Setting up Your Mirrorless
Ashok Kandimalla shows you how to set up your mirrorless camera optimally
Ashok Kandimalla has been in the photographic decades and has extensive and digital photography. Being an electronics engineer by profession and a photographer, he possesses a unique and deep insight into the technical aspects of digital photography and equipment. He has published more than a 100 articles on photography and some of his writings have also been published in the well-known international magazine Popular Photography.
An avid collector of photographic books and vintage cameras, Ashok has a keen interest in the history of photography and a passion for sharing his knowledge on photography through teaching and writing. He is the only Indian photographer to be featured on the Nikon Centenary website. He is presently working as a Management and Engineering consutant. He can be reached at kashokk@gmail.com.
There it is, in front of you – that shiny box with your dream gadget –a new mirrorless camera (MLC)! You are all excited to start using it and maybe you start off with an unboxing video to share it with your friends. Holding off the urge to use it immediately, you follow the advice of Smart Photography and read the user manual which due to the complexity of the current cameras (or perhaps computers with lenses) runs to hundreds of pages to the point of being intimidating. The unfortunate part is that, even after you read the manual (or perhaps even read it multiple times), it does not tell you how to configure your camera to take a landscape photograph or a portrait, for example.
So, while you know the basic controls of the camera there is a lot to be done before you can really put your camera to practical use. Is there a way out? Yes! Smart Photography, knowing your problems brings to you this short guide to help you set up your camera quickly. However, remember that this is not a substitute but rather a supplement to your manual. First, let us look at the various parameters that you need to set. Once we are done with this, we can look at the specific settings based on the type of photograph you would like to take.
Shutter speed
No one likes a blurry picture unless it has been intentionally made so for an artistic effect. Hence, the most fundamental requirement is that your picture must be sharp! Apart from correct focus, this can only be assured by using a certain minimum shutter speed (unless you use a tripod). This is called the ‘handholdable shutter speed’. The rule of thumb for this is –
Shutter speed must be equal to or greater than 1 / ‘Effective focal length being used’
In words, this means that the shutter speed should be equal to or faster than
the reciprocal of the effective focal length of your lens. The effective focal length is nothing but the focal length being used multiplied by the crop factor. You may recall that this is the same as the marked focal length for full-frame cameras. However, it will be 1.5 times the focal length for cameras using APS-C sensors.
As an example, with an APS-C sensor camera, if you are using a lens of focal length 50 mm, the shutter speed must be 1/75 sec or faster. So, if you are using a focal length of 10 mm, will a shutter speed of 1/15 sec do? Unfortunately, no! Regardless of focal length, it is very difficult to handhold a camera steadily at shutter speeds slower than 1/60 (conservatively) for most of us. Hence, you must always use a shutter speed which is the faster of the two - either 1/60 sec or shutter speed as per the thumb rule.
This thumb rule is meant when your lens or camera does not have stabilization. If this feature is present then you may be able to handhold at slower shutter speeds provided the subject is static. However, never forget that stabilisation in any form has no effect on the subject movement.
Aperture
This is the size of the opening in the diaphragm of your lens and is defined by f/ numbers. It is important that you remember this topsy-turvy convention in photography – small (that is, narrow) apertures are represented by large f/ numbers and wide apertures by small f/ numbers. When you focus correctly on a subject, not only will it be sharp but there will also be a zone of sharpness that starts little before the subject and extends beyond the subject. This zone is called Depth of Field (or DOF). Wide apertures give your images shallow DOF and narrow apertures give deep DOF. Thus, you need to adjust the aperture to control the DOF you want. For the record, there are other factors that control DOF but the aperture is often the one that is under your immediate control.
Release mode
Also called Drive mode by some manufacturers, this will dictate how the camera behaves when you press the shutter release. In the Single-shot mode, the camera takes a picture and then stops even if you keep the shutter release pressed. In the Continuous mode, it continues to take pictures, one after another so long as you keep the shutter release pressed. When operating in the continuous mode, the speed, that is the number of images recorded per second is specified as FPS (frames per second). This is a value that can be set between 1 FPS to 20 FPS (or even higher depending on your camera).
Exposure Modes
These are usually selected using the mode dial (Picture 1). While several modes are available, I suggest you use only the Aperture Priority or the Manual mode to get the best out of your MLC. These are indicated by the letter A (or Av) and M on the mode dial. The A (or Av) mode allows you to set the aperture and the camera sets the shutter speed based on the available light. In manual mode, you need to set both the aperture and shutter speed yourself based on the indication given in the viewfinder.
Exposure Compensation
Many experts may be telling you differently but modern cameras do a better job than us photographers in determining the exposure! However, an important point for you to remember is that all camera meters are calibrated to medium tone. So, a meter will err when a scene is not medium toned. Examples are high key (predominantly light tones, Picture 2) and back-lit scenes as well as low-key (predominantly dark tones, Picture 3) scenes. You need to correct for this error by using ‘exposure compensation’. Without compensation, all these situations will be rendered in medium tone.
