A short course in canon EOS 450d photography

AA30470C Cover A Short CourSe in CAnon eoS DigitAl rebel XSi/450D PhotogrAPhy DenniS P Curtin ShortCourSeS.Com httP://www.ShortCourSeS.Com FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM SHORT COURSES PUBLISHING COMPANY Short CourSeS BookS and WeB Site S hort Courses is the leading publisher of digital photography books, textbooks, and guides to speciic cameras from Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus and others All of these books are available on-line from the Short Courses bookstore at: http://www.shortcourses.com/store/ All recent books are available in both black & white printed, and full-color eBook (PDF) versions available on CDs or as instant downloads The list of books we’ve published is always expanding so be sure to visit the store to see if there is a book on your camera, or on another topic that interests you If you ind any errors in this book, would like to make suggestions for imhttp://www.photocourse.com/itext/pdf/PDFguide.pdf Click to view a PDF document describing how to use this eBook provements, or just want to let me know what you think I welcome your feedback ShortCourses.com 16 Preston beach road marblehead, massachusetts 01945 E-mail: denny@shortcourses.com Web site: http://www.shortcourses.com To learn more about digital photography, visit our two Web sites: • http://www.shortcourses.com is our consumer site • http://www.photocourse.com is our instructor/student site © Copyright 2008 by Dennis P Curtin All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher NOTE ON THE SHORTCOURSES.COM WEB SITE This book is designed to work with the many free on-line books available at the author’s Web site at www.shortcourses.com Of special interest may be the books on displaying & sharing your digital photos, digital photography http://www.photocourse.com/itext/copyright/circ01.pdf worklow, image sensors and digital desktop lighting Click to view a PDF document on how copyright law protects photographers and other artists • Discussion Forum is the place to discuss what’s exciting or bothering you as long as it’s related to digital photography Click to visit • Bookstore is the home of printed copies, ebooks on CDs, and instant downloads of the digital photography books published by Short Courses Click to visit • Curtin’s Guide to Digital Cameras and Other Photographic Equipment is a guide to choosing a digital camera and understanding its features Includes coverage of camera bags, tripods, lighting equipment and much more Click to visit • Using Your Digital Camera clearly explains everything you need to know about using your camera’s controls to capture great photos Click to visit ISBN 1-928873-84-7 • Displaying & Sharing Your Digital Photos discusses what digital photography is all about including printing your images as prints or books, displaying them on-screen, and moving beyond the still image into exciting new areas Click to visit FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM SHORTCOURSES BOOKS AND WEB SITE • Digital Photography Worklow covers everything from getting ready to take photos to storing, organizing, managing and editing your images Click to visit • Image Sensors, Pixels and Image Sizes describes key concepts such as resolutions, aspect ratios and color depths that have a huge impact on your photographs Click to visit • Digital Desktop Lighting is a guide to low-cost tabletop photography equipment and the techniques used to photograph products and other small objects for eBay, Web sites, catalogs, ads and the like Click to visit • Hot Topics/About Us points you to some of the newer or more interesting parts of the site, explains how to navigate the site, recommends other sites, and tells you a little about who we are and how to contact us Click to visit This is the home page of the ShortCourses Web site at www shortcourses.com Tip • When you visit our site be sure to sign up for our newsletter it’s only used by us, and only occasionally it’s also very easy to unsubscribe EDUCATORS Short Courses books have always been popular as textbooks in digital photography courses if you are an instructor, you should know that special pricing is available for classroom use For details on using this and other texts in the classroom, please call us at 781631-8520, Boston, Massachusetts uSa time FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM III PREFACE PreFaCe A great photograph begins when you recognize a great scene or subject But recognizing a great opportunity isn’t enough to capture it; you also have to be prepared A large part of being prepared involves understanding your camera well enough to capture what you see Getting you prepared to see and capture great photographs is what this book is all about It doesn’t matter if you are taking pictures for business or pleasure, there’s a lot here to help you get better results and more satisfaction from your photography To get better, and possibly even great photographs, you need to understand both concepts and procedures; the “whys” and “hows” of photography The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D is a very high-quality 12.2 megapixel camera • Concepts of photography are the underlying principles that apply regardless of the camera you are using They include such things as how sharpness and exposure affect your images and the way they are perceived by viewers Understanding concepts answers the “why” kinds of questions you might have about photography • Procedures are those things speciic to one kind of camera, and explain step-by-step how you set your camera’s controls to capture an image just the way you want to Understanding procedures gives you the answers to the “how” kinds of questions you might have The XSi /450D accepts the full line of Canon EF and EF-S lenses The XSi/450D can print directly to a printer without a computer phOTOgRAphy On-linE • to learn more about digital photography, visit our ShortCourses Web site at www shortcourses.com IV This book is organized around the concepts of digital photography because that’s how photographers think You think about scenes and subjects, highlights and shadows, softness and sharpness, color and tone The procedures you use with the Canon EOS Rebel XSi camera—called the 450D in many parts of the world—are integrated throughout the concepts, appearing in those places where they apply This integrated approach lets you irst understand the concepts of photography and then see step by step how to use the XSi in all kinds of photographic situations To get more effective, interesting, and creative photographs, you only need to understand how and when to use a few simple features on your camera such as focus, exposure controls, and lash If you’ve previously avoided understanding these features and the profound impact they can have on your images, you’ll be pleased to know that you can learn them on a weekend You can then spend the rest of your life marveling at how the ininite variety of combinations make it possible to convey your own personal view of the world You’ll be ready to keep everything in a scene sharp for maximum detail or to blur it all for an impressionistic portrayal You’ll be able to get dramatic close-ups, freeze fast action, create wonderful panoramas, and capture the beauty and wonder of rainbows, sunsets, ireworks, and nighttime scenes As you explore your camera, be sure to have fun There are no “rules” or “best” way to make a picture Great photographs come from using what you know to experiment and try new approaches Digital cameras make this especially easy because there are no ilm costs or delays Every experiment is free and you see the results immediately so you can learn step by step This book assumes you’ve mastered the mechanics of your camera It’s about getting great pictures, not about connecting your camera to computers and using your software That information is well presented in the user guide that came with your camera Be sure to visit our Web site at www.shortcourses com for even more digital photography information FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM CONTENTS ContentS Cover i Short Courses Books and Web Site ii preface iv Contents v Chapter Camera Controls and Creativity The Digital Rebel XSi/450D Camera Jump Start—Using Full Auto Mode good Things to Know 10 Using the Viewinder 13 diopter