Camera Settings Cheat Sheet
These are starting points, not laws. Every scene differs, but starting from a known-good combination beats guessing — dial in the settings below, take a test shot, and adjust from there. All values assume you're shooting RAW with auto white balance.
Camera Settings by Scenario
| Scenario | Mode | Aperture | Shutter Speed | ISO | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portraits | Aperture (A/Av) | f/1.8–f/2.8 | 1/200 or faster | 100–400 | Focus on the nearest eye |
| Group shots | Aperture (A/Av) | f/5.6–f/8 | 1/125 or faster | 100–800 | Smaller aperture keeps every face sharp |
| Landscape | Aperture (A/Av) | f/8–f/11 | Any (use a tripod) | 100 | Focus one-third into the scene |
| Sports & action | Shutter (S/Tv) | f/2.8–f/4 | 1/1000 or faster | Auto (cap 3200) | Continuous AF (AF-C), burst mode |
| Wildlife & birds | Shutter (S/Tv) | f/4–f/5.6 | 1/1000–1/2000 | Auto (cap 6400) | At least 1/focal length × 2 for handheld telephoto |
| Street | Aperture (A/Av) | f/5.6–f/8 | 1/250 or faster | Auto (cap 1600) | Zone focusing at f/8 covers 2–5 m |
| Golden hour portraits | Aperture (A/Av) | f/2–f/2.8 | 1/250 or faster | 100–400 | Backlight the subject, expose for the face |
| Indoor & low light | Aperture (A/Av) | f/1.8–f/2.8 | 1/125 or faster | 800–3200 | Underexpose slightly rather than blur |
| Night sky & stars | Manual (M) | f/1.4–f/2.8 | 15–25 s | 1600–6400 | Manual focus at infinity, tripod, 2-s timer |
| Fireworks | Manual (M) | f/8–f/11 | 2–5 s | 100 | Tripod, manual focus, no flash |
| Silky waterfalls | Manual (M) | f/11–f/16 | 1–5 s | 100 | Needs an ND filter in daylight |
| Macro | Aperture (A/Av) | f/8–f/16 | 1/200 or flash | 100–400 | Depth of field is millimeters — stop down |
| Panning (motion blur) | Shutter (S/Tv) | f/8–f/11 | 1/30–1/60 | 100–200 | Follow the subject through the shot |
Aperture Quick Guide
| Aperture | Depth of Field | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| f/1.4–f/2 | Paper thin | Single-subject portraits, low light, maximum background blur |
| f/2.8–f/4 | Shallow | Portraits, events, sports (fast glass) |
| f/5.6–f/8 | Moderate | Groups, street, travel — most lenses are sharpest here |
| f/11–f/16 | Deep | Landscapes, macro, front-to-back sharpness |
| f/22+ | Very deep | Sunstars — but diffraction softens the image |
Shutter Speed Quick Guide
| Shutter Speed | Effect | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4000–1/1000 | Freezes fast motion | Sports, birds in flight, splashes |
| 1/500–1/250 | Freezes casual motion | Kids, pets, street |
| 1/125–1/60 | Handheld limit zone | Posed subjects, static scenes |
| 1/30–1/8 | Motion blur begins | Panning, creative blur (tripod advised) |
| 1 s and longer | Long exposure | Waterfalls, light trails, astro (tripod required) |
ISO Quick Guide
| ISO | Image Quality | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| 100–200 | Cleanest | Daylight, tripod work, studio flash |
| 400–800 | Very good | Overcast days, shade, indoors near windows |
| 1600–3200 | Visible grain | Indoor events, dusk, fast action in poor light |
| 6400+ | Noisy | When the shot matters more than the noise |
Rules of Thumb
| Rule | What It Says |
|---|---|
| Sunny 16 | In full sun: f/16, shutter = 1/ISO (e.g. ISO 100, 1/100 s) |
| Reciprocal rule | Handheld shutter speed should be at least 1/focal length (1/200 s for a 200 mm lens) |
| 500 rule | Max astro exposure before star trails: 500 ÷ focal length (500 ÷ 20 mm = 25 s) |
| Expose to the right | When shooting RAW, err slightly bright (without clipping) — shadows recover better than highlights |
Get the Printable Version
The Exposure Triangle in 30 Seconds
Every exposure is a trade between three settings. Aperture controls how much light enters and how much of the scene is in focus — lower f-numbers mean more light and more background blur. Shutter speed controls how long light hits the sensor — faster freezes motion, slower blurs it. ISO amplifies the signal — higher values let you shoot in darker conditions at the cost of noise.
Change one and you must compensate with another: opening the aperture one stop (f/4 → f/2.8) lets you halve the ISO or double the shutter speed. The scenario table above picks which corner of the triangle to prioritize for each situation.
Want to see what settings other photographers used? Upload any photo to the EXIF data viewer — aperture, shutter speed, ISO and lens are recorded in the file. Or browse sample images by camera with full shooting data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camera settings should a beginner start with?
Start in Aperture Priority (A or Av) with auto ISO capped at 3200. You pick the aperture for the look you want — wide (f/2.8) for blurred backgrounds, narrow (f/8) for sharp scenes — and the camera handles the rest. Move to Manual only when a specific shot needs it (astro, fireworks, long exposures).
How do I know what settings were used on a photo I like?
If the photo hasn't been stripped of metadata, the full recipe is embedded in the file. Upload it to the EXIF data viewer to see the camera, lens, aperture, shutter speed and ISO — and if it was edited in Lightroom, the preset viewer shows the editing settings too.
When is the best light for outdoor photos?
The hour after sunrise and before sunset — the golden hour — gives soft, warm, directional light that flatters almost every subject. Use our golden hour calculator to find the exact times for your location and date.
Related Resources
- Golden Hour Calculator — exact golden and blue hour times for any location
- EXIF Data Viewer — see the settings behind any photo
- Camera Shutter Count Checker — check how many shots your camera has taken
- Sample Images by Camera — real photos with full shooting data