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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
Get picture-perfect shots with your Canon EOS Rebel T6i/750D Your Canon EOS Rebel T6i/750D is capable of taking incredibly cool and truly frame-worthy photos, but unless you know how use it properly your pictures won't be worth a thousand words. Luckily, Canon EOS Rebel T6i/750D For Dummies is packed with the tips, tricks, and instruction you'd gain in a photography course to take the intimidation out of working with your new camera--so you can start taking stunning photos right away. Assuming no prior experience in photography, this book gets you up to speed on core photography concepts, then shows you how to grasp using the features specific to the Canon EOS Rebel T6i/750D, like working in automatic mode, controlling exposure, selecting the best lens for the job, using shutter and aperture priority modes, knowing how and when to use flash, and so much more. Whether you're looking to capture lovely landscapes, perfect portraits, awesome action shots--or anything in between--the friendly guidance you'll find inside offers everything you need to get the shot...every time. * Get started in automatic mode before working up to advanced features * Take control of your camera's exposure, lighting, color, and focus settings * Shoot better portraits and action shots * Get great shots every time--even in low light and when composing close-ups Complemented by online supplements that cover the unique features of the companion T6i/750D at dummies.com, this hands-on guide will take your pictures from bland to beautiful in a flash!
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Seitenzahl: 492
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015
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Canon® EOS Rebel T6i/750D For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015945380
ISBN 978-1-119-12883-0 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-12888-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-12884-7 (ebk)
Canon EOS Rebel T6i/750D For Dummies
Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/canoneosrebelt6i750d to view this book's cheat sheet.
Table of Contents
Cover
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I: Fast Track to Super Snaps
Chapter 1: Getting Up and Running
Preparing the Camera for Initial Use
Using the Touch Screen
Ordering from Camera Menus
Exploring External Camera Features
Using the Monitor as a Viewfinder: Live View Shooting
Monitoring Critical Picture Settings
Changing Settings via the Quick Control Screen
Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens
Working with Memory Cards
Reviewing Basic Setup Options
Chapter 2: Choosing Basic Picture Settings
Choosing an Exposure Mode
Changing the Drive Mode
Setting Resolution and File Type (The Image Quality Setting)
Adding Flash
Chapter 3: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically
Shooting in Auto and Flash Off Modes
Taking Advantage of Scene Modes
Gaining More Control with Creative Auto
Part II: Taking Creative Control
Chapter 4: Taking Charge of Exposure
Introducing the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO
Stepping Up to Advanced Exposure Modes (P, Tv, Av, and M)
Monitoring Exposure Settings
Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode
Setting ISO, f-stop, and Shutter Speed
Sorting Through Your Camera’s Exposure-Correction Tools
Locking Autoexposure Settings
Bracketing Exposures Automatically
Chapter 5: Controlling Focus and Depth of Field
Setting the Lens Focus Mode
Exploring Viewfinder Focusing Options
Adjusting Autofocus Performance
Focusing During Live View and Movie Shooting
Manipulating Depth of Field
Chapter 6: Mastering Color Controls
Understanding the White Balance Setting
Taking a Quick Look at Picture Styles
Chapter 7: Putting It All Together
Recapping Basic Picture Settings
Shooting Still Portraits
Capturing Action
Capturing Scenic Vistas
Capturing Dynamic Close-Ups
Coping with Special Situations
Chapter 8: Shooting and Viewing Movies
Recording Your First Movie Using the Default Settings
Customizing Movie Recording Settings
Playing Movies
Part III: After the Shot
Chapter 9: Picture Playback
Disabling and Adjusting Image Review
Viewing Pictures in Playback Mode
Viewing Picture Data
Viewing Your Photos on a Television
Chapter 10: Working with Picture and Movie Files
Deleting Files
Protecting Photos and Movies
Rating Photos and Movies
Cropping Photos
Installing the Canon Software
Sending Pictures to the Computer
Converting Raw Images in Digital Photo Professional
Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing
Part IV: The Part of Tens
Chapter 11: Ten More Ways to Customize Your Camera
Changing the Function of the Set Button
Customizing the AE Lock and Shutter Button
Disabling the AF-Assist Beam
Silencing the Camera
Preventing Shutter Release without a Memory Card
Reducing the Number of Exposure Stops
Creating Your Own Camera Menu
Creating Custom Folders
Turning Off the Shooting Settings Screen
Changing the Color Space from sRGB to Adobe RGB
Chapter 12: Ten Features to Explore on a Rainy Day
Enabling Mirror Lockup
Adding Cleaning Instructions to Images
Tagging Files with Your Copyright Claim
Exploring Two Special Printing Options
Adding Special Effects to Your Photos
Tagging Pictures for a Photo Book
Presenting a Slide Show
Creating Video Snapshots
Trimming Movies
Exploring Wi-Fi Functions
About the Authors
Cheat Sheet
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
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Introduction
In 2003, Canon revolutionized the photography world by introducing the first digital SLR camera (dSLR) to sell for less than $1,000, the EOS Digital Rebel/300D. The camera delivered exceptional performance and picture quality, earning it rave reviews and multiple industry awards. No wonder it quickly became a best seller.
That tradition of excellence and value lives on in the EOS Rebel T6i/750D. Like its ancestors, this baby offers a range of controls for experienced photographers plus an assortment of features and tools designed to help beginners be successful. Adding to the fun, the Rebel T6i/750D also offers the option to record full high-definition video.
About This Book
The T6i/750D is so feature-packed that sorting out everything can be a challenge. For starters, you may not even be sure what SLR means, let alone have a clue about all the other terms you encounter in your camera manual — resolution, aperture, and ISO, for example. And if you’re like many people, you may be so overwhelmed by all the controls on your camera that you haven’t yet ventured beyond fully automatic picture-taking mode. That’s a shame because it’s sort of like buying a Porsche Turbo and never pushing it past 50 miles per hour.
Therein lies the point of Canon EOS Rebel T6i/750D For Dummies. In this book, you can discover not only what each bell and whistle on your camera does but also when, where, why, and how to put it to best use. Unlike many photography books, this one doesn’t require any previous knowledge of photography or digital imaging to make sense of concepts, either. In classic For Dummies style, everything is explained in easy-to-understand language, with lots of illustrations to help clear up any confusion.
In short, what you have in your hands is the paperback version of an in-depth photography workshop tailored specifically to your Canon picture-taking powerhouse. Whether your interests lie in taking family photos, exploring nature and travel photography, or snapping product shots for your business, you’ll get the information you need to capture the images you envision.
This book is organized into four parts, each devoted to a different aspect of using your camera. Although chapters flow in a sequence that’s designed to take you from absolute beginner to experienced user, we also tried to make each chapter as self-standing as possible so that you can explore topics that interest you in any order you please.
Additionally, we need to point out a few other details that will help you use this book:
Margin art:
Replicas of some of your camera’s buttons and onscreen graphics appear in the margins and in some tables. We include these images to provide quick reminders of the appearance of the button or option being discussed.
Camera menu and screen options:
In many cases, you can select a camera setting by using the cross keys and then pressing the Set button. To avoid having to spell all that out every time we describe a camera function that can be accessed, we use some verbal shorthand and simply tell you to choose the setting in question.
Software menu commands:
In sections that cover software, a series of words connected by an arrow indicates commands you choose from the program menus. For example, if a step tells you, “Choose File ⇒ Export,” click the File menu to unfurl it and then click the Export command on the menu.
Foolish Assumptions
Although it’s not possible for us to know everything about you — we’re not sure whether orange or blue is your favorite color or whether you have a penchant for mocha lattes or prefer herbal tea — we do tailor the content of this book around a few assumptions. Namely, we assume that you have little or no experience in photography, digital photography, or both, so we explain everything in beginner’s terms. Our goal is to help you take best advantage of your camera, whether you prefer to use Auto mode or built-in scenes, or decide to take on more creative control for yourself.
However, if you are a photo pro but new to the T6i/750D, this book is for you, too: It’ll help you get up and running with your new gear in no time.
Icons Used in This Book
A Tip icon flags information that will make your life easier. You’ll save time, effort, money, or other valuable resources, including your sanity.
This icon highlights important information that’s especially worth storing in your brain’s long-term memory or to remind you of a fact that may have been displaced from that memory by another pressing fact.
If we present a detail that’s useful mainly for impressing your geeky friends (but otherwise not critical for you to retain), we mark it with this icon.
When you see this icon, look alive. It indicates a potential danger zone that can result in much wailing and teeth-gnashing if it’s ignored.
Beyond the Book
We have snuck a bit of extra content online you may find helpful as you get to know your Rebel T6i/750D.
The Cheat Sheet for this book is at
www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/canoneosrebelt6i750d
The Cheat Sheet contains a quick-reference guide to all the buttons, dials, switches, and exposure modes on your camera. Log on, print it out, and tuck it in your camera bag for times when you don’t want to carry this book with you.
You can find online articles covering additional topics at
www.dummies.com/extras/canon
Updates to this book, if we have any, are at
www.dummies.com/extras/canon
Where to Go from Here
To wrap up this preamble, we want to stress that if you initially think that digital photography is too confusing or too technical for you, you’re in very good company. Everyone finds this stuff a little mind-boggling at first. Take it slowly, experimenting with just one or two new camera settings or techniques at first. Then, every time you go on a photo outing, make it a point to add one or two more shooting skills to your repertoire. With some time, patience, and practice, you’ll soon wield your camera like a pro, dialing in the necessary settings to capture your creative vision almost instinctively.
So without further ado, we invite you to grab your camera and a cup of whatever it is you prefer to sip while you read and then start exploring the rest of this book. Your Rebel T6i/750D is the perfect partner for your photographic journey, and we thank you for allowing us, in this book, to serve as your tour guides.
Part I
Fast Track to Super Snaps
Visit www.dummies.com for more great For Dummies content online.
In this part …
Familiarize yourself with the basics of using your camera, from attaching lenses to navigating menus.
Try out Live View versus traditional viewfinder photography.
Find out how to select the exposure mode, Drive mode, and Image Quality (resolution and file type), and monitor important settings while shooting.
Discover options available for flash photography.
Get step-by-step help with shooting your first pictures in Scene Intelligent Auto mode.
Take more creative control by using scene modes and Creative Auto mode.
Chapter 1
Getting Up and Running
In This Chapter
Preparing the camera for its first outing
Getting acquainted with camera features
Viewing and adjusting camera settings
Setting a few basic preferences
If you’re like many people, shooting for the first time with an SLR (single-lens reflex) camera produces a blend of excitement and anxiety. On one hand, you can’t wait to start using your new equipment, but on the other, you’re a little intimidated by all its buttons, dials, and menu options.