adjustment 13 Focus Points 13 information display 13 Metering display 13 Anatomy of the Camera 14 top and Front views 14 rear view 14 Changing Settings with Buttons and Dial 16 Changing Settings with Menus 17 playing Back & Managing your images 19 image review 19 information display 19 image Playback 19 Jumping in Playback 20 Giving Slide Shows 20 using the Playback Menu 21 Selecting image Quality and Size 22 number of Pixels 22 how an image is Captured 24 the exposure 24 it’s all Black and White after all 24 Choosing image Size and Quality 25 Chapter Controlling exposure 28 Understanding Exposure 29 The Shutter Controls light and Motion 30 The Aperture Controls light and Depth of Field 32 Using Shutter Speed and Aperture Together 34 exposure—Faucets & Buckets analogy 35 exposure—Seesaw analogy 36 Retaining highlight and Shadow Details 37 Choosing Shooting Modes 38 Using image Zone Modes 39 Using program AE (p) Mode and program Shift 40 Using Shutter-priority (Tv) Mode 41 Using Aperture-priority (Av) Mode 42 Using Manual (M) Mode 43 how your Exposure System Works 44 Meter averaging and Middle Gray 44 types of Metering 46 When Automatic Exposure Works Well 47 When to Override Automatic Exposure 48 Scenes Lighter than Middle Gray 48 Scenes darker than Middle Gray 49 Subject against very Light Background 49 Subject against very dark Background 50 Scenes with high Contrast 50 hard to Meter Scenes 51 how Overriding Autoexposure Works 52 how to Override Automatic Exposure 53 exposure Compensation 53 autoexposure (ae) Lock 53 autoexposure Bracketing (aeB) 55 Using histograms 56 displaying histograms 56 evaluating histograms 56 Clipped Pixels 58 Sample histograms 59 Chapter Controlling sharpness 60 getting Sharper pictures 61 Supporting the Camera 61 using the Self-timer 61 increasing Sensitivity (iSo) 62 Sharpness isn’t Everything 64 how to photograph Motion Sharply 65 Speed of Subject 65 direction of Movement 65 distance to Subject and Focal Length of Lens 66 Focus and Depth of Field 67 Focus 67 depth of Field 67 Checking depth of Field 68 Focusing Techniques 69 autofocus Modes 69 Selectable Focusing Points 70 using Focus Lock 71 Manual Focus 72 Controlling Depth of Field 73 Using Deep Depth of Field 74 Focusing on the hyperfocal distance 74 Auto Depth-of-ield AE (A-DEP) 75 Using Shallow Depth of Field 76 Conveying the Feeling of Motion 77 Chapter Capturing light & Color 78 Where Does Color Come From? 79 White Balance and Color 80 using Preset White Balance Settings 80 Creating and using a Custom White Balance Setting 81 Selecting a Color Space 82 Using White Balance Correction & Bracketing 83 Color and Time of Day 84 Sunsets and Sunrises 85 Weather 87 photographing at night 89 The Direction of light 91 The Quality of light 93 FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM V CONTENTS Chapter understanding lenses 94 Chapter other Features and Commands 134 Canon lenses 95 electronic Lens Mount 95 Focusing technology 95 ultrasonic Motors 96 image Stabilization 96 information on a Canon Lens 97 Focal length 98 Zoom lenses 99 normal lenses 100 Wide-Angle lenses 101 Telephoto lenses 103 Macro lenses and Accessories 105 Tilt-Shift lenses 107 lens Accessories 108 perspective in a photograph 109 Chapter using Flash and studio lighting 110 how Flash Works 111 Using Autolash 112 Flash and Shutter Speeds 112 Flash in the Basic Zone 112 Flash in the Creative Zone 113 portraits with Flash 114 Positioning the Flash and Subjects 114 red-eye 115 Using Fill Flash 116 Using Slow Sync Flash 117 Using Available light 119 Controlling Flash Exposures 120 What’s e-ttL ii? 120 Flash exposure Compensation 120 Flash exposure (Fe) Lock 121 using the Flash Control Setting 122 Using an External Flash 123 the 580eX ii Speedlite 123 high-speed Sync (FP) 123 Flash exposure Bracketing (FeB) 124 Wireless remote Flash 124 Stroboscopic Flash 124 autozoom 124 Using Flash in Close-ups 125 Studio lighting 126 Candidates for Studio Lighting 126 Lighting 126 Backgrounds 128 risers 128 Special Bulbs 128 portrait and product photography—introduction 129 The Main light 130 The Fill light 131 The Background light 132 The Rim light 133 VI live View Shooting 135 General tips in Live view 135 Manually Focusing in Live view 137 autofocusing in Live view 137 Continuous photography 139 Using picture Styles 140 Selecting Picture Styles 140 adjusting Picture Styles 141 Remote Control photography 142 Using My Menu 143 Using the Set-up Menu 144 auto power off 144 File numbering 145 auto rotate 145 Format 145 LCd auto off 146 Screen color 146 LCd brightness 146 date/time 146 Language 146 video system 146 Sensor cleaning 146 Live view function settings 146 Flash control 146 Custom Functions (C Fn) 147 Clear settings 147 Firmware ver 147 Using Custom Functions 148 Entering a print Order 152 Caring for your Camera 153 Cleaning the image Sensor 153 Cleaning the Camera and Lens 155 Protecting your Camera from the elements 155 Protecting when traveling 156 Storing a Camera 156 Caring for Yourself 156 FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM CHAPTER CAMERA CONTROLS AND CREATIVITY Chapter Camera Controls and Creativity ContentS • the digital rebel XSi/450d Camera • Jump Start—using Full auto Mode • Good things to know • Using the Viewinder • anatomy of the Camera • Changing Settings with Buttons and dials • Changing Settings with Menus • Playing Back & Managing Your images • Selecting image Quality and Size S erious digital cameras give you creative control over your images They so by allowing you to control the light and motion in photographs as well as what’s sharp and what isn’t Although most consumer digital cameras are fully automatic, some allow you to make minor adjustments that affect your images The best ones such as the Rebel XSi offer interchangeable lenses, external lash connections, and a wide range of controls—many more than you’d ind on point and shoot cameras However, regardless of what controls your camera has, the same basic principles are at work “under the hood.” Your automatic exposure and focusing systems are having a profound affect on your images Even with your camera set to operate automatically, you can indirectly control, or at least take advantage of the effects these systems have on your images In this chapter, we’ll irst explore your camera and how you use it on Full Auto mode You’ll also see how you use menus and buttons to operate the camera, manage your images and control image quality In the chapters that follow, you’ll explore in greater depth how you take control of these settings, and others, to get the effects that you want FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM CHAPTER CAMERA CONTROLS AND CREATIVITY the diGitaL reBeL XSi/450d CaMera The Canon EOS XSi/450D’s compact and lightweight silver or black body houses a 12.2 Megapixel CMOS image sensor It can capture images up to 4,272 x 2,848 pixels in size, large enough for 21 x 14 inch, high-quality prints Its high-speed continuous mode captures up to 56 Large/Fine JPEGs or RAW images at 3.5 frame-per-second (fps) making it ideal for photographing wildlife, sports and other action subjects The XSi’s image sensor is smaller that a frame of 35mm ilm, but has the same familiar shape—called the aspect ratio The camera has a large three-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD monitor on which you can display menus, camera settings, and images you have captured Using Live View, you can also use the monitor to compose and focus images, magnifying them up to 10x for the precise focus required in macro photography You can even display a histogram on the monitor to ensure you have the best possible exposure before taking the picture Using Live View, along with software and a cable supplied with the camera, you can use a much larger http://www.photocourse.com/itext/SLR/ computer screen as the monitor/viewinder to compose and focus images and use menu commands to change camera settings Click this button to play an animation that shows how an SLR works when you compose an image and press the shutter button in ThE BOX • rebel XSi Body (Black or Silver), eyecup ef, Wide Strap eW-100dBiii, video Cable vC-100, uSB interface Cable iFC-200u, Battery Pack LP-e5, Battery Charger LC-e5 or LC-e5e, eoS digital Solution disk and instruction Manuals, “Great Photography is easy” Booklet and “do More with