Useful A570 IS setting

Canon’s point and shoot digital cameras have many features to recommend them. Among the most important is the intelligent design of the controls. Critical things like exposure compensation, white balance, and flash status can be altered intuitively. The single setting I change most often is probably ISO (the sensitivity of the sensor). You want it to be as low as possible (to avoid graininess) but high enough to avoid blur from subject or camera shake. If you are working in changing light conditions, this is a balance that changes all the time.

One neat thing I discovered is that the A570 lets you program one of the buttons to be a one-touch shortcut to something you do very often. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Turn the camera on and put it in photo shooting mode
2. Press the Menu button
3. Scroll all the way down to “Set X button…” (where X is a picture of a printer)
4. Press FUNC / SET
5. Choose from among: ISO speed (my choice), white balance, digital teleconverter (useless), display grid overlay, and display off
6. Press FUNC / SET

Now, pressing the button in the upper right corner below the printer icon becomes a quick shortcut to whichever you do most often. It might only save a fraction of a second each time, but it amounts to a very worthwhile convenience in the long run.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan