Canon T3i User's Manual
Contents
1. as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark Douglas Klostermann is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon com Copyright 2012 Douglas J Klostermann Cover design and photograph by the author Canon T3i Experience The Still Photographer s Guide to Operation and Image Creation With the Canon Rebel T3i EOS 600D by Douglas J Klostermann ISBN 978 1 4524 0381 6 Version 2 1a February 2012 Author s website www dojoklo com Author s blog http blog dojoklo com Published by Full Stop good writing for better photography A division of Douglas J Klostermann Photography Cambridge MA 02138 USA http www dojoklo com Full_ Stop Canon T3i Experience CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION iscscscesceeciaiatsiecccniadentaidcnesestsacnteieitvvedsdeateceunacsesnasennsseiassaseadiraeseauansiveraie 4 2 MENUS and CUSTOM FUNCTIONS scccscsseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenseeeeeeeseneeeeeseeseeneeeeenseseeees 9 2 Men Settings sasasi Tie deca bakes Sees E A E toes she E tice re S 9 2 2 My Men EE 17 2 3 Movie Shooting Mode MeNnuG 2c0sccceceeeeeessssccccceceeeceensenssserscseeeeeeeeesesses 18 2 4 Custom Functions WG NU Sec ccsaih cote acu decet Sel Gaecxted ee save dlectes te vedadaatidececesecesyt 20 3 CAMERA OPERATION sisissinvascsuescusevecensitaccenasteve2. in order to determine their relationships and place them in exposure zones that is related to this technique In this way Spot Metering Mode is used to turn your camera into a light meter as a tool to 51 Canon T3i Experience determine proper exposure of a subject or scene before switching the camera to Manual Mode for a controlled studio shot a critical shot or a series of shots where the lighting is not going to change 3 6d Center Weighted Average Metering This metering mode can be thought of as a combination of Evaluative and Partial Metering It acknowledges that the subject is in the center and requires special metering attention but it also takes into account all the other exposure metering zones This mode is useful where there is a difference in lighting between the foreground or subject and the background but unlike Spot or Partial Metering you still wish for the camera to take both subject and background exposure into consideration see Figure 17 As with Spot or Partial Metering this might be used when your subject is backlit or when a nicely lit subject is in front of a darker or lighter background Another time to use this is when there is a wide range of light in your scene such as bright sunlight to deep shadows Determine the proper exposure by metering on the subject using the center of the viewfinder and lock in that exposure see Exposure Lock below Again this is not linked to the active autofocus AF
3. is the default setting 0 Exposure lock will be covered later in the Exposure section The other following settings are for advanced users and can be returned to later after reading about Back Button Focusing Setting 7 separates the exposure lock and the autofocus to 2 different buttons Pressing the shutter button half way will lock in exposure but not focus The button is used to autofocus and letting go of it will stop AF and lock in focus at that distance It is 22 Canon T3i Experience some situations the exposure that the camera determines may not be the exposure you desire This may happen when photographing scenes with very bright and or dark areas or some other type of dramatic lighting Since dramatic and interesting lighting can make for compelling images you will need to know how to deal with this In these situations you can make use of either Exposure Compensation Exposure Lock AE Lock or one of the other Metering Modes below Of more likely a combination of these three solutions 3 6b Partial Metering This mode meters a small central area about 9 of the viewfinder area of the T3i The area is approximately a circle that is larger than the spot metering circle you see in the viewfinder and reaches to about the inside edges of the nearest focus points see Figure 14 Figure 14 Harbor Gloucester Mass Partial and Spot Metering Areas of the T3i Partial Metering Mode evaluates only the area under th
4. on sRGB sRGB is a slightly smaller color space than AdobeRGB but will display properly on computer screens and printers AdobeRGB is intended for uses like commercial printing Unless you are calibrating your monitor printing with a printer that has 5 or more ink cartridges shooting for a commercially printed publication and well versed in using color spaces and profiles in Photoshop and printing you will never miss the difference and AdobeRGB images will possibly not display or print properly If you are doing all these things then use AdobeRGB 11 Canon T3i Experience Note that when you enable this the camera will disable Auto Lighting Optimizer and will limit your ISO range to 200 6400 This will be discussed a little bit more in the Highlight Tone Priority and Auto Lighting Optimizer section recommenda 0 but put in My Menu C Fn Ill Autofocus Drive C Fn Ill 7 AF Assist Beam Firing This setting is to enable or disable the autofocus assist beam which is a flash of light emitted from the internal or external flash to help the camera focus on the subject suggest enabling it setting 0 unless you are in a situation where it is too distracting in some way If you never use the internal flash and just a Speedlite set it on 2 Enable external flash only or 3 IR AF assist beam only which will only use the infrared AF assist beam and not the series of small flashes of light Make sure the Speedlite s custom functions have