Macro” Booklet The camera has a fast 0.1-second initial start-up, a shutter rated up to 100,000 cycles, a top shutter speed of 1/4000 sec, and 1/200 maximum Xsync lash shutter speed setting ISO settings range from 100–1600 Because the camera’s APS-C size image sensor is smaller than a frame of 35mm ilm, the camera has a 1.6x focal length conversion factor and is compatible with the full line-up of Canon EF and EF-S lenses The camera’s 14-bit Analog-to-Digital (A/D) conversion process recognizes four times as many colors as its predecessor, capturing images with iner and more accurate gradations of tones and colors Highlight Tone Priority is perfect for wedding and nature photographers trying to capture details in wedding dresses, clouds, snow or other white subjects When you don’t plan on editing your images on a computer, Picture Styles let you adjust them for printing right in the camera as you capture them The camera captures images in the universal JPEG format but also offers the higher-quality RAW format You can also select RAW+L to capture identical RAW and JPEG images with the same ile name and different extensions (CR2 and JPG) You can then use the JPEG without farther processing and use the RAW image when you want to create the best possible image The focusing system offers nine focus points from which you or the camera can select the one used to set focus A 35-zone metering sensor, and evaluative metering, are linked to all AF points Also available are centerweighted average metering, partial metering and spot metering—the last two metering approximately 9% or 4% in the center of the viewinder The camera has E-TTL II autolash and 12 shooting modes As an added convenience you can adjust the lash settings of the Canon Speedlite 580EX II directly from the camera Canon Selphy printers like this S2 can print x or x inch prints directly from the camera The camera’s integrated sensor cleaning offers a number of ways to prevent dust from affecting your images, or remove it if it does Finally, the camera has customization features including 13 Custom Functions, picture styles you can edit or deine from scratch, and the ability to create your own menu listing only those settings you use most frequently FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM JUMP START—USING FULL AUTO MODE JuMP Start—uSinG FuLL auto Mode The XSi’s Full Auto mode sets everything for you Just frame the image and push the shutter button This a good mode in most situations because it lets you focus on the subject rather than the camera • Selecting the mode Turn the power switch on the top of the camera to ON and set the Mode Dial to Full Auto (the green rectangle icon) The monitor displays the current camera settings (page 19) • Framing the image The viewinder shows about 95% of the scene you are going to capture If the image in the viewinder is fuzzy, turn the diopter adjustment knob in the upperright corner of the viewinder to adjust it When using a zoom lens, turn the zoom ring to zoom in and out Power switch, Mode Dial, and shutter button Full Auto icon tiPS • if the camera doesn’t work as described here, you may need to clear previous settings as described on page 147 • if you don’t use any controls for 30 seconds, the camera enters auto power off mode (page 144) to wake it up, press the shutter button halfway down and release it • The lash pops up automatically, when needed, in Basic Zone modes other than Sports, Landscape, and Flash off (page 39) it does not so in Creative Zone modes (page 38) • the color cast in a photograph is affected by the color of the light illuminating the scene the camera adjusts white balance so white objects in the scene look white in the photo (page 80) • Autofocus Nine small rectangles called the AF points (AF stands for autofocus) are displayed in the viewinder When the focus switch on the lens is set to AF (page 69), the camera focuses on the closest subject covered by one or more of these points (page 70) When you press the shutter button halfway down and focus is achieved, a red dot lashes in the point or points being used to set focus, the round focus conirmation light in the lower right corner of the viewinder glows green, and the camera beeps How close you can get to a subject depends on the lens you are using If the subject’s distance to the camera changes after you have focused on it, AI servo AF mode (page 69) keeps it in focus as long as it’s covered by one of the focus points • Autoexposure Evaluative metering divides the scene in the viewinder into 35 zones and meters each of them to determine the best exposure for the scene (page 44) The shutter speed and aperture are displayed in the viewinder and on the monitor when you press the shutter button halfway down • Autolash When the light is too dim, or the subject is backlit, the built-in lash automatically pops up when you press the shutter button halfway down and ires when you press the shutter button the rest of the way down (page 111) When done, press the lash down to close it takinG a PiCture in FuLL auto Mode With the power switch on the top of the camera set to ON, set the Mode Dial to Full Auto (the green rectangle icon) Set the focus mode switch on the lens to AF (page 69) and remove the lens cap Compose the image in the viewinder, making sure the area that you want sharpest is covered by one of the nine rectangular focus points Press the shutter button halfway down and pause so the camera can automatically set focus and exposure When the camera has done so it beeps, the round green focus conirmation light in the viewinder glows, and a dot in the focusing point(s) being used to set focus lashes red Press the shutter button all the way down to take the picture The shutter sounds and the red access lamp on the back of the camera lights as the image is stored onto the memory card The image is displayed on the monitor for seconds so you can review it, or press the Erase button to delete it When done shooting, turn the power switch to OFF FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM CHAPTER CAMERA CONTROLS AND CREATIVITY Good thinGS to knoW When you irst start taking photos with a new camera, it sometimes seems that there is too much to learn all at once To simplify your getting started, here are some of the things you may want to know right off The card and battery compartments have sliding covers • If your camera is right out of the box, you need to mount a lens (page 95), insert a charged battery pack, and insert a memory card on which your images are saved The camera uses Secure Digital (SD) memory cards which store up to GB, or newer SDHC cards that store 4–32 GB No card is included with the camera, and there may be no lens as part of the package Be careful because it is possible to take photos without a card in the camera! If you turn this feature off, when you press the shutter button halfway down with no card in the camera Card is displayed in the monitor and you can’t take a picture PreventinG ShootinG Without a Card With the Mode Dial set to any mode, press MENU and display the Shooting menu tab (page 17) Press the up () or down () cross key to highlight Shoot w/o card and press SET to display choices Press the up () or down () cross key to highlight Off and press SET to select it Press the MENU or shutter button to hide the menu Icons on the monitor indicate the status of the battery charge as full (top), almost run down (middle), and out (bottom) • To insert a memory card, turn off the camera, slide the card slot cover on the right side of the camera toward the back, and swing it open Insert the card with its front label facing the rear of the camera and press it down until it locks into place Slide the cover closed so it snaps into place To remove a card, open the card slot cover and press the card down and release it so it pops up to where you can grasp it Never open the battery or card slot cover when the red access lamp in the lower right corner of the camera back Doing so can cause you to lose images, or even damage your card • If you turn off the camera while the red access lamp is lit and Recording is displayed on the monitor, the camera inishes saving all of the previously captured images before it powers down The sensor cleaning icon • The irst time you use the camera you should enter the correct date and time (page 146) since you’ll use these later