Camera Settings Cheat Sheet

Your visual guide to mastering photography fundamentals.

Aperture (f-stop)

Aperture is the opening in the lens through which light passes. It's measured in f-stops (e.g., f/1.8, f/8, f/22).

What it controls: Depth of Field (DoF) - the area of the image that is in focus.

  • Low f-stop (e.g., f/1.8): Large opening, more light, shallow DoF (blurry background).
  • High f-stop (e.g., f/16): Small opening, less light, deep DoF (sharp background).
Low aperture effect with blurry background

Blurry Background

High aperture effect with sharp background

Sharp Background

Shutter Speed

This is the length of time the camera shutter is open, exposing the sensor to light. It's measured in seconds or fractions of a second (e.g., 1/1000s, 1s).

What it controls: Motion Blur.

  • Fast Shutter (e.g., 1/1000s): Freezes motion, less light. Ideal for sports or fast action.
  • Slow Shutter (e.g., 5s): Creates motion blur, more light. Used for light trails or silky water.
Fast shutter speed freezing motion

Freeze Motion

Slow shutter speed creating motion blur

Show Motion

ISO

ISO measures the camera sensor's sensitivity to light. It's the digital equivalent of film speed.

What it controls: Brightness and digital noise (grain).

  • Low ISO (e.g., 100): Less sensitive, less noise. Best for bright conditions.
  • High ISO (e.g., 3200): More sensitive, more noise. Needed for dark conditions.
Low ISO with a clean image

Clean & Crisp

High ISO with a grainy image

Bright & Grainy

White Balance (WB)

WB adjusts colors to make them look more natural. It corrects for the color temperature of the light source, so that white objects appear white in your photo.

What it controls: The overall color cast of the image.

Incorrect white balance, image is too warm

Warm/Orange Cast

Incorrect white balance, image is too cool

Cool/Blue Cast

Use presets like 'Daylight', 'Cloudy', or 'Tungsten' to match your lighting conditions, or set a custom WB for perfect colors.

Focus Mode

Determines how the camera's autofocus (AF) system works.

Single (AF-S / One-Shot)

Locks focus once on a stationary subject. Press the shutter button halfway to lock.

Continuous (AF-C / AI Servo)

Continuously adjusts focus on a moving subject as long as you hold the shutter button halfway.

Manual (MF)

You control the focus by turning the focus ring on the lens. Best for precise control.

Metering Modes

Metering tells the camera how to measure the brightness of the scene, which helps it determine the correct exposure.

Matrix / Evaluative

Reads light from the entire frame for a balanced exposure. Good for most situations.

Center-Weighted

Measures light from the whole scene but gives preference to the center area.

Spot

Reads light from a very small "spot" (1-5% of the frame). For precise exposure on a specific subject.

Putting It All Together: The Exposure Triangle

Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO work together to create a properly exposed photo. Changing one affects the others. If you increase shutter speed (less light), you may need to use a lower f-stop or higher ISO to compensate. Your goal is to balance them for your creative vision.

Portraits

Goal: Blurry background to isolate subject.

Aperture: f/1.4 - f/2.8

Shutter: > 1/125s (to avoid motion)

ISO: 100-400 (as low as possible)

Landscapes

Goal: Sharp scene from front to back.

Aperture: f/8 - f/16

Shutter: Varies (use a tripod)

ISO: 100 (for max quality)

Sports/Action

Goal: Freeze fast motion completely.

Aperture: f/2.8 - f/5.6 (to let in light)

Shutter: > 1/1000s

ISO: 400-1600+ (adjust for light)

Night Sky

Goal: Capture as much light as possible.

Aperture: f/1.4 - f/2.8 (widest possible)

Shutter: 15-30s (tripod essential)

ISO: 1600-6400+