Canon Tutorials: 24 DSLR Tips for Getting More From Your EOS Camera

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You are here: Home » Photography Tutorials »Canon D-SLR Skills » Canon Tutorials: 24 DSLR tips for getting more from your EOS camera

Canon Tutorials: 24 DSLR tips for getting more from your EOS camera

Your Canon EOS camera is packed with sophisticated features and functionsthat make the technical side of photography a breeze. But how many of these do


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you use regularly? Do you know which settings give you bags of control, butensure you grab high-quality pictures with zero fuss? Are you using all the EOScamera short-cuts that make photography fast and fun?

For this essential Canon tutorial, we’ve put together 24 expert DSLR tips thatwill make sure you’re not missing out on some of your Canon camera’s biggest

tricks. From setting up your EOS camera to streamlining menus and matchingthe right shooting mode to the right subject, there’s a stack of advice for Canonphotographers of all abilities to take away and start shooting like a pro with your EOS camera, whatever it may be.

Tip 1: Raw + JPEG

We always bang on about shooting RAW files, as they enable you to make lots of edits without degrading picture quality. JPEGs are less tolerant to editing, butthey’re often perfectly usable straight from the camera. Choose the RAW+JPEG

setting (under ‘Quality’ on your Canon camera’s first Shooting menu) for thebenefits of both: JPEG for speed and RAW for back-up. Bear in mind that as you’re doubling up on each picture, memory cards will fill up faster; you canreduce the resolution/quality of both RAW and JPEG files on higher-end EOSbodies like the 60D and 7D, so capacity becomes less of an issue.


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Tip 2: Highlight Alert

Your EOS camera’s Highlight Alert ‘blinkies’ give you an at-a-glance guide toareas of an image that are likely to be overexposed, enabling you to reduce theexposure before taking another shot. Highlight Alert is an optional feature thatcan be switched on and off through the Playback menu (you can also do this

through the Quick Control Screen during playback mode if you’ve got an EOS60D). The flashing highlights warning is visible in both the full-screen previewand the array of information screens, although they disappear if you zoom in.


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Tip 3: Tone it down

If pictures that look fine in-camera seem a little dull on your computer screen,it’s probably because the brightness of your EOS screen is set too high. Tocalibrate your LCD, take a test shot using the Standard Picture Style and bestquality JPEG setting. Copy this to your computer, without deleting it from the

memory card, and open the file in Photoshop. Now press Play on the cameraand compare the two images. If the image on your EOS appears lighter ordarker than the one on your (calibrated!) computer monitor, use the LCDbrightness scale in your Canon camera’s Setup menu to adjust it.


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Tip 4: Let’s get it AF-ON

Half-pressing the shutter release to lock both autofocus and exposure is asimple system that works. So why does Canon put a separate autofocus buttonon the back of many of its EOS DSLRs? Because operating AF independently of metering and exposure can be useful. Take action photography, where the

AF-ON button lets you switch off focusing if a subject is temporarily obscuredby an object. It’s handy for portraits too; you can focus on an off-centre subject,then take your thumb off AF-ON to recompose without the focus shifting.

Tip 5: View clipping in colour

As well as using the brightness histogram to help you judge exposure whenreviewing a shot, you can call up a set of more precise RGB colour histograms.Digital images are created from the three primary colours of light – red, greenand blue – and the RGB histograms enable you to check if any of these colourchannels are ‘clipped’. As with the brightness histogram, if data falls off the leftor right of the graph, that channel is clipped, and picture detail – in a bright red

coat for example – can be lost. Note that these histograms reflect in-camerasettings; if you shoot RAW, you’ll capture more highlight and shadow detail thanindicated.


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Step 1: Call up the RGB histogramsStrongly saturated subjects, such as thisrose, can often cause one of the colour channels to blow. To check if it has,repeatedly press the INFO or DISP button during image playback until youreach the RGB histograms screen.

Step 2: Spot the problem channelYou can see that the brightness histogram forour shot indicates a good exposure, but the red channel is clipped. The

histograms are different shapes, but that’s down to the relative colour mix andbrightness of the image.

Step 3: Adjust the exposureYou need to ensure that detail in the mostimportant colour channel isn’t overexposed or underexposed. As red was mostimportant here, we reduced the exposure and shot again. It’s still ‘clipped’, butmore detail is retained.


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Tip 6: Highlight tone priority

As the name suggests, Highlight tone priority (HTP) prioritises detail at theright side of the histogram, preserving up to one stop of extra detail in thehighlights for optimum brightness without underexposing the rest of the

picture. HTP is disabled by default, but it’s a useful feature to enable (via theCustom Functions: Image menu) when photographing high-key scenes, such assunsets, snowy landscapes or a bride in her wedding dress. It’s in thesesituations that highlights could typically ‘blow’ and lose all their delicate detail.HTP has a subtle effect though, and one trade-off of using it is that you can’tselect the lowest ISO setting while it’s active.

Tip 7: Bracketing

Taking a series of shots at different exposure values – aka ‘bracketing’ – is a

tried and tested way of guaranteeing that you capture at least one usablepicture of a scene in tricky lighting conditions, particularly if you’re shooting JPEGs. Sometimes a slightly darker or brighter take on a subject can be moreaesthetically pleasing, too. Although you can take a sequence of exposuresmanually, your Canon camera’s Autoexposure Bracketing (AEB) feature offers amuch more efficient route. The bracketing options are identical on most Canoncameras, enabling you to shoot three frames with bracketing of between +/- 1/3to 2 stops, applied in 1/3 or 1/2-stop increments. The 60D and 7D offer anincreased bracketing range of up to +/- 3 stops.

Step 1: Select the incrementSet the exposure level increments in the customfunction menu – you get a choice of 1/3 or 1/2 stops (1/3-stops offer moreaccuracy). Next, scroll to the Exposure comp./AEB setting in the shooting menu,and you’ll see this screen.


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Step 2: The compensation optionIn Av, Tv and P mode you can set bothexposure step size and exposure compensation, so the sequence will be centredon the exposure compensation that’s applied (useful if you’re likely to want tounder- or overexpose a scene).

Step 3: Choose the bracketing orderIn addition to controlling the exposure stepsize you can also set the order of bracketing in the Custom Functions menu.Using the sequence ‘-, 0, +’ is often a benefit when it comes to processing asequence of HDR shots.

Tip 8: Compensation

Canon’s Evaluative metering may be sophisticated, but it isn’t foolproof. It mayend up brightening up a dark scene (overexposing it) or darkening a lighterscene (underexposing it). Using exposure compensation is a way to tame hothighlights or bring back the detail to blocked-up shadows. Whether that’s

achieved by pressing the +/- button and turning the main dial, or simply byrotating the Quick Control Dial depends on your EOS camera model.

The result is the same: pictures that hold more detail. It’s rare that you’ll needto dial in more than two stops of exposure compensation. Always remember toreset your exposure compensation to zero after each shoot; it’s easy to forget,and you could end ruining your shots next time you’re out!


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Tip 9: Metering modes

The metering modes common to all EOS cameras are Evaluative, Centre-weighted Average, Partial and Spot (although the latter is unavailable on the1100D). Each covers a progressively smaller portion of the image, with thedefault Evaluative metering mode taking multiple readings across the entireframe to create an exposure it calculates as the best possible. Evaluative isreliable, but be prepared to check the histogram and dial in somecompensation. Centre-weighted, as the name suggests, biases its readingtowards the middle of the frame, so it’s a good choice for portrait shots. Forprecise exposure readings, use Partial or Spot metering in conjunction with theExposure Lock (AE-L or asterisk) button.


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Tip 10: Auto Lighting Optimizer

Canon’s ALO dynamic range booster is available in all current Canon DSLRs.Essentially, ALO flattens out the contrast in an image, revealing shadow detail(and a touch of noise) without having a marked effect on highlights. It’s a greatsolution for photographing backlit portraits without flash, or if you’re shooting a

high-contrast subject in bright light. ALO can be applied in three strengths orswitched off altogether, and its effects are only applied to JPEGs. You can,however, apply an ALO setting when converting compatible RAW files in DPP.

Tip 11: How to get perfect focus

Canon EOS cameras have three basic autofocus modes: One Shot, AI Servo and AI Focus. One Shot locks the focus once: even if you have Continuous Shootingenabled, the focus won’t shift unless you take your finger off the shutterrelease, so it’s good for stationary subjects such as portraits and landscapes.

