Photography Cheat Sheet
A printable quick reference. Add your camera below for a version tuned to it.
Photography Cheat Sheet
ShootSm.art
Scene settings
| Scene | Shutter | Aperture | ISO | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birds in flight | 1/2000+ | f/5.6–8 | Auto | AF-C · animal/bird eye |
| Wildlife | 1/1000+ | f/5.6 | Auto | AF-C · eye |
| Sports | 1/1000 | widest | Auto | AF-C · tracking |
| Kids & pets | 1/500 | f/2.8–4 | Auto | AF-C · eye |
| Portrait | 1/250 | f/1.8–2.8 | 100–400 | Eye AF |
| Landscape | tripod | f/8–11 | 100 | Single / manual |
| Street | 1/250 | f/5.6–8 | Auto | Zone / single |
| Macro | 1/200+ | f/8–16 | 400–1600 | Manual / single |
| Night / astro | 10–20s | widest | 1600–6400 | Manual to stars |
| Long-exposure water | 1/4–2s | f/8–11 | 100 | Single, +ND filter |
Exposure triangle
Aperture
Depth of field + light
f/1.8 = blurred background
f/11 = all sharp
f/11 = all sharp
Shutter
Motion
1/2000 = frozen
1/30 = motion blur
1/30 = motion blur
ISO
Brightness (+ noise)
100 = clean
6400 = noisy but sharp
6400 = noisy but sharp
A noisy sharp photo beats a clean blurry one.
ISO by light
| Bright sun | 100–200 |
| Cloudy / shade | 400–800 |
| Indoor window light | 800–1600 |
| Dim indoor | 1600–6400 |
| Night / events | 3200–12800 |
Focus modes
| AF-S / One-Shot | Still subjects |
| AF-C / Servo | Anything moving |
| Single point | Precision, portraits |
| Zone / tracking | Action, wildlife |
| Eye / animal AF | People, pets, birds |
Before you shoot
- Battery charged, card formatted
- Exposure compensation reset to 0
- Right focus + drive mode set
- White balance checked
- One test shot — zoom in to check sharpness
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Starting points, not rules — adjust to your light and subject. Want the full, personalized handbook? Open your Field Guide →