The Canon 5D Mark III has a variety of menu options, many of which you will use frequently. Unfortunately, the options you use the most could be spread out over several menus or in different categories within the menus. You can solve this problem by creating your own custom menu to store the options you use most. Learn more about using the custom menu with this online video.
The Mark III has a lot of different menu options, and there are some that you will probably find yourself using fairly regularly. Unfortunately, they may be spread out amongst several different menus, or several different categories of menus. To help streamline that process, the Mark III has a custom menu over here; that's the one with the star on it, and it has only one menu item in it by default, and that's My Menu settings. From here I get controls that allow me to add any function that I want to the My Menu custom menu here.
So I am going to in here, and say Register to My Menu. That allows me to pick, from this list of every single function that the camera has, anything that I want to go in my custom menu. So some things that I use regularly; I regularly use Format, and so I am going to go try and find that. Now, these are in here in the order that they appear in the camera's menus. They are, unfortunately, not in alphabetical order, so this might take me a little while here. I am going to keep my eyes open for other things that I might want.
Now, there is Erase images. Of course, I don't want that; I never want to use Erase images, I always want to use Format. So, Format card, I can hit that. It asks me to confirm, Register in My Menu Format card; I am going to say OK, and there it is. I also regularly use auto exposure bracketing, so I am going to go find that. That's a Shooting menu thing, so it should be fairly close to the top. Exposure compensation/AEB; that's it, so I am going to pick that, and say OK.
So I have got two things in My Menu now. Let's go look at it. I am going to hit the Menu button to go back up a level, and then I am going to go up a level again. And now here is my custom menu. It's got Format card, and Exposure compensation. So I could continue to add items until I've filled up the page. I cannot create a scrolling menu, so I have only got room for a few items here. This will always be one of my items, because there are some utility functions in here. I can tell it how I want them sorted, and this allows me to pick an item, and move it up or down, so I can put these in any order that I want.
I can go in here and delete an item. I can simply pick the one I want; it asks me to confirm. I am not going to actually do that; I like that command. I can delete all items. Finally, if I want to be sure that My Menu, my custom menu, is the first thing that I see whenever I come to the menu system, I can Enable this. This means that no matter where I left off, any time I activate the menu system, I am right here. I am going to go ahead and change over to here, come out, I am going to hit the menu button, I am still back in my menu.
So if these really are the things that I use the most, I can make sure they are always the things I get to right away as soon as I hit that Menu button. So this can really streamline and speed up the way you get into the menu items in your camera. If you're someone who needs to be able to shoot and change parameters, certain parameters, in a hurry, you are going to want to build yourself a custom menu.
Author
Updated
2/4/2016Released
11/8/2012Next, the course introduces more advanced exposure options: program mode, exposure compensation, ISO adjustments, and more. After Ben briefly defines each option, he shows how to adjust it using the camera controls.
Ben also discusses white balance options, advanced metering and autofocus controls, flash, live view, and video shooting. The course ends with a chapter on maintenance, including sensor- and camera-cleaning and care tips.
- What is a DSLR?
- Attaching lenses
- Powering up and down
- Formatting the media card
- Holding the camera
- Shooting in the Auto and Program modes
- Changing the ISO
- Controlling autofocus and white balance
- Using a self-timer
- Working with the exposure control options
- Activating Live View
- Shooting video
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
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Q: This course was updated on 02/04/2016. What changed?
A: We added one new movie, "Updated features on 5DS and 5DSR cameras."
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Introduction
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Welcome2m 12s
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What is an SLR?5m 28s
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Using this course1m 55s
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1. Getting to Know Your Canon SLR
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Powering up1m 49s
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Exploring the menu system2m 53s
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Clearing all settings2m 5s
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Setting the date and time1m 55s
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Setting the language1m 42s
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Holding the camera4m 10s
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2. Shooting in Auto Mode
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Autofocus basics5m 7s
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Metering basics1m 42s
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Reviewing images2m 59s
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Working with image playback3m 55s
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3. Shooting in Program Mode
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Using the lock switch1m 21s
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Revisiting metering1m 43s
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Changing the ISO2m 14s
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Using program shift2m 11s
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Using the Info button2m 4s
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Setting the color space1m 25s
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4. Controlling Autofocus
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Exploring focus modes2m 25s
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Selecting autofocus areas3m 54s
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Customizing servo auto focus4m 49s
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Using manual focus3m 33s
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5. Controlling White Balance
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Using auto white balance1m 48s
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Using manual white balance5m 36s
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6. Using Drive Mode and the Self-Timer
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Exploring Drive mode4m 52s
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Using the self-timer3m 38s
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Using remote controls2m 17s
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7. Exposure and Control Options
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Exploring metering modes3m 26s
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Using exposure lock1m 22s
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Using Shutter Priority mode3m 26s
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Using Manual mode3m 27s
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Exploring Bulb mode2m 34s
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Correcting lens aberration2m 46s
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Creating multiple exposures6m 25s
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8. More Playback Options
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Modifying LCD brightness3m 27s
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Rotating images2m 36s
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Enabling AF point display1m 18s
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Rating images3m 4s
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Creating folders1m 10s
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Changing file names3m 12s
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Adding copyright information3m 29s
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9. Shooting with Picture Styles
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10. Using Live View
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Activating Live View7m 16s
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Focusing in Live View5m 32s
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Focus manually in Live View1m 25s
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Working with aspect ratio2m 33s
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11. Shooting Video
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Exploring movie playback2m 2s
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12. Customizing Menus and Functions
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Exploring custom modes5m 38s
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Using the custom menu2m 56s
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Exploring custom controls4m 26s
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13. Custom Functions
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Enabling safety shift2m 6s
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14. Care and Maintenance
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Camera and sensor cleaning3m 12s
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Getting firmware updates1m 16s
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15. Shooting Examples
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Using an exposure strategy5m 11s
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Conclusion
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Goodbye23s
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Video: Using the custom menu