to organize and locate pictures • When you turn the camera on or off, the image sensor is cleaned (page 153) When on, the current camera settings are displayed on the monitor • If you don’t use any controls for 30 seconds, the camera enters auto power off mode and the monitor turns off To wake it up, press the shutter button halfway down and release it (You can also press Playback, DISP, SET or MENU buttons.) To increase the auto power off time, see page 144 Pressing the shutter button halfway down locks focus and exposure and pressing it all the way down takes the picture 10 • No matter what you are doing, you can instantly return to shooting mode by pressing the shutter button halfway down • The shutter button has two stages when you press it halfway down, the camera sets exposure and focus When set, the current aperture and shutter speed are shown in the viewinder and on the monitor If you press the shutter button down in one stroke without pausing halfway, the camera may take FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM CHAPTER OTHER FEATURES AND COMMANDS reMote ControL PhotoGraPhY Slipping the eyepiece cover over the viewinder blocks light from entering and affecting the exposure A typical remote switch To get the sharpest possible images, the camera has to be perfectly still and free from even slight vibrations created when you press the shutter button or the mirror swings up This is especially true when working at high magniications with macro or telephoto lenses To prevent you from introducing vibrations when you take a picture you can select the self-timer/remote control drive mode (page 61) and use a cable release or wireless remote control to trigger the shutter • The wired remote switch RS-60E3 has a 2ft/60cm cable that connects to the camera’s remote control terminal and replicates all of the functions of the camera’s shutter button You can press the shutter button halfway down, all the way down, and even lock it down Locking it down is ideal for extended time exposures using bulb mode (page 90) • The wireless RC-1 uses an infrared transmitter and may be set for either instant shutter release or 2-second delay The RC-1 may also be used to activate mirror-lockup and bulb exposures • The Wireless Controller RC-5 doesn’t take photos instantly, but instead always introduces a 2-second delay The two wireless remotes are good up to about 16.4 feet (5m), although some luorescent lights can prevent the wireless remote from operating correctly The drive mode button When taking pictures with a remote control, light can leak in through the viewinder and affect the exposure To prevent this, remove the eyecup from the viewinder and slip the eyepiece cover, carried on the camera strap, over the eyepiece To remove the eyecup cover, grasp both sides and slide it up and away from the camera The XSi includes EOS Utility software you can use to remotely operate the camera Using this program you can change camera settings and specify a start time and interval time for a series of photos This lets you set up the camera and get pictures like the one of the squirrel below The EOS Utility program 142 FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM USING MY MENU uSinG MY Menu The My Menu tab’s icon You can store up to six frequently used menu commands or Custom Functions on your own personal menu so you can access them more quickly Normally the commands you add to the menu are displayed when you press MENU and select the My Menu tab However, if you enable Display from My Menu the My Menu tab is always displayed irst when you press MENU, regardless of which menu tab was last displayed reGiSterinG MY Menu SettinGS With the camera in any mode, press MENU and display the My Menu tab listing any menu settings you have already registered Highlight My Menu settings and press SET to display a submenu Highlight any of the following commands and press SET: Register displays a list of menu commands so you can highlight one and press SET to add it to the menu When asked to conirm the addition, highlight OK and press SET Sort changes the order of the registered items on the menu Delete and Delete all items delete one or all of the previously listed menu items Display from My Menu, when enabled, displays the my menu tab irst when you press the MENU button When inished with any step, press the MENU or shutter button to return to Step To hide the menu, press the shutter or MENU button FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM 143 CHAPTER OTHER FEATURES AND COMMANDS uSinG the Set-uP Menu Set-up menu tab icons The XSi has a number of commands on the Set-up menu tabs that change the basic settings of your camera Set-up menu tab is only available in Creative Zone modes uSinG the Set-uP MenuS With the camera on, press MENU and display the Set-up 1, 2, or menu tab Highlight any of the commands described in this section and change them as discussed below Press the MENU or shutter button to hide the menu TIP • if you turn off Auto power off, to extend your battery’s life turn the camera off when not taking pictures or press diSP to turn off the monitor Set-up (Yellow) auto power off sec / 1min / / / / 15 / off 144 File numbering Continuous / auto reset / Manual reset 145 auto rotate on camera and computer / on computer only / off 145 Format initialize and erase data in the card 145 LCd auto off enabled / disabled 146 Screen color Select the background color 146 LCd brightness Seven brightness levels provided 146 date/time Set the date (year, month, day) and time (hour, min., sec.) 146 Language Select the interface language 146 video system ntSC / PaL 146 Sensor cleaning auto cleaning / Clean now / Clean manually 146 Live view function settings Live view shooting / Grid display /Metering timer 146 Flash control Flash iring / Built-in lash function setting / External lash function setting / External lash C.Fn setting / Clear external lash C.Fn setting 146 Custom Functions (C.Fn) Customize the camera as desired 147 Clear settings Clear all camera settings / Clear all Custom Func (C.Fn) 147 Firmware ver For updating the irmware 147 Set-up (Yellow) Set-up (Yellow) auto PoWer oFF Normally the camera will go into auto power off mode if you don’t take a picture or use any of the commands for 30 seconds You can select a longer time or even turn this feature off so the camera doesn’t power off until you turn it off To adjust the auto power off setting, highlight Auto power off and press SET Highlight your choice and press SET 144 FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM USING THE SET-UP MENU TIP • eventually, you can run through all of the available folder and ile numbers If a folder numbered 999 is created, the message Folder number full is displayed on the monitor then if a ile numbered 9999 is created, you are prompted to replace the memory card so, or move the iles to your computer and format the card • in Continuous and Auto reset modes, if the new card already has images on it, numbering may begin for the highest number the only way to ensure the irst image is 0001 is to format the card before using it FiLe nuMBerinG By default, each photo you take is given a unique sequential number from 0001 to 9999 and is stored in a folder numbered from 100 to 999 To change the way iles are numbered, highlight File numbering, press SET then select one of the following and press SET • Continuous (the default) continues image numbering in sequence so you don’t have duplicate ile names • Auto reset restarts numbering at an initial value of 0001 when you insert a new memory card This can cause problems if you copy images into the same folder on the computer because there may be duplicate ile names • Manual reset creates a new folder and stores all subsequent images in it starting with the number 0001 The Continuous or Auto reset setting you selected then resumes auto rotate When you rotate the camera into a vertical (portrait) position to take photos and then play the photos back on the computer screen or TV, everyone watching has to tilt their heads to see the images because they are rotated 90 degrees To avoid this, the XSi has an orientation sensor that, when on, senses the position of the camera when you take a picture and automatically rotates pictures you took vertically so they are also displayed vertically when played back Images displayed for review