The Favourites Menu on the Canon, in particular the 5D Mark 3, which is my main camera, is a great function.
Worthy of one of my Two Minute Tips video tutorials. If following along to a video is easier, then see below, otherwise, read on.
There are 20 pages of Menu options on the Canon 5D Mark 3. Even if you know exactly where to go for what you need, that is still a lot of clicking and scrolling.
The Favourites Menu on the Canon allows you to add up to 6 of your favourite or most used menu options.
Here is what I have on mine:
Let me explain my choices for the time being, to give you an idea of how using the Favourites Menu can be useful.
Favourites Menu on the Canon
Format Card and File Numbering
Shooting the kind of event photography that I do, I am constantly uploading images. Straight away, swapping out a memory card for a new one.
The new one that goes in needs to be clean, so I am always formatting cards. At the start of each event, I always reset the File Numbering. As a result, I like to have both the Format Card, and File Numbering options easy to navigate to.
Image Review
Yes, I know it is set to OFF on the screen shot. However, on some events, or for personal photography it is important for me to be able to review the image straight away.
It means that the last photo pops up on the screen for a couple of seconds. I can tell if I need to retake the shot, or if I have nailed it first time. Which of course is always the case!! 😉
White Balance & Custom White Balance
Again, the kind of event photography I do does mean I have to shoot in JPG regularly. As result, I need to nail the White Balance first time, in camera.
The White Balance and Custom White Balance settings in the Favourites menu means I can quickly get to where I want to be, for any given situation.
Record Func+Card Folder Set
If you are on a shoot, and you have taken hundreds of photos of whatever it is you are shooting. Then, something crops up, and you know you are going to need find that image quickly, later on.
This menu allows you to set up a new folder, shoot the images, knowing you can easily find them later when you get that card back to the office.
This is also where you can tell your camera on what card you want to save the photos to. Useful for back ups etc.
The Process of setting up the Favourites Menu on the Canon
The Canon 5D Mark 3 menu system consist of five tabs, with options in, as per the below.
To get to the Favourites, or the “My Menu” scroll all the way to the Star on the right, as follows.
Press the set button, and you will be presented with the screen that allows you to Register, Delete, Sort etc any item that you want to.
Make sure you are on the “Register to My Menu” option, and press Set again.
This will then give you a long list of all the menu options the camera allows you to register. Scroll through, and choose the ones specific to you, and the genre of photography you take.
Choose wisely, it only allows you six.
When you land on the one you want, hit Set again, and choose ok.
This will register all the options you want to register in the My Menu tab.
When you have registered the ones you want press menu button. Hit it a couple of times on the camera to return to the tabs to see your screen.
Sorting items in the Favourites Menu on the Canon
You have the ability to sort, or delete the items you have added. Go back into the My Menu settings, and perhaps you want to rearrange them.
Click on the Sort option.
If you want to move a particular one up or down, then just scroll to that one, hit the set button, and you will see the up and down arrows appear.
Just use the large wheel on the back of the camera to move your selected item up or down, to it preferred position.
On the below, you can see I have moved the Expo.com./AEB setting to the top of the list.
And that is it.
A really simple tip, for a simple feature that, many people may not use.
Ii find it massively useful. On most jobs it is often the only menu I use, certainly for 95% of the shoot.
Hope you found this useful. Let me know in the comments if you have any other useful tips for the Menu functions in the Canons.
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Thanks for stopping by, see you next time……:)