In all automatic modes you cannot alter the exposure by aperture or shutter speed or ISO (more of this shortly), since when you alter one of these, the other(s) will change in step to keep the exposure the same! To change exposure, you must use the exposure compensation button (Picture 4) which is present on all MLCs. You can use this button along with the command dial (or in some cameras just the latter) and apply compensation either in the positive or negative direction. You can also specify how much compensation (in stops), you want to give.
Exposure Metering mode
This is not to be confused with the exposure mode about which you already read. The metering mode determines the metering pattern or the type of meter that is used for measuring light. While several metering modes are available, viz, Matrix (also called Evaluative or Honeycomb), Center-Weighted or Spot, just use Matrix as it is the most versatile. It works fine 95% of the time and when it does not, you can use exposure compensation to get the desired result. Spot metering is the most accurate but needs an accurate understanding of tones which is not easy.
ISO Control
This is an area that has undergone a sea change in the digital era. While you had a fixed ISO once a film was loaded, now you can change the ISO as freely as you would change aperture or shutter speed.
Often you may want a narrow aperture to get a large depth of field (DOF) while handholding or fast shutter speed for stopping action. However, narrow apertures and fast shutter speeds both cut down the amount of light entering the camera. If the ambient light is not sufficient then you may not get the shutter speeds you want. In these cases, you can increase the ISO. The result is reduced image quality due to noise and also decreased dynamic range but this is a price you need to pay to avoid blurry pictures. Also, the high ISO performance is continuously improving so this is an option you should not ignore. Sometimes you may also want to reduce ISO to get a slow shutter speed, for example, to blur water flow.
Not only that, you can set an aperture and/or shutter speed (depending on the exposure mode) and then ask the camera to choose an ISO to give a properly exposed image. This is called the Auto ISO mode. In practice, the Auto ISO mode is implemented as a supplementary mode to all the standard exposure modes, viz., Aperture priority, shutter priority, manual etc. While the implementations can vary from one manufacturer to another, this is how Auto ISO functions.
First, let us take the case of the venerable Manual mode aided with Auto ISO. This mode has found favor with many wildlife (and many professional) photographers. It is simple to use and yet gives you full control. Once you choose Manual mode with Auto ISO, choose the aperture and shutter speed you want and the camera will set an ISO to give the correct exposure. In effect, Auto ISO changes
Manual mode into a sort of ‘Aperture and Shutter Priority’ automatic mode.
The operation of the Aperture Priority mode supplemented with Auto ISO is a little more complicated but is no doubt the best for general purpose photography and is used by many serious photographers. First, you need to set the minimum shutter speed you want. Suppose you are photographing moderate fast action, like a running race. In this case, you can set a minimum shutter speed of 1/1000 sec (Picture 5). Now, if you set the aperture, the camera will change the ISO till you get a shutter speed of 1/1000 or faster. This option is very useful when you are photographing action where you definitely want a minimum shutter speed.
In some cameras, you can also make this minimum shutter speed ‘automatic’ (Picture 6). Here, you don’t set the minimum shutter speed, but let the camera choose one, based on the thumb rule for minimum handholdable shutter speed which as you know, is dependent on the focal length. This option is best for general purpose photography especially if you are using a zoom lens in low light as the camera will only use the minimum needed shutter speed to handhold at any particular focal length.
A step-in further sophistication is when you have the option of further modifying the automatic shutter speed. While not available in all cameras, some advanced models allow you to choose a shutter speed based not just on the focal length but a multiple of the focal length (Picture 7). This multiple is usually ¼ X, ½ X, 1 X, 2 X or 4 X, where X is the multiplication factor. The lower values are useful, say when you are shooting static subjects and you are using a stabilized lens or a camera body. Under these circumstances, you can use a shutter speed slower than what thumb rule recommends. This will enable you to use a slower shutter speed and hence a lower ISO to get a better-quality image. Likewise, if you are shooting action you can opt for a factor of 2 X or 4 X.
In all these cases, if you do not want the ISO to go beyond an upper limit or a ceiling, you can specify that too. The camera keeps increasing the ISO till the ceiling is reached and thereafter underexposes. Hence this ceiling must be kept at the highest native ISO value that the camera supports since as already mentioned, a noisy image is better than a blurry one. This is because you can reduce noise in post-processing but there is really no remedy for an image marred by the handshake. To summarize, Auto
ISO, when used with manual mode, gives you total control over shutter speed and aperture. And aperture priority with Auto ISO lets you choose the needed aperture for full DOF control while the camera takes care of maintaining the shutter speed needed.
In most cameras, the Auto ISO can be activated or deactivated quickly with the press of a button and/or a command dial turn. However, other parameters like ISO ceiling limit, shutter speed choices (for Aperture Priority mode) will need you to access menus. Please check your camera manual for the exact implementation of this wonderful feature, which really changed the way you can use your digital camera!