Well, fear not: This chapter provides the information you need to start getting comfortable with your Rebel T6i/750D. The first section walks you through initial camera setup; following that, you can get an overview of camera controls, discover how to view and adjust camera settings, work with lenses and memory cards, and get our take on some basic setup options.
Preparing the Camera for Initial Use
After unpacking your camera, you have to assemble a few parts. In addition to the camera body and the supplied battery (be sure to charge it before the first use), you need a lens and a memory card. Later sections in this chapter provide details about lenses and memory cards, but here’s what you need to know up front:
Lens:
Your camera accepts Canon EF and EF-S model lenses; the 18–55mm kit lens sold as a bundle with the camera body falls into the EF-S category. If you want to buy a non-Canon lens, check the lens manufacturer’s website to find out which lenses work with your camera.
SD (Secure Digital), SDHC, or SDXC memory card:
The SD stands for
Secure Digital;
the HC and XC for
High Capacity
and
eXtended Capacity.
The different labels reflect how many gigabytes (GB) of data the card holds. SD cards hold less than 4GB; SDHC, 4GB to 32GB; and SDXC, greater than 32GB.
With camera, lens, battery, and card within reach, take these steps:
Turn the camera off.
Attach a lens.
First, remove the caps that cover the front of the camera and the back of the lens. Then locate the proper lens mounting index on the camera body. Your camera has two of these markers, one red and one white, as shown in Figure 1-1. Which marker you use to align your lens depends on the lens type:
Canon EF-S lens:
The white square is the mounting index.
Canon EF lens:
The red dot is the mounting index.
Your lens also has a mounting index; align that mark with the matching one on the camera body, as shown in Figure 1-1. Place the lens on the camera mount and rotate the lens toward the lens-release button, labeled in the figure. You should feel a solid click as the lens locks into place.
Install the battery into the compartment on the bottom of the camera.
Hold the battery with the contacts down and slide it into the compartment. If you’re using the supplied LP-E17 battery, the Canon imprint faces the front of the camera, and the fine print faces the back. Gently push the battery in until the light gray lock clicks in place, as shown in Figure 1-2.
Make sure the camera is turned off and then insert a memory card into the compartment on the side of the camera.
Open the memory card door and orient the memory card so that the notched corner is on top and the label faces the back of the camera. Push the card gently into the slot and close the cover. Figure 1-3 shows the door open and card partially inserted into the slot.
Just above the card door is the card-access light, labeled in Figure 1-3, which lights while the camera is accessing the card, either to read existing data or record the last picture you shot. After you take a picture, make sure that the light is off, indicating that the picture data has made its way to the memory card, before you turn the camera off.
Rotate the monitor to the desired viewing position.
When you first take the camera out of its box, the monitor is positioned with the screen facing inward, protecting it from scratches and smudges, as shown on the left in Figure 1-4. Gently lift the right side of the monitor up and away from the camera back. You can then rotate the monitor to move it into the traditional position on the camera back, as shown on the right in the figure. Or swing the monitor out to get a different viewing angle, as shown in Figure 1-5.
Turn the camera on.
Set the language, time zone, and date.
When you power up the camera for the first time, the monitor displays a screen asking you to set the date, time, and time zone. The date/time information is included as metadata (hidden data) in the picture file. You can view metadata in some playback display modes (see Chapter 9) and in certain photo programs, including Canon Digital Photo Professional. (Refer to Chapter 10.)
The easiest way to adjust the settings is to use the touch screen, which is enabled by default. Just tap an option to select it and then tap the up/down arrows at the bottom of the screen to set the value for that option. Finally, tap the OK icon to exit the screen. You also can adjust settings by using the Set button and the four keys surrounding it, known as cross keys and labeled in Figure 1-5. Press the left/right cross keys to highlight a setting, press Set to activate the option, press the up/down cross keys to change the value, and then press Set again to finalize the change.
(You can find details about using the touch screen and adjusting camera settings later in this chapter.)
Adjust the viewfinder to your eyesight.
This step is critical; if you don’t set the viewfinder to your eyesight, subjects that appear out of focus in the viewfinder might actually be in focus, and vice versa. If you wear glasses while shooting, adjust the viewfinder with your glasses on.
You control viewfinder focus through the dial labeled on the left side of Figure 1-6. (In official lingo, it’s called the diopter adjustment dial.) After taking off the lens cap, follow these steps:
Look through the viewfinder and notice the thin black lines near the center of the frame.
Labeled in Figure 1-6, the lines represent the boundaries of the autofocus area (the portion of the frame that the camera considers when setting focus). If you can’t make out the lines, point the lens at a light-colored surface so that they’re easier to see.
You also can press the shutter button halfway to display shooting data at the bottom of the viewfinder, as shown in the figure. In dim lighting, the built-in flash may pop up when you press the shutter button halfway; ignore it for now and close the flash after you adjust the viewfinder.
Rotate the adjustment dial until the viewfinder markings and data appear sharpest.
Ignore the scene you see through the lens; that won’t change because you’re not actually focusing the camera.
Can’t get the display sharp enough? You may need an adapter that enables further adjustment of the viewfinder. Look for an E-series dioptric adjustment lens adapter. Prices range from about $15–$30 depending on the magnification you need.
Figure 1-1: Align the mounting index on the lens with the one on the camera body.
Figure 1-2: Push the battery down until it clicks in place.
Figure 1-3: Insert the memory card with the label facing the back of the camera.