AI Servo is Canon’s focus-tracking mode: the camera will constantly autofocus,so it’s perfect for following moving subjects, especially when combined withhigh-speed continuous shooting. AI Focus rolls these two modes into one, so it’sworth trying if you’re photographing wildlife that might leg it/take flight at anymoment, although it’s not quite as quick to pick up a moving subject as AIServo.


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Tip 12: Customise Canon Picture Styles

Whether you want to capture a faithful representation of a scene, or a more vibrant version, the Picture Styles menu can help you achieve it. However, apartfrom Monochrome there’s not a lot between the default settings. Try

customising them for extra impact, or cook up your own recipes and store themin one of the User Defined slots (just go easy on the sharpening). If you shoot JPEGs, you’re stuck with the setting that was active when you took the picture;if you shoot RAW, you can alter the Picture Style setting when processing theimage in-camera with compatible models, or with DPP.

Tip 13: Controlling shutter speed

Time Value (Tv on mode dial) autoexposure mode, aka Shutter Priority, is theopposite of Aperture Priority: you choose the shutter speed, and the camera

sets a complementary aperture for the conditions. Shutter speed becomes thepriority if you’re photographing moving subjects and want to control whetherthe action is frozen (such as when photographing sports) or exaggerated (if youwant to blur the movement of water).


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Tip 14: Forget about Full Auto mode

New to digital SLRs? Then Creative Auto mode (CA) is a good way to starttaking over some of the decision making from the camera. Functionally, it sitssomewhere between point-and-shoot Auto (the green box) and Program mode(P). Hit the Q button with CA mode selected, and a simplified set of controls isdisplayed on the rear screen, enabling you to change the degree of background

blur, drive mode, flash and image tone.

Tip 15: Find the best aperture

Aperture Priority (signified by Av for ‘Aperture Value’ on the mode dial) is awidely used autoexposure mode that gives you control over how much of animage appears in sharp focus. You manually select the aperture (the size of thehole in the lens) and the camera matches it with an appropriate shutter speedto create a balanced exposure. Wide apertures let in more light, but cruciallyalso give the image a shallower depth of field, which can be useful for blurringdistracting backgrounds in portraits and wildlife shots. Small apertures havethe reverse effect, giving extended depth of field that’s perfect for landscapesand macro work.

Step 1: Small for landscapesTo get as much of a landscape shot as possible in

focus, you’ll need a small aperture – so stick to the large f-stop numbers, suchas f/16 and f/22. This might lead to long exposure times, so increase ISO if you’re shooting handheld.


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Step 2: Watch the settingsAs you turn the dial to alter the aperture setting, youcan monitor the changes through the viewfinder or top-plate screen, if yourcamera has one. You can also tweak the aperture through the Quick Settingsscreen (shown here).

Step 3: Use the previewThe image in the viewfinder is always shown at theCanon camera’s widest aperture. To ensure that you’re getting everythingcrisply in focus, use the depth-of-field preview button to stop down the lens to your set aperture.

Tip 16: High ISO noise reduction

This custom function is available on all current EOS cameras, and offers threenoise reduction settings – Standard, Low, Strong, plus Off. These do a decent

job of removing chroma speckling that can plague high ISO shots. There arecompromises to be made, though, the biggest of which is that fine detail is oftensoftened. Stick with Low for the most part, and avoid Strong unless you reallycan’t face editing a shot later. High ISO noise reduction can also reduce thecamera’s shooting speed, as it takes longer to process each shot.

Tip 17: Canon Auto White Balance

Your Canon EOS camera’s Auto White Balance (AWB) setting can be relied on to


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give neutral results in most situations, so colours will be captured as you sawthem. Shooting under artificial lighting often presents a challenge though, andpictures can end up with a colour cast as the system struggles to compensate. If you shoot JPEGs, it’s at times like these that you should reach for one of thewhite balance presets for a more faithful result – there’s a reason Canonincludes them, after all. However, for total accuracy and consistency, you can’t

beat a Custom White Balance. Here’s the process for creating one on a CanonEOS 60D…

Step 1: Don’t rely on the presetsYour Canon camera’s white balance presetshave their limits, as not all light sources are created equal. Here, using theTungsten preset has still resulted in an image that appears too ‘warm’.

