Using Adep To Maximize Depth Of Field
As discussed in Chapter 4, A-DEP is what I would refer to as an advanced automatic mode. The camera evaluates the distance of objects in the viewfinder and then determines the proper aperture setting to render everything in focus. It is automatic because it requires no input from the camera operator, but it is advanced because it is not just trying to select the maximum aperture as with the Landscape mode in the Basic zone. Take a look at Figure 7.3 and let's see what A-DEP is thinking. There...
The Tricks To Shooting Sports And More
Now that you have learned about the Creative zone, it's time to put your newfound knowledge to good use. Whether you are shooting the action at a professional sporting event or a child on a merry-go-round, you'll learn techniques that will help you bring out the best in your photography when your subject is in motion. The number one thing to know when trying to capture a moving target is that speed is king I'm not talking about how fast your subject is moving, but rather how fast your shutter...
Sunblock For Portraits
The midday sun can be harsh and can do unflattering things to people's faces. If you can, find a shady spot out of the direct sunlight. You will get softer shadows, smoother skin tones, and better detail Figure 6.22 . This holds true for overcast skies as well. Just be sure to adjust your white balance accordingly. An overcast sky created some great portrait lighting for this shot of my friend Mike. An overcast sky created some great portrait lighting for this shot of my friend Mike.
P Program Mode
amp There is a reason that Program P1 mode is only one click away from To see a comparison of all of the different modes in the Basic and Creative zones, check out the tables on pages 210-211 of your owner's manual. the Basic modes with respect to apertures and shutter speeds, the camera is doing most of the thinking for you. So, if that is the case, why even bother with Program mode First, let me say that it is very rare that I will use Program mode because it just doesn't give as much...
Drive Mode
Three different drive modes are available in the Creative Auto mode Single shooting, Continuous shooting, and Self-Timer Figure 3.15 . In Single shooting, the camera takes only one picture when the shutter button is depressed all the way. Taking another picture requires releasing the button and To add a little zip to your image, try changing the picture style. To add a little zip to your image, try changing the picture style. The L setting is for the large, high-quality JPEG file. The L setting...
Metering Basics
There are multiple metering modes in your camera, but the way they work is very similar. A light meter measures the amount of light being reflected off your subject and then renders a suggested exposure value based on the brightness of the subject and the ISO setting of the sensor. To establish this value, the meter averages all of the brightness values to come up with a middle tone, sometimes referred to as 18 percent gray. The exposure value is then rendered based on this middle gray value....
Landscape Mode
EiiiiSk As you might have guessed, Landscape mode has been optimized for gp1 shooting landscape images. Particular emphasis is placed on the picture style, with the camera trying to boost the greens and blues in the image Figure 3.3 . This makes sense, since the typical landscape would be outdoors where grass, trees, and skies should look more colorful. This picture style also boosts the sharpness that is applied during processing. The camera also utilizes the lowest ISO settings possible in...
Use Fill Flash For Reducing Shadows
A common problem when taking pictures of people outside, especially during the midday hours, is that the overhead sun can create dark shadows under the eyes and chin. You could have your subject turn his or her face to the sun, but that is usually considered cruel and unusual punishment. So how can you have your subject's back to the sun and still get a decent exposure of the face Try turning on your flash to fill in the shadows. This also works well when you are photographing someone with a...
Motion Blur
Another way to let the viewer in on the feel of the action is to simply include some blur in the image. This isn't accidental blur from choosing the wrong shutter speed. This blur is more exaggerated, and it tells a story. In Figure 5.12, I was interested in capturing the movement of the cyclist. A fast shutter speed would have surely frozen the action, but it would not have told the story of his movement. Instead of moving with the action, I let the movement of the cyclist create the blur as I...
Setting Up Live Views Grid Option
1. Press the Menu button and then use the Main dial to get to the second camera setup screen. 2. Using the Cross keys, scroll down to Live View function settings and press the Set button A . Date Time OS OS 'I014 22 Language English Video system NTSC Sensor cleaning fUve View function settings 3. Scroll down to Grid display, press Set, and then choose Grid 1 B . 4. Press the Menu button to return to the main Live View settings and make sure to set the Live View shooting option to Enable C . I...
Creative Auto Mode
Let's face it there will be times when these automatic modes in the Basic Pgy zone are nice, but you will want more control over what the camera is doing and how your pictures look. In the Basic zone, this is where the Creative Auto CA mode comes in. You won't have total control over the picture-making process, but you will be able to make some adjustments to gain a little more creative control over things like image brightness, use of flash, and background sharpness Figure 3.8 . To make these...
When To Use Aperture Priority Av Mode
A fairly large aperture combined with a long focal length created a very blurry background, so all the emphasis was left on the subject. A fairly large aperture combined with a long focal length created a very blurry background, so all the emphasis was left on the subject. The smaller aperture setting brings sharpness to near and far objects. A wide-angle lens combined with a fairly small aperture makes for a lot of depth of field. A wide-angle lens combined with a fairly small aperture makes...
Panning
Panning has been used for decades to capture the speed of a moving object as it moves across the frame. It doesn't work well for subjects that are moving toward or away from you. Panning is achieved by following your subject across your frame, moving your camera along with the subject, and using a slower-than-normal shutter speed so that the background and sometimes even a bit of the subject has a sideways blur but the main portion of your subject is sharp and blur-free. The key to a great...
Stop And Go With Ai Focus Af
If you are going to be changing between a moving target and one that is still, you should consider using the AI Focus mode. This mode mixes both the One Shot and AI Servo modes for shooting a subject that goes from stationary to moving without having to adjust your focus mode. When you have a stationary subject, simply place your selected focus point on your subject and the camera will focus on it. If your subject begins to move out of focus, the camera will switch to AI Servo mode and track...
Selecting And Shooting In Ai Servo Focus Mode
1. Press the right Cross key button AF for Automatic Focus on the back of the camera. 2. Use your index finger to rotate the Main dial until AI Servo appears on the rear LCD panel. You can also use the left and right Cross keys to make the selection. Press the Set button to lock in your change. 3. Locate your subject in the viewfinder, then press and hold the shutter button halfway to activate the focus mechanism. 4. The camera will maintain focus on your subject, as long as the subject remains...
When To Use Shutter Priority Tv Mode
When working with fast-moving subjects where you want to freeze the action Figure 4.3 much more on this is in Chapter 5 When you want to emphasize movement in your subject with motion blur Figure 4.4 When you want to use a long exposure to gather light over a long period of time Figure 4.5 more on this is in Chapter 8 When you want to create that silky-looking water in a waterfall Figure 4.6 Even the fastest of subjects can be frozen with the right shutter speed. Even the fastest of subjects...
Flash Off Mode
Sometimes you will be in a situation where the light levels are low but 'HBP' you don't want to use the flash. It could be that you are shooting in a place that restricts flash photography, such as a museum or church, or it could be a situation where you want to take advantage of the available light, as when shooting candles on a birthday cake. This is where Flash Off mode comes into play. By keeping the flash from firing, you will be able to use just the available ambient light while the...
Setting The Movie Quality
1. To change the quality of your video recording, start by turning the Mode dial to the Movie shooting position. 2. Press the Menu button and navigate to the first Movie Shooting tab. 3. Select the Movie record size option and press the Set button A . 4. Select the desired movie quality setting and press the Set button B . 5. Press the Menu button to return to Movie shooting mode. Hgsiggggg EE3E I Movie rec. size 1920x1080 r AFmode Live mode AF during 'i Disable ffSh utter AE lock button Remote...
Night Portrait Mode
SSUiS L You're out on the town at night and you want to take a nice picture of lillSw someone, but you want to show some of the interesting scenery in the background as well. You could use Full Auto mode, which would probably turn on the flash and take the photo. The problem is that, while it would give you a decent exposure for your subject, the background would be completely dark. The solution is to use Night Portrait mode. When you set the dial to this mode, you are telling the camera that...
When To Use Manual M Mode
When learning how each exposure element interacts with the others Figure 4.11 When your environment is fooling your light meter and you need to maintain a certain exposure setting Figure 4.12 When shooting silhouetted subjects, which requires overriding the camera's meter readings Figure 4.13 Using manual mode allows you to use exposure settings that your camera would never select if placed in an automatic mode. This image was purposely underexposed to keep the sky dark. Using manual mode...
Progressive Scan
When it comes to video, there are usually two terms associated with the quality of the video and how it is captured and displayed on a monitor screen progressive and interlaced. The two terms describe how the video is drawn by line for each frame. Video frames are not displayed all at once like a photograph. In progressive video, the lines are drawn in sequence from top to bottom. Interlaced video draws all of the odd-numbered lines and then all of the even-numbered lines. This odd-even drawing...
Using The Right Format Raw Vs Jpeg
When shooting with your T2i, you have a choice of image formats that your camera will use to store the pictures on the memory card. JPEG is probably the most familiar format to anyone who has been using a digital camera. I touched on this topic briefly in Chapter 1, so you already have a little background on what JPEG and RAW files are. There is nothing wrong with JPEG if you are taking casual shots. JPEG files are ready to use, right out of the camera. Why go through the process of adjusting...
Updating The Firmware Using The Eos Utility Program
1. Download the firmware update file from the Canon website A . You can find the file by going to the Download Library section of the EOS camera site and entering the information about your camera. 2. Download the Firmware Update file that matches your computer operating system Windows or Macintosh . 3. Extract the downloaded firmware file as per your operating system B .
UPDATING THE T2iS FIRMWARE
I know that you want to get shooting, but having the proper firmware can impact the way the camera operates. It can fix problems as well as improve operation, so you should probably take care of it sooner rather than later. Updating your camera's firmware is something that the manual completely omits, yet it can change the entire behavior of your camera operating systems and functions. The firmware of your camera is the set of computer operating instructions that controls how your camera...
Hold Your Camera For Proper Shooting
The proper way to hold your camera to ensure sharp, blur-free images. Photos Alex Revell Digital SLR cameras are made to favor the right-handed individual. The basics of properly holding the camera begins with grasping the camera body with the right hand. You will quickly find that most of the important camera controls are within easy reach of your thumb and forefinger. The next step is to create a stable base for your camera to rest on. This is accomplished by placing the camera body on the...
Poring Over The Camera
EF Lens EF-S Lens Alignment Alignment Red-Eye Reduction Lamp Self-Timer Lamp Red-Eye Reduction Lamp Self-Timer Lamp
Cleaning The Sensor
Cleaning camera sensors used to be a nerve-racking process that required leaving the sensor exposed to scratching and even more dust. Now cleaning the sensor is pretty much an automatic function. Every time you turn the camera on and off, the sensor in the camera vibrates to remove any dust particles that might have landed on it. There are three choices for cleaning in the camera setup menu Auto Cleaning, Clean Now, and Clean Manually. By default, the camera is set to automatically clean the...
Checking The Cameras Current Firmware Version Number
1. Rotate the Mode dial to select P or any of the other modes in the Creative zone . 2. Press the Menu button to display the menu. 3. Turn the Main dial to get to the third camera setup menu, and you will see the currently installed firmware version number at the bottom of the settings. If this version is not the latest one listed on the Canon website, follow the steps in the next section to load the latest version. FTI FT EilEfiEntail fmm Custom Funotions C.Fn Copyright information At the time...
Adjust The Viewfinder Diopter
If you wear glasses, or are just like me and your eyes are getting older, you might have trouble looking through the viewfinder. Actually, you will be able to see through the viewfinder but what you see might not look like it is in crisp focus. This may not be a huge problem when you are using autofocus, but if you are trying to manually focus your lens you will find that your images look a bit soft. To remedy this, you should use the dioptric adjustment knob, located to the right of the...
Q Is There Anything Else I Should Know Before Getting Started
A In order to keep the book short and focused, I had to be pretty selective about what I put in each chapter. The problem is that there is a little more information that might come in handy after you've gone through all the chapters. So as an added value for you, I have written two bonus chapters called Pimp My Ride and T2i Video Beyond the Basics. The first chapter is full of information on photo accessories that will assist you in making better photographs. In it, you will find my...
White Balance And The Temperature Of Color
When you select different white balances in your camera, you will notice that underneath several of the choices is a number, e.g., 5200K, 7000K, or 3200K. These numbers refer to the Kelvin temperature of the colors in the visible spectrum. The visible spectrum is the range of light that the human eye can see think of a rainbow or the color bands that come out of a spectrum . The visible spectrum of light has been placed into a scale called the Kelvin temperature scale, which identifies the...
Ten Tips To Make Your Shooting More Productive Right Out Of The Box
Whenever I get a new camera, I am always anxious to jump right in and start cranking off exposures. What I really should be doing is sitting down with my instruction manual to learn how to use all of the camera features, but what fun is that After all, we all know that instruction manuals are for propping up that short leg on the family room table, right Of course, this behavior always leads me to frustration in the end there are always issues that would have been easily addressed had I known...
Setting The Image Quality 1
Press the Menu button on the back of the camera to bring up the menu list. Use the Main dial to select the far-left menu tab. 3. At the top of this menu tab locate the Quality option A . 4. Press the Set button to bring up the options screen. 5. Use the left right Cross keys to select the first L this will render a 18-mega-pixel image with a dimension of 5184 pixels by 3456 pixels B . 6. Press the Set button to lock in this change. B gjlFrlFIFIPg GEE 13 I Quality ii Release shutter without card...
Formatting Your Memory Card 1
1. Insert your memory card into the camera. 2. Press the Menu button and navigate to the first setup menu screen the fourth from the right . 3. Press the down Cross key on the back of the camera to highlight the Format option and press Set A . 4. The default selection for the Format screen is Cancel, just in case you didn't really want to format the card. Press the right Cross key to highlight OK B . The screen will warn you that you will lose any data by formatting your card, so make sure that...
Choosing The Right Memory Card
Make sure you select an SD card that has enough capacity to handle your photography needs. Memory cards are the digital film that store every shot you take until you move them to a computer. The cards come in all shapes and sizes, and they are critical for capturing all of your photos. It is important not to skimp when it comes to selecting your memory cards. The T2i uses Secure Digital SD memory cards Figure 2.1 . If you have been using a point-and-shoot camera, chances are that you may...
Formatting Your Memory Card
When you purchase any new SD card, you can pop it into your camera and start shooting right away and probably everything will work as it should. However, what you should do first is format the card in the camera. This process allows the camera to set up the card to record images from your camera. Just as a computer hard drive must be formatted, formatting your card ensures that it is properly initialized. The card may work in the camera without first being formatted, but chances of failure down...
Turn Off The Release Shutter Without Card Setting
If you really want to ruin your day, try shooting for a couple of hours only to find that you didn't put a memory card in your camera and thus didn't save any of the pictures that you've taken. This was always a concern with film shooters, and it hasn't gone away with digital SLRs. You see, camera manufacturers want to give prospective buyers a way to test out the camera without having to keep a memory card in it, so they came up with a setting called Release Shutter without Card. When your...
Know How To Override Autofocus
As good as the Canon autofocus system is, there are times when it just isn't doing the job for you. Many times this has to do with how you would like to compose a scene and where the actual point of focus should be. This can be especially true when you are using the camera on a tripod, where you can't pre-focus and then recompose before shooting as discussed earlier . To take care of this problem, you will need to manually focus the lens. I am only going to cover the kit lens that came with my...
Set Your Focus Point And Mode
The Canon focusing system is legendary for its speed and accuracy. The Artificial Intelligence AI focus modes will give you a ton of flexibility in your shooting. There is, however, one small problem that is inherent with any focusing system. No matter how intelligent it is, the camera is looking at all of the subjects in the scene and determining which is closest to the camera. It then uses this information to determine where the proper focus point should be. It has no way of knowing what your...
Deleting Images
Deleting or erasing images is a fairly simple process that is covered on pages 171-172 of your manual. To quickly get you on your way, simply press the Image Review playback button and spin the Main dial until you find the picture that you want to delete. Then press the Trash button beneath the Cross keys, use the right Cross key to select Erase, and then press the Set button Figure 1.9 . Caution Once you have deleted an image, it is gone for good. Make sure you don't want it before you drop it...
The Value Of The Histogram
Simply put, histograms are two-dimensional representations of your images in graph form. There are two different histograms that you should be concerned with the luminance and the color histograms. Luminance is referred to in your manual as brightness and is most valuable when evaluating your exposures. In Figure 1.10, you see what looks like a mountain range. The graph represents the entire tonal range that your camera can capture, from the whitest whites to the blackest blacks. The left side...
Chapter 5 Moving Target
The Tricks to Shooting Sports and More Poring Over the Picture Poring Over the Picture Stop Right There Using Shutter Priority Tv Mode to Stop Motion Using Aperture Priority Av Mode to Isolate Your Subject Keep Them in Focus with AI Servo and Auto AF Focus Point Selection Keeping Up with the Continuous Shooting Mode
Setting The Focus Point And Focus Mode
1. To choose a single point of focus, wake the camera if necessary by lightly pressing the shutter release button. 2. Press the focus point selection button located in the upper-right area of your camera back. 3. Now use the Cross keys or the Main dial to move the focus point to the center spot, as seen on the rear LCD display you can also do this in the viewfinder by moving the red dot to the desired position A . 4. Lightly press the shutter release button once more to set your new focus...
Charge Your Battery
I know that this will be one of the hardest things for you to do because you really want to start shooting, but a little patience will pay off later. When you first open your camera and slide the battery into the battery slot, you will be pleased to find that there is probably juice in the battery and you can start shooting right away. What you should really be doing is getting out the battery charger and giving that power-cell a full charge. Not only will this give you more time to shoot, it...
Set The Correct White Balance
White balance correction is the process of rendering accurate colors in your final image. Most people don't even notice that light has different color characteristics because the human eye automatically adjusts to different color temperatures, so quickly, in fact, that everything looks correct in a matter of milliseconds. When color film ruled the world, photographers would select which film to use depending on what their light source was going to be. The most common film was balanced for...
Set Your Jpeg Image Quality
Your new T2i has a number of image quality settings to choose from, and depending on your needs, you can adjust them accordingly. Most people shoot with the JPEG option because it allows them to capture a large number of photos on their memory cards. The problem is that unless you understand how JPEG works, you might be degrading the quality of your images without realizing it. The JPEG format has been around since about 1994 and stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. JPEG was developed...
Keeping A Backup Battery
If I were to suggest just one accessory that you should buy for your camera, it would probably be a second battery. Nothing stinks more than being out in the field and having your camera die. Keeping a fully charged battery in your bag will always give you the confidence that you can keep on shooting without fail. Not only is this a great strategy to extend your shooting time, it also helps to lengthen the life of your batteries by alternating between them. No matter what the manufacturers say,...