Canon 50D: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Canon 50D: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Released April 2009
Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
ISBN: 9780321637277

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Book description

Now that you’ve bought the amazing Canon 50D, you need a book that goes beyond a tour of the camera’s features to show you exactly how to use the 50D to take great pictures. With Canon 50D: From Snapshots to Great Shots, you get the perfect blend of photography instruction and camera reference that will take your images to the next level! Beautifully illustrated with large, vibrant photos, this book teaches you how to take control of your photography to get the image you want every time you pick up the camera.

Follow along with your friendly and knowledgeable guide, photographer and author Jeff Revell, and you will:

• Learn the top ten things you need to know about shooting with the 50D
• Use the 50D’s automatic modes to get better shots right away
• Move on to the Creative zone, where you have full control over the look and feel of your images
• Master the photographic basics of composition, focus, depth of field, and much more
• Learn all the best tricks and techniques for getting great action shots, landscapes, and portraits
• Find out how to get great shots in low light
• Fully grasp all the concepts and techniques as you go, with assignments at the end of every chapter

With Canon 50D: From Snapshots to Great Shots, you’ll learn not only what makes a great shot work—you’ll learn how to get that shot using your 50D.

And once you’ve got the shot, show it off! Join the book’s Flickr group, share your photos, and discuss how you use your 50D to get great shots at flickr.com/groups/canon_50dfromsnapshotstogreatshots.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
    1. Dedication
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. Introduction
    1. Q: Is Every Camera Feature Going to be Covered?
    2. Q: So If I Already Own the Manual, Why Do I Need This Book?
    3. Q: What Can I Expect to Learn From This Book?
    4. Q: What Are the Assignments All About?
    5. Q: Should I Read the Book Straight Through or Can I Skip Around From Chapter to Chapter?
    6. Q: Is There Anything Else I Should Know Before Getting Started?
    7. Q: Is that It?
  4. 1. The 50D Top Ten List
    1. Ten Tips to Make Your Shooting More Productive Right Out of the Box
    2. Poring Over the Camera
      1. Camera Front
      2. Camera Back
    3. Poring Over the Camera
      1. Camera Top
    4. 1. Charge Your Battery
    5. 2. Turn Off the Shoot Without Card Setting
      1. Turning Off the Shoot Without Card Setting
    6. 3. Set Your JPEG Image Quality
      1. Setting the Image Quality
    7. 4. Turn Off the Auto ISO Setting
      1. Setting the ISO
    8. 5. Set Your Focus Point and Mode
      1. Setting the Focus Point and Focus Mode
    9. 6. Set the Correct White Balance
      1. Setting the White Balance
    10. 7. Set Your Color Space
      1. Setting the Color Space
    11. 8. Know How to Override Auto Focus
    12. 9. Review Your Shots
      1. Changing Your Review Time Setting
    13. 10. Hold Your Camera for Proper Shooting
    14. Chapter 1 Assignments
      1. Basic camera setup
      2. Selecting the proper white balance
      3. Focusing with single point and One Shot
      4. Evaluating your pictures with the LCD display
      5. Discovering the manual focus mode
      6. Get a grip: proper camera holding
  5. 2. First Things First
    1. A Few Things to Know and Do Before You Begin Taking Pictures
    2. Poring Over the Picture
    3. Poring Over the Picture
    4. Choosing the Right Memory Card
    5. Formatting Your Memory Card
      1. Formatting Your Memory Card
    6. Updating the 50D’s Firmware
      1. Checking the Camera’s Current Firmware Version Number
      2. Updating the Firmware Directly From Your Computer
    7. Cleaning the Sensor
      1. Using the Clean Now Feature
    8. Using the Right Format: RAW vs. JPEG
      1. So What Does RAW Have to Offer?
      2. Advice for New RAW Shooters
      3. Selecting a RAW Format
      4. Selecting Your Image Quality Setting
    9. Lenses and Focal Lengths
    10. What is Exposure?
      1. How is Exposure Calculated?
    11. Motion and Depth of Field
    12. Chapter 2 Assignments
      1. Formatting your card
      2. Checking your firmware version
      3. Cleaning your sensor
      4. Exploring your image formats
      5. Exploring your lens
  6. 3. The Basic Zone
    1. Get Shooting with the Automatic Camera Modes
    2. Poring Over the Picture
    3. Poring Over the Picture
