Canon EOS Rebel T8i/850D For Dummies

Julie Adair King is the bestselling author of many books about digital imaging, including For Dummies guides to Nikon, Canon, and Olympus digital cameras. When not writing, she teaches at various locations, including top photography schools such as the Palm Beach Photographic Centre.

• Introduction 1A Quick Look at What’s Ahead 2Icons and Other Stuff to Note 3Practice, Be Patient, and Have Fun! 3Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps 5Chapter 1: Getting Up and Running 7Preparing the Camera for Initial Use 7Exploring External Camera Features 12Topside controls 12Back-of-the-body controls 14And the rest 20Changing from Guided to Standard Display Mode 22Ordering from Camera Menus 25Mastering menu basics 25Navigating Custom Functions 28Customizing the Touchscreen 29Viewing Camera Settings 31Displaying the Quick Control screen 32Decoding viewfinder data 33Switching to Live View Mode 35Customizing the Live View display 37Live View safety tips 40Using Quick Control Mode 40Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens 44Working with Memory Cards 47Reviewing Basic Setup Options 49Setup Menu 1 49Setup Menu 2 51Setup Menu 3 53Setup Menu 4 54Setup Menu 5 55A few other critical menu options before you go 56Chapter 2: Choosing Basic Picture Settings 59Choosing an Exposure Mode 60Basic Zone exposure modes 60Creative Zone modes (P, Tv, Av, and M) 61Changing the Drive Mode 62Understanding the Image Quality Setting 67Considering resolution: L, M, S1, or S2? 67Understanding file type (JPEG or Raw) 71Adjusting the Image Quality setting 76Setting the Photo Aspect Ratio 79Adding Flash 81Setting the flash to fire (or not) 85Adding Red-Eye Reduction 90Reviewing Advanced Flash Options 91Adjusting flash output with Flash Exposure Compensation 92Locking the flash exposure 94Investigating other flash options 96Chapter 3: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically 101Using Scene Intelligent Auto Mode 102Viewfinder shooting 102Live View photography in Scene Intelligent Auto mode 106Exploring Creative Assist Adjustments 110Discovering Selfie Mode 118Taking Advantage of SCN (Scene) Modes 121Accessing Scene modes 122Reviewing the available scene modes 124Adjusting camera settings in SCN mode 128Part 2: Taking Creative Control 131Chapter 4: Taking Charge of Exposure 133Introducing the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 134Aperture affects depth of field 136Shutter speed affects motion blur 137ISO affects image noise 139Doing the exposure balancing act 140Stepping Up to Advance Exposure Modes (P, Tv, Av, and M) 141Monitoring Exposure Settings 143Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode 146Setting ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed 149Controlling ISO 150Adjusting aperture and shutter speed 154Sorting Through Your Camera’s Exposure-Correction Tools 156Overriding autoexposure results with Exposure Compensation 156Improving high-contrast shots with Highlight Tone Priority 162Experimenting with Auto Lighting Optimizer 165Looking at a few other exposure solutions 169Locking Autoexposure Settings 172Bracketing Exposures Automatically 174Chapter 5: Controlling Focus and Depth of Field 179Setting the Lens to Automatic or Manual Focusing Mode 180Discovering the AF ON button 182Exploring Viewfinder Focusing Options 183Adjusting autofocus performance 184Considering a few other autofocus settings 194Focusing in Live View and Movie Modes 196AF Method: Setting the focusing area 196AF Operation: One-Shot or Servo? 202Manual focusing in Live View and Movie modes 205Zooming in for a focus check 206Manipulating Depth of Field 208Chapter 6: Mastering Color Controls 213Understanding White Balance 214Changing the White Balance setting 215Creating a custom White Balance setting 220Fine-tuning color with White Balance Shift 222Bracketing White Balance 226Taking a Quick Look at Picture Styles 229Changing the Color Space 233Chapter 7: Putting It All Together 235Recapping Basic Picture Settings 235Shooting Still Portraits 237Capturing Action 242Capturing Scenic Vistas 246Capturing Dynamic Close-Ups 249Chapter 8: Shooting and Viewing Movies 251Recording Movies Using Default Settings 252Setting the Broadcast Standard (NTSC or PAL) 256Understanding the Movie Recording Size Setting 257Selecting Audio Options 261Using Movie Digital Zoom 264Recording Vertical Movies 267Reviewing Other Movie Options 269Autofocusing options 270Movie Digital IS 271Playing with exposure and color 272Checking out a few final features 275Playing Movies 277Part 3: After the Shot 281Chapter 9: Picture Playback 283Adjusting Instant Image Review 283Viewing Pictures in Playback Mode 284Viewing multiple thumbnails at a time (Index mode) 287Jumping through images 289Rotating still pictures 291Zooming in for a closer view 294Showing focus points during playback 295Viewing Picture Data 296Basic Information display mode 297Shooting Information display mode 299Understanding histograms 304Taking Advantage of Image Search 306Chapter 10: Working with Picture and Movie Files 311Deleting Files 312Protecting Photos and Movies 316Rating Photos and Movies 318Fixing Red-Eye 321Cropping Photos 322Processing Raw Images in the Camera 326Understanding the basic approach 327Using the Raw Image Processing tool 329Processing Raw images using Creative Assist 333Sending Pictures to the Computer 336Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing 340Part 4: The Part of Tens 343Chapter 11: Ten More Customization Options 345Giving the Set Button an Extra Job 345Customizing Four Other Buttons 347Disabling the AF-Assist Beam 348Creating a Custom Menu 348Adding Custom Folders 349Turning Off the Shooting Settings Screen 350Embedding Copyright Notices 351Adding Cleaning Instructions to Images 353Stopping a Retractable Lens from Closing 353Swapping the AF Point Selection and AE Lock Button Functions 354Chapter 12: Ten Features to Explore on a Rainy Day 357Shooting a Time-Lapse Movie 358Enabling Mirror Lockup 360Exploring a Few Obscure Printing Options 360Adding Special Effects to Photos 362Adding Effects During Shooting 364Creating Video Snapshots 366Trimming Movies 368Setting Up for Smooth HDTV Playback 369Presenting a Slide Show 370Viewing Photos and Movies on a TV 372Appendix: Exploring Wireless Connections 375Index 389