Best Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS Settings for Photos and Video

Recommended Canon ELPH 360 HS settings at a glance

These are starting points, not rules. The ELPH 360 HS is at its best when you let it handle routine exposure decisions and only change a setting when the scene gives you a reason.

How to find the important settings

The image quality controls are split between two places. Press the FUNC./SET button in the middle of the rear control pad to open the quick function menu. This is where you will find metering, My Colors, white balance, ISO, shooting mode, exposure compensation, the self-timer, drive mode, aspect ratio, photo size, and movie quality.

Press the MENU button to open the full menu. Its shooting tab contains controls such as the AF frame, digital zoom, Continuous AF, the AF-assist beam, i-Contrast, image review, grid lines, image stabilization, and the date stamp.

The setup tab also contains options such as sound, date and time, power saving, and screen brightness. Those affect how the camera feels to use, but they do not directly improve the recorded image, so set them to your preference.

Best exposure and color settings

Light metering: use Evaluative most of the time

Metering tells the camera which part of the frame to consider when choosing an exposure. Evaluative metering considers the whole scene and is where I normally leave it for everyday photos.

Center weighted average considers the whole frame but gives more importance to the middle. Spot metering measures a small area in the center. Use either when the subject needs a different exposure from the background, then switch back when the situation changes.

My Colors: keep it Off if you edit

The My Colors options apply looks such as Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, and Black & White in the camera. The effect is baked into the JPEG. If you record a black and white image, for example, you cannot restore its original color later.

I keep My Colors off and make those adjustments on my phone or in an editor such as Lightroom. If you never edit and want a finished effect straight from the camera, experiment with the looks deliberately. Just remember that the choice is permanent for that file.

White balance: Auto is the practical default

White balance controls whether the image looks warmer or cooler. The daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, and custom options can correct a specific type of light or create a deliberate color cast.

I have found Auto white balance to be a good general purpose option on this camera. It tries to neutralize the color of the light without requiring a menu change every time you walk indoors or outside. Switch to a preset or Custom white balance only when Auto is getting the color wrong or when you want a consistent look across a series of photos.

ISO: leave it on Auto for point and shoot simplicity

A higher ISO lets the camera work in darker conditions, but it can add visible grain and reduce fine detail. A lower ISO normally produces a cleaner file, although it may require a slower shutter speed that increases blur from camera or subject movement.

For the way this compact camera is meant to be used, I prefer Auto ISO. I would rather get a slightly noisy photo than miss it completely because the ISO was locked too low. If you have time to control the scene, use a lower ISO in good light and check that the shutter speed is still fast enough.

Exposure compensation: start at 0 or -1/3 EV

Exposure compensation tells the camera to make the image brighter or darker than its normal reading. The range is minus 2 to plus 2 stops in one third stop steps.

Leave it at 0 for a neutral starting point. I also like -1/3 EV when bright highlights are in danger of turning pure white, because a slightly dark photo is often easier to correct than detail that has been completely overexposed. Reset it when the lighting changes so every later image is not unintentionally dark.

Shooting mode and image quality settings

Shooting mode: Program gives you the best balance of control and speed

Auto mode makes almost every decision for you. Program mode still controls the basic exposure automatically, but it gives you access to settings such as ISO and exposure compensation. I normally use Program because I can make a quick correction without turning the camera into a fully manual setup.

The scene modes are useful when their names match what you are doing. Portrait, Handheld Night Scene, High-Speed Burst, and the other specialized modes change the camera's priorities for a specific situation. High-Speed Burst can capture action more quickly, but it records lower resolution 5-megapixel images, so do not leave it enabled for normal shooting.

Self-timer and drive mode: change them only when the shot needs it

The camera offers 10 second, 2 second, and custom self-timers. The two second timer is especially useful when the camera is on a tripod and you do not want the press of the shutter button to shake the shot.

Use Single drive for normal photos. Switch to Continuous when you want the camera to keep shooting while the shutter button is held, such as for action or an expression that may change quickly.

Aspect ratio: use 4:3 to capture the full image

The 4:3 option records the camera's full 5184 x 3888-pixel Large image. Other aspect ratios crop pixels from the top, bottom, or sides. A 16:9 frame may look ready for a screen, and a 1:1 frame may look ready for a square post, but you give up the freedom to choose a different crop later.

I recommend 4:3 unless you have a specific reason to create the crop in camera. You can always make a 16:9, 3:2, or square version from the full image when editing.

Photo size and compression: choose Large and Super Fine

Set the image size to Large (L) for the most detail. At 4:3, that gives you the full 20-megapixel output. Dropping to Medium or Small only makes sense when storage space is so limited that a lower resolution photo is better than no photo.

Set compression to Super Fine for the highest quality JPEG. The files take more space than Fine, but memory cards are inexpensive enough that I would solve a storage problem with a better card instead of permanently throwing away image quality.

