The 7D has three different customizable camera user settings: C1, C2, and C3. These are useful if you frequently fi nd yourself shooting in the same environment with the same settings. They allow you to completely customize a shooting setting any way you like and then record those settings as a preset. One example of when you may want to use these settings is when shooting HDR. It doesn’t matter where I am, what lens I’m using, or what time of day it is; I always use the same starting point. I set the ISO to 100, shoot in Av mode, set the drive mode to High-speed continuous shooting, and make sure that Auto Exposure Bracket mode is turned on. I can record all of these settings in one of the custom settings, and they will be ready any time I want to photograph a series of images for HDR.
Another useful preset to create is one for using the Movie shooting mode. I like to have a good starting point for all of the movies I record, and I don’t want to make a silly mistake like forgetting to turn sound recording on, shooting at too high a shutter speed, or using the wrong movie-recording size. Setting up a preset and using a customized camera user setting will guarantee that I won’t make any of those mistakes. It also allows me to jump straight into movie shooting without having to think about my settings.
SETTING UP YOUR OWN CUSTOM SHOOTING MODES
- First make all of the adjustments to the camera that you want in your custom shooting mode. For example, you might set the camera to Av mode, ISO 100, Daylight white balance, and RAW+JPEG image quality.
- Press the Menu button and use the Main dial to get to the third setup tab.
- Use the Quick Control dial to highlight the Camera User Setting option (A), and then press Set. Select Register and press Set again.
- Choose which mode dial you would like to register, C1, C2, or C3 (B), and then press Set.
- Use the Quick Control dial to select OK (C), then press Set one last time.
- When you want to use a setting, just rotate the Mode dial to that custom setting (C1, C2, or C3) and begin shooting.