Figure 1-4: Here are just two possible monitor positions.
Figure 1-5: You also can rotate the monitor away from the camera to find just the right viewing angle.
Figure 1-6: Use this dial to adjust the viewfinder focus to your eyesight.
That’s all there is to it — the camera is now ready to go. From here, we recommend that you keep reading the rest of this chapter to familiarize yourself with the main camera features, especially the touch screen and menu system. But if you’re anxious to take a picture right away, we won’t think any less of you if you skip to Chapter 3, which guides you through the process of using the camera’s automatic shooting modes. Just promise that at some point, you’ll read the pages in between, because they actually do contain important information.
Using the Touch Screen
Your camera’s touch screen works much like the ones found on smartphones and other touch-based devices, such as an Apple iPad. When the touch screen is enabled, as it is by default, you can simply touch the monitor to choose menu commands, change picture settings, scroll through your pictures, and more.
Throughout the book, we tell you where and how to touch the screen to perform a certain task. For now, just familiarize yourself with these touch screen moves, called gestures by those who feel the need to assign names to things such as this:
Tap:
Tap your finger on a screen item to select it. Give it a try: First, press the Menu button to display the menu screen on the monitor, as shown on the left in
Figure 1-7
. Along the top of the screen, you see one highlighted icon, representing the current menu, and a row of dimmed icons representing other menus. On the left side of
Figure 1-7
, Shooting Menu 1 is the current menu. To switch to another menu, tap its icon. For example, tap the icon for Setup Menu 2, labeled on the left in the figure, and that menu appears, as shown on the right.
Drag: Drag your finger up, down, right, or left across the screen, according to our instruction. To try this gesture, first display Setup Menu 2 and tap the LCD Brightness item, shown on the left in Figure 1-8. Now you see the screen shown on the right, with a thumbnail view of the last image you shot. Now drag your finger across the scale at the bottom of the screen to adjust the screen brightness. Reset the marker to the middle of the bar after you’re done playing around — the default brightness setting is best for giving you an accurate indication of picture brightness.
On this particular screen, you see suns at either end of the scale. You can also tap them to raise or lower the value represented on the scale. Either way, tap the Set icon to implement the setting and return to the menu.
Swipe:
Drag a finger quickly across the screen. You use this gesture, known in some circles as a
flick,
to scroll through your pictures in playback mode.
Pinch in/pinch out:
To pinch in, place your thumb at one edge of the screen and your pointer finger at the other. Then drag both toward the center of the screen. To pinch out, start in the center of the screen and swipe both fingers outward. Pinching is how you zoom in and out on pictures during playback.
Figure 1-7: Tap the Setup Menu 2 icon to display that menu.
Figure 1-8: Tap the LCD Brightness item (left) and then drag left or right across a scale to adjust the setting (right).
You can control two aspects of touch screen behavior:
Adjust (or disable) the touch screen response: You can choose from three settings, accessed via the Touch Control option, found on Setup Menu 3 and shown in Figure 1-9.
Standard:
This setting is the default. The touch screen is enabled and is set to respond to a “normal” amount of pressure. (Don’t ask us how the Powers That Be decided what that pressure level is — we don’t get invited to those conferences.)
Sensitive:
This setting makes the touch screen more, er, touchy. That is, it responds to lighter touch. Oddly, though, Canon says that the camera may be slower to respond to a very quick tap at this setting. Your mileage may vary.
Disable: Select this setting to disable the touch screen function.
To restore the touch function, use the alternative menu selection techniques that we explain in the next section to access the Touch Control option and change the setting back to Standard or Sensitive.
According to the manual, the Sensitive setting simply provides a “more reactive touch response than Standard.” Don’t confuse this with pressure sensitivity, which is how hard you press on the screen. Canon explicitly states that the monitor is not pressure sensitive and can be broken by sharp objects such as fingernails and pens.
Drive people crazy with touch screen sounds:
Here’s an option that you can use when you’re in the mood to annoy people within earshot of your camera: Tell the camera to emit a little “boop” sound every time you tap a touch-controlled setting. To do so, visit Shooting Menu 1, and look for the Beep setting, shown in
Figure 1-10
. The option that keeps the boop silent is Touch to Silence — silence indicated by a little speaker with a slash through it — as shown in the figure. Change the option to Enable to turn on the sound effect. The Disable setting turns off both the touch screen sound and the normal beep tone that occurs when the camera finds its focus point.
Figure 1-9: Control the touch screen response through this menu item.
Figure 1-10: Set the Beep option to Touch to Silence to prevent the camera from making a sound when you tap a touch-controlled item.
One final point about the touch screen: If you connect the camera to a TV or monitor, the touch screen will still work as long as it’s enabled. Just make sure to touch the camera, not the TV. Don’t fret; if you would rather use the old-fashioned button-push method of selecting menu options and playing back photos or movies, you can.
