Canon T3i Modes & Menus

Canon EOS Rebel T3i Modes and Menus

The Mode dial on the right side of the Canon T3i's top panel lets you select various exposure modes, and most options are the same as on the earlier Rebel T2i model, although the order has been changed slightly, and the Full Auto mode replaced with a new Scene Intelligent Auto mode. Canon divides the dial into "Creative" and "Basic" zones. The Creative zone includes settings for Program Auto-Exposure, Shutter Priority AE (Tv), Aperture Priority AE (Av), full Manual exposure, and Automatic Depth-of-Field AE. The Basic range includes the Scene Intelligent Auto, Flash Off, and Creative Auto modes, plus the five Scene modes in what Canon refers to as the "Image" zone Finally, there's one Mode dial position that's not considered part of either the Basic or Creative zones: the Movie mode.

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

Program AE: This is the first mode in the Creative Zone of the Mode dial. Using Program AE works, the camera selects both aperture and shutter speed (from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds) are automatically selected by the camera, but you can bias the exposure to larger apertures and faster shutter speeds (or vice versa) by turning the Main dial. This function, known as Program Shift, will change the combination of aperture and shutter speed so as to maintain the same exposure value, but with a different combination of aperture/shutter speed. While the overall exposure is controlled automatically, Program AE mode allows quite a range of functions such as white balance, focus servo mode, ISO sensitivity, exposure compensation / bracketing and the like to be accessed, unlike the full Auto modes.

Shutter-Priority AE: This mode allows you to manually set the shutter speed anywhere from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds, while the camera chooses the best corresponding aperture setting. You have control over all other exposure variables.

Aperture-Priority AE: The opposite of Shutter-Priority mode, Aperture-Priority AE allows you to set the lens aperture (with available apertures depending on the lens in use), while the camera selects the most appropriate shutter speed. Again, you have control over all other exposure variables.

Manual Exposure: This mode provides the same range of exposure control as the other Creative Zone exposure modes (except for exposure compensation), but lets you control both shutter speed (from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds) and lens aperture independently. A display in the viewfinder reports whether the camera thinks your settings will result in under, over, or correctly exposed photos. Manual exposure mode also provides access to the T3i's bulb shutter function, which keeps the shutter open for as long as the shutter release button is held down. Bulb exposures are best controlled with an external remote release, to prevent camera shake.

Automatic Depth of Field AE: This is the final mode in the Creative Zone, and 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 camera in control of both the shutter speed and aperture values, but you can adjust the other exposure variables. (If the lens focus mode is set to manual, A-DEP mode acts similarly to Program AE, but without the Program Shift function.) When shooting in Automatic Depth of Field AE, the camera 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. Areas that should be in focus in the final image are indicated with a red AF point, and if a focus lock can't be achieved, the shutter release won't fire.

Scene Intelligent Automatic Mode: The first mode in the Canon T3i's Basic Zone, Scene Intelligent Automatic replaces the T2i's Full Auto mode. Compared to that function, the Scene Intelligent Auto mode can now control one additional feature as the camera deems appropriate to the scene: the Picture Style. In Auto mode, the camera makes all exposure decisions with the exception of image quality. Autofocus mode is set to AI Focus. Drive mode choices are Single Shot, 10-second Self-timer, and Continuous Self-timer. ISO is set to Auto with High ISO Noise Reduction enabled, the white balance mode is set to Auto, and the metering mode is set to Evaluative. The flash pops up and fires automatically if needed.

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, the AF assist lamp disabled, drive mode choices are Single or 10-second Self-timer, or Continuous Self-timer, and metering is set to Evaluative. The camera controls ISO sensitivity and white balance automatically, as well.

Creative Auto Mode: This mode is something of a cross between the Program and Full Automatic modes. When set to Creative Auto, the Canon T3i allows the user to select from a subset of the flash and drive modes. You can also choose from nine Ambience styles, with user-friendly names such as "Vivid", "Intense, or "Monochrome". All but the Standard and Monochrome ambience styles have a three-step control over the strength of the effect, while Monochrome allows either black and white, blue-tinted, or sepia-tinted images.

Unlike in earlier models with a CA mode, exposure compensation is not available in the T3i's CA mode. Program Shift is available, but with a friendlier name -- "Background: Blurred <-> Sharp". 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 T3i'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, etc.

Portrait Mode: The first mode in a subset of Basic Zone modes dubbed the Image Zone, this mode uses a large aperture setting to decrease the depth of field, which blurs the background to emphasize the subject. ISO and white balance are set to Auto, metering to Evaluative, and AF mode to One Shot. You can, however, coax the look of images in your desired direction using ambience and lighting / scene type selections. Drive mode choices are Continuous Shooting, 10-second Self-timer, and Continuous Self-timer, and the flash pops up and fires automatically as necessary.

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 T3i'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. Focus is set to one shot, the AF assist lamp is disabled, and drive mode choices are Single, 10-second Self-timer, and Continuous Self-timer. Metering is again set to Evaluative, both white balance and ISO are set to Auto, and ambience / lighting selections are available.

Close-up Mode (Macro Mode): Turning the 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 choices are Single, 10-second Self-timer, and Continuous Self-timer, and the metering mode is set to Evaluative. ISO and white balance are set to Auto, and ambience / lighting selections are available. Close-up mode takes advantage of the current lens' minimum focal distance. However, an EOS-dedicated macro lens and the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX are recommended for better close-up photography. Note that unlike the macro mode on most consumer digital cameras, Macro mode on the Canon T3i 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 choices are Continuous Shooting, 10-second Self-timer, and Continuous Self-timer, white balance and ISO are set to Auto, and metering mode is set to Evaluative. Ambience / lighting selections are available. The onboard flash isn't available in this mode (since it can't cycle fast enough to keep up with the continuous exposure mode).

Night Portrait Mode: This 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 autofocus mode is automatically set to One Shot. Drive mode choices are Single, 10-second Self-timer, and Continuous Self-timer, white balance is Auto, and metering mode is set to Evaluative. Ambience selections are available, but not lighting / scene type selections, since they're implied in the choice of a night mode. Since slower shutter speeds will be used, a tripod is recommended to prevent movement from the camera. The built-in flash is automatically enabled and synched 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. ISO is automatically adjusted by the camera. (For night exposures without the flash, Canon recommends shooting in Landscape mode.)

Movie 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. The Canon T3i can perform single autofocus operations during movie operation, albeit with focusing noise very clearly picked up on the audio track with either of the available kit lens choices. (Like many digital SLR video modes, continuous autofocus isn't available in Movie mode, though.) Unlike some cameras, the T3i's movie mode allows fully manual control over aperture, shutter speed, or ISO sensitivity, although this must be set before capture starts. Exposure compensation and lock are also available. The T3i's internal microphone is monaural, but the T3i can also accept external 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 erase images, protect them, or set them up for printing on DPOF compatible devices. You can also view images in an index display, enlarge images to 10x, view a slide show of all captured images, rotate or resize an image, or apply one of several creative filters. The Info button activates an information display, which reports the exposure settings for the image and graphs the exposure values on a small histogram.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i Menu Details

Below are T3i menu options and their descriptions. The precise selection of menus and their available options varies depending on the camera's operating mode. Click on the image to see a matrix of screen shots showing the full menu layout.

Movie Menu 1:

Movie Menu 2:

Movie Menu 3:

Record Menu 1:

Record Menu 2:

Record Menu 3:

Record Menu 4:

Playback Menu 1:

Playback Menu 2:

Setup Menu 1:

Setup Menu 2:

Setup Menu 3:

Custom Functions Menu:

My Menu: