Canon T2i Modes & Menus

Canon Rebel T2i Modes and Menus

The mode dial on the right side of the Canon T2i's top panel lets you select various exposure modes, with the same range of options presented as on the preceding Rebel T1i, but with a slight change in the order of scene modes on the dial, and returning to the silver-on-black color scheme from the Rebel XSi. Canon divides the dial into "Basic" and "Creative" zones, the Basic range encompassing the Full Auto setting and the six scene modes in what Canon refers to as the "Image" zone. The Canon T2i's Creative zone includes Creative Auto, plus Programmed exposure, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, full Manual control, and the Automatic Depth of Field mode. The Flash Off mode has been promoted to first place among the Scene modes on the dial, with the remainder still listed in the same order as previously. Finally, the Movie mode is at the "Basic" end of the mode dial's range, although we consider it to be an entirely separate mode, rather than part of the Canon T2i's Basic set.

Here's a description of each of the shooting modes:

Automatic Depth of Field AE: Proceeding around the Mode Dial in a clockwise direction, the first option on the Canon T2i's Mode dial is the Automatic Depth of Field AE (or A-DEP) mode. Part of the Creative Zone, A-DEP mode is meant for taking pictures of large groups of people, landscapes with foreground detail, or any subject with elements of interest at varying distances from the camera. This mode puts the Canon T2i in control of both the shutter speed and aperture values, but you can adjust the other exposure variables. (Note that this mode cannot be used if the lens focus mode is set to manual.) When shooting in Automatic Depth of Field AE, the Canon T2i sets both the lens aperture and focus distance to achieve a sharp focus over a wide depth of field. It uses the autofocus system to measure the distance to the subjects covered by each of the nine autofocus zones, and then attempts to set the focusing distance and lens aperture so as to render all subject areas in sharp focus.

Manual Exposure: This mode provides full control of all exposure variables, including independent control of both shutter speed and lens aperture. If the ISO sensitivity is specified manually, then the exposure is fully manual. If the ISO sensitivity is set to Auto, then the camera varies this variable to obtain a metered exposure with the user-specified shutter speed and aperture. In either case, there is no exposure compensation function. The Main dial adjusts shutter speed by default, and adjusts the aperture when turned while holding down the Exposure Compensation button. The shutter speed range also includes a Bulb setting, allowing long exposures for as long as you hold the Canon T2i's Shutter button down. (The rear display reports the elapsed time in minutes and seconds as the exposure progresses.) A display in the viewfinder reports whether the Canon T2i thinks your settings will result in under, over, or correctly exposed photos.

Aperture-Priority AE: This mode allows you to manually set the lens aperture (with available apertures depending on the lens in use), while the Canon T2i selects the most appropriate shutter speed. You have control over all other exposure variables, including exposure compensation.

Shutter-Priority AE: The opposite of Aperture-Priority mode, Shutter-Priority AE allows you to set the shutter speed anywhere from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds, while the Canon T2i chooses the best corresponding aperture setting. Again, you have control over all other exposure variables, including exposure compensation. The Bulb setting that's available in Manual Exposure mode isn't available in Shutter-priority AE mode.

Program AE: In its Program AE mode, the Canon T2i controls both aperture and shutter speed automatically, and you have control over all other exposure variables, including exposure compensation. You can also bias the exposure to control depth of field or subject motion blur by turning the Main dial, selecting a different combination of aperture and shutter speed while maintaining the same exposure value. (This is commonly known as Vari-Program, or Program Shift in Canon parlance. The camera won't let you select a combination of exposure parameters that doesn't work, but you retain all the flexibility of shutter- or aperture-priority exposure modes.)

Creative Auto Mode: For the final mode in the Creative Zone, Canon retains its Creative Auto (or "CA") mode, which we first saw on the 50D, and which made its Rebel-series debut in the T1i. The CA mode is something of a cross between the Program and Full Automatic modes. When set to CA mode, the Canon T2i allows the user to select from a subset of the flash and drive modes. You can also choose from a subset of four Picture Styles, with each given a user-friendly description such as "Smooth skin tones", or "Vivid blues and greens". Program shift and exposure compensation are both available, but must be accessed through the Quick Control screen, with five-step control for each option. They also have friendlier names -- "Background: Blurred <-> Sharp" for program shift, and "Exposure: Darker <-> Brighter" for exposure compensation. You can also select between Raw, JPEG (including several image size/quality options), or Raw + Large JPEG file formats. Through the menu system, you can also enable or disable Peripheral Illumination Correction. The rest of the more complex features remain under automatic control. The Canon T2i's rear-panel LCD display offers text help for each setting while in CA mode, for example prompting the user as to whether they want to blur the background with program shift, or make the picture brighter / darker with exposure compensation, etc. The exposure steps shown on the rear-panel display appear to represent 1/3-stop increments/decrements.

Full Automatic Mode: The first mode in the Basic Zone, Full Automatic is indicated on the Canon T2i's Mode dial by a green rectangular outline. In this mode, the camera makes all exposure decisions with the exception of image quality. Autofocus mode is set to AI Focus. (AI Focus evaluates subject movement, sets either one-shot AF or AI Servo AF automatically.) Drive mode is set to Single Shot, ISO and white balance are set to Auto, and the metering mode is set to Evaluative. Both auto lighting optimizer and picture style are set to Standard.