Caring for the camera monitor
To keep the monitor in good working order, follow these precautions:
Don’t use force when adjusting the monitor position. Although the monitor assembly is sturdy, treat it with respect as you adjust the screen position. The monitor twists only in certain directions, and it’s easy to forget which way it’s supposed to move. So if you feel resistance, don’t force things — you could break the monitor. Instead, rely on that feeling of resistance to remind you to turn the screen the other way.Use only your finger to perform touch screen functions. Use the touch screen, use the fleshy part of your fingertip, not the nail or any other sharp object, and be sure that your fingers are dry because the screen may not respond if it gets wet.Don’t apply a screen protector. Canon also advises against putting a protective cover over the monitor, such as the kind people adhere to their smartphones. Doing so can reduce the monitor’s responsiveness to your touch.Watch the crunch factor. Before positioning the monitor back into the camera (whether face in or face out), use a lens brush or soft cloth to clean the monitor housing so there’s nothing on it that could damage the monitor.Clean smart. To clean the screen, use only the special cloths and cleaning solutions made for this purpose. (You can find them in any camera store.) Do not use paper products such as paper towels because they can contain wood fibers that can scratch the monitor. And never use a can of compressed air to blow dust off the camera — the air is cold and can crack the monitor.Ordering from Camera Menus
You access many camera features via menus, which are described briefly in Table 1-1. As the table indicates, though, some menus appear only when you set the Mode dial to one of the advanced exposure modes (P, Tv, Av, and M). Similarly, when you switch to Movie mode, the Live View menu disappears and is replaced by two Movie menus, which offer movie-recording options. Shooting Menu 1 loses a few options as well.
Table 1-1 Rebel T6i/750D Menus
Symbol
Open This Menu
To Access These Functions
Shooting Menu 1
Image Quality setting, Red-Eye Reduction flash mode, and a few other basic shooting settings
Shooting Menu 2*
Advanced shooting options such as automatic exposure bracketing, metering mode, and color controls
Shooting Menu 3*
Options for enabling the Dust Delete Data, Auto ISO limits, and noise reduction features
Live View Menu***
Live View photography options
Movie Menu 1**
Movie focusing, display, and exposure metering options
Movie Menu 2**
More movie settings, including recording size, sound recording, and video snapshot settings
Playback Menu 1
Basic playback features, including protecting, rotating, and erasing images; also contains the Creative Filters and image-resizing features
Playback Menu 2
Additional playback features, including picture rating, slide shows, histogram display, image jump, and HDMI control
Setup Menu 1
Memory-card formatting, Wi-Fi options, and basic customization options, such as the file-numbering system and automatic image rotation
Setup Menu 2
More customization options, such as power and LCD settings, date/time, and interface language
Setup Menu 3
Touch-control options, battery information, sensor cleaning, and other customization options
Setup Menu 4*
Custom Functions, copyright embedding, firmware information, and options for resetting camera functions to factory defaults
My Menu*
User-customized menu setup
* Menu appears only when Mode dial is set to P, Tv, Av, or M
** Menu appears only when On/Off switch is set to Movie position
*** Does not appear when camera is set to Movie mode
In case you didn’t notice, the icons that represent the menus are color-coded. The Shooting, Live View, and Movie menus have red icons; the Setup menus sport yellow icons; the Playback menus have a blue symbol; and the My Menu icon is green. (Chapter 11 explains the My Menu feature, through which you can create your own, custom menu.)
Here are the basics you need to know to navigate menus and select menu options:
Display menus: Press the Menu button. A screen similar to the one shown in Figure 1-11 appears. Along the top of the screen, you see the icons shown in Table 1-1, each representing a menu. (Remember that the setting of the Mode dial determines which icons appear.)
The highlighted icon marks the active menu; options on that menu appear automatically on the main part of the screen. In Figure 1-11, Shooting Menu 1 is active, for example. The number of dots above the icon tells you the menu number — one dot for Shooting Menu 1, two dots for Shooting Menu 2, and so on.
Select a different menu:
You have these options:
Touch screen:
Tap the menu icon.
Cross keys or Main dial:
Press the right or left cross keys or rotate the Main dial to scroll through the menu icons. (Remember, the cross keys are the four keys that surround the Set button. The Main dial is the wheel on top of the camera.)
Select and adjust a menu setting: Again, you have a choice of techniques:
Touch screen:
Tap the menu item to display options related to that item. The current setting is highlighted and shown in blue. Tap the setting you want to use. On some settings screens, you see a Set icon; tap that icon to exit the settings screen and return to the previous menu page.
Cross keys and Set button:
Press the up or down cross key to highlight the feature you want to adjust. Then press the Set button to display the available options. Use the cross keys to highlight your preferred setting and press the Set button again to lock in your choice.
You can mix and match techniques, by the way: For example, even if you access a menu option via the control keys, you can use the touch screen techniques to select a setting.
Navigate Custom Functions: When you select Custom Functions from Setup Menu 4, you delve into four submenus containing advanced settings. Initially, you see a screen similar to the one shown on the left in Figure 1-12. Some explanation may help you make sense of these screens:
Custom Functions are grouped into four categories: Exposure, Image, Autofocus/Drive, and Operation/Others.
The category number and name appear in the upper-left corner of the screen.
The number of the selected function appears in the upper-right corner.
Custom Function 1 is indicated in
Figure 1-12
.
Settings for the current function appear in the middle of the screen.
The blue text indicates the current setting. The default setting is represented by the number 0.
Numbers at the bottom of the screen show you the current setting for all Custom Functions.
The top row of numbers represents the Custom Functions, with the currently selected function indicated with a tiny horizontal bar over the number. The lower row shows the number of the current setting for each Custom Function; again, 0 represents the default. So in the figure, all the Custom Functions are currently using the default settings.
To scroll from one Custom Function to the next, press the left or right cross keys or tap the left or right scroll arrow at the top of the screen (shown on the left in Figure 1-13). When you reach the setting you want to adjust, tap it or press the Set button. Then tap the option you want to use or use the cross keys to highlight it. Finally, tap the Set icon, labeled on the right in Figure 1-13, or press the Set button.
