a new folder. It’s easy to wind up with multiple photos that have the same file number if you’re not careful about storing them in separate folders. So think twice — or maybe three times — about using this option. You also find a separate option, Manual Reset. Select this setting to begin a new numbering sequence, starting at 0001. A new folder is automatically created to store your new files. The camera then returns to whichever Numbering mode is selected (Continuous or Auto Reset).Beware of one gotcha that applies to both the Continuous and Auto Reset options: If you swap memory cards and the new card already contains images, the camera may pick up numbering from the last image on the new card, which throws a monkey wrench into things. To avoid this problem, format the new card before putting it into the camera, as explained later in this list.
Auto Rotate: This option determines whether vertically oriented pictures are rotated to appear upright during picture playback or when you view them in a photo editor. Stick with the default setting, shown in Figure 1-29 until you explore Chapter 9, which discusses this and other playback issues.
Format Card: Choose this option to wipe the installed memory card clean of all contents and ensure that it’s properly prepared for use in the camera. For extra deep cleaning, select the Low-Level formatting box after you select the menu option. However, the standard formatting (Low-Level box unchecked) is usually adequate.
Setup Menu 2
Setup Menu 2, posing in Figure 1-28, contains these options:
Auto Power Off: To save battery power, the camera automatically goes to sleep after a certain period of inactivity. At the default setting, the camera nods off after only ten seconds unless the camera is in Playback mode, Live View mode, or Movie mode, in which case it waits until 30 seconds have passed.You can adjust this timing so that 30 seconds is the minimum delay time (the 10-second variation is disabled at the 30-second setting). Or you can extend the delay up to as long as 15 minutes. To disable auto shutdown altogether, select Off — but be aware that even at that setting, the monitor still turns off if you ignore the camera for 30 minutes.Regardless of the shutoff time you select, you can bring the camera out of hibernation mode by giving the shutter button a quick half-press and release or pressing the Menu, Info, Playback, or Live View button.FIGURE 1-28: Through the first option on this menu, you can adjust the delay time of the camera’s automatic shutdown feature.
Display Brightness: This option enables you to make the camera monitor brighter or darker. But if you take this step, what you see on the display may not be an accurate rendition of exposure. The default setting is 4, which is the position at the midpoint of the brightness scale.
Screen Off/On button: This option controls whether the back camera screen turns off when you press the Shutter button halfway during viewfinder shooting. The default behavior is for it to replain on, but you can select Shutter button to turn the screen off when you press the Shutter button halfway. The sceen turns back on when you release the button.
Date/Time/Zone: If you didn’t do so when following the initial camera setup steps at the start of this chapter, enter the time, date, and time zone now. Keeping the date/time accurate is important because that information is recorded as part of the image file. In your photo browser, you can then see when you shot an image and, equally handy, search for images by the date they were taken. Chapter 9 shows you where to locate the date/time data when browsing your picture files. When the Time Zone setting is active, the Time Difference value that’s displayed is the difference between the time zone you select and Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, which is the standard by which the world sets its clocks. For example, New York City is five hours behind UTC. This information is provided so that if your time zone isn’t in the list of available options, you can select one that shares the same relationship to the UTC.
Language: This option determines the language of any text displayed on the camera monitor.
Setup Menu 3
Setup Menu 3, shown in Figure 1-29, contains the following offerings:
Video System: This option relates to viewing your images and movies on a television. Select NTSC if you live in North America or other countries that adhere to the NTSC video standard; select PAL for playback in areas that follow that code of video conduct. Your selection also determines what frame rate settings you can select when recording movies (refer to Chapter 8).FIGURE 1-29: Still more customization features await on Setup Menu 3.
Touch Control: Choose this setting to adjust the sensitivity of the touch screen or disable the touch screen altogether. (Julie often does this when wearing her camera on a neck strap so that she can’t accidentally adjust a touch-screen-enabled setting if the monitor bumps against her chest as she walks.) See the earlier section “Customizing the Touch Screen” for more information.
Beep: Choose Enable if you want the camera to emit an audio cue when you select an option by tapping the touch screen and when the autofocusing system has found its focus point. The second option, Touch, disables touch-screen sounds only; choose Disable to turn off both sound effects.
Headphone volume: Raise or lower the headphone volume here. Ours goes to 15.
Battery Info: Select this option to see battery information, such as the type of battery in the camera, how much battery juice is left, and the battery’s recharge performance. For this last feature, three green bars means that the battery is working fine; two bars means that recharging is slightly below par; and one red bar means that you should invest in a new battery as soon as possible.You can register up to six batteries from this menu option. The camera will be able to identify them uniquely. It will help you track them if you label each battery with the serial number provided on the screen.
Sensor Cleaning: Choose this option to access features related to the camera’s internal sensor-cleaning mechanism. These work like so:Auto Cleaning: By default, the camera’s sensor-cleaning mechanism activates each time you turn the camera on and off. This process helps keep the image sensor — which is the part of the camera that captures the image — free of dust and other particles that can mar your photos. You can disable this option, but it’s hard to imagine why you would choose to do so.Clean Now: Select this option and press Set to initiate a cleaning cycle. For best results, set the camera on a flat surface during cleaning.Clean Manually: In the advanced exposure modes, you can access this third option, which prepares the camera for manual cleaning of the sensor. Because you can easily damage the image sensor, rendering your camera a paperweight, use extreme caution if you decide to try cleaning the sensor yourself. You’re really better off taking the camera to a good service center for cleaning.
Setup Menu 4
Figure 1-30 shows Setup Menu 4.
Mode guide: Enable or disable helpful guides that describe each mode you select from the Mode dial.
Feature guide: Enables or disables help text that
