Last few years I’ve been too lazy to setup any custom modes. Just use aperture or shutter priority and it works pretty well. This got me inspired to maybe structure things up a bit.

Still the best photography channel on YT 👍👍👍

I'm so glad you showed that you went out and didn't take one picture! I thought it was just me!

I use the screen to set exposure too. One very important thing to check here is that your screen's brightness settings don't change your perception of the image. There was a period of time when all my shots were all underexposed despite seeming perfectly fine in the field. It turned out that my screen's brightness was completely maxed out which made the images look brighter than they actually were.

My tips for not missing photos are: Use manual mode (or Aperture priority) with Auto ISO; don't put your lens cap on your lens; carry spare batteries (so you can let your camera sleep but otherwise stay on); use only ONE lens (a travel zoom if possible) so you're not changing lenses. Doing these things have helped me capture more images and miss fewer images (I still miss images but not as many as I had in the past when I'd basically get bogged down with gear and settings). Now with just one lens (I use a travel zoom, so a 24-200 lens) and manual with auto ISO, I really don't have to think much about settings other than what my aperture should be to capture a scene -- even if my shutter speed is a bit too fast, auto ISO will compensate; or I could just use aperture priority and let auto ISO maintain an appropriate ISO for a given set shutter speed and aperture combo. I do use custom modes, but I feel they are good starting points, but you should further refine with some of the methods I mentioned here (auto ISO, and the gear -- one lens). Obviously if I'm going out to photograph landscapes, I'll be a bit more detailed in my len selection and settings, but if I"m dong travel photography, I generally try to carry just one lens (or two -- maybe a wide angle) and use the settings I mentioned above so I can forget about the gear for the most part, and focus on capturing images.

James casually says "give the video some color" then drops one of the filthiest, coziest travel edits of all time. Keep up the good work! Your videos were instrumental in me learning photography. I stick around for the sage advice.

Three custom modes: 1. Wildlife (animal eye AF, shutter 1/1000th for use with my 150-600, auto ISO) 2. People (human eye AF, 1/250th, Auto ISO) 3. General (centre zone AF, 1/100th, ISO 100). The other mode I mainly use is Manual, with Auto ISO. Obviously use others if circumstances dictate.

Which strap are you using and how to do you like it?

As an amateur photographer since about 5 years now, I never really was able to get into videos about photography. But you're channel is quick, informative, inspirational, very well put together since found your channel about two weeks ago I haven't stopped going video to video. I've learned so much in 2 weeks compared to the 5 years of taking picture, love your videos, it helps a lot and love you're work ! Thank you !

Really love this breakdown! I never thought of how helpful these modes would be in specific situations! Thank you 🙏

I really appreciated, this was clear and simple. Thanks and happy new year ❤

Both thanks James

love this! just bought a new camera and first time available to do custom settings....excited to play around with setups and this is fun to see how you roll!

Perfect timing! Just when I was looking for something to watch you drop another banger

Perfect timing! Love your video man.

I have been using custom modes for a while, but you have given me the incentive to overhaul my settings to better match my shooting styles. Thanks!

Ooo, James got a new bike! E-bikes are awesome.

New subscriber, but just wanted to say I’ve been enjoying your content a lot! You have a great style that stands out from a lot of other photographers on KZfaq.

Great advice! I was shooting in either Manual or Aperture Priority most of the time and for the last three months I’ve been shooting either C1 or on the rare occasion Manual. I love the channel, watch it religiously and find your humour very refreshing. Keep up the great work!

Very useful. Thank you James. I always learn something watching your vids.

You sir, are a hero. Thank you for making my Christmas dreams come true 😘.

I haven’t found a photography channel I like in a while. So thanks for being likable relative to my personal preferences. I have great taste, so please do consider that a compliment. Kidding aside, your personality makes me feel more confident about my approach to art and photography.

I actually messaged you on IG a few months ago after noticing in a video that you used program modes, as I was curious as to how you utilize them. I’m glad to see a video on this! Great content, as always. 😊

Lisbon is a treasure chest of photography! Beautiful.