Note that in some cases, you need to scroll the menu screen to view all the available choices. To do so, press the up/down cross keys or tap the up/down arrows on the right side of the screen. Also check out the Menu symbol at the bottom of the screen on the left in Figure 1-13. You can tap this symbol or press the Menu button to exit the Custom Functions page and return to Setup Menu 4.
Exit menus and return to shooting:
Press the shutter button halfway and release it or press the Menu button again.
Figure 1-11: You can access all menus only when the Mode dial is set to P, Tv, Av, or M.
Figure 1-12: The Custom Functions menu screens are divided into several important areas.
Figure 1-13: You can use these touch screen features when choosing options from Custom Function screens.
To save space in this book, we don’t spell out the button-push and touch screen steps for selecting menu items. Instead, we just tell you to “choose option x” unless there is some special tap or button press involved.
Exploring External Camera Features
Scattered across your camera’s exterior are numerous features that you use to change picture-taking settings, review your photos, and perform various other operations. In later chapters, we discuss all your camera’s functions in detail and provide the exact steps to follow to access them. This section provides just a basic “what’s this thing do?” guide to each control. (Don’t worry about memorizing the button names; throughout the book, we show pictures of buttons in the page margins to help you know exactly which one to press.)
Keep in mind, too, that you can adjust many settings by simply tapping the touch screen, which is sometimes faster and easier than fiddling with the camera buttons.
Topside controls
Your virtual tour begins on the top of the camera, shown in Figure 1-14.
Figure 1-14: Here’s a guide to controls found on top of the camera.
The items of note here are
On/Off/Movie mode switch: Okay, you probably already figured out the first two points of this switch, but what may not be clear is that setting the switch to the little movie-camera icon turns on the camera and sets it to movie-recording mode. Set the switch to On for still photography. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the still-photography exposure modes; Chapter 8 covers movie recording.
Note that even when the switch is in the On position, the camera automatically goes to sleep after 30 seconds of inactivity to save battery power. You can adjust this timing via the Auto Power Off option on Setup Menu 2.
Mode dial:
Rotate this dial to select an
exposure mode,
which determines whether the camera operates in fully automatic, semi-automatic, or manual exposure mode when you take still pictures.
Viewfinder adjustment dial:
Use this dial to adjust the viewfinder focus to your eyesight, as outlined in the first section of this chapter.
Main dial: You use this dial when selecting many camera settings. For example, you rotate the dial to cycle through the available settings for certain options. (We spell out details as needed.) In fact, this dial plays such an important role that you’d think it might have a more auspicious name, but Main dial it is.
AF Area Selection button:
This button enables you to change the AF Area Selection setting, an autofocus feature that we describe in
Chapter 5
.
ISO button:
This button provides access to the ISO setting, which determines how sensitive the camera is to light.
Chapter 4
details this critical exposure setting.
Disp button:
This button toggles the LCD monitor off and on when showing the Shooting Settings, Quick Control, or Camera Settings displays. It has no effect when the camera is in Live View, Movie, or Playback modes, or when menus are displayed.
Shutter button: You no doubt already understand the function of this button, too. But you may not realize that when you use autofocus and autoexposure, you need to use a two-stage process when taking a picture: Press the shutter button halfway, pause to let the camera set focus and exposure, and then press down the rest of the way to capture the image. You’d be surprised how many people mess up their pictures because they press that button with one quick jab, denying the camera the time it needs to set focus and exposure. The beep you may hear is the camera telling you it was able to focus and is ready to take the photo.
Flash hot shoe:
Labeled in
Figure 1-14
, this is the connection for attaching an external flash and other accessories such as flash adapters, bubble levels, flash brackets, off-camera flash cords, and the GP-E2 GPS Receiver.
Focal plane indicator: Should you need to know the exact distance between your subject and the camera, the focal plane indicator labeled in Figure 1-14 is key. This mark indicates the plane at which light coming through the lens is focused onto the camera’s image sensor. Basing your measurement on this mark produces a more accurate camera-to-subject distance than using the end of the lens or some other point on the camera body as your reference point.
Wi-Fi lamp:
The Wi-Fi lamp turns on to show that you’re connected, and blinks at various rates to show that it is waiting, transferring data, or has a connection error. For more information on Wi-Fi, turn to
Chapter 10
.
Back-of-the-body controls
Traveling over the top of the camera to its back, you encounter the smorgasbord of controls shown in Figure 1-15.
Figure 1-15: Having lots of external buttons makes accessing the camera’s functions easier.
With the exception of Menu and Info, buttons with a white icon perform shooting mode functions; buttons with blue icons are used in playback. Some buttons sport dual colors, meaning that they come into play for both functions.
In addition, some buttons have multiple “official” names because they serve multiple purposes depending on whether you’re taking pictures, reviewing images, recording a movie, or performing some other function. In this book, we refer to these buttons by the first label you see in the following list (and in Figure 1-15) to simplify things. For example, we refer to the AF Point Selection/Magnify button as the AF Point Selection button. Again, though, the margin icons show you exactly which button you should press.
