A cheat sheet for settings in three parameters: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO.

1. Outdoor: Sunny

Principle: a lot of light, so we keep ISO at minimum

Parameter	Settings
ISO	100
Aperture	f/8 – f/11 (for landscapes) or f/2.8 (for portraits)
Shutter Speed	1/500 – 1/2000

2. Outdoor: Cloudy

Principle: The light is soft, but less than in the sun.

Parameter	Settings
ISO	200 – 400
Aperture	f/4 – f/5.6
Shutter Speed	1/200 – 1/500

3. Outdoor: Sunset

Principle: Light fades quickly, a balance between noise and exposure is needed.

Parameter	Settings
ISO	400 – 800
Aperture	f/2.8 – f/5.6
Shutter Speed	1/60 – 1/125 (use a tripod if longer)

4. Indoor: Daylight

Principle: Depends on proximity to the window.

Parameter	Settings
ISO	400 – 800
Aperture	f/2.8 – f/4
Shutter Speed	1/125 – 1/200

5. Indoor: Dark

Principle: Open the aperture as wide as possible and raise the ISO.

Parameter	Settings
ISO	1600 – 3200+
Aperture	f/1.4 – f/2.8 (the smallest number on your lens)
Shutter Speed	1/60 (this is the limit to avoid hands shaking)

6. Studio

Principle: You have full control over the light (flashes). Standard mode.

Parameter	Settings
ISO	100
Aperture	f/8 (for maximum sharpness)
Shutter Speed	1/125 – 1/160 (flash sync speed)

Tip: If you want to blur the background (bokeh), always keep the aperture at its smallest value (for example, f/1.8). If you are shooting a group of people or a landscape, close it down to f/8 or higher.