The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D Companion

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D Companion

by Ben Long
Released November 2008
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596554347

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Book description

Through several easy-to-follow lessons, this handy book offers a complete class on digital photography, tailored specifically for people who use the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D. This is not your typical camera guide: rather than just show you what all the buttons do, this book teaches you how to use various Digital Rebel XS/1000D features to make great photographs -- including professional-looking images of people, landscapes, action shots, close-ups, night shots, and more.

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D Companion is the perfect reference for your camera bag. Written by professional photographer Ben Long, it's packed with creative tips and technical advice to help you capture stunning pictures anywhere, anytime. With this book, you'll learn how to:

  • Take creative control and go beyond automatic settings
  • Learn the basic rules of composition
  • Capture decisive moments, including fast-moving objects
  • Discover ways to use a flash indoors and outdoors
  • Learn about different lenses, and the best time to use them
  • Understand the options for shooting RAW, and whether it's right for you

There are plenty of photography books, but only this one teaches you how to take high-quality digital photos using the exact camera model you own. Plenty of full-color examples show you what's possible once you graduate from snapshots and focus on the pictures you really want to take.

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Table of contents

  1. The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D Companion
    1. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
    2. Acknowledgments
    3. Preface
      1. For More Information
    4. 1. Getting to Know the Rebel XS
      1. Resetting the Camera's Defaults
      2. Snapshot Shooting in Full Auto Mode
        1. Framing Your Shot
        2. Autofocus, or "How to Press the Shutter Button"
        3. Take the Shot
      3. The Viewfinder Status Display
      4. The LCD Status Display
      5. Viewing Your Images
      6. Using Scene Modes
      7. Snapshot Tips
        1. Watch that Headroom: Fill the Frame
        2. Don't Be Afraid to Get in Close
        3. Lead Your Subject
        4. Remember That Your Knees Can Bend
        5. Watch the Background
        6. Watch Out for Backlighting
        7. Understand Flash Range
        8. Cover Your Shot, or "One Shot Is Rarely Enough"
    5. 2. Anatomy of the Rebel XS
      1. What Is an SLR Anyway?
      2. Cleaning and Maintenance
        1. The XS Battery
        2. The Media Card
      3. Body Parts
        1. Camera Top
        2. Camera Front
        3. Camera Sides
        4. Camera Back
        5. Camera Bottom
      4. The Rebel XS Menu System
        1. Camera Status
      5. Holding the Camera
        1. The Grip
        2. Feet, Elbows, and Neck
      6. The Lens
        1. Understanding Focal Length
        2. Types of Lenses
        3. Lens Controls
        4. Lens Care
        5. Sensor Cleaning
      7. More Full Auto Practice
        1. Work with Fixed Focal Length
    6. 3. Playing Back Images
      1. Image Review
      2. Image Playback
        1. Navigating Images with the Main Dial
        2. Playback Zoom
        3. Exiting Playback
        4. Viewing Image Thumbnails
        5. Viewing Image Info
        6. Image Rotation
        7. Manual Image Rotation
        8. Slideshows in the Field
      3. Erasing Images
        1. Deleting an Image During Image Review
        2. Deleting an Image During Image Playback
        3. Deleting All of the Images on the Card
      4. Protecting Images
    7. 4. Image Transfer
      1. Media Cards
        1. One Big Card? Or Lots of Small Ones?
        2. Card Management
      2. Transferring from Your Camera
      3. Installing the Canon Software
      4. Transferring Images to a Windows Computer
        1. Using Canon ZoomBrowser EX
        2. Using Adobe Photoshop Elements for Windows
        3. Using Adobe Photoshop
      5. Transferring Images to a Macintosh Computer
        1. Configuring Your Mac for Image Transfer
        2. Transferring Images Using Canon ImageBrowser
      6. Transferring Images Manually Using Windows or the Mac
      7. Using the Camera to Select Images for Transfer
      8. Organizing Your Images
      9. After You've Transferred Your Images
    8. 5. Photography 101
      1. Over- and Underexposure
      2. Exposure Mechanisms
        1. ISO: The Third Exposure Parameter
        2. Shutter Speed
        3. Aperture
      3. Why There Are Two Ways to Control Light
        1. How Shutter Speed Choice Affects Your Image
        2. How Aperture Choice Affects Your Image
        3. Shutter Speed/Aperture Balance
        4. Reciprocity
          1. ISO
        5. Fractional Stops
      4. Thinking Again About Full Auto Mode
      5. Summing Up
    9. 6. Program Mode
      1. Switching to Program Mode
      2. Focusing Revisited
        1. Understanding Focus Points
          1. Manually Selecting a Focus Point
          2. When to Manually Choose a Focus Point