5. point but always to the center so if your subject is off center which it typically should be for a more dynamic image you need to lock the exposure on your subject and then recompose If you are finding that Evaluative Metering is not giving you the exposures you desire because you are always seeking out and using unusual dramatic or difficult lighting and your exposures are consistently slightly too dark or too light try using Partial Metering or Center Weighted Average Metering in conjunction with Exposure Lock Or use Exposure Compensation discussed below Center Weighted Partial or Spot To decide between Center Weighted Metering and Partial Metering use Partial Metering in a high contrast situation where you want to properly meter on the subject but don t want an extremely bright or dark background to influence the exposure see Figure 15 Use Center Weighted Metering in a situation where you want to ensure the subject is properly metered but the background or other areas of the image are also somewhat important for the metering system to consider and aren t so light or dark compared to the subject that they will throw off the exposure see Figure 17 Use Spot in a similar manner to Partial except that you need to meter on even a smaller area for more precision see Figure 16 52 Canon T3i Experience What Readers are Saying About Canon T3i Experience A Must Have Accessory What a great addition to my bag This i
6. upgraded from an older dSLR to the T3i you should find that many of the basic controls and features are similar And its additional features and capabilities will more easily help you to capture images and photographs that you may have been limited in consistently attaining before If you are new to dSLR photography this book will help guide you through its features controls and capabilities Be sure to take it slowly and patiently and start with the basic features and concepts that will explain With practice and experience you will soon be shooting with confidence and can begin to take advantage of the camera s more advanced functions Using This Guide There are many different ways to use a digital SLR camera and its controls to capture images and many diverse situations in which photographers work I m going to concentrate on the techniques that believe are the most practical useful and effective for the majority of intermediate and dedicated photographers The settings and controls discuss can apply to various types of photography including everyday general photography action and travel photography Once you have a firm grasp of the controls settings and basic techniques you will have the tools and knowledge to address different issues and challenging situations and encourage you to experiment and continue to learn Since this guide is intended to help you get the most out of your T3i it will not go into detail about all
7. Canon T3i Experience The Still Photographer s Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Canon Rebel T3i EOS 600D an eBook by ke stop 2200 Douglas Klostermann Canon T3i Experience Canon T 3i Experience The Still Photographer s Guide to Operation and Image Creation With the Canon Rebel T3i EOS 600D by Douglas J Klostermann Full Stop good writing for better photography Canon T3i Experience All rights reserved This e book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re sold or given away No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronically or in print without expressed permission from the author Every effort has been made to make this e book as accurate as possible but no warranty of fitness is implied The information is provided on an as is basis The author shall have no liability or responsibility with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information provided in this e book including but not limited to the use of any of the materials or methods described the products retailers Internet web sites or links provided All contents including cover design text and photographs with the exception of products brands and logos are copyright by the author All products brands and logos are property of the respective companies and websites Use of terms which are trademarks or service marks in this e book should not be regarded