right after you capture them are not rotated and if you take a vertical image when the camera is pointed up or down, orientation may be confused and not automatically rotate during playback However, you can rotate these or other pictures manually (page 21) To turn auto rotate on or off, highlight Auto rotate and press SET Highlight the choice to rotate them on both the camera and computer, just the computer, or not at all, and then press SET The Auto rotate menu choices include—both camera and computer, computer only, and off All iS nOT lOST this might be a good point to introduce some good news if you ever delete iles or format a memory card by mistake, you can recover your images The irst step is to stop taking pictures because new ones can overwrite the old and make them impossible to recover next, get a program that recovers the iles To ind one Google the term “image recovery.” ForMat When you get a new memory card, you often have to format it to work with the camera You may also need to reformat a card if it develops problems, or when you want to be certain it works well with a new camera Be careful with this command because it erases all of the image iles on the card, including those that you have protected (page 21) However, the image iles are not really permanently deleted until new iles are stored over them on the card To recover iles, see the Image Recovery Software tip box on page 20 Also, be aware that if you loan or sell the card, the other person can also recover your images The only way to prevent this is to take enough new photos to ill the card or use software designed to wipe the card clean To format a card highlight Format and press SET to display the prompt Format card and the choices Cancel and OK Highlight your choice and press SET You can also press the Erase button to turn low-level formatting on and off Low-level formatting may be helpful if your card has gotten slower when saving or opening images Since low-level formatting erases all recordable sectors, it takes a little longer than regular formatting FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM 145 CHAPTER OTHER FEATURES AND COMMANDS BEEP, BEEP • if you don’t want the camera to beep when focus is achieved, you can turn it off with the Beep command on the Shooting menu tab (page 11) LCd auto oFF Normally, when you bring your eye to the viewinder, the monitor display automatically turns off If you use this command and select Disable, the monitor will remain on The default setting is Enable SCreen CoLor You can change the background color of the shooting settings screen LCd BriGhtneSS You can adjust the brightness of the monitor so it better matches the lighting conditions you’re in at the moment To so, highlight LCD brightness and press SET Press the cross keys to select one of brightness levels, and press SET again One reason not to this is because it makes it more dificult to evaluate exposures in Live View However, histograms are a better way to that anyway (page 56) date/tiMe When you irst use the camera, or when the batteries have been removed or run down for some time, you should set the date and time so your image iles are correctly dated After highlighting the command, press SET and then the following: • To change the setting highlighted with the orange frame, press the up or down cross key • To move the orange frame to the next setting, press the left or right cross key When inished, press SET to return to the Set-up menu LanGuaGe You can choose a language for menus and prompts To so, highlight Language and press SET Highlight a language choice and press SET again video SYSteM At rare times you may need to specify a different video system (NTSC or PAL) so you can connect the camera to a TV set to give a slide show To change the video system, highlight Video system and press SET Highlight NTCS or PAL and press SET again SenSor CLeaninG If any dust or other debris enters the camera and adheres to the image sensor, it may show up as a dark speck in the images If this happens to you see the section “Caring for your Camera” on page 153 Live vieW FunCtion (See page 135.) SettinGS FLaSh ControL (See page 122.) 146 FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM USING THE SET-UP MENU CuStoM FunCtionS (C Fn) (See page 148.) CLear SettinGS As you make changes to settings, it is sometimes easy to forget what you’ve done At other times, you’ve changed so many settings, it’s time consuming to reset them all to their original values For this reason, there is a command that resets all of the settings for you To clear changes you have made to settings, highlight Clear settings and press SET to display two choices Select one and press SET: • Clear all camera settings restores most camera settings other than Custom Functions to their factory defaults listed in the table below • Clear all Custom Func (C Fn) sets all Custom Functions (page 148) to 0, their default settings Menu Default aF mode one-Shot aF Page 69 aF point selection automatic selection 70 Metering mode evaluative metering 46 drive mode (Single shooting) exposure compensation (Zero) aeB Canceled 53 Flash exposure compensation (Zero) 120 Live view shooting disable 135 Quality Large/Fine 25 iSo speed auto 62 61, 139 53 File numbering Continuous Color space srGB 144 White balance auto WB 80 WB correction Canceled 83 82 WB bracketing Canceled 83 Picture Style Standard 140 FirMWare ver If Canon releases updated software for the camera you use this command to install it after downloading it from their Web site Follow the directions that come with it If you want to see what version is currently loaded, this command lists it FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM 147 CHAPTER OTHER FEATURES AND COMMANDS uSinG CuStoM FunCtionS The XSi has 13 Custom Functions you change in Creative Zone modes to control camera operations All default settings are ChanGinG CuStoM FunCtionS The Set-up menu tab icon With the Mode Dial set to any mode in the Creative Zone, press the MENU button and display the Set-up menu tab Highlight Custom Functions (C Fn) and press SET to display a table of 13 Custom Functions at the bottom of the monitor The current setting for each function is listed below its number (all default settings are 0) Current settings other than “0” are displayed in blue Press the left () or right () cross key to scroll through the functions To change the function listed below the small bar, press SET to display choices, highlight the one you want to use, and press SET again to select it Press the MENU or shutter button to hide the menu nUMBER Tip Custom functions 9, 10 and 11 are disabled during Live view shooting FUnCTiOn pAgE C.Fn I: Exposure exposure level increments 148 Flash sync speed in av mode 148 C.Fn II: Image Long exposure noise reduction 149 high iSo speed noise reduction 149 highlight tone priority 149 auto Lighting optimizer 149 C.Fn III: Auto focus/Drive The Custom Functions screen AF-assist beam iring 149 aF during Live view shooting 149 Mirror lockup 150 C.Fn IV: Operation/Others 10 Shutter/ae lock button 150 11 Set button when shooting 150 12 LCd display when power on 150 13 add original decision data 150 • 01 Exposure level increments selects 0: 1/3-stop or 1: 1/2-stop increments for shutter speeds, apertures, exposure compensation, AEB and other exposure settings • 02 Flash sync speed in AV mode sets the shutter speed to 0: Auto or 1: 1/200sec (ixed) when using lash in Av mode Fixing the shutter speed prevents a slow shutter speed when photographing in dim light, so backgrounds will be darker and you will avoid blur caused by camera shake When set to Auto, slower shutter speeds are used to lighten the background just as they are in slow sync lash photography (page 117) so you may get blur from camera or subject movement 148 FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM USING CUSTOM FUNCTIONS • 03 Long exp noise reduction is used to remove noise from images taken with long exposures The image processing time is the same as the exposure time so longer exposures mean longer intervals between shots • 0: Off turns off noise reduction • 1: Auto reduces noise in images taken at exposures of second or longer if it detects noise • 2: On reduces noise in all images taken at exposures of second or longer This setting may be more effective in detecting and removing noise than Auto If you