      3. Focus Modes
        1. AI Servo
        2. AI Focus
        3. What to Do When Autofocus Doesn't
          1. Low-Light Autofocus Problems
        4. Manual Focus
      4. Getting Creative with Program Shift
      5. Handheld Shooting and Shutter Speed
        1. Image Stabilization
      6. Changing the ISO
        1. Setting ISO
        2. A Real-World ISO Change
      7. White Balance
        1. White Balance Presets
        2. Custom White Balance
        3. White Balance Shift
        4. White Balance Bracketing
      8. Drive Mode and the Self-Timer
        1. Using the Self-Timer
      9. Choosing an Image Size and Format
        1. Why Choose a Different Size?
      10. Summing Up Program Mode
        1. Some Things to Try
    10. 7. Advanced Exposure
      1. The Light Meter Revisited
        1. Metering Modes
          1. Partial Metering
          2. Center-Weight Average Metering
          3. Metering and Auto ISO
        2. What Your Light Meter Actually Meters
        3. Exposing So That Black Looks Black
      2. Using Exposure Compensation to Over- or Underexpose
        1. Exposure Compensation and Program Shift
        2. Controlling Color Tone with Exposure Compensation
      3. Using the Histogram
        1. Recognizing Over- and Underexposure in the Histogram
        2. Recognizing Contrast in the Histogram
        3. The Three-Channel Histogram
      4. Using Priority Modes to Control Exposure
        1. Aperture Priority
          1. Depth of Field Preview
        2. Shutter Priority
      5. Manual Mode
      6. Exposure Bracketing
        1. Auto Bracketing
          1. Deactivating Auto Bracketing
          2. Auto Bracketing and Drive Mode
          3. Auto Bracketing and Exposure Compensation
      7. Scene Modes Revisited
      8. Picture Styles
        1. Selecting a Picture Style
        2. Adjusting Predefined Picture Styles
      9. Creating a Better Exposure with Fill Flash
      10. A Word About Dynamic Range
    11. 8. Finding and Composing a Photo
      1. Learning to See Again
        1. Seeing Exercises
          1. Warm Up
          2. Give Yourself an Assignment
          3. Look at Other Photos
          4. Practice
      2. How to Make a Photo
        1. Recognizing a Potential Photo
          1. Look Through That Camera
          2. Photography as Abstraction
        2. Working Your Subject
        3. Choosing a Camera Position and Focal Length
          1. Understanding How Focal Length Choice Affects Your Image
          2. Focal Length and Portraits
        4. Composing Your Shot
          1. Balance
          2. Geometry
          3. Repetition
          4. The Rule of Thirds
          5. Foreground/Background
          6. Composing with Light and Dark
          7. Less Is More
          8. Some, All, or None
        5. Art and Craft
      3. Practice
    12. 9. Specialty Shooting
      1. Live View
        1. Enabling Live View
        2. Activating Live View
        3. Focusing in Live View
          1. Manual Focus
          2. Autofocusing in Advance
          3. Using Autofocus to Focus in Live Mode
        4. What You Don't See in Live View
      2. Shooting Panoramas
        1. Choosing a Focal Length for Panoramas
        2. Panoramic Exposure
          1. Using AE Lock
          2. Choosing an Exposure
        3. Shooting Panoramic Frames
          1. Panning Tips
        4. Stitching a Panorama
      3. Low-Light Shooting
        1. When to Use Flash in Low Light
        2. Shooting in Low Light at High ISO
        3. Low-Light Techniques
          1. Shooting with a Long Shutter Speed
          2. Long Exposure Noise
          3. Use Mirror Lockup for Long Exposures
          4. Aperture Control for Low Light Conditions
        4. Shooting Sports or Stage Performances
        5. Low-Light White Balance
    13. 10. Flash Shooting
      1. Controlling Existing Light
      2. Using the XS's On-Camera Flash
        1. Flash Exposure
          1. Flash with Priority and Manual Modes
          2. Flash Exposure Compensation
          3. Improving Flash Range
      3. Red-Eye Reduction
      4. Using an External Flash
        1. Bouncing a Flash
    14. 11. Raw Shooting
      1. What Is Raw?
      2. Why Use Raw?
        1. Changing White Balance
        2. Highlight Recovery
        3. More Editing Latitude
        4. A True Digital Negative
        5. Easy Batch Processing
      3. Raw Hassles (the Disadvantages)
      4. Shooting Raw with the Rebel XS
        1. Picture Styles, White Balance, and Raw
      5. Processing Your Raw Files
    15. 12. Customizing the XS
      1. My Menu
        1. Building My Menu
        2. Organizing My Menu
        3. Make My Menu the Default
      2. Changing Screen Color
      3. Custom Functions
      4. Lenses
        1. Choosing a Lens
          1. EF, EF-S, and L
          2. Prime vs. Zoom
        2. Some Lens Suggestions
          1. Telephoto Zoom
          2. Wide Angle
          3. Prime
          4. Specialty Lenses
        3. Evaluating a Lens
    16. Index
    17. About the Author
    18. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly

Product information

  • Title: The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D Companion
  • Author(s): Ben Long
  • Release date: November 2008
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596554347