With the myriad of buttons available on the body of the Canon 70D, you are not lacking for choice when it comes to adjusting most settings quickly. But what if you are switching from a system with a different control layout, or some setting just seems out of place and might work better in some other place? Using Custom Controls, we can configure the Canon 70D to operate exactly to our liking. Here’s how to set up Custom Controls on the Canon 70D:
- Navigate to the second-to-last tab in the Settings Menu (a camera icon with vertical bars beneath), then open the menu labeled C.Fn III: Operation/Others.
- There are four pages in this menu that can be scrolled through using the arrow buttons at the top.
- Navigate to page four. Here we find the Custom Controls menu. Select the page to begin configuring the controls.
- There are nine physical camera controls that can be configured to our liking:
- The shutter half-press function can be configured to begin metering and autofocus, metering only, or auto exposure (AE) lock.
- The SET button on the back of the camera can be configured to operate in one of six ways:
- No function
- Set image quality
- Set picture style
- Open the settings menu
- Set ISO by holding the SET button down then adjusting using the main dial
- Flash exposure compensation
- The AF-ON and AE Lock buttons on the top left of the back of the camera each have the same eight options:
- Metering and AF start
- AE (autoexposure)/ FE (flash exposure) lock
- AF Stop
- AE lock (hold)
- AE lock
- FE lock
- Off
- The main dial and quick control dial on the top of the camera have the same two configurations: shutter speed or aperture adjustment.
- The DOF (Depth of Field) preview button found next to the bottom of the lens base by the camera grip has all the same options as the AF and AE buttons above, with the addition of toggling between One Shot and AI Servo shooting modes, toggling image stabilization, and toggling the viewfinder’s electronic level.
- The multi controller directional buttons at the back of the camera can be turned off, or used to select the autofocus point.
- Finally, if your equipped lens has custom function button, it can be configured to turn off autofocus, start metering and AF, AE/FE lock, toggling between One Shot and AI Servo, toggling image stabilization, AE lock (hold), AE lock, and FE lock.
Once saved, your camera will now function exactly as you have set it up. Use these settings to fine tune the operation of you camera to your liking, or press the Default Settings button (with a trash can icon) in the C.Fn III: Operations menu to reset to the camera’s defaults.
Check out our Canon 70D Tips & Tricks Roundup for more info!
