Where to Go from Here
To wrap up this preamble, we 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, we invite you to grab your camera and a cup of whatever it is you prefer to sip while you read and start exploring the rest of this book. Your EOS 77D is the perfect partner for your photographic journey, and we thank you for allowing us, through this book, to serve as your tour guides.
Part 1
Fast Track to Super Snaps
Familiarize yourself with the basics of using your camera, from attaching lenses to navigating menus.
Select the right exposure mode, shutter-release mode, picture aspect ratio, and image quality.
Discover options available for flash photography.
Enjoy the simplicity of shooting in Basic Zone exposure modes, including Scene Intelligent Auto.
Chapter 1
Getting Up and Running
❯❯ Preparing the camera for its first outing
❯❯ Getting acquainted with camera features
❯❯ Viewing and adjusting camera settings
❯❯ Setting a few basic preferences
If you’re like many people, shooting for the first time with a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera produces a blend of excitement and anxiety. On the one hand, you can’t wait to start using your new equipment, but on the other, you’re a little intimidated by all its buttons, dials, and menu options.
Well, fear not: This chapter provides the information you need to start getting comfortable with your Canon EOS 77D. The first section walks you through initial camera setup. Following that, you get an overview of camera controls, discover how to view and adjust camera settings, work with lenses and memory cards, and get advice on some basic setup options.
Preparing the Camera for Initial Use
After unpacking your camera, you have to assemble a few parts. In addition to the camera body and the supplied battery (charge it before the first use), you need a lens and a memory card. Later sections in this chapter provide details about lenses and memory cards, but here’s the short story:
❯❯ Lens: Your camera accepts Canon EF and EF-S lenses; the 18–55mm or 18–135mm kit lenses sold as a bundle with the camera body falls into the EF-S category. If you want to buy a non-Canon lens, check the lens manufacturer’s website to find out which lenses work with your camera.
❯❯ SD, SDHC, or SDXC memory card: The SD stands for Secure Digital; the HC and XC stand for High Capacity and eXtended Capacity. The different labels reflect how many gigabytes (GB) of data the card holds. SD cards hold less than 4GB; SDHC, 4GB to 32GB; and SDXC, more than 32GB.
With camera, lens, battery, and card within reach, take these steps:
1. Turn the camera off.
2. Attach a lens.
First, remove the caps that cover the front of the camera and the back of the lens. Then locate the proper mounting index, which is a mark on the camera’s lens mount that indicates how to align the lens with the camera body. Your camera has two of these markers, one red and one white, as shown in Figure 1-1. Which marker you use depends on the lens type:
● Canon EF-S lens: The white square is the mounting index.
● Canon EF lens: The red dot is the mounting index.
Your lens also has a mounting index; align that mark with the matching one on the camera body, as shown in Figure 1-1. Place the lens on the camera mount and rotate the lens toward the side of the camera that sports the white EOS logo (or, to put it another way, away from the shutter-button side of the camera). You should feel a solid click as the lens locks into place.
3. Insert the battery.
The battery compartment is on the bottom of the camera. When inserting the battery, hold it with the contacts down and the Canon imprint facing out (toward the side of the camera with the memory card cover). Gently push the battery in until the gray lock clicks into place.
4. Insert a memory card.
Open the memory card door and orient the card so that the notched corner is on top and the label faces the back of the camera, as shown in Figure 1-2. Push the card gently into the slot and close the card door.
5. Rotate the monitor to the desired viewing position.
When you first take the camera out of its box, the monitor is positioned with the screen facing inward, protecting it from scratches and smudges. Gently lift the right side of the monitor up and away from the camera back. You can then rotate the monitor to move it into the traditional position on the camera back, as shown on the left in Figure 1-3, or swing the monitor out to get a different viewing angle, as shown on the right.
6. Move the On/Off switch to the On position.
Okay, that’s an odd way to say “Turn on the camera,” right? Agreed, but there’s good reason for it: This particular On/Off switch, shown in Figure 1-4, has three positions. When you rotate the switch to On, the camera comes to life and is ready to take still photos. When you move the switch one step further, to the movie camera symbol, the camera turns on and then sets itself to Movie mode. You can’t take a still photograph in Movie mode; it’s only good for recording video.
7. Set the language, time zone, and date.
When you power up the camera for the first time, the monitor displays a screen asking you to set the date, time, and time zone. The easiest way to adjust these settings is to use the touch screen, which is enabled by default. Just tap an option to select it and then tap the up/down arrows at the bottom of the screen to set the value for that option. Finally, tap OK to exit the screen.
You also can adjust settings by using the Set button and the four Quick Control keys surrounding it (these controls live just to the right of the monitor). Press the left/right keys to highlight a setting, press Set to activate the option, press the up/down keys to change the value, and press Set again to finalize the change.