take a long exposure in Live View while this choice is active, no image is displayed for review on the monitor while noise reduction is being performed • 04 High ISO speed noise reduction is used to remove noise from images shot at high ISO settings • 0: Off turns off noise reduction • 1: On performs noise reduction at all ISO settings, but has the most effect at high ISOs At low ISOs, noise in shadow areas is reduced When On, the frame rate in continuous shooting drops dramatically and white balance bracketing is disabled • 05 Highlight tone priority can be set to 0: Disable or 1: Enable When enabled, highlight details are improved although noise in shadow areas may be increased The dynamic range is expanded between 18% middle gray and the brightest highlights As a result, the gradation between the grays and highlights is smoother This is a good setting for weddings and landscapes since it captures more detail in white subjects such as wedding dresses, clouds, and snow Also, the ISO range is 200–1600, and to remind you it’s on, zeros in the ISO are displayed in small type on the monitor and in the viewinder • 06 Auto Lighting Optimizer, when enabled, adjusts image brightness and contrast automatically if an image would otherwise be too dark or have contrast that’s too low (Depending on the shooting conditions, image noise may increase.) This function doesn’t work with manual exposures nor RAW and RAW+Large/Fine JPEG images In the Basic Zone modes, Auto Lighting Optimizer operates automatically • 07 AF-assist beam speciies when and if the lash’s AF assist beam ires (page 69) You may want to turn it off in some circumstances since it draws attention • 0: Enable enables the AF-assist beam • 1: Disable disables the AF-assist beam • 2: Only external lash emits enables the AF-assist beam on an external lash and disables the one on the camera Tip • if you set Custom Function 08 to or and want to use ae lock set Custom Function 10 to • 08 AF during Live View shooting offers three choices When set to or 2, you can autofocus during Live View shooting (page 135) • 0: Disable disables autofocus during Live View shooting • 1: Quick mode is the same as normal autofocus using the dedicated AF sensor Although you can focus quickly, the Live View image is interrupted momentarily during the AF operation FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM 149 CHAPTER OTHER FEATURES AND COMMANDS TipS • When the mirror is locked up, the viewinder goes dark • in very bright light, take the picture as soon as possible after locking up the mirror • When the mirror is locked up, don’t point the camera at the sun with the shutter button pressed halfway down doing so can damage the shutter curtains • in continuous mode, only one picture can be taken at a time when using mirror lockup • 2: Live mode uses the image sensor to focus and the Live View image display is not interrupted However, autofocus takes longer than with Quick mode and achieving focus may be more dificult • 09 Mirror lockup lets you 0: Disable or 1: Enable mirror lockup When enabled, the mirror is lifted just before the shutter opens and remains locked up so when you then take a picture the swinging mirror doesn’t create any image-softening vibrations This is a very useful feature when taking macro close-ups, or using very long lenses After tuning it on, here is how it works: • Pressing the shutter button all the way down raises the mirror, and pressing it again takes the picture and lowers the mirror If you don’t press the shutter button within 30 seconds, the mirror lowers automatically • When using the self-timer (page 61), pressing the shutter button all the way down raises the mirror and then takes the picture seconds later If you don’t have a remote control, this is a great way to avoid camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button • When using bulb and the self-timer, hold the shutter button down until the exposure is complete If you release it before the self timer ends, there will be a shutter release sound but a picture isn’t taken • 10 Shutter/AE lock button has four settings that specify how the shutter and AE/FE Lock button work These combinations determine how and when focus (AF) and exposure (AE) are locked: The AE/FE Lock icon • 0: AF/AE lock—Pressing the shutter button halfway down locks focus and exposure when using evaluative metering Pressing the AE/FE Lock button locks exposure and keeps it locked even when you release the shutter button • 1: AE lock/AF—Pressing the shutter button halfway down locks exposure Pressing the AE/FE Lock button locks focus • 2: AF/AF lock, no AE lock—In AI Servo AF mode (page 69), pressing the AE/FE Lock button locks focus so an object passing in front of the camera doesn’t affect focus Exposure is set when the picture is taken • 3: AE/AF, no AE lock—In AI Servo AF mode (page 69), pressing the AE/ FE Lock button locks focus and releasing the button unlocks it Exposure is set when the picture is taken This option is useful when photographing a subject that repeatedly stops and starts • 11 SET button when shooting speciies which screen is displayed on the monitor when you press the SET button (When using Live View, these settings are ignored and pressing SET displays the Live View image instead.) • Normal (disabled) • Change quality changes image quality (page 25) • Flash exposure comp displays the lash exposure compensation screen (page 120) • LCD monitor On/Off performs the same function as the DISP button (page 16) • Menu display performs the same function as the MENU button • 12 LCD display when power on speciies if the monitor displays information when you turn on the camera 150 FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM USING CUSTOM FUNCTIONS • 0: Display turns on the monitor when you turn on the camera • 1: Retain power OFF status remembers if the monitor was on or off when you last turned off the camera and returns to that state when you turn it back on For example, if you press DISP to turn off the display, then turn off the camera, when you turn the camera back on the display will be off When you shooting information for an image with veriication data appended, this icon is displayed 13 Add original decision data, when on, appends data to the image ile that lets you verify if an image is original or not When played back a padlock icon is displayed To verify if the image is an original you’ll need the Original Data Security Kit OSK-E3 (sold separately) CLearinG CuStoM FunCtionS With the Mode Dial set to any mode in the Creative Zone, press the MENU button, and display the Set-up menu tab Highlight Clear settings and press SET Highlight Clear all Custom Func (C Fn) and press SET Highlight OK and press SET to clear the functions and return to the menu Press the MENU or shutter button to hide the menu FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM 151 CHAPTER OTHER FEATURES AND COMMANDS enterinG a Print order If you have a DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compatible printer with a memory card slot, or if your photoinisher has one, you can create a print order right on the memory card storing your images (You can use a similar procedure to print on a printer connected to the camera For information on direct printing refer to the XSi manual and the manual that came with your printer.) When creating a print order to be saved onto a memory card, there are three basic steps: • Sel Image selects the images to be printed and speciies how many copies of each are to be made • Set up speciies print types (Standard prints one image on each sheet, Index prints a number of small thumbnail images on each sheet, or Both) and lets you specify if the date an image was taken and its ile number are printed on each photo • All image is used to select all pictures for printing, or to clear all previously speciied print quantities TIPS • images in the raW ile format (page 25) cannot be marked for printing nor can some photos or movies captured by other cameras • if you specify that both the date and the File number be printed on each image, you may not get both You may get only the date on standard prints and the ile number on index prints • When printing an index, both Date and File No can’t be turned on at the same time • Print orders are stored on the memory card so when images are transferred to a computer the settings