Two settings do all the work: AF-C with zone, and an Auto ISO floor of 1/500 s. Then get down to their eye level and wait. Nothing else about photographing children is technical.
A mode wide open AF-C + zone 1/500 s min 5 fps burst ISO to 6400
The setup
| Control | Setting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | A, widest available aperture | Every stop buys shutter speed |
| Auto ISO | Bank 2, max 6400, min shutter 1/500 s | Feet and hands move faster than faces |
| Focus | AF-C, ZONE 5×5, face and eye detection on | They will not stay under a single point |
| Drive | Low-speed burst, 5 fps, mechanical shutter | Enough frames for an expression; no rolling-shutter lean |
| Focal length | 23-33 mm indoors, 45 mm outdoors | Indoors you rarely have room to back up |
| Film simulation | ASTIA, or CLASSIC Neg. for a family-album feel | Both are kind to skin |
Technique that matters more than settings
- Get to their height. Kneel. Use the tilting screen so you are not craning. An adult-height photograph of a child is a photograph of the top of a head.
- Do not ask them to pose. Give them something to do and photograph them doing it.
- Pre-focus where they will be, not where they are — the swing’s high point, the bottom of the slide.
- For pets, get the eyes and the ears. A dog’s eyes are darker than a face and harder for AF; aim at the edge of an eye where there is contrast.
- Zoom for candour. Stepping closer makes a child look up; zooming does not. This is the kit zoom’s real superpower.
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sharp background, blurred child | Subject motion, shutter too slow | 1/500 s floor, then 1/1000 s for running |
| Focus locked behind them | AF-S locked and they moved | AF-C with zone, held through the whole sequence |
| Camera focused on the wrong child | Face detection picked the nearest face | Tap the face you want, or switch to single point |
| Too many almost-identical frames | 20 or 30 fps | 5 fps, and cull the same day |