are a group of advanced settings available only in the P, Tv, Av, and M exposure modes. (Remember: You set the exposure mode via the Mode dial on top of the camera.)
To explore Custom Functions, choose that item from Setup Menu 5, as shown on the left in Figure 1-19. You then see the options screen for a specific Custom Function, as shown on the right in the figure. Here’s a guide to using the Custom Function screens:
Interpreting the screens: The Custom Functions screens are a little intimidating until you know what’s what:Custom Functions are grouped into three categories: Exposure, Autofocus/Drive, and Operation/Others. The category number and name appear in the upper-left corner of the screen. In the right screen in Figure 1-19, for example, the label indicates that you’re looking at a screen from the Autofocus/Drive category. (C.Fn II refers to Custom Functions group two.)The number of the selected function appears in the upper-right corner. Custom Function 9 is shown on the right in Figure 1-19.Settings for the function appear in the middle of the screen. Blue text indicates the current setting. The default setting is represented by the number 0. So in Figure 1-19, Auto is selected and is the default setting.Numbers at the bottom of the screen show you the current setting for all Custom Functions. The top row of numbers represents the Custom Functions, with the currently selected function indicated with a tiny horizontal bar over the number (9, in the figure). The lower row shows the number of the current setting for each Custom Function; again, 0 represents the default.For Custom Functions 11 and 13, you instead see a dash, which is Canon’s way of letting you know that this menu option controls more than one camera setting (thus there isn’t a single default setting).FIGURE 1-19: Choose Custom Functions from Setup Menu 5 to access additional customization options.
Scrolling from one Custom Function to the next: Press the left or right edge of the Quick Control dial or tap the left or right scroll arrows at the top of the screen. You can see the arrows in the right screen in Figure 1-19.
Changing the setting: Activate the menu item by pressing the Set button or tapping one of the available setting options. The screen changes to look similar to the one shown on the left in Figure 1-20. To select an option, tap it or press the top or bottom edge of the Quick Control dial to move the yellow selection box over it.If you see up/down arrows on the right side of the screen, you need to scroll the menu screen to view all the available setting options. To do so, tap those arrows or press the top/bottom edge of the Quick Control dial.To lock in your setting and deactivate the settings screen, tap the Set icon or press the Set button. The screen returns to its inactive state, as shown on the right in Figure 1-20. The setting you selected appears in blue, and the row of digits at the bottom of the screen reflects the number for that setting. A blue number indicates that you chose a setting other than the default.
Exiting the Custom Functions submenu: Tap the Menu icon in the lower-right corner of the screen or press the Menu button. Press Menu again to exit the menu system entirely and return to shooting.
FIGURE 1-20: After you select a setting (left), the initial menu screen updates to reflect your choice (right).
Customizing the Touchscreen
When the camera’s touchscreen is enabled, as it is by default, you can simply touch the monitor to choose menu commands, change picture settings, scroll through your pictures, and more.
How you touch the screen depends on the task at hand. Here’s a rundown of the names assigned to various touchscreen moves, or gestures:
Tap: Tap a finger on the monitor. (Figures and instructions throughout the book indicate where to tap.)
Drag: Using light pressure, drag your finger across the screen. On some menu screens, for example, you can drag up or down to scroll through a list of options.
Swipe: Drag one or two fingers quickly across the screen. You use this gesture, known in some circles as a flick, to scroll through your pictures in playback mode, just as you do when showing off your photos on a smartphone.
Pinch in/pinch out: To pinch in, place your thumb at one edge of the screen and your pointer finger at the other. Then drag both toward the center of the screen. To pinch out, start in the center of the screen and swipe both fingers outward. Pinching is how you zoom in and out of pictures during playback.
Adjust (or disable) touchscreen response: You can choose from three settings, accessed via the Touch Control option, found on Setup Menu 3. Standard is the default, setting the screen to respond to a “normal” amount of pressure. Don’t ask how the Powers That Be decided what that pressure level is — just know that if your normal pressure doesn’t evoke a response, you can change the setting from Standard to Sensitive. Choose Disable to make the touchscreen totally inactive.
Silence the touchscreen: By default, the touchscreen emits a tiny “boop” with every tap. If you find that annoying, choose the Beep option, found just beneath the Touch Control option on Setup Menu 3. The option that hushes the boop is Touch to Silence — silence indicated by a little speaker with a slash through it. The Disable setting turns off touchscreen sounds and the beep the camera emits when focus is achieved.
Enable/disable the touchscreen via the Multi Function Lock option on Setup Menu 4. I discuss this menu option in the section “Back-of-the-body controls,” earlier in this chapter. After choosing the menu option, put a checkmark in the Touch Control box and press Set or tap OK. You can then press the Erase/Lock button (lower-right corner of the camera back) to toggle touchscreen operation on and off.
CARING FOR THE CAMERA MONITOR
To keep the monitor in good working order, follow these precautions:
Don’t use force when adjusting the monitor position. Although the monitor assembly is sturdy, treat it with respect as you adjust the screen position. The monitor twists only in certain directions, and it’s easy to forget which way it’s supposed to move. So if you feel resistance, don’t force things — you could break the monitor. Instead, rely on that feeling of resistance to remind you to turn the screen the other way.
Use only your finger to perform touchscreen functions. Use the fleshy part of your fingertip (not the nail or any other sharp object), and be sure your fingers are dry because the screen may not respond if it gets wet.
Don’t apply a screen protector. Canon also advises against putting a protective cover over the monitor, such as the kind people adhere to their smartphones. Doing so can reduce the monitor’s responsiveness to your touch.
Watch the crunch factor. Before positioning the monitor back into the camera (whether face in or face out), use a lens brush or soft cloth to clean the monitor housing so there’s nothing on it that could damage the monitor.
Clean smart. To clean the screen, use only the special cloths and cleaning solutions made for this purpose. (You
