Professional photographer Chris Corradino over at Digital Photography School has made a list of some of the greatest and unused camera features.
Here are our favorite picks from his list – and we’ll throw in a couple of our own as well. Are you using any of these in your photography? We’d love to hear your opinion on these features.
Two Second Timer
This rarely used setting can open up a whole new world of creative possibility for you. It’s typically found in the “drive” menu, along with single shot, multi-shot burst mode, etc. If you’re in a place that doesn’t allow tripods, it’s still possible to take sharp photos, even with long exposure times.
Select the two second timer and rest the camera on a chair, or the ground. You can use the folded camera strap to angle the camera upwards if necessary. When you press the shutter, the camera will move initially. Don’t worry, you have two seconds for it to settle down before the camera actually fires. This is also helpful for tripods that are not as stable as they should be. If you don’t have a cable release, the timer is a terrific wireless alternative.
Highlight Alert
By default, many camera models have the highlight alert turned off so you’ll need to enable it in the menu. Commonly referred to as “the blinkies”, this feature alerts you to the precise location that’s overexposed. With this knowledge, you can make a quick adjustment to the exposure, or even change your composition to eliminate the unwanted area. That translates to more consistent exposures with no washed-out areas. You’ll also be rewarded with less time in the digital darkroom, trying to fix problems that could have been prevented in the field.
Flash Exposure Compensation
The pop-up flash gets a bad rap, and this is unfortunate as it’s actually a very useful tool when set properly. Out of the box, it simply provides too much light, resulting in a bright, washed-out appearance. The trick is to adjust the flash exposure compensation to a reduced output. As a starting point, bring it down to negative two (-2). This creates a soft quality of fill flash that’s immediately more pleasing. Should you need even less light, you can further reduce the flash to negative three. While it’s rarely necessary, you could even add intensity to the flash by raising it towards the positive. Just remember, effective use of flash is meant to soften, not eliminate shadows.
One of our favorite camera features is the back button focusing. It takes a while to get used to but it makes a huge difference in the way you are taking pictures. You can read all about it here.
Our final tip is the mirror lockup that can help you get sharper images when you’re taking long exposures using a tripod. This video explains all the details of the mirror lockup feature.
Read Chris Corradino’s full article over at Digital Photography School.
Source: Digital Photography School