AF (Autofocus) Modes
This defines the way the autofocusing mechanism works. Most cameras offer at least two AF modes as follows:
• AF – Single (AF-S): Once AF is activated and focus is achieved, the focus is locked. Also, you will not be able to release the shutter unless the correct focus is achieved. This is called ‘focus priority’ and is the most accurate. It is best suited for static subjects.
• AF – Continuous (AF-C) or AI Servo:
This mode is for moving subjects. Here the camera will focus continuously, tracking the moving subject so long as you keep AF activated. It is important that you remember that the shutter can be released whether or not the subject is in focus. This is called ‘release priority and could occasionally result in out-of-focus images.
AF (Autofocus) Area modes
AF modes previously described, control the AF operation where as these, AF Area modes, allow you to configure how the different AF sensors are coordinated and work together to tackle different situations.
MLCs have several AF points often running to hundreds. You can choose any AF point (Manual AF point selection) and the camera will focus on the area that is overlapped by the chosen point. You can also ask the camera to choose an AF point automatically (Auto Area AF mode). While this may be okay for a grab shot (like in street photography) the camera may choose an AF point other than what you want! So, be careful if you are using this mode.
When you are photographing action, you
need to keep the AF point on the moving subject so that the camera can change the focus (AF tracking) to keep the subject sharp as the subject distance changes (using AF-C mode). Since keeping the AF point where you want on a fast or erratic moving subject is not an easy task, there are several modes available that help you do that. One of them is commonly called ‘group’ or ‘wide-area’ or ‘large’ AF where the AF point is made larger and hence keeping it on the subject is made easier (Picture 8). Some cameras are also capable of changing the position of the active AF point by themselves while following the subject. This is called subject tracking. Note that similar or even the same modes are called by different names depending on the manufacturer.
I suggest that you spend some time with the camera manual. This is essential even if you are an experienced DSLR user, as the AF implementation is very different in MLCs. Also, in all cameras, there is no universal AF Area mode that gives the best results always. Each situation needs a different one. Hence, you need to experiment a bit with your MLC to get the hang of AF Area modes. This is absolutely essential.
Face and Eye Detection: MLCs have also brought two new features in AF that were hitherto not available in DSLRs. These are the face and eye detection. These two have brought a huge change to portrait and street photography as the camera detects a face (and even an eye) and focuses without any user intervention. Usually, the eye detection works, logically, within face detection and hence can be treated as a sub-mode.
Once face detection is activated (usually a menu setting) and AF is initiated, the camera looks for a face and if it detects one, a square appears around the selected face in the viewfinder. This is the face on which the camera is going to focus. If there is more than one face, and if the camera has selected the one that you don’t want it to focus on, you can move the square to a face you want.
If you have also enabled eye detection feature, once a face has been detected and if an eye can be recognized by the camera then a square appears around the selected eye. As in the case of face detection, you can move the square to the eye you want (Picture 9), if needed. If the face is not close enough, the camera may recognize the face but not the eye. If this is the case, it will revert to face detection. This is not of any practical consequence as at such distances, DOF will be sufficient to keep the eyes in sharp focus.
One word of caution. Whatever may be the brand of the camera, there is a
chance that the camera focus on the eyelashes thus rendering the eye very slightly defocused. Usually, this is not a problem with apertures at f/2.8 or narrower as DOF will take care, but with wider apertures, you may find eye itself very slightly out of focus. If you are using very wide apertures it is better you use manual focus or autofocus with a very narrow AF point to avoid this problem.
Activating AF: Whichever AF mode or AF Area mode you have chosen, you need to activate the AF function. Some photographers use the shutter release button itself with a half-press of this starting AF. This in fact is the default setting in most cameras. In AF-S modes the focus locks as soon as the correct focus is achieved and in the case of AF-C you need to keep the shutter release button half-pressed to keep the focus tracking active. While this works, it is inconvenient as you need to go to a menu or press some buttons to change from AF-S to AF-C or vice versa.
Most cameras have a dedicated button (usually at the back of the camera) called AF-ON (Picture 10) for activating AF. If this is absent, usually one of the buttons can be configured to activate AF. To use this, first set your camera to AF-C. Disable AF activation with shutter release while enabling it with AF-ON button. Once this is done, you can start AF by pressing AF-ON with your thumb. The advantage of this method is that you can track the subject while keeping AF-ON pressed and lock the AF by lifting your thumb off the button without switching between AF-S and AF-C. While the coordination between your thumb that operates AF-ON and your forefinger that presses shutter release may take a few days to get used to, this method is much more flexible and it is not a surprise that almost all the action photographers choose this method. This setting will usually be in the Custom Settings menu.
Since the AF-ON button is at the back of the camera, this method is often called ‘Back-button AF’.