Canon EOS R50 For Dummies

Julie Adair King is a long-time photography educator and tech author. She’s written all editions of Digital Photography For Dummies as well as For Dummies books on Nikon®, Canon®, and Olympus® cameras. Theano Nikitas is a freelance journalist and photographer who has been writing about photography for more than 20 years. Her profiles, reviews, and tutorials have appeared in dozens of magazines and websites.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Icons Used in This Book 2

Beyond the Book 2

Where to Go From Here 2

Part 1: Fast Track to Super Snaps 3

Chapter 1: Getting Up and Running 5

Preparing the Camera for Initial Use 5

Using the Touchscreen 11

Exploring External Camera Features 13

Topside controls 14

Back-of-the-body controls 16

And the rest 19

Ordering from Camera Menus 21

Looking at Display Options 23

Choosing which displays are active 23

Changing the data style 25

Decoding critical onscreen data 27

Disabling and editing displays 28

Customizing other display features 30

Disabling Pop-Ups and Help Text 34

Using Quick Control Mode 36

Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens 39

Reviewing a Few Final Setup Options 42

Setup Menu 1 43

Setup Menu 2 45

Setup Menu 5 45

A few other critical options before you go 46

Chapter 2: Choosing Basic Picture Settings 49

Choosing a Shooting Mode 50

Basic Zone shooting modes 50

Creative Zone modes (P, Tv, Av, and M) 51

Changing the Drive Mode 52

Understanding the Image Quality Setting 56

Considering resolution: L, M, S1, or S2? 56

Understanding file type 60

Adjusting the Image Quality setting 66

Setting the Photo Aspect Ratio 70

Adding Flash 71

Setting the flash to fire (or not) 74

Adding Red-Eye Reduction 79

Reviewing Advanced Flash Options 79

Adjusting flash output with Flash Exposure Compensation 79

Locking the flash exposure 82

Investigating other flash options 84

Chapter 3: Taking Great Pictures, Automatically 89

Using Scene Intelligent Auto Mode (A+) 90

Taking a picture in A+ mode 90

Exploring A+ Assist features 94

Adjusting results with Creative Assist 96

Discovering SCN (Scene) Modes 101

Accessing Scene modes 102

Reviewing the scene modes 103

Adjusting camera settings in SCN mode 110

Part 2: Taking Creative Control 111

Chapter 4: Taking Charge of Exposure 113

Introducing the Exposure Trio: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO 114

Aperture affects depth of field 116

Shutter speed affects motion blur 117

ISO affects image noise 119

Doing the exposure balancing act 121

Stepping Up to Advanced Shooting Modes (P, Tv, Av, and M) 123

Monitoring Exposure Settings 124

Choosing an Exposure Metering Mode 127

Setting ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed 130

Controlling ISO 130

Adjusting aperture and shutter speed 134

Exploring Exposure-Correction Tools 136

Overriding autoexposure results with Exposure Compensation 136

Improving high-contrast shots with Highlight Tone Priority 142

Trying Auto Lighting Optimizer 144

Looking at a few other exposure solutions 147

Locking Autoexposure Settings 151

Bracketing Exposures Automatically 152

HDR Mode shooting 153

Using Autoexposure Bracketing (AEB) 154

Chapter 5: Controlling Focus and Depth of Field 159

Choosing Auto or Manual Focus 160

Disabling the Touch Shutter 162

Mastering the Autofocus System 164

AF Operation: Focus lock or continuous focus adjustment? 166

AF Area mode: One focus point or many? 170

Choosing the best autofocus combos 179

Adding subject- and eye-detection 180

Exploring a few other autofocus tweaks 186

Focusing Manually 186

Manipulating Depth of Field 190

Chapter 6: Mastering Color Controls 195

Understanding White Balance 196

Changing the White Balance setting 197

Creating a custom White Balance setting 202

Fine-tuning color with White Balance Shift 205

Changing the Color Space 208

Taking a Quick Look at Picture Styles 209

Increasing or Reducing Clarity 214

Chapter 7: Putting It All Together 217

Recapping Basic Picture Settings 217

Shooting Still Portraits 218

Capturing Action 223

Photographing Scenic Vistas 227

Capturing Dynamic Close-Ups 230

Chapter 8: Shooting and Viewing Movies 233

Choosing a Movie Shooting Mode 233

Reviewing a Few Video Basics 235

Recording Movies Using Default Settings 236

Recording Your First Vlog (Video Blog) 238

Setting the Broadcast Standard 241

Understanding the Movie Recording Size Setting 241

Selecting Audio Options 246

Using Movie Digital Zoom 249

Recording Vertical Movies 252

Reviewing Other Movie Options 254

Considering autofocusing options 254

Enabling Movie IS 256

Controlling exposure and color 257

Checking out a few final features 260

Playing Movies 263

Part 3: After the Shot 267

Chapter 9: Picture Playback 269

Adjusting Instant Image Review Timing 269

Viewing Pictures in Playback Mode 270

Viewing thumbnails (Index mode) 272

Jumping through images 273

Rotating still pictures 275

Zooming in for a closer view 278

Customizing the Data Display 279

Basic Information display mode 281

Shooting Information display mode 283

Making sense of histograms 286

Chapter 10: Working with Picture and Movie Files 289

Rating Photos and Movies 289

Protecting Photos and Movies 291

Deleting Files 293

Taking Advantage of Image Search 296

Preparing Pictures for Online Sharing 299

Sending Files to Your Computer 302

Part 4: The Part of Tens 305

Chapter 11: Ten More Customization Options 307

Customizing Button Functions 307

Redesigning the Quick Control Screen 308

Changing the Lens Control Ring Function 309

Customizing Auto-Power Shutoff Times 310

Resetting All Custom Functions 310

Choosing a USB Connection App 311

Creating Your Own Menu 311

Magnifying the Menu Display 312

Adding Custom Folders 312

Embedding Copyright Notices 313

Chapter 12: Ten Features to Explore on a Rainy Day 315

Trying Canon DPP 4 315

Adding Special Effects 316

Using In-Camera Editing Tools 316

Shooting a Time-Lapse Movie 317

Adding Cleaning Instructions 317

Trimming Movies 317

Creating a Slide Show 318

Shooting in Hybrid Auto Mode 318

Viewing Photos and Movies on a TV 318

Exploring an Obscure Printing Option 319

Appendix: Exploring Wireless Features 321

Index 335