Specifications

Canon T5i / 700D Experience

3. MENUS and CUSTOM FUNCTIONS

3.1 Introduction to Setting Up the T5i / 700D

The Menus and Custom Functions of Canon dSLR cameras allow you to have greater,

more precise control over how your camera operates. They are part of what makes the

T5i a more powerful tool than a digital compact or basic entry-level dSLR, and they

enable you to customize the camera to work for you, to work how you work. I highly

recommend that you dig into these menus and change the settings to the options that

allow you to use the camera in the manner that works best for you and your way of

photographing.

Some of the Menu items are only used when shooting, reviewing, or processing images,

but many of them should be set up in advance. Below are explanations and

recommendations for the Menus and the Custom Functions of the Canon T5i / 700D.

Please note that this guide will go into further detail about most of these settings and

functions later in the detailed chapters and sections about Autofocusing, Exposure,

White Balance, etc. Although I have attempted to explain many of these items in a

more understandable and unified way than the manual, you still may need to first read

through this chapter to learn about related Menu and Custom Function settings, plus

read the applicable sections of this guide, and then work with the camera a bit before

you will completely understand a specific item and how you may wish to set it. So don’t

become overwhelmed if you don’t yet understand the settings or terminology used to

describe the Menu and Custom Function settings and their options. And if you don’t yet

understand some of the settings or why you might wish to change them, leave those on

the default or recommended settings for now. Remember to return to them later after

you have completed the guide, worked with your camera, begun to better understand its

controls and functions, and started to determine exactly how you want to work.

Important Note: As with most current dSLR cameras, the T5i has a couple menu

settings “quirks” or conflicts that may drive you crazy if you are not aware why they are

occurring. Most notably, some settings will be inaccessible in the menus and you will

not be able to select them if a “conflicting” setting is enabled. Examples include certain

functions like Multi-Shot Noise Reduction, Handheld Night Scene, or HDR Backlight

Control which are not accessible when the camera is set to capture files in the RAW or

RAW+JPEG image format. You must then set the Image Quality to one of the JPEG-

only settings. The use of Auto Exposure Bracketing, White Balance Bracketing, Multi-

Shot Noise Reduction, and/ or Long Exposure Noise Reduction will also conflict with

other settings including use of the Creative Filters

. These are actually not arbitrary

quirks, but are typically due to logical conflicts or camera limitations. I will mention these

conflicts in the applicable settings.

Place your Mode Dial on Av (Aperture-Priority Auto Shooting Mode) before you go

through these menu settings because they don’t all appear in the menus if your camera

is in Auto+ mode, Program mode, or one of the Basic Zone modes. You may wish to