    4. Full Auto Mode
    5. Portrait Mode
    6. Landscape Mode
    7. Close-Up Mode
    8. Sports Mode
    9. Night Portrait Mode
    10. Flash Off Mode
    11. Creative Auto Mode
      1. Flash
      2. Background Sharpness
      3. Exposure
      4. Picture Style
      5. Quality
      6. Drive Mode
        1. Changing the Auto Power Off
    12. Why You Will Never Want to Use the Basic Zone Again
    13. Chapter 3 Assignments
      1. Shooting in Full Auto mode
      2. Checking out Portrait mode
      3. Capturing the scenery with Landscape and Close-up modes
      4. Stopping the action with Sports mode
      5. Capturing the mood with Night Portrait mode
      6. Getting a little more creative with Creative Auto mode
  7. 4. The Creative Zone
    1. Taking Your Photography to the Next Level
    2. Poring Over the Picture
    3. Poring Over the Picture
    4. P: Program Mode
      1. When to Use Program (P) Mode Instead of the Basic Zone Modes
        1. Setting Up and Shooting in Program Mode
    5. Tv: Shutter Priority Mode
      1. When to Use Shutter Priority (Tv) Mode
        1. Setting Up and Shooting in Tv Mode
    6. Av: Aperture Priority Mode
      1. When to Use Aperture Priority (Av) Mode
        1. Setting Up and Shooting in Av Mode
    7. M: Manual Mode
      1. When to Use Manual (M) Mode
        1. Setting Up and Shooting in Manual Mode
    8. A-DEP: Auto Depth of Field Mode
    9. How I Shoot: A Closer Look at the Camera Settings I Use
    10. Chapter 4 Assignments
      1. Starting off with Program Mode
      2. Learning to control time with the Tv mode
      3. Controlling depth of field with the Av mode
      4. Giving and taking with Manual mode
  8. 5. Moving Target
    1. The Tricks to Shooting Sports and More
    2. Poring Over the Picture
    3. Poring Over the Picture
    4. Stop Right There!
      1. Direction of Travel
      2. Subject Speed
      3. Subject-to-Camera Distance
    5. Using Shutter Priority (Tv) Mode to Stop Motion
      1. Adjusting Your ISO on the Fly
    6. Using Aperture Priority (Av) Mode to Isolate Your Subject
    7. Keep Them in Focus with AI Servo and Auto AF Focus Point Selection
      1. Selecting and Shooting in AI Servo Focus Mode
      2. Selecting a Focus Point or Using the Automatic Focus Point Mode
    8. Stop and Go with AI Focus AF
    9. Manual Focus for Anticipated Action
    10. Keeping Up with the Continuous Shooting Modes
      1. Setting Up and Shooting in the Continuous Drive Modes
    11. A Sense of Motion
      1. Panning
      2. Motion Blur
    12. Tips for Shooting Action
      1. Give Them Somewhere to Go
      2. Get in Front of the Action
      3. Put Your Camera in a Different Place
    13. Chapter 5 Assignments
      1. The mechanics of motion
      2. Wide vs. telephoto
      3. Getting a feel for focusing modes
      4. Anticipating the spot using manual focus
      5. Following the action
      6. Feeling the movement
  9. 6. Say Cheese!
    1. Settings and Features to Make Great Portraits
    2. Poring Over the Picture
    3. Poring Over the Picture
    4. Automatic Portrait Mode
    5. Using Aperture Priority Mode
      1. Go Wide for Environmental Portraits
    6. Metering Modes for Portraits
      1. Setting Your Metering Mode to Partial Metering
    7. Using the AE Lock Feature
      1. Shooting with the AE Lock Feature
    8. Focusing: The Eyes Have It
      1. Setting Up for One Shot Drive Mode
      2. Setting Your Focus to a Single Point
    9. Classic Black and White Portraits
      1. Setting Your Picture Style to Monochrome
      2. Customizing the Picture Style Settings
    10. The Portrait Picture Style for Better Skin Tones
    11. Detect Faces with Live View
      1. Setting Up and Shooting with Live View and Face Detection Focusing
      2. Using Live View’s Grid Overlay
        1. Setting Up Live View’s Grid Option
    12. Use Fill Flash for Reducing Shadows
      1. Setting Up and Shooting with Fill Flash
    13. Portraits on the Move
    14. Tips for Shooting Better Portraits
      1. Avoid the Center of the Frame
      2. Choose the Right Lens
      3. Don’t Cut Them Off at the Knees
      4. Use the Frame
      5. Sunblock for Portraits
      6. Give Them a Healthy Glow
      7. Keep an Eye on Your Background
      8. Frame the Scene
      9. More Than Just a Pretty Face
      10. Get Down on Their Level
      11. Eliminate Space Between Your Subjects
      12. Don’t be Afraid to Get Close
    15. Chapter 6 Assignments
      1. Depth of field in portraits
      2. Discovering the qualities of natural light
      3. Picking the right metering method
      4. Picture styles for portraits
  10. 7. Landscape Photography