Best autofocus settings

AF frame: choose the mode for the subject

• Face AiAF: My default for people and general shooting. It searches the frame and prioritizes detected faces.
• Tracking AF: Use it when you want to choose a subject and have the camera try to follow it. In my demonstration, it tracked a moving hand reasonably well, but it was not perfectly accurate.
• Center: Use it when you want a predictable focus point in the middle. Focus on the subject, keep the shutter half-pressed, recompose, and then take the photo if the subject should sit away from the center.

The AF Frame Size option applies to Center AF and lets you choose Normal or Small. The smaller frame can help when you need to isolate a precise detail, while Normal is easier for everyday use.

Digital zoom: turn it Off

The camera already has a 12x optical zoom. Optical zoom uses the lens to magnify the subject; digital zoom enlarges and crops the recorded pixels, which reduces image quality. I keep digital zoom off and use the optical range instead.

If the 12x optical zoom is still not enough, capture the cleanest full resolution image you can and decide how much to crop later. That preserves more control than committing to a digital crop in the camera.

AF-point zoom: use it only as a focus checking aid

AF-point zoom magnifies the area inside the focus frame when you press the shutter button halfway, making it easier to check focus before taking the photo. It is not extra optical zoom, and Canon notes that it is unavailable when digital zoom is in use. Leave it off for an uncluttered preview or turn it on when the magnified confirmation helps you.

Servo AF: turn it On for moving subjects

Servo AF keeps adjusting focus and exposure on a moving subject while you hold the shutter button halfway. Use it for people, pets, or other subjects moving toward or away from the camera. It may not lock successfully in every low light scene, and it is not needed for a stationary subject.

Continuous AF: On for readiness, Off for a little more battery life

Continuous AF makes the camera keep looking for focus even before you half-press the shutter. I usually leave it on because the camera stays more prepared for a quick photo, especially when I or the subject is moving.

Turning it off stops that constant focus activity and saves some battery power. The difference is not dramatic, but it is a reasonable change when you are photographing mostly static scenes and trying to stretch a charge.

AF-assist beam: leave it Off unless the camera cannot focus

The AF-assist beam projects a bright red light to help the camera focus in the dark. It can be useful, but it is also distracting to people and animals. I leave it off most of the time and enable it only when the camera cannot focus in low light.

Processing and display settings

Red-eye reduction lamp: enable it only when flash causes a problem

The red-eye reduction lamp is meant to reduce red eyes in flash portraits. I keep it off unless I am seeing that problem. If flash photos repeatedly show red eyes, turn it on for that situation instead of treating it as a required image quality setting.

i-Contrast: keep it Off for a more predictable file

i-Contrast can automatically brighten dark areas and adjust overall contrast before the photo is saved. That may help a high contrast scene, but Canon warns that the correction can be inaccurate or make images look grainy in some conditions.

I keep it off so the camera does not make an automatic tonal change that I cannot control. If you do not edit your photos and prefer a brighter result straight from the camera, test Auto on a difficult scene and compare it with an uncorrected shot.

Image review: choose the option that keeps you shooting

The camera can show each image for 2, 4, or 8 seconds, hold it on screen, or skip the automatic review. I turn review off because I would rather keep the shooting screen active and press the Playback button when I actually want to check a photo.

If immediate feedback helps you catch a bad exposure or missed focus, two seconds is a sensible alternative. This choice changes your workflow, not the recorded image.

Grid lines: turn them On when they improve composition

The grid places a rule-of-thirds guide on the screen. It can help keep horizons level and position a subject away from the center. Leave it on while learning composition or turn it off when you want a cleaner preview.

Date stamp: keep it Off unless you want it permanently

The date or date-and-time stamp is recorded permanently in the corner of the photo. You cannot switch it off after the image has been captured. I keep it off to avoid accidentally putting a stamp on an entire group of photos. Add a date later in editing if you need one.

Best video and stabilization settings

Movie quality: choose Full HD

Set movie quality to Full HD, 1920 x 1080 at 29.97 fps. This is the best video setting the camera offers. The ELPH 360 HS is an older compact camera, so its video will not match a modern 4K phone or newer camera, but lowering the resolution further only gives away more detail unless you specifically want a low resolution look or need to conserve card space.

IS Mode: Continuous for handheld shooting, Off on a tripod

Image stabilization helps reduce blur from camera shake. I keep IS Mode on Continuous for handheld photos so the preview and captured image remain stabilized. Shoot Only activates stabilization when you half-press the shutter and can save a little power.

Turn stabilization off when the camera is firmly mounted on a tripod. Canon specifically recommends disabling it when the camera is held still that way.

Dynamic IS: use 1 for the strongest movie stabilization

Dynamic IS 1 applies stronger stabilization to movies, which is my default for handheld recording. The tradeoff is a tighter field of view. Dynamic IS 2 reduces that stabilization so the recorded framing stays closer to what you saw before pressing Record.

Use 1 when steadier handheld footage matters most. Use 2 when you need a wider view and can hold the camera steadily.