With that preamble out of the way, it’s time to explore the camera back, starting at the top-right corner and working westward (well, assuming that your lens is pointing north, anyway):
AF Point Selection/Magnify button: In certain shooting modes, you press this button to specify which autofocus points or zones you want the camera to use when establishing focus. (Chapter 5 tells you more.) In Playback mode, covered in Chapter 9, you use this button to magnify the image display (thus the plus sign in the button’s magnifying glass icon). You can also use it to magnify the display when in Live View or Movie modes (as long as you are in one of the two FlexiZoneAF focus modes).
AE Lock/FE Lock/Index/Reduce button: During shooting, you press this button to lock autoexposure (AE) settings, as covered in Chapter 4, and to lock flash exposure (FE), a topic we discuss in Chapter 2.
This button also serves two image-viewing functions: It switches the display to Index mode, enabling you to see multiple image thumbnails at once, and it reduces the magnification of images when displayed one at a time.
Live View/Movie button: Press this button to shift to Live View mode, which enables you to compose your pictures using the monitor instead of the viewfinder. When shooting movies, you press the button to start and stop recording. (You must first set the On/Off/Movie switch to the Movie position.)
After you shift to Live View or Movie mode, certain buttons perform different functions than they do for viewfinder photography. We spell out the differences when showing you how to use Live View and movie features.
Aperture/Exposure Compensation button: When you shoot in the M (manual) exposure mode, press this button and rotate the Main dial to choose the aperture setting, also known as the f-stop. In the other advanced exposure modes (P, Tv, and Av), you instead use the button and dial to apply Exposure Compensation, a feature that enables you to adjust the exposure. Chapter 4 discusses both issues.
Q (Quick Control) button:
Press this button to display the Quick Control screen, which gives you one way to adjust picture settings. See “
Changing Settings via the Quick Control Screen
,” later in this chapter, for help.
Memory card access light:
Labeled in
Figure 1-15
, this light glows while the camera is recording data to the memory card. Don’t power off the camera while the light is lit, or you may damage the card or camera.
Set button and cross keys:Figure 1-15 points out the Set button and the four surrounding buttons, known as cross keys. These buttons team up to perform several functions, including choosing options from the camera menus. You use the cross keys to navigate through menus and then press the Set button to select a specific menu setting.
In this book, the instruction “Press the left cross key” means to press the one to the left of the Set button, “press the right cross key” means to press the one to the right of the Set button, and so on.
During viewfinder photography — that is, when you’re using the viewfinder and not the monitor to frame your shots — the cross keys also have individual responsibilities, which are indicated by their labels:
Press the up cross key to change the White Balance setting.
The White Balance control, explained in
Chapter 6
, enables you to ensure that colors are rendered accurately.
Press the right cross key to adjust the AF mode.
This option controls one aspect of the camera’s autofocus behavior, as outlined in
Chapter 5
.
Press the left cross key to change the Drive mode.
The Drive mode settings enable you to switch the camera from single-frame shooting to continuous capture or any of the other drive modes. See
Chapter 2
for details.
Press the down cross key to change the Picture Style.
Chapter 8
explains Picture Styles, which you can use to adjust the color, contrast, and sharpness of your pictures.
You can customize the function of the Set button; Chapter 10 explains how. But while you’re working with this book, stick with the default setup, just described. Otherwise, the instructions we give won’t work.
For Live View and Movie shooting, the cross keys perform actions related to autofocusing; we get into those details in Chapter 5.
Playback button: Press this button to switch the camera into picture-review mode.
Erase button:
Sporting a trash can icon, the universal symbol for delete, this button lets you erase pictures from your memory card during playback.
Chapter 10
has specifics.
Info button: In Live View, Movie, and Playback modes, pressing this button changes the picture-display style.
During shooting, you can press the Info button to switch from the Shooting Settings display to the Camera Settings display. (Both displays are explained later in this chapter.)
Menu button:
Press this button to access the camera menus.
Front odds and ends
The front of the camera sports the features labeled in Figures 1-16 and 1-17:
Figure 1-16: In P, Tv, Av, and M exposure modes, press the Flash button to use the built-in flash.
Figure 1-17: When recording movies, be careful not to cover the microphone with your finger.
Flash button:
Press this button to raise the built-in flash in the advanced exposure modes (P, Tv, Av, and M).
Lens-release button:
Press this button to disengage the lens from the lens mount so that you can remove it from the camera. While pressing the button, rotate the lens toward the shutter-button side of the camera to dismount the lens.
Microphone:
You can record movie audio via the built-in microphone, which picks up sound from the two clusters of holes labeled Microphone in
Figures 1-16
and
1-17
.
Depth-of-Field Preview button:
When you press this button, the image in the viewfinder (or, in Live View mode, on the monitor) offers an approximation of the depth of field that will result from your selected aperture setting, or f-stop.
Depth of field
refers to how much of the scene will be in sharp focus.
Chapter 5
provides details.
Red-Eye Reduction/Self-Timer Lamp:
When you set your flash to Red-Eye Reduction mode, this little lamp emits a brief burst of light prior to the real flash — the idea being that your subjects’ pupils will constrict in response to the light, thus lessening the chances of red-eye. If you use the camera’s self-timer feature, the lamp lights during the countdown period before the shutter is released. See
Chapter 2
for more details about Red-Eye Reduction flash mode and the self-timer function.
Remote control sensor:
This sensor can pick up the signal from the optional Canon wireless remote-control unit. The part number is Canon RC-6, and the remote sells for about $30.