    1. Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Get the Most Out of Your Landscape Photography
    2. Poring Over the Picture
    3. Poring Over the Picture
    4. Sharp and in Focus: Using Tripods
    5. Using A-DEP to Maximize Depth of Field
    6. Selecting the Proper ISO
    7. Using Noise Reduction
      1. Setting Up Noise Reduction
    8. Selecting a White Balance
      1. Using Live View to Preview Different White Balance Settings
    9. Using the Landscape Picture Style
      1. Setting Up the Landscape Picture Style
    10. Taming Bright Skies with Exposure Compensation
      1. Using Exposure Compensation to Regain Detail in Highlights
    11. Shooting Beautiful Black and White Landscapes
    12. The Golden Light
    13. Where to Focus
    14. Easier Focusing
      1. Getting Focused While Using a Tripod
    15. Making Water Fluid
      1. Setting Up for a Waterfall Shot
    16. Directing the Viewer: A Word About Composition
      1. Rule of Thirds
      2. Creating Depth
    17. Advanced Techniques to Explore
      1. Shooting Panoramas
        1. The “Fake” Panorama
          1. Creating a Fake Panorama
        2. The Multiple-Image Panorama
          1. Shooting Properly for a Multiple-Image Panorama
      2. Shooting High Dynamic Range (HDR) Images
        1. Setting Up for Shooting an HDR Image
    18. Chapter 7 Assignments
      1. A-DEP vs. Aperture Priority
      2. Comparing depth of field: Wide-angle vs. telephoto
      3. Applying hyper focal distance to your landscapes
      4. Using Live View and the rule of thirds
      5. Placing your horizons
  11. 8. Mood Lighting
    1. Shooting When the Lights Get Low
    2. Poring Over the Picture
    3. Poring Over the Picture
    4. Raising the ISO: The Simple Solution
    5. Using Very High ISOs
      1. Setting Up the ISO Expansion Feature
    6. Stabilizing the Situation
    7. Focusing in Low Light
      1. Focus Assist
        1. Turning on the Focus Assist Feature
        2. Disabling the Flash
    8. Shooting Long Exposures
    9. Using the Built-in Flash
      1. Shutter Speeds
        1. Setting the Sync Speed When Using Flash in Av Mode
      2. Metering Modes
        1. Using the FE Lock Feature
    10. Compensating for the Flash Exposure
      1. Using the Flash Exposure Compensation Feature to Change the Flash Output
    11. Reducing Red-Eye
      1. Turning on the Red-eye Reduction Feature
    12. 2nd Curtain Sync
      1. Setting Your Flash Sync Mode
    13. Flash and Glass
    14. A Few Words about External Flash
    15. Chapter 8 Assignments
      1. How steady are your hands?
      2. Pushing your ISO to the extreme
      3. Getting rid of the noise
      4. Long exposures in the dark
      5. Reducing the noise in your long exposures
      6. Testing the limits of the pop-up flash
      7. Getting the red out
      8. Getting creative with 2nd Curtain Sync
  12. 9. Creative Compositions
    1. Improve Your Pictures with Sound Compositional Elements
    2. Poring Over the Picture
    3. Poring Over the Picture
    4. Depth of Field
    5. Angles
    6. Point of View
    7. Patterns
    8. Color
    9. Contrast
    10. Leading Lines
    11. Splitting the Frame
    12. Frames within Frames
    13. Chapter 9 Assignments
      1. Learning to see lines and patterns
      2. The ABCs of composition
      3. Finding the square peg and the round hole
      4. Using the aperture to focus attention
      5. Leading them into a frame
  13. 10. Advanced Techniques
    1. Impress Your Family and Friends
    2. Poring Over the Picture
    3. Poring Over the Picture
    4. Spot Meter for More Exposure Control
      1. Setting Up and Shooting in Spot Metering Mode
      2. Metering for Sunrise or Sunset
    5. Mirror Lockup
      1. Setting the Mirror Lockup Feature
    6. Manual Mode
      1. Bulb Photography
    7. Avoiding Lens Flare
    8. Bracketing Exposures
      1. Setting Auto-Exposure Bracketing
    9. Macro Photography
    10. Auto Lighting Optimizer
      1. Setting Up the Auto Lighting Optimizer
    11. Using the Custom Settings Modes (C1 and C2)
      1. Setting Up Your Own Custom Shooting Modes
    12. The My Menu Setting
      1. Customizing Your My Menu Setting
    13. Conclusion
    14. Chapter 10 Assignments
      1. Adding some drama to the end of the day
      2. Making your exposure spot on
      3. Using the Bulb setting to capture the moment
      4. Bracketing your way to better exposures
      5. Moving in for a close-up

Product information

  • Title: Canon 50D: From Snapshots to Great Shots
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: April 2009
  • Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
  • ISBN: 9780321637277