Flash Off Mode: Flash Off mode disables both the internal flash head and any external flash unit connected. Focus is set to AI Focus mode, drive mode is set to Single, and metering is set to Evaluative. The camera controls ISO and Auto white balance as well.

Portrait Mode: This mode uses a large aperture setting to decrease the depth of field, which blurs the background to emphasize the subject. The Canon T2i's ISO is set to Auto, white balance to Auto, metering to Evaluative, AF mode to One Shot, and auto lighting optimizer to standard. Drive mode is set to Continuous Shooting, and picture style to Portrait.

Landscape Mode: Landscape mode combines slower shutter speeds with smaller aperture settings to increase the depth of field when shooting broad vistas and sweeping landscapes. This mode is also good for night scenes without people in them. The Canon T2i's built-in flash is automatically disabled, even if it's already raised. Because this mode uses slower shutter speeds, a tripod may be needed in less-bright lighting conditions. Metering is set to Evaluative, both ISO and white balance are set to Auto, focus to One Shot, drive mode to Single Shot, and auto lighting optimizer to Standard. Unlike the previous scene modes, the picture style is changed to Landscape.

Close-up Mode (Macro Mode): Turning the Canon T2i's Mode dial to the macro flower symbol sets the camera for capturing smaller subjects such as flowers, jewelry, and other small details. The autofocus mode is automatically adjusted to One Shot, the drive mode is set to Single Shot, and the metering mode is set to Evaluative. Both ISO and white balance are set to Auto, while both auto lighting optimizer and picture style are set to Standard. Close-up mode takes advantage of the current lens's minimum focal distance. However, an EOS dedicated macro lens and the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX are recommended for better close-up photography. Also, note that unlike the macro mode on most consumer digicams, Macro mode on the Canon T2i has no effect on lens focusing range, as that parameter is entirely determined by the lens being used.

Sports Mode: This mode uses a faster shutter speed to capture fast-moving subjects. The autofocus mode is automatically set to AI Servo. Drive mode is set to Continuous Shooting, ISO is set to Auto (and biased towards higher settings, to give faster shutter speeds), white balance is set to Auto, and metering mode is set to Evaluative. Both auto lighting optimizer and picture style are set to Standard. The Canon T2i's onboard flash isn't available in this mode because it can't cycle fast enough to keep up with the continuous exposure mode.

Night Portrait Mode: This final Basic Zone mode is for taking pictures of people at sunset or at night, letting the flash illuminate the subject, while the longer exposure provides a brighter view of the surroundings. The Canon T2i's autofocus mode is automatically set to One Shot. Drive mode is set to Single Shot, metering mode to Evaluative, focus to One Shot, both ISO sensitivity and white balance to Auto, and both auto lighting optimizer and picture style to Standard. Since slower shutter speeds will be used, a tripod is recommended to prevent movement from the camera. The Canon T2i's built-in flash is automatically enabled and synced with the slower shutter speed, so subjects will need to remain still for a few moments after the flash fires to avoid ghost-like after-images. (For night exposures without the flash, Canon recommends shooting in Landscape mode.)

Movie Recording Mode: When Movie mode is selected, the camera's mirror and shutter open, as in Live View mode, but the Live View / Movie button on the camera's back functions as the start/stop button for movie recording. Unlike most other movie-capable SLR cameras on the market, the Canon T2i can perform single autofocus operations during movie operation, albeit with focusing noise very clearly picked up on the audio track using the EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS kit lens. (Like most digital SLR video modes, continuous autofocus isn't available in Movie mode, though.) Another feature of the T2i's movie mode that's rather uncommon is that it allows fully manual control over aperture, shutter speed, and (optionally) ISO sensitivity. The T2i's internal microphone is monaural, but the camera also includes an external microphone jack compatible with stereo microphones. Movie recording capacity varies based on the size of memory card you're using, but is in all cases limited to a maximum of 29 minutes and 59 seconds. (That's thanks to European tax regulations, but as it turns out, the 4GB limit on video file sizes will in practice restrict you to shorter movie clips anyway.)

Playback Mode
This mode is entered by pressing the Play button on the back panel. Playback mode lets you view, protect, or erase images and movies. Still images can be magnified, rotated, or set up for printing on DPOF-compatible devices. You can also view an index display of all images and movies, with either four or nine thumbnails per page. A slide show function is available, and allows the user to select whether the T2i should display just still images, just movies, or both together. It also allows the slide show to be restricted to just stills and movies from a specific date. The Info button toggles between displaying the image or movie alone, with a basic information display, with a detailed information display including luminance histogram (which can optionally be changed through the Playback menu to display separate RGB histograms instead), and finally a partial information display plus both RGB and luminance histograms.

Canon Rebel T2i Menu Details

Below are Canon T2i menu options and their descriptions.

Record Menu 1:

Record Menu 2:

Record Menu 3:

Movie Menu 1:

Movie Menu 2:

Playback Menu 1:

Playback Menu 2:

Setup Menu 1:

Setup Menu 2:

Setup Menu 3:

Custom Functions Menu:

My Menu: