Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi - 450D For Dummies (ISBN - 0470385375)

354 Pages·2021·26.95 MB·English

by Julie Adair King

Canon® EOS

Digital Rebel XSi/450D

FOR

DUMmIES

‰

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by Julie Adair King

Canon® EOS

Digital Rebel XSi/450D

FOR

DUMmIES

‰

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Canon® EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D For Dummies®

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008933790

ISBN: 978-0-470-38537-1

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Julie Adair King is the author of many books about digital photography and
imaging, including the best-selling Digital Photography For Dummies. Her most
recent titles include Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D For Dummies, Digital
Photography Before & After Makeovers, Digital Photo Projects For Dummies,
Julie King’s Everyday Photoshop For Photographers, Julie King’s Everyday
Photoshop Elements, and Shoot Like a Pro!: Digital Photography Techniques.
When not writing, King teaches digital photography at such locations as the
Palm Beach Photographic Centre. A graduate of Purdue University, she
resides in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Author’s Acknowledgments

I am extremely grateful to the team of talented professionals at John Wiley
and Sons for all their efforts in putting together this book. Special thanks go
to my awesome project editor, Kim Darosett, who is the type of editor that all
authors hope for but rarely experience: supportive, skilled, and amazingly
calm in the face of any storm, including my not infrequent freakouts.

I also owe much to the rest of the folks in both the editorial and art depart-
ments, especially Heidi Unger, Rashell Smith, Shelley Lea, Steve Hayes, Andy
Cummings, and Mary Bednarek. Thanks, too, to Jonathan Conrad for provid-
ing the awesome nighttime shot for Chapter 7, and to agent extraordinaire,
Margot Maley Hutchison, for her continuing help and encouragement.

Last but oh, so not least, I am deeply indebted to Canon guru Chuck Westfall
for always answering all my questions, even the silly ones; to Scott Heath at
Synergy Communications for his help with this book and various other pro-
jects; and to technical editor Chuck Pace, whose keen eye and vast experi-
ence set me on the right track whenever I mistakenly thought I should go left.
Thank you, thank you, for sharing your time and your expertise — the book
would not have been the same without it.

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Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form
located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions and Editorial

Project Editor: Kim Darosett

Executive Editor: Steven Hayes

Copy Editor: Heidi Unger

Technical Editor: Chuck Pace

Editorial Manager: Leah Cameron

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Erin Smith

Layout and Graphics: Reuben W. Davis,
Andrea Hornberger

Proofreaders: Jessica Kramer, Shannon Ramsey

Indexer: Slivoskey Indexing Services

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

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Contents at a Glance

Introduction .................................................................1
Part I: Fast Track to Super Snaps...................................7

Chapter 1: Getting the Lay of the Land............................................................................9
Chapter 2: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically .........................................................37
Chapter 3: Controlling Picture Quality ..........................................................................55
Chapter 4: Monitor Matters: Picture Playback and Live View Shooting ...................73

Part II: Taking Creative Control .................................107

Chapter 5: Getting Creative with Exposure and Lighting..........................................109
Chapter 6: Manipulating Focus and Color...................................................................157
Chapter 7: Putting It All Together.................................................................................201

Part III: Working with Picture Files ...........................223

Chapter 8: Downloading, Organizing, and Archiving Your Photos ..........................225
Chapter 9: Printing and Sharing Your Photos.............................................................255

Part IV: The Part of Tens ...........................................279

Chapter 10: Ten Fast Photo-Editing Tricks..................................................................281
Chapter 11: Ten Special-Purpose Features to Explore on a Rainy Day....................311

Index .......................................................................327

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Table of Contents

Introduction..................................................................1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

A Quick Look at What’s Ahead .......................................................................1
Part I: Fast Track to Super Snaps .........................................................2
Part II: Taking Creative Control.............................................................2
Part III: Working with Picture Files.......................................................3
Part IV: The Part of Tens........................................................................3
Icons and Other Stuff to Note.........................................................................3
About the Software Shown in This Book.......................................................5
Practice, Be Patient, and Have Fun!...............................................................5

Part I: Fast Track to Super Snaps ...................................7

Chapter 1: Getting the Lay of the Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Getting Comfortable with Your Lens ...........................................................10
Attaching a lens ....................................................................................10
Removing a lens....................................................................................13
Using an IS (image stabilizer) lens .....................................................13
Focusing and zooming the lens ..........................................................14
Adjusting the Viewfinder Focus ...................................................................15
Working with Memory Cards........................................................................17
Exploring External Camera Controls ...........................................................18
Topside controls...................................................................................19
Back-of-the-body controls ...................................................................20
Front-left buttons..................................................................................24
Ordering from Camera Menus ......................................................................25
Monitoring Critical Camera Settings............................................................27
Decoding Viewfinder Data.............................................................................29
Reviewing Basic Setup Options....................................................................30
Setup Menu 1 ........................................................................................31
Setup Menu 2 ........................................................................................32
Setup Menu 3 ........................................................................................34
Three more customization options....................................................35

Chapter 2: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Getting Good Point-and-Shoot Results........................................................38
Using Flash in Automatic Exposure Modes ................................................43
Exploring Your Automatic Options..............................................................44
Full Auto mode......................................................................................45
Automatic scene modes (a.k.a. Image Zone modes) .......................46
Changing the Drive Mode..............................................................................53

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Chapter 3: Controlling Picture Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Diagnosing Quality Problems .......................................................................56
Decoding the Quality Options ......................................................................58
Considering Resolution: Large, Medium, or Small? ...................................60
Pixels and print quality........................................................................62
Pixels and screen display size ............................................................62
Pixels and file size ................................................................................64
Resolution recommendations.............................................................64
Understanding File Type (JPEG or Raw) .....................................................66
JPEG: The imaging (and Web) standard ...........................................67
Raw (CR2): The purist’s choice ..........................................................69
My take: Choose Fine or Raw..............................................................71

Chapter 4: Monitor Matters: Picture Playback and
Live View Shooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Disabling and Adjusting Instant Review......................................................74
Viewing Images in Playback Mode...............................................................75
Jumping through images .....................................................................76
Viewing multiple images at a time......................................................77
Rotating vertical pictures....................................................................78
Zooming in for a closer view...............................................................80
Viewing Picture Data......................................................................................82
Basic information modes.....................................................................82
Shooting Information display .............................................................84
Understanding Histogram display mode...........................................88
Deleting Photos ..............................................................................................91
Erasing single images...........................................................................91
Erasing all images on your memory card..........................................92
Erasing selected images ......................................................................93
Protecting Photos ..........................................................................................95
Using Your Monitor as a Viewfinder ............................................................96
Enabling Live View ...............................................................................99
Taking a shot in Live View mode......................................................100
Customizing the Live View display ..................................................103

Part II: Taking Creative Control..................................107

Chapter 5: Getting Creative with Exposure and Lighting . . . . . . . . . .109

Kicking Your Camera into Advanced Gear................................................110
Introducing the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO........111
Understanding exposure-setting side effects .................................113
Doing the exposure balancing act....................................................118
Monitoring Exposure Settings ....................................................................120
Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode .....................................................124

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D For Dummies

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