The M-FN button on my EOS R6 is very confusing when working under pressure, can it be simplified?
Gina Lloyd, Pickering
BRIAN SAYS… All the EOS R-series models assign a multitude of settings to the M-FN button next to the shutter button. In operation this makes it a two-step operation to change a setting. First, the M-FN button needs to be pressed then the quick control dial needs to be turned to select the correct setting, before the main dial is turned to change the value. In practice this makes it difficult to change by feel alone.
Help is at hand thanks to the range of custom controls found on each R-series camera. EOS R6 owners can choose from a list of more than forty settings for the M-FN button. Depending on what functions you want to change a refinement of the M-FN button may be valuable. By default there are five settings that can be accessed with the M-FN button, but you can cut this down to one.
Starting with the default dial function settings, press INFO to start configuring what you want to change.
You can choose up to five settings from nine options including AF method, ISO, flash exposure compensation and drive modes on the R6. Tap on the items to toggle the check mark that determines if that parameter is included, then press INFO again to choose the order of the parameters. I have found that I use the M-FN button as an ISO button as it’s in a similar place to the ISO button from my earlier DSLR cameras. Also this means I remove all the other parameters and as a result I can press M-FN and turn the main dial to select ISO values directly. I can change drive mode, white balance by pressing the Q button, but rarely change these settings once I’ve started shooting.