8. and Auto Lighting Optimizer section Once you start to take control of your camera and your exposures you may want to Disable this setting so that the camera isn t doing something with your exposures without you having control over it After reading this guide you will know how to meter read your histogram and use Exposure Compensation to make proper or desired exposures Metering Mode Metering modes will be discussed in detail in the Metering Modes section of this guide For now leave it on the default Evaluative Metering Put this item in My Menu in order to access it easily or else you can access and change Metering Modes using the Q Button and the Quick Control Screen Custom White Balance This is for setting a custom white balance rather than using one of the standard White Balance WB settings like Auto Cloudy or Fluorescent For advanced users Particularly handy for studio work where the lighting will remain constant or in a situation with difficult mixed lighting This will be covered in the White Balance section WB Shift BKT This is White Balance Shift and White Balance Bracketing and is used for adjusting to a very precise WB or bracketing exposures using different WB settings Also for advanced users This will be covered in the White Balance section Color Space Most users can safely leave this on sRGB You can read the various blogs forums and books that endlessly debate sRGB vs AdobeRGB then continue to leave it
9. e superimposed grey circle to determine the exposure settings Spot Metering Mode evaluates only the area inside the black circle seen in the viewfinder to determine the exposure setting Shutter speed 1 400 aperture f 4 0 ISO 100 This mode is useful where there is a dramatic difference in lighting between the foreground or subject and the background For example when your subject is backlit maybe standing in front of a bright window or the sun and consequently their face is in shadow know said evaluative mode can often handle this type of situation but if you 49 Canon T3i Experience want the face or the subject to be properly exposed and not risk blowing the shot it is worth it to use Partial Metering mode Another time to use this is when there is a wide range of light in your scene from bright sunlight to deep shadows You will need to determine and lock the exposure settings of a critical area of the scene a face or a middle tone in the area you want properly exposed see Figure 15 Remember this mode is not linked to your focus point The partial area that is metered is always in the center so meter on a face or middle tone in the part of the scene that is most critical and that you want properly exposed using the central area of the viewfinder Lock in that exposure using Exposure Lock explained below then focus recompose and take the shot A yy Figure 15 Lion Sculpture in Museum Partial Metering used to prope
10. ggbeeeebGet ege 82 eee GE USI IN a cieitan ucstiu veel A a T 86 Canon T3i Experience 1 INTRODUCTION With the introduction of the Rebel T3i also known as the EOS 600D Canon has continued its well respected line of powerful affordable and easy to operate digital SLR cameras Boasting features such as its 18 megapixel sensor 63 zone dual layer exposure metering system high ISO performance expandable up to 12800 and Digic 4 image processor the T3i shares many of the capabilities of Canon s semi professional models And with its 3 7 frames per second shooting speed articulating high resolution rear LCD Monitor and customization options it has the ability to meet most enthusiast photographers needs The Canon Rebel T3i EOS 600D is a powerful advanced tool for digital photography and is fully capable of capturing professional quality images in most any situation you wish to use it But it is merely a tool It is up to you to make use of its features and capabilities to create the images you envision While the camera s manual can tell you about the settings and controls and how they function this guide will build upon that and tell you when and why you want to use them Every button menu item and Custom Function setting of the T3i is there for a reason to help you capture the images you want Some of them are more useful to different types of photographers and shooting situations and you don t need to learn and use them all im