100 % on exposure. Only on film and very old digital cameras you should care. Modern cameras are so good at figuring it out the exposure AND have such latitude / EV range (in RAW of course) that you better be taking more pictures than worrying about that. The only exception might be if you want to deviate from a typical exposure (maybe dark silhouette in front of bright background) and would like to see the result in camera, and maybe when using flash.

Very helpful video James! Love your work.

Interesting and useful thanks James. I’m very similar using a minimum shutter speed and a maximum iso range. Good idea about increasing the minimum iso though. I also use custom for fast shutter priority.

Beyond the great shots and advice, I love the music in this video. Thank you 🙏

Very useful! Made me think about some great ways to use the custom modes!! Thanks!!

Thank you!

I await your photography video on the bike! I love your videos as you walk out in the field and show us the process of getting your photos. As a biker myself, you have inspired me to do a little photography biking video as well, hopefully come spring.

Thanks for the information. We should be able to adapt your ideas to our own personal experience!

Great video. Custom settings is fantastic knowing if you've been out the day before and having a play you can reset everything back to normal. I have Default and Studio on mine plus 4 others I set up when I got the camera I can't remember what they are so don't use them :) Thanks for all the videos this year, many have made me have to think. Always entertaining.

Useful. Helpful. Gonna use custom modes more. Thank you.

Great tips! Never thought about custom modes that much

nice one James I've just adopted similar settings for when I'm doing a walk about day.

Very useful. Thank you.

This is a great video thankyou!!

Interesting and I can take some your ideas and incorporate them into what I have set. I just started using custom setting - Oh, and by the way, enjoy your videos every week and also your photography.

Yeah, helpful, thank you! Just acquired the a7c2 (my first Sony) and you've provided an appealing baseline setup. I'll give it a go and tweak if/as needed.

Tried custom settings (well, you know, it made sense) but I could never remember which custom setting I'd want to use so I ended up setting up the camera the way I needed it anyway. :P I know, Nikon is going "why do we bother?!".

I really enjoyed reading your most recent blog! That photo of the cabin in switzerland in front of the cload is a masterpiece. Something I am always wondering is whether a photographer like you can still visit places or go on hikes without thinking about possible compositions, the lighting conditions, ... (no matter if the camera is with you or not). Maybe you could write about this topic...how to live through the eyes of a photographer :-)

Always good information. I've set-up my custom settings but have yet to use them. I have a habit of going into the menu prior to each shooting since I have made mistakes in the past because I didn't double check.

informative video

This was great. Makes me want to set up more custom settings for raw

What's the story behind the LEICA sticker on the Alpha?

I have custom modes setup on my Olympus EM1 MkII. Similar to JP's for 1&2 and Mode 3 is set up as Monochrome view.

Great video!

I just absolutely love to listen to you, so I liked a video :) Thanks for sharing tho, I guess many people will get some valuable info out of your settings

Seeing you photograph streets where I lived and started learning my fist camera, in Porto, was awesome (seeing Lisbon in the video reminded me of it eheh)

This was a really useful video, James. My G9II will be arriving in the next day or two so I’ll definitely look into setting up custom modes given I like to photograph a variety of subjects including wildlife so having a mode setup where I can just flick to and everything’s already to go rather than having to change each individual setting will be great. I wish I’d thought of this before 😅. Cheers 👍😄

Enjoyed that. Not necessarily for the custom settings, but the shutter speeds for quick shots etc. You probably guessed I'm a newbie lol

Interesting video, James. I appreciate the advice on minimum shutter speed limits assigned to a custom mode. I have two custom modes for wildlife shots of different animals (flying or earthbound) which work well for street photography also. One custom for "Hi Rez mode" (OM systems OM-1) and another for night and starry sky shots. I use manual for everything else, but as you attest, that has sometimes led to shots taken at insane ISO's or shutter speeds, due to me not paying enough attention to the info in the viewfinder, and the settings I last used.

I shoot almost always in manual. There have been rare times I couldn’t switch settings fast enough for a subject and therefore missed it. I should setup a custom setting for such a situation. Thanks for the thought provoking ideas.

It actually really is interesting hearing a wildly different methodology compared to mine. Doing street and just knowing how the light is for when I like to shoot, I can still safely shoot in manual and just leave everything alone, so my custom modes are for video. Mode 1 is SLOG2, mode 2 is Cine2, and mode 3 is S-Cinetone. All set for outdoor shooting at high noon.