Step 2: Take a reference shotFor more accurate results, take a reference shotof a piece of white paper or card in the prevailing light. Now select CustomWhite Balance in the Shooting menu and scroll through to your shot.


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Step 3: Save the WB settingPress SET to store the neutral reading from yourreference shot as a Custom White Balance setting. To use it, go to the WhiteBalance menu and select ‘Custom’. It’s a bit of a faff, but worth it!

Tip 18: Autofocus points: man vs machine

When should you manually select an autofocus point, and when should youleave it to the camera to do the job automatically? Well, automatic selection iscommonly used in conjunction with AI Servo Focus for photographing movingsubjects. If the subject’s framed against a clean backdrop (such as a bird flyingin the sky), then automatic selection does a fine job. But if the subject movesagainst a detailed background, you may well find that the camera refocuses onthe background instead.

For more accurate results, choose an AF point manually, and then track thesubject with the point positioned over it. The centre AF point is the most

precise, so start with that one. It’s also a good idea to select a focus pointmanually when shooting portraits – you want eyes to be sharp, not noses!


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Tip 19: Using Live View

If you want the most precise focus, then make the most of your Canon camera’sLive View. It might not be as responsive as the traditional viewfinder system,but the big advantage is that you can zoom in to check sharpness on a brightscreen and fine-tune accordingly, making it a great option for low-light

landscape photography. The vari-angle LCDs on the 600D and 60D enable youto use the camera at seriously awkward angles, too, whether that’s at groundlevel for macro shots or held above your head for shooting over crowds.


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Tip 20: Cool the flash

As with your camera’s ambient light meter, its flash metering system is reliablebut not infallible. It measures the light reflected back from the subject, andswitches off the flash when it calculates that it’s received enough. However,dark subjects can cause it to pump out too much light, leading to overexposure,

while bright subjects and reflective backgrounds can cause it to kill the flashtoo early, underexposing the subject.

By dialing in flash exposure compensation, you can increase or decrease theflash power to remedy this. You can do this through the Quick Control Screen,or by assigning the function to the SET button. Creatively, you might also wantto dial down the flash power so as to provide just a little ‘fill’ light, rather thanmaking it the dominant light source.


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Tip 21: SET button

By default, the SET button on the back of your camera has no function duringshooting. It’s definitely worth giving it one though, and you can do this via theOperation custom function menu. The 60D, for instance, has no white balancebutton, but you can assign the white balance sub-menu to the SET button.

Similarly, the 1100D has no dedicated depth-of-field preview button, but you canregister this function to the SET button. It doesn’t half speed things up.


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Tip 22: C mode

Canon’s Custom Mode, available on the 60D series upwards, lets you configurethe camera to your liking and then store the settings under ‘C’ on the modedial; used well it can help you to speed up reaction times for spur-of-the-moment situations. To register a Custom mode, choose your preferred

exposure mode and set up the camera accordingly, then head to the Setup menuand choose ‘Camera User Settings’. The EOS 60D lets you register one Custommode, while the EOS 7D and 5D Mark II can store up to three.


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Tip 23: Q button

The Q button gives access to all the major parameters of your camera on therear LCD, enabling you to adjust key settings fast. You can navigate to thefeature you want to change and press the SET button to open up a sub-menu, or you can simply rotate the Quick Control Dial with the feature highlighted on the

Quick Control screen to change the setting.


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Tip 24: My Menu

Fed up of flicking through lots of menu options to find a favourite function?Create your own custom set of frequently used controls in the ‘My Menu’ tab(head for the final menu page, indicated by a star). You can add up to six itemsto use in the ‘Creative Zone’ modes, and by enabling the ‘Display from My

Menu’ option you can make these appear first when you press the MENUbutton. It does a similar job to the Quick Control Screen triggered by the ‘Q’button, but you don’t need to navigate a fiddly control panel.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, February 18th, 2012 at 7:00 am and is filed

under Canon D-SLR Skills, Photography Tutorials. You can follow any responsesto this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave acomment. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Tags: Canon DSLR tips, Canon tutorials, DSLR tips, EOS cameras, hot

jmeyer | Canon D-SLR Skills, Photography Tutorials | 18/02/2012 07:00amNo Comments

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Canon Tutorials: 24 DSLR Tips for Getting More From Your EOS Camera

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