11. it turned on too recommend 0 C Fn Ill 8 Mirror Lockup This is the mirror lockup that you might have read about from landscape and macro photographers By enabling it you reduce that extra little bit of vibration that may cause slight blurring with a long lens or a macro lens It is only worth using in conjunction with a remote shutter release or the self timer and a tripod You definitely don t want to use it all the time so disable it and put it in your My Menu if you need it sometimes This is not the feature to use to raise your mirror for manual sensor cleaning That feature is under Sensor Cleaning in the Set up 2 menu More about Sensor Cleaning later recommenda 0 C Fn IV Operation Others C Fn IV 9 Shutter AE Lock Button This is used to change the function assigned to the Shutter Button when it is pressed half way and the AE Lock Button the one with The default setting 0 is for locking both focus and exposure when you press the Shutter Button halfway when using Evaluative Metering Mode You then recompose if necessary and fully press the Shutter Button to take your photo The problem with this is that if you recompose the correct exposure may change due to your new framing and the photo may be slightly or possibly greatly under or over exposed because you locked in a different exposure To prevent this you can use the AE Lock Button exposure lock button to lock in the exposure of your desired framing This
12. mediately but this guide should help to give you the knowledge to confidently use the ones that turn your Canon Rebel T3i into an image capturing tool that works best for you Figure 1 Detail of the Canon T3i Canon T3i Experience Take Control of Your Camera Since the camera is a tool to take the images you want to take you can t always allow the camera to make decisions for you You have to take control of the camera to ensure that you capture exactly the images you intend by autofocusing where you want setting the aperture or shutter speed that you want and obtaining the exposure you want While the T3i is an intelligent camera it cannot read your mind and your intentions and does not know that you wish to focus on and properly expose the small blossoms in the foreground while making the background appear out of focus and the branches to be caught still and not be blurred from the motion of the wind on this bright sunny day see Figure 2 You have to tell the camera to do all of this through the various controls and settings such as the autofocus AF Mode focus on the blossoms the Exposure Metering Mode properly expose the blossoms the Aperture setting the out of focus background the Shutter Speed freezing the motion of the branches the ISO bright day and the White Balance sunny day LA Ke PRS Kee 8 ek Figure ES Japanese Garden Brooklyn NY Autofocus exposure metering mode aperture shutte
13. n terms I can understand as a novice Cathryn C Amazing Great and easy to understand and very complete Very highly recommended The guy really knows what he s talking about P M Awesome Book Bought this book right after I got the camera was the best decision I made It shows the key points of setting up and taking images with the Canon T3i I am a novice when it comes to DSLR s and I still felt this book helped me a ton Would highly recommend it to anyone Sean S Purchase Canon T3i Experience at http www dojoklo com Full Stop Canon T3i Experience htm 87
14. nandsues aa iaaea ea aaa Naaman anaa Haaai dadeni EENE 24 3 1 Camera Controls EE 24 3 2 JPEG VS RAW ee aa ecm set at ia Nga eee ahah 28 Bid FOCUSING Ee EES EES EE OESE ESEE 30 3 3a ee Ee e 30 3 3b FOCUS MOIES EE 32 3 3c Live View and Movie Autofocus Modes 2221 cccccecessenenseenensssnerensenensneres 37 SOO Back B tton FOCUSING EE 38 SA Drive Mode hc ie RR Pern Pr POE EEE Pe NE aae PCy EEEE Ee Peer AE 39 Gag ele 40 3 5a Aperture Shutter Speed and IC 41 3 5b Aperture Priority Mode Av and Shutter Priority Mode Tv 43 Or OP Seis Eed 46 3 50 Manual Exposure Mode M EE 47 El e Me 48 3 6a Evaluative Metering EE 48 Ee E 49 3 66 SpOt EE ee 50 3 6d Center Weighted Average Metering AAA 52 3 68 amp Manual Metering EE 53 3 6f Metering Modes and e 55 DOO EXPOSUIC EE 56 Bal a Eolo Ee a E A AAT TA TAA TAAT 58 3 8 Expos r Compensati N EE 59 3 9 Auto Exposure Bracketing E 60 3 10 Highlight Tone Priority and Auto Lighting Optimizer sessssessesnennessnnnnennneeeenne 62 Oe WA WITS BANGS geed Ee ees reegen eg 62 9 12 Pict re EE 64 e EE 65 GLa SENSO Cleaning EE 66 4 THE IMAGE TAKING ROESER eege ANEREN 67 5 COMPOSITION eege eebe e eebe Eet 69 Bs LENSES i ciisicteisseda nis activin E E E E usaniausy a 76 GEHEIERT 76 6 2 Which Lens to BUY INGXT EE 79 7 VIDEO AN INTRODUCTION wicccscccccsstvccccsssacccusessatessassenncssicesaasacenccssensesadeansescctevensace 80 8 PHOTOGRAPHY ACCESSORIES a ca ee dEebed geg EE dee
15. of the automatic features The Canon T3i is a sophisticated tool that deserves to be used to its full potential and that involves taking control of the camera and its functions which means taking it off Auto off Program off automatically selected auto focus points off Auto ISO While this may be more challenging at first these are the techniques that are necessary to take full advantage of the capabilities of any dSLR including the T3i and will lead you to having more control and consistency over your image making Hopefully this will inevitably lead to better images This guide is intended to be used with the camera in your hands That is the best way to directly follow and understand the controls functions and settings as they are being explained It is also intended to be used in conjunction with and in addition to the camera s manual not to completely replace it so every bit of information in the Canon Canon T3i Experience Shooting 2 menu Exposure compensation AEB You can use the Av Button and Main Dial for quickly changing exposure compensation rather than using this menu item but you need to access this item for Auto Exposure Bracketing AEB More about Exposure Compensation and Auto Exposure Bracketing later Put this in My Menu discussed in upcoming Section 2 2 if you bracket often such as for High Dynamic Range HDR shooting Auto Lighting Optimizer This setting is fully addressed in the Highlight Tone Priority