I really like the look of that a7rv with the "LEICA" marking on the front of it! It made me really freak out at first; I was telling myself: what is this leica that I've never seen before, and why does it have so many many many buttons! It took a while until you mentioned the name of the camera in your video that it clicked for me. BTW, love your work.

Look into taking care of your sciatic nerve with tight hamstrings. It's not always a muscular problem. Hamstring stretches could cause you a bit of pain while waking if it's the sciatic nerve. 🤓

I do, or have done, everything you mentioned but a bit more haphazardly I'm afraid. Yes it's time to get my new'ish GX9 organized.

I do need to try out custom modes, especially , as you say, with changing types of shots and targets . I've lost way too many shots without it

Lisboa ❤

The most fun camera control is the aperture ring on the lens, I wish that was standard

Very interesting! I think I’ll try to copy this with some modifications . So I’m not changing to bird eye af and missing the shot lol

Is this a new bike James? Keen to know what you’ve got. And yes, I know, it’s a photography channel..

I find having standard settings is handy when I'm out in the field

My fiancée thought I was watching …adult videos.. when I tuned in this week. Soft sax let’s go. Helpful video @james, thank you. I don’t share the same settings as you but I haven’t set up custom since switching to Sony and it was a great reminder. What about a travel zoom preset :) let’s see how it stacks up !

If you like the manual settings like, I really think you would love the Fuji X-T5, beautiful camera and loaded with customizable buttons and dials.

Bro you left the Leica sticker on there from six months ago? that's hilarious

Very helpful, thank you! I hadn't messed with the custom settings before, but I can see the benefit of setting one custom section for "fast and fleeting" and one for "default" standard settings to avoid having to go through all your settings to change them each time from something I might have shot the previous day. Can custom settings be applied for shooting video as well?

Squarespace is doing that thing it does to blog photos where they are horribly stretched. See the portugal post.

So you saying this is a really boring video since there were so many interesting pics of Portugal. 😊. I put a label behind my flippy screen with my Custom settings since they are different for each camera.

What's the best Sony camera for only photography?

James, all good and sensible suggestions! If you like the rangefinder-type experience and reasonable file sizes maybe you should try a a Sony A6700. It's smaller than the 7 or 9 series cameras, has a side viewfinder and a variety of OK to excellent smaller lenses available for it. I have a Sony A7III but as I'm beginning to get into street photography I've found it a bit cumbersome and have discovered the limitations of it's autofocus system, so have recently bought an A6700. So far, I've enjoyed the 11mm f2.8 a lot and I'm waiting for a 20mm f2.8 on back order. My existing 55mm f1.8 will probably get some exercise with it and I'm wondering if it might be worth trying a TTartisan autofocus 27mm f2.8. I also added the (big) Tamron 17-70 for more leisurely photos.

Hi James, had a video idea! What is your setup for carrying your camera around on your bike? I love cycling and i love photography and living in the inner city id love to snap so many photos during my bike rides, but im always scared of bringing my camera out on them, in case i drop it or something. Seeing you gravel riding around with your camera is inspiring but I also wonder about how you're protecting your gear in the event of an accident. Thanks so much man! Love your work!

what's that red puffy jacket mate? love it

these feels a bit redundant for me having transitioned to nearly exclusively shooting black and white film 😂regardless though I'll never miss an upload. another great video!

I've look everywhere on my Leica I can't find the custom modes you have on yours!

“Don’t tell me what to do. You’re not my dad! “ 😅

What is that neck strap? It seems really nice.

User settings have saved me from so much fumbling and trying to remember what silly odd option I set for no good reason. Just wish there was a way to transfer between cameras. Spent the better part of an hour matching settings in my new Z7ii with old Z5.

I only use the EVF, I don't need the back screen or the menu so I have C3 to disable the back screen. I setup my camera the 1st day I get it and don't touch the menu.

Bought a new mirrorless interchangeable lens camera this year, to supplement my older DSLR. I don't really know how to use either unless I've set up custom modes, because they're all littered with features I don't need most of the time but if I don't lock them out with either full manual or a quick set custom mode, my phone works better usually. This is the devil's bargain we all began making when custom modes began appearing in the early-mid 1990s.

