras because they all use complex alpha numeric file names that make it virtually impossible to have duplicates. They did occur with older cameras, but the process I use to copy files from memory card to the folder on my computer wouldn't allow overwrites. Any time there was a duplicate name it would automatically append a _2 to the second file. Later when I did the renaming mentioned above all the file names generated by my cameras would all go away, anyway. ..

[@mortonvisuals]

Good points, but some important ones (especially for PPA members!) are missing: Input your © notice info! Preference to change IMG or DSC to your initials, or your company initials. I use MV1 (Morton Visuals camera 1) for my primary camera and MV2 for my secondary. My mostly personal camera gets WTM, my personal initials. Most cameras now can sync your date/time with your computer when plugged in to USB. Cameras with wi-fi may be able to connect and sync time with your phone using the mfr app. I make sure to do this especially when traveling to different time zones.

[@orion_cinema]

Thanks from South Africa - Back button focus really is better!

[@PhotoReddy]

In the classes I teach I have everyone check these settings - about 50% of the people have one or more of these set wrong - a real Ahhh-Haaa! moment. 1. Shooting Mode - Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority 2. Image Type, Size and Quality - Raw or Raw + Jpg, Maximum Resolution, Finest Jpg Quality 3. ISO Settings - Auto-ISO ON 4. Set maximum ISO to around 3200 - depends on camera 5. White Balance - Auto White Balance (AWB) should be ON 6. Focus - Continuous (AF-C) or AI Servo 7. Single Focus Point 8. Metering Mode - Evaluative or Matrix 9. Release Mode set to Burst or Continuous

[@llaughridge]

For the first point, Pal2Tec already covered this earlier today. But you're wrong about turning off 'shoot without lens'... if you turn it off you can't shoot undetected manual-only lenses or adapters. You have to turn that ON in order for the body to ignore that there's no official lens present and take the photo anyway with a manual lens or adapter.

[@davegrenier1160]

I shoot that way too, having a full stable of "vintage" Canon FD lenses. But Chelsea's point is well taken. If you're off-brand autofocus lenses work fine with your camera, great. But if they don't, you might want to turn off "shoot without lens" and see if that helps. If it does, and you still want to use vintage lenses, you're going to have to remember to reset your camera when you switch to and from certain lenses.

[@TheVFXbyArt]

6:38 For slower cameras, a fast card will also speed up your dl from a card reader, but make sure its a fast card reader and usb 3!

[@1019caveman]

Thankyou for the diopter setting thing. I wear varifocals and was pushing them up with my finger trying to get a clear view. I though I was gonna have to get new glasses. Thankyou again.