Chapter 1

Getting Up and Running

IN THIS CHAPTER

Preparing the camera for its first outing

Getting acquainted with camera features

Viewing and adjusting camera settings

Setting a few basic preferences

If you're like many people, shooting for the first time with a dSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera produces a blend of excitement and anxiety. On one hand, you can't wait to start using your new equipment, but on the other, you're a little intimidated by all its buttons, dials, and menu options.

Well, fear not: This chapter provides the information you need to start getting comfortable with your Rebel T6/1300D. The first section walks you through initial camera setup. Following that, you can get an overview of camera controls, discover how to view and adjust camera settings, work with lenses and memory cards, and get my take on some basic setup options.

Preparing the Camera for Initial Use

After unpacking your camera, you have to assemble a few parts. In addition to the camera body and the supplied battery (be sure to charge it before the first use), you need a lens and a memory card. Later sections in this chapter provide details about lenses and memory cards, but here's what you need to know up front:

• Lens: Your camera accepts Canon EF and EF-S model lenses. The 18-55mm kit lens sold as a bundle with the camera body falls into the EF-S category; some retailers are also offering a deal that includes the 75-300mm Canon EF lens. If you want to buy a non-Canon lens, check the lens manufacturer's website to find out which lenses work with your camera.
• SD (Secure Digital), SDHC, or SDXC memory card: The SD stands for Secure Digital; the HC and XC for High Capacity and eXtended Capacity. The different labels reflect how many gigabytes (GB) of data the card holds. SD cards hold less than 4GB; SDHC, 4GB to 32GB; and SDXC, greater than 32GB.

With camera, lens, battery, and card within reach, take these steps:

1. Turn the camera off.

2. Attach a lens.

   First, remove the caps that cover the front of the camera and the back of the lens. Then locate the proper lens mounting index on the camera body. Your camera has two of these markers, one red and one white, as shown in Figure 1-1. Which marker you use to align your lens depends on the lens type:

   • Canon EF-S lens: The white square is the mounting index.
   • Canon EF lens: The red dot is the mounting index.

   Your lens also has a mounting index; align that mark with the matching one on the camera body, as shown in Figure 1-1, which features the 18-55mm EF-S lens. Place the lens on the camera mount and rotate the lens toward the lens-release button, labeled in the figure. You should feel a solid click as the lens locks into place.

3. Install the battery and memory card into the compartment on the bottom of the camera.

   Hold the battery with the gold contacts facing down and the Canon label oriented toward the back of the camera. Then slide it into the compartment and gently push it in until the battery-release switch closes. I labeled the switch in Figure 1-2. (To remove the battery, you must first push the release switch.)

   Orient the memory card as shown in Figure 1-2 (the label faces the back of the camera). Push the card gently into the slot and close the cover.

4. Turn the camera on and adjust the settings.

   When you power up the camera for the first time, the monitor displays a screen asking you to set the date, time, and time zone. To adjust the values on the screen, use the Set button and the four keys surrounding it - known as cross keys.

   Press the left or right cross keys to highlight an option box; press Set to activate the box. Press the up/down keys to change the value in the box and then press Set again. Lather, rinse, and repeat until you adjust all the settings. Highlight the OK box and press Set.

5. Adjust the viewfinder to your eyesight.

   Tucked above the right side of the rubber eyepiece that surrounds the viewfinder is a dial that enables you to adjust the viewfinder focus to accommodate your eyesight. Officially known as a diopter adjustment dial, it's highlighted in Figure 1-3.

   If you don't take this step, subjects may appear sharp in the viewfinder when they aren't actually in focus, and vice versa.

   Here's how to properly adjust the viewfinder: Remove the lens cap, look through the viewfinder, and press the shutter button halfway to display data at the bottom of the viewfinder. Then rotate the diopter adjustment dial until the data appears sharpest. The markings in the center of the viewfinder, which relate to autofocusing, also become more or less sharp. (In dim lighting, the built-in flash may pop up when you depress the shutter button halfway; just close the flash unit after you complete the viewfinder adjustment.)

FIGURE 1-1: Align the mounting index on the lens with the one on the camera body.

FIGURE 1-2: Insert the memory card with the label facing the back of the camera.

FIGURE 1-3: Rotate this dial to set the viewfinder focus for your eyesight.

That's all there is to it - the camera is now ready to go. From here, I recommend that you keep reading the rest of this chapter to familiarize yourself with the main camera features. But if you're anxious to take a picture right away, I won't think any less of you if you skip to Chapter 3, which guides you through the process of using the camera's automatic shooting modes. Just promise that at some point, you'll read the pages in between, because they actually do contain important information.

DECODING CANON LENS TERMINOLOGY

When you shop for Canon lenses, you may encounter these lens specifications:

• EF and EF-S: EF stands for electro focus; the S stands for short back focus. And that simply means the rear element of the lens is closer to the sensor than with an EF lens. The good news is that your T6/1300D works with both of these Canon lens types. However, you can't put an EF-S lens on Canon cameras that have only an EF mount, which include current high-end camera bodies.
• IS: Indicates that the lens offers image stabilization, a feature that helps prevent blur that can result from camera shake when you handhold the camera.
• STM: Refers to stepping motor technology, an autofocusing system that's designed to provide smoother, quieter autofocusing.

Exploring External Camera Features

If you're new to dSLR photography, some aspects of using your camera, such as working with the lens, may be unfamiliar. But even if you've used a dSLR before, it pays to spend time before your first shoot with a new camera to get familiar with its controls. To that end, the upcoming pages provide an overview of the T6/1300D's external bells and whistles.

Topside controls

Your virtual tour begins on the top of the camera, shown in Figure 1-4. Here's a guide to the many bits and pieces found there, starting in the upper-right corner and traveling clockwise:

• Red-eye reduction/Self-timer lamp: When you set your flash to Red-Eye Reduction mode, this lamp emits a brief burst of light prior to the real flash - the idea being that your subjects' pupils will constrict in response to the light, thus lessening the chances of red-eye. If you use the camera's self-timer feature, the lamp lights during the countdown period before the shutter is released. See Chapter 2 for more details about Red-Eye Reduction flash mode and the self-timer function.

• Shutter button: You no doubt already understand the function of this button. But you may not realize that when you use autofocus and autoexposure, you need to use a two-stage process when taking a picture: Press the shutter button halfway, pause to let the camera set focus and exposure, and then press the rest of the way to capture the image. You'd be surprised how many people mess up their pictures because they press that button with one quick jab, denying the camera the time it needs to set focus and exposure. The beep you may hear is the camera telling you it was able to focus and is ready to take the photo.

• Main dial: You use this dial when selecting many camera settings. (Specifics are provided throughout the book.) In fact, this dial plays such an important role that you'd think it might have a more auspicious name, but Main dial it is.
• Flash button: Press this button to raise the built-in flash in the advanced exposure modes (P, Tv, Av, and M).
• On/Off switch: I won't insult your intelligence by explaining what this switch does. But note that even when the switch is in the On position, the camera automatically goes to sleep after 30 seconds of inactivity to save battery power. You can adjust this timing via the Auto Power Off option on Setup Menu 1.
• Mode dial: Rotate this dial to select an exposure mode, which determines whether the camera operates in fully automatic, semi-automatic, or manual...