Learn to take gorgeous photos with this beginner-friendly guide to dSLR photography
The Canon EOS Rebel T8i/850D dSLR camera has dozens of features that can help you take beautiful and striking photos. But if you’re new to photography, where do you begin? And is it possible to get up to speed quickly, without a lot of technical knowledge?
Absolutely! In Canon EOS Rebel T8i/850D For Dummies, expert photography educator Julie King draws on her years of experience as she walks you through the ins and outs of photography and your Canon camera. Julie skips the technical jargon and gives you the info you need in plain language, guiding you through everything from shooting your first photos in auto mode to taking full control of your camera’s features.
In the book you’ll:
- Take the fast track to stunning stills with camera setup, picture settings, and Canon’s Auto Mode
- Customize your picture taking experience by taking control of settings like exposure and focus
- Access and organize your new picture library both on your camera and your computer
Perfect for anyone who’s just received a Canon EOS Rebel and doesn’t know where to begin, this book will also earn a place in the libraries of more seasoned photographers who want to unlock everything this great camera has to offer.
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1
A Quick Look at What’s Ahead 2
Icons and Other Stuff to Note 3
Practice, Be Patient, and Have Fun! 3
Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps 5
Chapter 1: Getting Up and Running 7
Preparing the Camera for Initial Use 7
Exploring External Camera Features 12
Topside controls 12
Back-of-the-body controls 14
And the rest 20
Changing from Guided to Standard Display Mode 22
Ordering from Camera Menus 25
Mastering menu basics 25
Navigating Custom Functions 28
Customizing the Touchscreen 29
Viewing Camera Settings 31
Displaying the Quick Control screen 32
Decoding viewfinder data 33
Switching to Live View Mode 35
Customizing the Live View display 37
Live View safety tips 40
Using Quick Control Mode 40
Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens 44
Working with Memory Cards 47
Reviewing Basic Setup Options 49
Setup Menu 1 49
Setup Menu 2 51
Setup Menu 3 53
Setup Menu 4 54
Setup Menu 5 55
A few other critical menu options before you go 56
Chapter 2: Choosing Basic Picture Settings 59
Choosing an Exposure Mode 60
Basic Zone exposure modes 60
Creative Zone modes (P, Tv, Av, and M) 61
Changing the Drive Mode 62
Understanding the Image Quality Setting 67
Considering resolution: L, M, S1, or S2? 67
Understanding file type (JPEG or Raw) 71
Adjusting the Image Quality setting 76
Setting the Photo Aspect Ratio 79
Adding Flash 81
Setting the flash to fire (or not) 85
Adding Red-Eye Reduction 90
Reviewing Advanced Flash Options 91
Adjusting flash output with Flash Exposure Compensation 92
Locking the flash exposure 94
Investigating other flash options 96
Chapter 3: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically 101
Using Scene Intelligent Auto Mode 102
Viewfinder shooting 102
Live View photography in Scene Intelligent Auto mode 106
Exploring Creative Assist Adjustments 110
Discovering Selfie Mode 118
Taking Advantage of SCN (Scene) Modes 121
Accessing Scene modes 122
Reviewing the available scene modes 124
Adjusting camera settings in SCN mode 128
Part 2: Taking Creative Control 131
Chapter 4: Taking Charge of Exposure 133
Introducing the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 134
Aperture affects depth of field 136
Shutter speed affects motion blur 137
ISO affects image noise 139
Doing the exposure balancing act 140
Stepping Up to Advance Exposure Modes (P, Tv, Av, and M) 141
Monitoring Exposure Settings 143
Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode 146
Setting ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed 149
Controlling ISO 150
Adjusting aperture and shutter speed 154
Sorting Through Your Camera’s Exposure-Correction Tools 156
Overriding autoexposure results with Exposure Compensation 156
Improving high-contrast shots with Highlight Tone Priority 162
Experimenting with Auto Lighting Optimizer 165
Looking at a few other exposure solutions 169
Locking Autoexposure Settings 172
Bracketing Exposures Automatically 174
Chapter 5: Controlling Focus and Depth of Field 179
Setting the Lens to Automatic or Manual Focusing Mode 180
Discovering the AF ON button 182
Exploring Viewfinder Focusing Options 183
Adjusting autofocus performance 184
Considering a few other autofocus settings 194
Focusing in Live View and Movie Modes 196
AF Method: Setting the focusing area 196
AF Operation: One-Shot or Servo? 202
Manual focusing in Live View and Movie modes 205
Zooming in for a focus check 206
Manipulating Depth of Field 208
Chapter 6: Mastering Color Controls 213
Understanding White Balance 214
Changing the White Balance setting 215
Creating a custom White Balance setting 220
Fine-tuning color with White Balance Shift 222
Bracketing White Balance 226
Taking a Quick Look at Picture Styles 229
Changing the Color Space 233
Chapter 7: Putting It All Together 235
Recapping Basic Picture Settings 235
Shooting Still Portraits 237
Capturing Action 242
Capturing Scenic Vistas 246
Capturing Dynamic Close-Ups 249
Chapter 8: Shooting and Viewing Movies 251
Recording Movies Using Default Settings 252
Setting the Broadcast Standard (NTSC or PAL) 256
Understanding the Movie Recording Size Setting 257
Selecting Audio Options 261
Using Movie Digital Zoom 264
Recording Vertical Movies 267
Reviewing Other Movie Options 269
Autofocusing options 270
Movie Digital IS 271
Playing with exposure and color 272
Checking out a few final features 275
Playing Movies 277
Part 3: After the Shot 281
Chapter 9: Picture Playback 283
Adjusting Instant Image Review 283
Viewing Pictures in Playback Mode 284
Viewing multiple thumbnails at a time (Index mode) 287
Jumping through images 289
Rotating still pictures 291
Zooming in for a closer view 294
Showing focus points during playback 295
Viewing Picture Data 296
Basic Information display mode 297
Shooting Information display mode 299
Understanding histograms 304
Taking Advantage of Image Search 306
Chapter 10: Working with Picture and Movie Files 311
Deleting Files 312
Protecting Photos and Movies 316
Rating Photos and Movies 318
Fixing Red-Eye 321
Cropping Photos 322
Processing Raw Images in the Camera 326
Understanding the basic approach 327
Using the Raw Image Processing tool 329
Processing Raw images using Creative Assist 333
Sending Pictures to the Computer 336
Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing 340
Part 4: The Part of Tens 343
Chapter 11: Ten More Customization Options 345
Giving the Set Button an Extra Job 345
Customizing Four Other Buttons 347
Disabling the AF-Assist Beam 348
Creating a Custom Menu 348
Adding Custom Folders 349
Turning Off the Shooting Settings Screen 350
Embedding Copyright Notices 351
Adding Cleaning Instructions to Images 353
Stopping a Retractable Lens from Closing 353
Swapping the AF Point Selection and AE Lock Button Functions 354
Chapter 12: Ten Features to Explore on a Rainy Day 357
Shooting a Time-Lapse Movie 358
Enabling Mirror Lockup 360
Exploring a Few Obscure Printing Options 360
Adding Special Effects to Photos 362
Adding Effects During Shooting 364
Creating Video Snapshots 366
Trimming Movies 368
Setting Up for Smooth HDTV Playback 369
Presenting a Slide Show 370
Viewing Photos and Movies on a TV 372
Appendix: Exploring Wireless Connections 375
Index 389
About the Author :
Julie Adair King is the bestselling author of many books about digital imaging, including For Dummies guides to Nikon, Canon, and Olympus digital cameras. When not writing, she teaches at various locations, including top photography schools such as the Palm Beach Photographic Centre.