Do exactly the same on my Q3, only trouble is that every time i turn the camera off it sets back to default. Pain having to go into the menu and switch to my modes. BTW I bought your presets pack thanks

Hi James. So useful and instructive. But I have 2 questions not in line with the subject! 1) How lucky you are UK people. I love so much the stone walls lost in nature...Made me thinking of Adrian Wall. Have you been there? Human constructions in nature could be a good subject....if you see what I mean lol 2) Your skills playing football with orange are so impressive! Are you a fan of Gareth Bale from Wales too? Enjoy your day mate!

What kind of Settings have you set for C1-C3?

I do concert photography so just use full manual, stuff changes too quickly not to!

Been binging your videos lately. As Iv been house bound for the last 2 years now due to covid damage. Been craving getting to go out with a camera.. Iv got a couple of questions. James you shoot with Sony a7 series in RAW do you get the green shift issue? In short the colours on my RAW are green tinted unless I use the Sony image app to import the images then they are fine. Strange but it’s a thing apparently. Second and embarrassingly as Iv been getting more serious about photography for 8 plus years. Why do people refer to lens with lower f stops/ apertures as faster? And fast they seem only to equate with sharper? Is this an analog days term? This confuses me as a wide open aperture is softer, and faster shutter speed can be sharper to a point. So why are these lenses referred to as fast ? Anyway love the channel and thanks for the inspiration during this house bound times ❤

Great channel James keep up the good work. I had an interesting experience, the Panasonic G camera, which of course is Mirrorless and a compact camera. found while using one of the zoom lenses with built-in image stabilisation. mechanical shutter mode, I was getting some blur caused by shutter vibration. This disappeared when using electric shutter. Be worth doing a comparison say on 1/20 sec and see if the mechanical shutter shot is less sharp over the electric rolling shutter. Sean

I wouldn't mind reading about the places you have visited over the past 5-6 years, where you went in that Country, why you went to that specific place to take photo's and some images from the location at the bottom of the blog maybe?

This flat grey light nothing weather this week is making me uninspired. Can you do a walk and talk and shoot video where you go to get photos in this dull light and show the raw image through the editing process? Would be so useful inspiration rn

Where can I buy that Leony M7R11 you have?

Nice MTB.. what is it?

I quite often use the P, for Perfection, mode 🤣

That was interesting. My camera doesn't have custom modes tho, but great info nonetheless.

Dear James, how does one cycle with camera equipment?

Honestly I'm just using manual mode all the time. I forgot about other modes since I've moved to mirrorless

thought you said "custard modes"

Those settings are all well and good if we could afford a Leica. What would you use for a Sony? :P

@jamespopsys Great vid! What camera strap are you using? Anyone else know?

I wish sony would allow long and short presses and double assignment if certain criteria are met. Like "Button 1: If AF toggle Subject recognition Target" and "Button 1: if MF do Focus Magnifier" or "Long press = Focus magnifier" "Short press toggle subject recognition target" 99% of the time i use Aperture Priority a7rV: Top: ISO AUTO Min. SS, Switch Focus Area Back: AF/MF toggle, Focus magnifier, Recog, Target, Selection, Monitor brt, subject recog in AF. D-Pad: Focus Standart, White balance, Drive Mode, ISO, Metering Mode Lense: Not set (not all of my lenses have buttons) Dial: Focus Area, Av, EV comp, ISO (af areas limited to wide, zone, spot L, spot s tracking) a7cII: Top: ISO AUTO Min. SS Back: MF/AF Selector Toggle, Focus Magnifier, Monitor brt D-Pad: Focus Standard, Drive Mode, ISO, White Balance Lense: Not set Dial: Focus Area, Av, EV comp, ISO (af areas limited to wide, zone, spot L, spot s tracking)

It’s at this point that I realise that most of the photos I’m happy with have happened by pure luck, and I’ve virtually no clue what I’m doing (feels like it anyway??) I have to confess that I’m not even sure if my Nikon D5600 has any of the capabilities you’re talking about, or where to start looking for them?? My photography (although enjoyable) seems to be restricted to loads of messing about and experimenting, but being unhappy with a shot when I see it on a large screen (it looked great on the camera’s display!!)