Читать книгу Canon EOS Rebel T8i/850D For Dummies - King Julie Adair, Julie Adair King - Страница 8

Introduction

In 2003, Canon revolutionized the photography world by introducing the first digital SLR camera (dSLR) to sell for less than $1,000, the EOS Digital Rebel/300D. The camera delivered exceptional performance and picture quality, earning it rave reviews and multiple industry awards. No wonder it quickly became a best seller.

That tradition of excellence and value lives on in the EOS Rebel T8i/850D. Like its ancestors, this baby offers advanced controls for experienced photographers as well as features to help beginners be successful from the get-go. Adding to the fun, the camera also offers high-definition video recording and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that enable wireless connection to your computer, smartphone, or tablet.

In fact, the T8i/850D is so feature-packed that sorting out everything can be a challenge. For starters, you may not even know what SLR means, let alone have a clue about all the other terms you encounter in your camera manual — resolution, aperture, and ISO, for example. If you’re like many people, you may be so overwhelmed by all the camera controls that you haven’t yet ventured beyond fully automatic picture-taking mode. That’s a shame because it’s sort of like buying a Porsche Turbo and never pushing it past 35 miles per hour.

Therein lies the point of Canon EOS Rebel T8i/850D For Dummies. In this book, you can discover not only what each bell and whistle on your camera does but also when, where, why, and how to put it to best use. Unlike many photography books, this one doesn’t require any previous knowledge of photography or digital imaging, either. Everything is explained in easy-to-understand language, with lots of illustrations to help clear up any confusion.

In short, what you have in your hands is the paperback version of a photography workshop tailored specifically to your camera. Whether your interests lie in taking family photos, exploring nature and travel photography, or snapping product shots for your business, you’ll get the help you need to capture the images you envision.

A Quick Look at What’s Ahead

This book is organized into four parts, each devoted to a different aspect of using your camera. Although chapters flow in a sequence that takes you from absolute beginner to experienced user, each chapter is designed to be as self-standing as possible so that you can explore topics that interest you in any order.

Here's an overview of each part:

 Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps: This part contains three chapters that help you get up and running. Chapter 1 offers a brief overview of camera controls and walks you through initial setup and customization steps. Chapter 2 explains basic picture-taking settings, such as image-quality and flash options, and Chapter 3 shows you how to use the camera’s simplest exposure modes, Scene Intelligent Auto and SCN (Scene).

 Part 2: Taking Creative Control: Chapters in this part help you unleash the full creative power of your camera by moving into advanced shooting modes. Chapter 4 covers the all-important topic of exposure; Chapter 5 offers tips for manipulating focus; Chapter 6 explains color features; and Chapter 7 provides a summary of shooting strategies for specific types of pictures: portraits, action shots, landscape scenes, and close-ups. Wrapping up this part, Chapter 8 covers movie recording and playback.

 Part 3: Working with Picture Files: As its title implies, this part discusses after-the-shot topics. Chapter 9 explains picture playback features, and Chapter 10 covers topics including rating, deleting, and protecting files; transferring pictures from your camera to your computer; processing Raw files; and preparing pictures for online sharing.

 Part 4: The Part of Tens: In famous For Dummies tradition, the book concludes with two top-ten lists containing additional bits of information. Chapter 11 takes a look at ten camera-customization options not covered elsewhere. Chapter 12 introduces features that may not be on the top of your “Why I bought this camera” list, but are nonetheless interesting, useful on occasion, or a bit of both.

 Appendix: Exploring Wireless Connections: Head here for information about establishing a wireless connection between your camera and a computer, smartphone, or tablet. You can then transfer files wirelessly and use your computer or smart device as a camera remote control, among other things.

 Cheat sheet: When you have a minute or two, visit www.dummies.com and enter the name of this book in the search box. You’ll find a link to a cheat sheet, which provides a handy reference to your camera’s buttons, controls, and exposure modes.

Icons and Other Stuff to Note

If this isn’t your first For Dummies book, you may be familiar with the large round icons that decorate its margins. If not, here’s your very own icon-decoder ring:

A Tip icon flags information that saves you time, effort, money, or another valuable resource, including your sanity.

When you see this icon, look alive. It indicates a potential danger zone that can result in much wailing and teeth-gnashing if it’s ignored.

Lots of information in this book is of a technical nature — digital photography is a technical animal, after all. But if we present a detail that’s useful mainly for impressing your geeky friends, we mark it with this icon.

This icon highlights information that’s especially worth storing in your brain’s long-term memory or to remind you of a fact that may have been displaced from that memory by another pressing fact.

Additionally, replicas of some of your camera’s buttons and onscreen graphics appear throughout the book to help you locate the button or setting being discussed.

Practice, Be Patient, and Have Fun!

To wrap up this preamble, I want to stress that if you initially think that digital photography is too confusing or too technical for you, you’re in good company. Everyone finds this stuff mind-boggling at first. Take it slowly, trying just one or two new camera settings or techniques each time you pick up your camera. With time, patience, and practice, you’ll soon wield your camera like a pro, dialing in the necessary settings to capture your creative vision almost instinctively.

So without further ado, I invite you to grab your camera and a cup of whatever you prefer to sip while you read and then start exploring the rest of this book. Your T8i/850D is the perfect partner for your photographic journey, and I thank you for allowing me, through this book, to serve as your tour guide.