Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 2
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 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 15
And the rest 18
Ordering from Camera Menus 20
Mastering menu basics 20
Navigating Custom Functions 23
Customizing the Touch Screen 24
Viewing Shooting Settings 26
Displaying the Quick Control screen 27
Decoding viewfinder data 28
Reading the LCD panel 30
Switching to Live View Mode 30
Customizing the Live View display 32
Staying safe with Live View 34
Using Quick Control Mode 35
Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens 38
Focusing 39
Zooming 40
Enabling Image Stabilization 40
Removing a lens 41
Decoding Canon lens terminology 42
Working with Memory Cards 42
Buying SD cards 42
Formatting a card 43
Removing a card 43
Handling cards 43
Locking cards 43
Reviewing Basic Setup Options 44
Setup Menu 1 44
Setup Menu 2 46
Setup Menu 3 47
Setup Menu 4 48
Setup Menu 5 49
Chapter 2: Choosing Basic Picture Settings 51
Choosing an Exposure Mode 52
Basic Zone exposure
modes 52
Creative Zone modes (P, Tv, Av, M, B, C1, and C2) 53
Changing the Drive Mode 54
Understanding the Image Quality Setting 58
Adjusting the Image Quality setting 58
Considering resolution: L, M, S1, or S2? 60
Understanding file type (JPEG or Raw) 65
Setting the Photo Aspect Ratio 69
Adding Flash 69
Using flash in Basic Zone modes 73
Using flash in P, Tv, Av, M, B, C1, and C2 modes 76
Chapter 3: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically 87
Using Scene Intelligent Auto Mode 88
Viewfinder shooting 88
Live View photography 92
Shooting Without the Flash in Basic Modes 95
Taking Advantage of Special Scenes 95
Selecting a Specialty Scene 96
Adjusting a few settings 102
Gaining More Control with Creative Assist 104
Part 2: Taking Creative Control 109
Chapter 4: Taking Charge of Exposure 111
Introducing the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 112
Aperture affects depth of field 114
Shutter speed affects motion blur 115
ISO affects image noise 117
Doing the exposure balancing act 119
Stepping Up to Advance Exposure Modes (P, Tv, Av, M, B, C1, and C2) 120
Monitoring Exposure Settings 122
Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode 125
Setting ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed 128
Controlling ISO 128
Adjusting aperture and shutter speed 131
Sorting Through Your Camera's Exposure-Correction Tools 134
Overriding autoexposure results with Exposure Compensation 134
Improving high-contrast shots with Highlight Tone Priority 139
Experimenting with Auto Lighting Optimizer 141
Looking at a few other exposure solutions 145
Locking Autoexposure Settings 149
Bracketing Exposures Automatically 150
Chapter 5: Controlling Focus and Depth of Field 157
Setting the Lens to Automatic or Manual Focusing Mode 158
Exploring Viewfinder Focusing Options 160
Adjusting autofocus performance 161
Considering a few other autofocus settings 170
Focusing in Live View and Movie Modes 172
AF Method: Setting the focusing area 172
AF Operation: One-Shot or Servo? 175
Manual focusing in Live View and Movie modes 177
Manipulating Depth of Field 180
Chapter 6: Mastering Color Controls 185
Understanding White Balance 186
Changing the White Balance setting 187
Creating a custom White Balance setting 191
Fine-tuning color with White Balance Shift 192
Bracketing White Balance 195
Taking a Quick Look at Picture Styles 199
Changing the Color Space 203
Chapter 7: Putting It All Together 205
Recapping Basic Picture Settings 205
Shooting Still Portraits 207
Capturing Action 212
Capturing Scenic Vistas 216
Capturing Dynamic Close-Ups 220
Chapter 8: Shooting and Viewing Movies 223
Recording Movies Using Default Settings 224
Choosing between NTSC and PAL 226
Customizing Recording Settings 226
Choosing a Movie Recording Size setting 227
Setting audio options 230
Reviewing Other Movie Options 233
Autofocusing options 233
Movie Digital IS 234
Playing with exposure and color 236
Checking out a few final features 237
Playing Movies 240
Part 3: After the Shot 243
Chapter 9: Picture Playback 245
Adjusting Automatic Image Review 246
Viewing Pictures in Playback Mode 246
Viewing thumbnails (Index mode) 248
Jumping through images 250
Rotating pictures 253
Zooming in for a closer view 255
Showing focus points during playback 257
Viewing Picture Data 257
Basic Information display mode 258
Detailed Information display mode 260
Understanding histograms 265
Taking Advantage of Image Search 267
Viewing Photos and Movies on a TV 270
Chapter 10: Working with Picture and Movie Files 273
Deleting Files 274
Protecting Photos and Movies 277
Rating Photos and Movies 280
Cropping Photos 282
Installing the Canon Software 286
Sending Pictures to the Computer 287
Downloading via Wi-Fi or USB 287
Downloading from a card reader 291
Using Creative Assist During Playback 293
Working with Raw Images 293
Processing Raw Images in the Camera 294
Converting Raw Images in Digital Photo Professional 4 295
Adding Cleaning Instructions to Images 298
Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing 299
Part 4: The Part of Tens 301
Chapter 11: Ten More Customization Options 303
Changing the Furniture Around 303
Disabling the AF-Assist Beam 304
Customizing Exposure Increments 305
Creating a Custom Menu 305
Adding Custom Folders 306
Creating Your Own Exposure Modes 306
Changing the Direction of the Dials 308
Embedding Copyright Notices 308
Controlling the Lens Focus Drive 310
Even More Advanced Autofocusing Tweaks 311
Chapter 12: Ten Features to Explore on a Rainy Day 313
Shooting Time-Lapse Photos and Movies 314
Experimenting with Focus Bracketing 316
Enabling Mirror Lockup 318
Investigating More Printing Options 319
Adding Effects to Photos During Playback 319
Adding Effects During Shooting 322
Shooting in Multiple Exposure Mode 324
Creating Video Snapshots 325
Trimming Movies 326
Presenting a Slide Show 327
Appendix: Exploring Wireless Connections 329
Index 339
