Camera Menus

The EOS 550D's menus are more or less identical to the EOS 500D's, and will be immediately familiar to anyone who has used a Canon SLR in recent years. As is usual for Canon, there are simpler versions of the menu that are encountered when you switch away from the manual and semi-manual modes. In these simplified menus, the order of the options tends to be the same but the additional pages with more complex options have been hidden.

Full menu (P, Tv, Av, M, A-DEP) Movie menu.

Shooting section (red)

Option
Values / Actions
Notes
Quality  • Large Fine
 • Large Normal
 • Medium Fine
 • Medium Normal
 • Small Fine
 • Small Normal
 • RAW + Large Fine
 • RAW

- JPEG Large = 5184 x 3456
- JPEG Medium = 3456 x 2304
- JPEG Small = 2592 x 1728

- RAW = 5184 x 3456

Beep  • On
 • Off
Enables auto focus confirmation beep. Also used for self timer.
Release shutter without card  • On
 • Off
Allow shot to be taken without SD card inserted.
Image Review  • Off
 • 2 sec
 • 4 sec
 • 8 sec
 • Hold
 
Peripheral illum. correct.  • Enable
 • Disable
Corrects vignetting depending on the attached lens.
Red-eye on/off  • Off
 • On
Enables the use of the AF / red-eye lamp just before a flash shot.
Flash control  • Flash firing
Enable
Disable
 • Built-in flash function setting
Flash mode
E-TTL II
Shutter sync
1st curtain
2nd curtain
Flash exposure compensation
+/- 2.0 EV
E-TTL II
Evaluative
Average
 • External flash function setting
Only with flash connected
 • External flash C.Fn setting
Only with flash connected
 • Clear external flash C.Fn setting
Only with flash connected
 
Expo. comp./AEB  • +/-2 EV
 • 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps
Configures auto exposure bracketing.
Auto Lighting Optimizer  • Disable
 • Low
 • Standard
 • Strong
This is no longer a custom function.
Metering mode  • Evaluative metering
 • Partial metering
 • Spot metering
 • Center-weighted average
 
Custom WB  • Set custom WB Select image for custom WB.
WB Shift / BKT  • Shift: B9-A9, M9-G9
 • Bracket: BA+/-3, MG+/-3
Configures WB shift and WB bracketing.
Color space  • sRGB
 • Adobe RGB
 
Picture Style  • Standard
 • Portrait
 • Landscape
 • Neutral
 • Faithful
 • Monochrome
 • User Def. 1
 • User Def. 2
 • USer Def. 3
 
Dust Delete Data  • OK
 • Cancel
 
ISO Auto  • Max 400
 • Max 800
 • Max 1600
 • Max 3200
 • Max 6400
define the maximum auto ISO setting

Metering mode weights

The diagram below (provided by Canon) shows the area of the frame measured in different metering modes.

Recent Videos

Picture Style

The picture styles are accessible via a direct button but, like the EOS 500D, can only be edited and tweaked via the main menu. It's possible to configure up to three custom styles, though, either via the camera or the 'Picture Styles Utility' software that comes with the camera, and these can be selected from the direct access button.

Playback Section (Blue)

Option
Notes
Protect images
Protect mode, allows you to browse images either in a single image or thumbnail view and mark each image as protected (or un-protect). This simply sets the read-only flag on the CF card file system.
Rotate
Rotate mode, again, this can be performed in either single image or thumbnail index view. This option allows you to rotate an image on-screen by 90 or 270 degrees. It doesn't actually rotate the JPEG file, but marks its orientation.
Erase images
 • Select and erase images
 • All images in folder
 • All images on card
Print order Allows you to create a DPOF print order file, for use with compatible printers or photo finishers.

 • Select images
 • By folder
Mark all in folder
Clear all in folder
 • All images
 • Set up
Print type
Standard
Index
Both
Date
On
Off
File no.
On
Off
Slide show Select the images and set the Display time and Repeat settings for automatic playback
Histogram  • Brightness
 • RGB
Image jump

 • 1 image
 • 10 images
 • 100 images
 • Date
 • Movies
 • Stills

Crtl over HDMI Disable/enable

Setup Section (Yellow)

Option
Values / Actions
Notes
Auto power off  • 30 sec
 • 1 min
 • 2 min
 • 4 min
 • 8 min
 • 15 min
 • Off
Sets camera power off time, this is the amount of "idle time" before the camera powers itself off. In the power off state the camera can be woken by half or fully depressing the shutter release (or turning the power switch to Off and back to On).
Auto rotate  • On (play mode and EXIF)
 • On (EXIF)
 • Off
Chooses whether orientation information is recorded and if the camera should rotate in play mode.
Format  • OK
 • Cancel
Format the CF card
File numbering  • Continuous
 • Auto reset
 • Manual reset
Controls the numbering method used for filenames.
LCD auto off  • Enable
 • Disable
 
Screen color  • 1 (Black on White)
 • 2 (White on Black)
 • 3 (Cream on Burgundy)
 • 4 (Green on Black)
 
Eye-Fi settings*

*only visible when Eye-Fi card in use.
• Eye-Fi Trans.
Enable
Disable
• Connection info.
- enable automatic transmission


- displays access point and MAC address information
LCD Brightness  • 1 to 7  
Date/Time  • Set Date & Time
 • Set Date format
 
Language

 • English
 • German
 • French
 • Dutch
 • Danish
 • Portuguese
 • Finnish
 • Italian
 • Ukrainian
 • Norwegian
 • Swedish
 • Spanish
 • Greek
 • Russian
 • Polish
 • Czech
 • Hungarian
 • Romanian
 • Turkish
 • Arabic
 • Thai
 • Simplified Chinese
 • Traditional Chinese
 • Korean
 • Japanese

Select menu language.
Video system  • NTSC
 • PAL
Select video system for video out connector.
Sensor cleaning
 • Auto cleaning
Enable
Disable
 • Clean now
Cancel
OK
 • Clean manually
Cancel
OK

Defines the settings for the built-in cleaning system, by default the system is enabled and cleans at startup and shutdown (although can be interrupted).

The 'clean manually' option locks the mirror and shutter up.

Live View function settings

• Live View shooting
Enable
Disable
 • Grid display
Off
Grid 1
Grid 2
 • Metering timer
4 sec
16 sec
30 sec
1 min
10 min
30 min
 • Af mode
Quick mode
Live mode
Live Face mode

Defines parameters for Live View.
Custom Functions (C.Fn) Enters C.Fn menu  
Copyright information • Display copyright info
• Enter Author's name
• Enter copyright details
• Delete copyright information
When you set the copyright information, it will be appended to the image as Exif information.
Clear settings  • Clear all camera settings
 • Clear all Custom Func. (C.Fn)
 • Cancel
 
Firmware Select to load new firmware from CF card Also shows current version