Custom setting

I am new to this forum, got my 40D 2 weeks ago and I have so much to learn. I am into Portrait shooting indoors of my grandchildren and family . I would appriciate some advise in how to set up the camera for user defined in C1 so I can just set the camera to C1 and I am set to go. If someone has it set up for indoor Portrait please advise on the numbers to use and how to do it step by step.
I have consulted the manual and tried to set up the camera but find it very confusing and so far no succes. Maybe I got myself over my head with this one. Any help would be fantastic. Thanks a bunch

Paul

Paul - That is a bit of a tough one to answer because shooting anything isn't as easy as getting a recipe from someone and going straight to work with it. Everyone shoots differently and indeed, different settings are required for different scenarios. If I were to do what you are trying to do for myself, I might use aperture priority mode, set picture style to portrait, ISO 100, one shot, etc. but someone else would do it totally different. It is really a very individual thing and it depends on how you use the camera. Do you have fast glass? Will you be using flash? Can you live with auto white balance? Are you planning on seated portraits, candids or shooting the kids running around playing? Most importantly, how much experience do you have with SLR photography?

Specifically to the custom modes, it is as simple as dialing into the mode that you want to copy to the custom position, say Av. Then you go through the menu as described in the manual and copy those settings to C1. Then you dial to C1 and make as many changes as you like and then re-register the setup you have into that same custom position. I like to do it this way because I don't like fooling around with the menu a lot in the creative zone modes. I always forget to put something back the way it was. Those settings will stay there. If you make a change on the fly without registering it, it will revert to the registered setting once the camera goes through an on/off cycle or the dial gets moved to another mode and back.

If you would be kind enough to be a little more specific, maybe we can get you up and running.

I have C3 set for studio shots. I've only ever had a point & shoot until March of this year so my biggest repeated fault with the DSLR is forgetting to set the right ISO or output type or whatever.

Using C3 allows me to simply set my ISO to 100, WB to auto, Output to RAW, manual mode with aperture at F/11 and shutter speed to max sync speed 1/250. naturally I'll adjust from there as needed but it's pretty cool to set to to my studio flash defaults with a turn of the wheel.

Thanks for your fast reply, much appriciated.
I really enjoy photography and for years had a Canon P/S Powershoot with 2 MB and took some really nice pictures with it, however I needed more Pixel's to work with, for cropping etc, so I decided to go all out and get a SLR. I now realize it's a bit more complicated than anticipated. I have done some really nice portrait pictures of family and friends with the P/S. I guess you can say its a hobby I really enjoy. I also enjoy shooting the outdoors i e animals, landscape, old buildings and so on.
I also invested in a new glass 24 - 105mm 4f L , so I think I've got a good glass?? and thats about it , so far I am just shooting with the default settings but would love to learn how to get some nice sharp looking pictures I can work with on the PC. It's a great hobby for a retired fella like myself. I do realise it is a very individual thing how to set up your camera and much depends on lighting etc.
I can live with AWB for now and yes I am using flash when needed. My 7 year old granddaughter enjoy posing for me so we have a lot of fun taking pictures, I think she will be a model someday - lol.
I will keep plowing through the manual and try to learn. This forum is also a great tool to use and learn from.
I sure appriciate the help you fellows are giving me and I thank you very much.

Paul

Paul. It sounds like you enjoy photography a lot. I, like many people here are quite passionate about it. Well, ok... fanatical.

You have mentioned your lens twice so it seems that you may be looking for some reassurance there so I'll tell you that the 24-105L is an exceptional piece of glass. I owned one for a while but I sold because I didn't find 24mm wide enough on the 1.6 crop body but that's a personal thing. If you are happy with the constant f/4 and the focal length that's what really counts. Quality wise, you can't beat L lenses.

As for the rest, I will be as honest and helpful as I can. A salesperson will never tell the 1st time buyer the realities of DSLR photography and I think people new to DSLR deserve to hear it. I see a lot of people who get into SLR photography thinking that the camera is going to be a magical tool that will produce great shots and they often find that they produced better images with their P&S type cameras. A DSLR is a tool and one really has to learn the technical ins and outs of it to unlock the full creative potential and produce good results constantly. Second, SLR photography is something that only a gifted few can pick up a be instantly good at. For the rest of us, SLR photography is like a good wine. It has to mature a while before its really any good.

Having said all this, I think it would be easy for someone to provide you with settings that will take decent pictures in situation x most of the time and even easier for you to rely on that good old full auto mode. But this, for me, would amount to someone cheating you or you cheating yourself out of the opportunity to be a full participant in a wonderful, creative and rewarding process.

When I got into SLR photography, I took a 30 hour course at a local college which led to several more courses. It was a great experience and I strongly suggest that you do the same if possible. This type of learning is not for everyone but it allowed me to build a local network of people interested in photography. There are also a number of instructional books and videos that you can access, either through retail purchase or even a public library.

So that's how I see things, Paul. I'm sure that people here may agree or disagree with me but it's just my effort to provide what I feel is the best assistance that I can to someone who would seemingly appreciate it and benefit from it. I sincerely hope that this is your interpretation as well. Good luck.

ngjudo, Thank you for your reply. I understand 100% what you are saying, to each its own, what you like may not be my cup of tea. I need to take courses, study magazines and books and get to know how this camera ticks. The more I fiddle around with the camera the more insight I get into its working, today I know a little more than I did yesterday.
The pussle is coming together slowly but surely. There are just sooooooo many bottons to get used to.
ngjudo, I wonder if you are a professional photografer? You sure know your stuff. Anyway many thanks for your insight to photography. In time I hope to become fairly good at using this D40. Have a great day and thanks.

Paul

Paul, the 24-105 is a great lens, I love mine. I've found that at f4, the depth of field can be a bit shallow unless you are bang on with your technique. at around f8, I find I get very good results, so this might be agood starting aperture for you. Having said that however, I have found that my 70-200 f4 is my favourite for portraits as you can be a bit further away and take more candid shots, such as this one:

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