are lost • Some printers, even if marked dPoF compatible may not print your order correctly 152 enterinG a Print order With the camera on, press MENU and display the Playback menu tab Highlight Print order and press SET to display the Print order menu Do one of the following: To specify the print type, highlight Set up and press SET Highlight Print type, press SET, select Standard, Index, or Both and then press SET again (You can also specify if the date and ile number is printed on the image by turning those features on.) When inished, press MENU to return to the Print Order menu To individually select images to be printed, highlight Sel Image and press SET to display the last image taken Press the Index/Reduce and Magnify buttons to switch between displaying images and Scroll through the images and when you ind one you want printed, press the up () or down () cross key to specify the quantity, and then resume scrolling (If ordering just index prints, a check mark is displayed instead of a number.) The number of copies of that image, and the running total of all images to be printed are displayed in the upperleft corner of the monitor When inished, press MENU to return to the Print Order menu To select or unselect all images, highlight All image and press SET Highlight Mark all on card, or Clear all on card and press SET again to return to the Print Order menu Press MENU to hide the menu and save the order to the memory card FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM CARING FOR YOUR CAMERA CarinG For Your CaMera Some of the best opportunities for interesting photographs occur during bad weather or in hostile environments You can take advantage of these opportunities as long as you take a few precautions to protect your camera CLeaninG the iMaGe SenSor http://www.photocourse.com/itext/dust/ Click to see the effects of dust on your images TipS • Change lenses in a dust free environment and out of the wind • Store the camera with a lens or the body cap attached • remove dust from the body cap and lens mounts before attaching them The sensor cleaning icon is displayed while auto sensor cleaning is being performed If you change lens a lot, or even once in a windy or dusty environment, dust can enter the camera and stick to the low-pass ilter covering the image sensor This dust creates dark spots on the images One way to check if this has happened is to take a few photos of a clear sky or white card Open the images in your photo-editing program and lip through them (On a PC running Photoshop, zoom the pictures to the same size then Ctrl-Tab through them quickly and the dust spots jump out at you.) If images have small, dark spots in the same place, they are caused by dust on the sensor The XSi uses state-of-the-art technology, called the EOS Integrated Cleaning System, to automatically eliminate this problem It has the following stages: Reduce Canon minimizes the dust and particles created by the camera itself, by using materials in the body cap and shutter that don’t create dust and other particles during normal wear and tear Repel Canon treats the camera’s low pass ilter with an anti-static charge to prevent static-charged dust from adhering to it Remove The low pass ilter in front of the CMOS image sensor, designed to eliminate moiré patterns and give accurate color, is attached to an ultrasonic vibrating unit that literally shakes the loose dust particles off of the ilter The newly liberated dust is then captured by an adhesive material that keeps the particles from becoming airborne again The low-pass ilter, normally a single unit, is also divided into two components, a front and a rear The front component, where any dust would accumulate, is positioned far enough out in front of the sensor that any dust on it is out of focus and less likely to show in your images The sensor unit’s ultrasonic anti-dust shake activates automatically for one second whenever you turn the camera on or off, ensuring that the sensor is relatively dust free You can also activate cleaning at other times using the Clean now choice listed under the Set-up menu tab’s Sensor cleaning setting In addition to the EOS Integrated Cleaning System, the XSi lets you clean the sensor with sensor swabs and cleaning luid NEVER used compressed air, or other cleaning products, on the sensor Cleaning supplies are available from B&H and Calumet The most popular products seem to be those from Photographic Solutions (http://www.photosol.com) For more information Google “cleaning image sensor” but proceed at your own risk One of the best Web sites I’ve found on this topic is Cleaning Digital Cameras at http:// www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/howto.html To clean a sensor you use the camera’s Clean manually choice listed under the Set-up menu tab’s Sensor cleaning setting to lock the mirror up and out of the way and hold open the shutter so you can get to the surface of the image sensor This is a high-risk procedure and we recommend extreme caution It’s more prudent to have it done by you camera company’s service center FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM 153 CHAPTER OTHER FEATURES AND COMMANDS TipS • When cleaning the sensor set the camera down on a lat surface For best results, don’t tip it forward or back • You can take a picture while sensor cleaning is being performed CLeaninG the SenSor With the Mode Dial set to any mode, press the MENU button, display the Set-up menu tab, highlight Sensor cleaning and press SET to display three choices—Auto cleaning, Clean now, and Clean manually To turn auto cleaning on (the default) or off, highlight Auto cleaning and press SET, then highlight Enable or Disable and press SET again To clean the sensor at any time, highlight Clean now and press SET When asked to conirm, select OK To manually clean the sensor, highlight Clean manually and press SET Follow the instruction on the screen and on page 53 Press the MENU or shutter button to hide the menu In addition to removing dust from the sensor, the XSi also lets you remove it from images You just photograph a white wall or sheet of paper (or, in a pinch, remove the lens from the camera) and the camera’s Dust Delete Data function maps the size and position of any dust particles remaining on the low pass ilter Once the dust is “mapped”, that information is attached as metadata to all newly captured images—both RAW and JPEG When you then transfer the images to a computer you can use the included Digital Photo Professional software to subtract the dust from the images by selecting the “apply dust delete data” option You can update the Dust Delete Data at any time using the Dust Delete Data choice on the Set-up men tab oBtaininG duSt deLete data Get ready: Find a solid white surface Set the lens focal length to 50mm or more Set the lens focus switch to MF and set focus to ininity (If the lens has no focus scale, turn the lens focus ring all the way counter-clockwise as viewed from the back of the camera With the Mode Dial set to any mode in the Creative Zone, press the MENU button, display the Shooting menu tab, highlight Dust Delete Data and press SET to display a conirmation screen Highlight OK to display an instructional screen Highlight OK and press SET to clean the sensor At a distance of 0.7–1.0 feet (2–30cm) completely ill the viewinder with the white surface and press the shutter button all the way down Here are the ive steps recommended by Photographic Solutions for cleaning your image sensor with their sensor swabs and Eclipse cleaning luid http:// www.photosol.com 154 If successful, you see the message Data obtained (The image data is stored internally and is not saved to the memory card.) OK is highlighted so press SET If unsuccessful, you’ll be asked if you want to try again If so, repeat Step 2–4 Press the MENU or shutter button to hide the menu FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM CARING FOR YOUR CAMERA CLeaninG the CaMera and LenS Clean the outside of the camera with a slightly damp, soft, lint-free cloth Open the “laps” to the memory and battery compartments occasionally and use a soft brush or blower to remove dust Clean the LCD monitor by brushing or blowing off dirt and wiping with a soft cloth, but don’t press hard and be sure there is no grit on the cloth that can scratch the surface Cleaning kits are available at most