16. r speed ISO and white balance all considered in creating this image Shutter speed 1 125 aperture 6 3 ISO 200 One has to think about all this stuff for every photo Well yes that is what digital SLR photography is all about At least if you wish to consistently create dramatic and compelling images That is why the T3i has all these controls and features for you to make use of You re not in the realm of point and shoots anymore Canon T3i Experience Learning to use and get the most out of a versatile dSLR camera like the T3i takes time practice patience mistakes and experimentation If you are not yet familiar with all the controls of a dSLR and the exposure concepts of digital photography don t expect to just pick it all up at once in one or two readings of a single book In fact you wouldn t want to as the never ending task of learning and mastering photography is a big part of what it s all about Try not to become frustrated when you don t quite understand something or aren t yet getting the results you desire Instead learn the controls functions settings and concepts bit by bit try them out in real life shooting situations and return to this guide the manual and other photography books to address questions and problems you encounter Continue to learn and to photograph often and it should all begin to come together sometimes slowly and sometimes in rapid spurts of discovery and understanding If you have
17. rly expose for the subject then focus and exposure locked and framing recomposed to place subject off center Very carefully hand held at very slow shutter speed Shutter speed 1 13 aperture f 4 0 ISO 800 3 6c Spot Metering This mode meters a smaller center area approximately 4 of the viewfinder area This area is indicated by the small circle in the center of the viewfinder see Figure 14 So when do you want to use Spot metering This again is useful for scenes with great variation in light and shadow or in very critical situations It is used like Partial Metering but when the critical area that you are metering is even smaller and more precise One of the most common ways to use it is when metering for proper exposure 50 Canon T3i Experience on a dramatically lit face or subject where the proper exposure of that part of the image is critical See Figure 16 Figure 16 Singer Use Partial Metering or Spot Metering in high contrast situations to meter for the area you want properly exposed such as an area of skin tone here then lock exposure focus and recompose for the final image Shutter speed 1 60 aperture 4 5 ISO 1600 Or for advanced users Spot Metering is used to determine the exposure values of several important parts of the scene and then the desired exposure is determined and manually set using Manual Exposure Mode If you have ever read about a photographer metering different elements of a scene
18. s a well written full body of work that explains in plain English how to get the most out my new camera Doug provides the knowledge and experience to bring you to the next level I look forward to learning more every time I open the book Steven Definitely reduces the slope of the learning curve to an easy gradient I found that it was easy to read and understand full of important hints and suggestions and allowed me to get to grips with the tools available in the camera in a very short time indeed Excellent value O B Great for New T3i Owners This is an excellent resource for new T3i owners In my case I was upgrading from a Rebel XT so I appreciated the just the facts point of view Overall a great resource highly recommended S Wheeler Quite a Helpful Book It is a great foundational teaching on the camera and was a lot of help in getting me comfortable with the controls I also found the personal experiences and thoughts shared by the author to be quite helpful I have recommended and will continue to do so J S B It really made using the Canon Rebel T3i very simple I also liked the fact that it is in pdf format which means I can keep it on my iPhone or iPad while I m out in the field The price is right the product is sound and most of all the information is useful Michael M Excellent T3i Learning Jump Start The book and author do not disappoint There are so many helpful and practical tips shared and i
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