Camera Settings
Your camera has more settings than any beginner needs on day one, and the manual explains them badly. This topic covers the ones that actually change your photographs: what P, A, S and M do and when each is the sensible choice, white balance in Kelvin rather than presets, the three metering modes, and the difference between AF-S and AF-C once your subject starts moving. Also here: burst mode for action and the RAW versus JPEG decision, which is harder to reverse than it looks.
Understanding P, A, S and M Camera Modes
A plain-English guide to the four exposure modes, what each one actually controls, and exactly when to switch to which.
White Balance Explained: Kelvin, Presets and Custom
How white balance works, what the Kelvin presets mean, and how to stop orange indoor photos and blue shade photos for good.
AF-S vs AF-C: Which Autofocus Mode to Use
One lens, two very different jobs: learn when to lock focus on a still subject and when to let the camera track a moving one.
Metering Modes: Evaluative, Center-Weighted and Spot
Your meter assumes the world averages out to grey. Here is how each metering mode decides what to measure, and how to correct it when it guesses wrong.
RAW vs JPEG: Which Format Should You Shoot?
One format is finished in-camera, the other keeps every bit of sensor data. Here is how to choose, and what RAW genuinely cannot fix.
How to Use Burst Mode for Sharper Action Shots
Continuous shooting only pays off when the focus mode, shutter speed and memory card all pull in the same direction. Here is how to set it up.