ofice supply stores The irst rule is to clean the lens only when absolutely necessary A little dust on the lens won’t affect the image, so don’t be compulsive Keep the lens covered when not in use to reduce the amount of cleaning required When cleaning is necessary, use a soft brush, such as a sable artist’s brush, and a blower (an ear syringe makes a good one) to remove dust Fingerprints can be very harmful to the lens coating and should be removed as soon as possible use a lens cleaning cloth (or roll up a piece of photographic lens cleaning tissue and tear the end off to leave a brush like surface) Put a small drop of lens cleaning luid on the end of the tissue (Your condensed breath on the lens also works well.) Never put cleaning luid directly on the lens; it might run between the lens elements Using a circular motion, clean the lens surface with the cloth or tissue, then use the cloth or a tissue rolled and torn the same way to dry it Never reuse tissues and don’t press hard when cleaning because the front element of the lens is covered with a relatively delicate lens coating ProteCtinG Your CaMera FroM the eLeMentS Your camera should never be exposed to excessively high temperatures If at all possible, don’t leave the camera in a car on a hot day, especially if the sun is shining on the car (or if it will so later in the day) If the camera has to be exposed to the sun, such as when you are at the beach, cover it with a light colored and sand free towel or piece of tinfoil to shade it from the sun Dark materials will only absorb the heat and possibly make things worse Indoors, avoid storage near radiators, places likely to get hot or humid, or where direct sunlight can hit it When it’s cold out, keep the camera as warm as possible by keeping it under your coat Always carry extra batteries Those in your camera may weaken at low temperatures just as a car battery weakens in the cold Prevent condensation when taking the camera from a cold area to a warm one by wrapping the camera in a plastic bag or newspaper until its temperature climbs to match that of its environment If some condensation does occur, not use the camera or take it back out in the cold with condensation still on it, or it can freeze up camera operation Remove the battery and memory card, and leave the compartment covers open until everything dries out Never place the camera near electric motors or other devices that have strong magnetic ields These ields can corrupt the image data stored in the camera Always protect equipment from water, especially salt water, and from dust, dirt, and sand A camera case helps, but at the beach a plastic bag is even better When shooting in the mist, fog, or rain, cover the camera with a plastic bag into which you’ve cut a hole for the lens to stick out Use a rubber band to seal the bag around the lens You can reach through the normal opening in the bag to operate the controls Screwing a skylight ilter over the lens allows you to wipe off spray and condensation without damaging the delicate lens surface FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM 155 CHAPTER OTHER FEATURES AND COMMANDS ProteCtinG When traveLinG Use lens caps or covers to protect lenses Store all small items and other accessories in cases and pack everything carefully so bangs and bumps won’t cause them to hit each other Be careful packing photographic equipment in soft luggage where it can be easily damaged When lying, there are no reports of damage caused by carry-on metal detectors, but those used to examine checked baggage are much more powerful StorinG a CaMera Store your camera in a cool, dry, well ventilated area, and remove its battery if it’s to be stored for some time A camera bag or case makes an excellent storage container to protect it from dust Digital cameras have lots of components including batteries, chargers, cables, lens cleaners, and what not It helps if you have some kind of storage container in which to keep them all together CarinG For YourSeLF When hiking outdoors, don’t wear the camera strap around your neck, it could strangle you Don’t aim the camera directly at the sun, it can burn your eye 156 FOR INFORMATION ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM [...]... image in RAW format, the camera just captures the images as is and you decide what white balance setting to use later You can even create different versions of an image, each with its own white balance The only camera settings that permanently affect the image are focus, the shutter speed and aperture, and the ISO setting • RAW images can be processed again at a later date when new and improved applications... applications become available Your original image isn’t permanently altered by today’s generation of photo-editing applications FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM SELECTING IMAGE QUALITY AND SIZE • You can generate alternate versions of the same RAW image For example, you can adjust highlight and shadow areas and save these versions separately Using a photo-editing program,... you can then combine the two images as layers and by selectively erasing parts of the top image layer let areas of the lower image layer show through so all areas have a perfect exposure Admittedly, there are drawbacks to using RAW images • You can’t print RAW images directly from the camera or add them to a digital print order form (page 152) • RAW iles are quite large If you use this format a great... using a program such as Adobe’s Photoshop or Lightroom that supports the format Since each camera company has deined its own proprietary RAW format, many operating systems and even photo-editing programs are unable to recognize some or all of these iles For this reason camera manufacturers always supply a program to process RAW images along with their cameras in the case of the XSi it’s the Digital... HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM 19 CHAPTER 1 CAMERA CONTROLS AND CREATIVITY Tip in playback mode the Main dial acts differently as follows: • in single-image view it jumps you the way you have speciied (the default is 10 images) • in index view it scrolls through thumbnails a page at a time • if an image is magniied, it scrolls you through other images one at a time ManaGinG Your iMaGeS—Con’t To erase the image... CREATIVITY hoW an iMaGe iS CaPtured Digital cameras are very much like the rapidly disappearing 35mm ilm cameras Both types contain a lens, an aperture, and a shutter The lens brings light from the scene into focus inside the camera so it can expose an image The aperture is a hole that can be made smaller or larger to control the amount of light entering the camera The shutter is a device that can be opened... settings register frequently-used menu items and Custom Functions My Menu (Green) 18 143 FOR MORE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, VISIT HTTP://WWW.SHORTCOURSES.COM PLAYING BACK & MANAGING YOUR IMAGES PLaYinG BaCk & ManaGinG Your iMaGeS tiPS When taking photos, there are many times when you want to review the images you’ve taken, ideally before leaving the scene • after magnifying an image or displaying information,... here are some things to consider about each format There are a number of advantages to using the RAW format: • Images in this format used to require an extra processing step but since the latest programs such as Aperture and Lightroom were designed from the ground up after RAW formats were introduced they handle them as easily as they handle JPEGs Tip • as you highlight an image quality, the image’s... reset all camera settings to their original factory defaults (page 147) • You can connect the camera to a computer and use Live view (page 135) so you and others can immediately see photos as you take them this is a great way to take portraits and close-ups 9 DISP button displays or hides information on the monitor about camera settings in shooting or menu mode, or about the currently displayed image in. .. printing An image that looks sharp and has smooth transitions in tones (top) is actually made up of millions of individual square pixels (bottom) Each pixel is a solid, uniform color Tip • the term “resolution” has two meanings in photography originally it referred to the ability of a camera system to resolve pairs of ine lines such as those found on a test chart in this usage it’s an indicator of sharpness,