Left-side connection ports and speaker
Hidden under two covers on the left side of the camera, you find inputs for connecting the camera to various devices. Figure 1-18 shows you what lurks beneath both covers (they’ve been digitally removed to make it easier for you to see the interesting bits underneath). Starting with the left side, the available connections are
Figure 1-18: Inputs for connecting the camera to other devices are hidden by rubber covers (not shown in the figure) on the left side of the camera.
Remote-control terminal: As an alternative to using a wireless remote controller to trigger the shutter release, you can attach the Canon Remote Switch RS-60E3 wired controller here.
The controller currently sells for about $20–$25 and is a very worthwhile investment if you do a lot of long-exposure shooting (such as nighttime shots and fireworks). By using the remote control, you eliminate the chance that the action of your finger on the shutter button will move the camera enough to blur the shot, which is especially problematic during long exposures. And unlike a wireless remote, which must be positioned so that the signal reaches the sensor on the front of the camera, a wired remote can be operated from behind the camera (which is why it’s our remote controller of choice; just don’t walk off with it while it’s still connected to the camera).
Microphone jack:
If you’re not happy with the audio quality provided by the internal microphones when you record movies, you can plug in an external microphone here. The jack accepts a 3.5mm stereo microphone miniplug. See
Chapter 8
for all things movie related.
A/V and USB connection terminal:
This connection point serves two purposes: You can connect your camera to a standard-definition television for picture playback via the optional AVC-DC400ST A/V (audio/video) cable, which sells for $20 and under (look for good deals).
Chapter 9
explains this option. You use the same terminal to connect the camera to a computer via the supplied USB cable for picture downloading (although using a memory-card reader is usually a better alternative, for reasons you can explore in
Chapter 10
).
HDMI terminal:
For picture or movie playback on a high-definition television or screen, you can connect the camera via this terminal, using an optional HDMI male to mini-C cable. You’ll pay about $50 if you buy Canon’s version, the HTC-100 cable. (You can use other manufacturer’s cables, but be sure they are of high quality.) Again, see
Chapter 9
for details on connecting the camera to a TV.
Speaker:
When you play a movie that contains audio, the sound comes wafting through these little holes.
If you turn the camera over, you find a tripod socket, which enables you to mount the camera on a tripod that uses a ¼-inch screw, plus the chamber that holds the battery. Also found in the chamber is a connection for attaching the optional Canon AC power adapter kit ACK-E10, which you can find for about $65. See the camera manual for specifics on running the camera on AC power.
Using the Monitor as a Viewfinder: Live View Shooting
For your convenience, the T6i/750D offers Live View, a feature that enables you to use the monitor instead of the viewfinder to compose photos. For still photography, you can use Live View in any exposure mode except the Candlelight Portrait scene mode. For movies, you must use Live View; the viewfinder is disabled for movie recording.
The first step in taking advantage of this feature for still photography is to enable it via the first option on the Live View menu, as shown in Figure 1-19. Like the Shooting menus, the Live View menu is marked by a red camera icon, but is decorated with a single square (representing the monitor) instead of the tiny dots that adorn the Shooting menus. If the Mode dial is set to P, Tv, Av, or M mode, the menu appears as shown on the left in the figure. In all other modes, the Live View menu contains one less option, as shown on the right in the figure. (You also see fewer menus overall when not using the advanced exposure modes.)
Figure 1-19: Before you can use the monitor to compose your images, you must set the Live View Shooting option to enable.
Why disable this menu option? Because it’s easy to hit the Live View button accidentally and switch to Live View when you don’t really want to go there.
Your next step depends on whether you want to shoot still photos or movies:
Live View for still photography: After enabling the feature on the menu, press the Live View button (on the back of the camera, just to the right of the viewfinder). You hear a clicking sound as the internal mirror that normally sends the image from the lens to the viewfinder flips up. Then the scene in front of the lens appears on the monitor, and you can no longer see anything in the viewfinder. Data representing certain camera settings is displayed over the live image, as shown in Figure 1-20. You can press the Info button to change the type of data that appears.
To exit Live View mode and return to using the viewfinder, press the Live View button again.
When looking at Live View screens in this book, you’ll notice that data along the bottom of the screen appears differently on your monitor than it does in the figures. In the figures, this data displays against a black background, but on your screen, it’s superimposed over the image. The placement of display data at the top and sides of the screen looks a little different too, but not by as much. The difference is due to the technology we use to capture the image that the monitor displays; for reasons that we won’t bore you with, it’s not possible to capture the superimposed data properly. We trust the discrepancy won’t throw you off too much.
Live View for recording movies:
To shift to Movie mode, rotate the On/Off switch on top of the camera to the movie-camera icon. Live View engages automatically, and you then press the Live View button to start and stop recording. (
Chapter 8
has details on movie shooting.) To exit Movie mode, move the On/Off switch to On if you want to begin shooting stills or to Off if you’re done shooting.
Figure 1-20: In Live View mode, picture data is superimposed over the live preview.
In many ways, shooting photos in Live View mode is the same as for viewfinder photography, but some important aspects, such as autofocusing, work very differently. For example, if continuous autofocus is enabled, you can set focus by simply touching a spot on the monitor. You can also use a feature called the touch shutter. When using the touch shutter feature, you touch the monitor to set the focus and take the photo. The camera focuses and releases the shutter immediately after you tap the screen. Chapter 3 shows you how to take a picture in Scene Intelligent Auto exposure mode using Live View; Chapter 5 details Live View autofocusing options; and Chapter 8 covers movie recording.
