Canon EOS Rebel T8i/850D For Dummies

Learn to take gorgeous photos with this beginner-friendly guide to dSLR photography 

The Canon EOS Rebel T8i/850D dSLR camera has dozens of features that can help you take beautiful and striking photos. But if you’re new to photography, where do you begin? And is it possible to get up to speed quickly, without a lot of technical knowledge? 

Absolutely! In Canon EOS Rebel T8i/850D For Dummies, expert photography educator Julie King draws on her years of experience as she walks you through the ins and outs of photography and your Canon camera. Julie skips the technical jargon and gives you the info you need in plain language, guiding you through everything from shooting your first photos in auto mode to taking full control of your camera’s features. 

In the book you’ll: 

• Take the fast track to stunning stills with camera setup, picture settings, and Canon’s Auto Mode 
• Customize your picture taking experience by taking control of settings like exposure and focus  
• Access and organize your new picture library both on your camera and your computer 

Perfect for anyone who’s just received a Canon EOS Rebel and doesn’t know where to begin, this book will also earn a place in the libraries of more seasoned photographers who want to unlock everything this great camera has to offer. 

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 1

A Quick Look at What’s Ahead 2

Icons and Other Stuff to Note 3

Practice, Be Patient, and Have Fun! 3

Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps 5

Chapter 1: Getting Up and Running 7

Preparing the Camera for Initial Use 7

Exploring External Camera Features 12

Topside controls 12

Back-of-the-body controls 14

And the rest 20

Changing from Guided to Standard Display Mode 22

Ordering from Camera Menus 25

Mastering menu basics 25

Navigating Custom Functions 28

Customizing the Touchscreen 29

Viewing Camera Settings 31

Displaying the Quick Control screen 32

Decoding viewfinder data 33

Switching to Live View Mode 35

Customizing the Live View display 37

Live View safety tips 40

Using Quick Control Mode 40

Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens 44

Working with Memory Cards 47

Reviewing Basic Setup Options 49

Setup Menu 1 49

Setup Menu 2 51

Setup Menu 3 53

Setup Menu 4 54

Setup Menu 5 55

A few other critical menu options before you go 56

Chapter 2: Choosing Basic Picture Settings 59

Choosing an Exposure Mode 60

Basic Zone exposure modes 60

Creative Zone modes (P, Tv, Av, and M) 61

Changing the Drive Mode 62

Understanding the Image Quality Setting 67

Considering resolution: L, M, S1, or S2? 67

Understanding file type (JPEG or Raw) 71

Adjusting the Image Quality setting 76

Setting the Photo Aspect Ratio 79

Adding Flash 81

Setting the flash to fire (or not) 85

Adding Red-Eye Reduction 90

Reviewing Advanced Flash Options 91

Adjusting flash output with Flash Exposure Compensation 92

Locking the flash exposure 94

Investigating other flash options 96

Chapter 3: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically 101

Using Scene Intelligent Auto Mode 102

Viewfinder shooting 102

Live View photography in Scene Intelligent Auto mode 106

Exploring Creative Assist Adjustments 110

Discovering Selfie Mode 118

Taking Advantage of SCN (Scene) Modes 121

Accessing Scene modes 122

Reviewing the available scene modes 124

Adjusting camera settings in SCN mode 128

Part 2: Taking Creative Control 131

Chapter 4: Taking Charge of Exposure 133

Introducing the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 134

Aperture affects depth of field 136

Shutter speed affects motion blur 137

ISO affects image noise 139

Doing the exposure balancing act 140

Stepping Up to Advance Exposure Modes (P, Tv, Av, and M) 141

Monitoring Exposure Settings 143

Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode 146

Setting ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed 149

Controlling ISO 150

Adjusting aperture and shutter speed 154

Sorting Through Your Camera’s Exposure-Correction Tools 156

Overriding autoexposure results with Exposure Compensation 156

Improving high-contrast shots with Highlight Tone Priority 162

Experimenting with Auto Lighting Optimizer 165

Looking at a few other exposure solutions 169

Locking Autoexposure Settings 172

Bracketing Exposures Automatically 174

Chapter 5: Controlling Focus and Depth of Field 179

Setting the Lens to Automatic or Manual Focusing Mode 180

Discovering the AF ON button 182

Exploring Viewfinder Focusing Options 183

Adjusting autofocus performance 184

Considering a few other autofocus settings 194

Focusing in Live View and Movie Modes 196

AF Method: Setting the focusing area 196

AF Operation: One-Shot or Servo? 202

Manual focusing in Live View and Movie modes 205

Zooming in for a focus check 206

Manipulating Depth of Field 208

Chapter 6: Mastering Color Controls 213

Understanding White Balance 214

Changing the White Balance setting 215

Creating a custom White Balance setting 220

Fine-tuning color with White Balance Shift 222

Bracketing White Balance 226

Taking a Quick Look at Picture Styles 229

Changing the Color Space 233

Chapter 7: Putting It All Together 235

Recapping Basic Picture Settings 235

Shooting Still Portraits 237

Capturing Action 242

Capturing Scenic Vistas 246

Capturing Dynamic Close-Ups 249

Chapter 8: Shooting and Viewing Movies 251

Recording Movies Using Default Settings 252

Setting the Broadcast Standard (NTSC or PAL) 256

Understanding the Movie Recording Size Setting 257

Selecting Audio Options 261

Using Movie Digital Zoom 264

Recording Vertical Movies 267

Reviewing Other Movie Options 269

Autofocusing options 270

Movie Digital IS 271

Playing with exposure and color 272

Checking out a few final features 275

Playing Movies 277

Part 3: After the Shot 281

Chapter 9: Picture Playback 283

Adjusting Instant Image Review 283

Viewing Pictures in Playback Mode 284

Viewing multiple thumbnails at a time (Index mode) 287

Jumping through images 289

Rotating still pictures 291

Zooming in for a closer view 294

Showing focus points during playback 295

Viewing Picture Data 296

Basic Information display mode 297

Shooting Information display mode 299

Understanding histograms 304

Taking Advantage of Image Search 306

Chapter 10: Working with Picture and Movie Files 311

Deleting Files 312

Protecting Photos and Movies 316

Rating Photos and Movies 318

Fixing Red-Eye 321

Cropping Photos 322

Processing Raw Images in the Camera 326

Understanding the basic approach 327

Using the Raw Image Processing tool 329

Processing Raw images using Creative Assist 333

Sending Pictures to the Computer 336

Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing 340

Part 4: The Part of Tens 343

Chapter 11: Ten More Customization Options 345

Giving the Set Button an Extra Job 345

Customizing Four Other Buttons 347

Disabling the AF-Assist Beam 348

Creating a Custom Menu 348

Adding Custom Folders 349

Turning Off the Shooting Settings Screen 350

Embedding Copyright Notices 351

Adding Cleaning Instructions to Images 353

Stopping a Retractable Lens from Closing 353

Swapping the AF Point Selection and AE Lock Button Functions 354

Chapter 12: Ten Features to Explore on a Rainy Day 357

Shooting a Time-Lapse Movie 358

Enabling Mirror Lockup 360

Exploring a Few Obscure Printing Options 360

Adding Special Effects to Photos 362

Adding Effects During Shooting 364

Creating Video Snapshots 366

Trimming Movies 368

Setting Up for Smooth HDTV Playback 369

Presenting a Slide Show 370

Viewing Photos and Movies on a TV 372

Appendix: Exploring Wireless Connections 375

Index 389

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