❯❯ Part 4: The Part of Tens: In famous For Dummies tradition, the book concludes with two top-ten lists containing additional bits of information. Chapter 10 takes a look at ten features that although not found on most “Top Ten Reasons I Bought My 80D” lists, are nonetheless interesting, useful on occasion, or a bit of both. Chapter 11 closes things out with ten ways to customize your camera not covered in earlier chapters.
Icons and Other Stuff to Note
If this isn’t your first For Dummies book, you may be familiar with the large round icons that decorate its margins. If not, here’s your very own icon-decoder ring:
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Additionally, we need to point out a few other details that will help you use this book:
❯❯ Other margin art: Replicas of some of your camera’s buttons and onscreen graphics also appear in the margins of some paragraphs and in some tables. We include these images to provide quick reminders of the appearance of the button or option being discussed.
❯❯ Software menu commands: In sections that cover software, a series of words connected by an arrow indicates commands you choose from the program menus. For example, if a step tells you, “Choose File ⇒ Export,” click the File menu to unfurl it and then click the Export command on the menu.
eCheat Sheet
To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Canon EOS 80D For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box. The Cheat Sheet contains a quick-reference guide to all the buttons, dials, switches, and exposure modes on your camera. Log on, print it out, and tuck it in your camera bag for times when you don’t want to carry this book with you.
Practice, Be Patient, and Have Fun!
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 very good company. Everyone finds this stuff a little mind-boggling at first. Take it slowly, experimenting with just one or two new camera settings or techniques at first. Then, every time you go on a photo outing, make it a point to add one or two more shooting skills to your repertoire. With some 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 then start exploring the rest of this book. Your EOS 80D is the perfect partner for your photographic journey, and we thank you for allowing us, in this book, to serve as your tour guides.
Part 1
Fast Track to Super Snaps
IN THIS PART …
Get familiar with your camera’s buttons, displays, and menus.
Read about basic photo-taking settings and when to use each.
Take great pictures easily by using the fully automatic shooting modes.
Investigate Live View and movie recording.
Chapter 1
Getting the Lay of the Land
IN THIS CHAPTER
Using an SLR lens
Adjusting the viewfinder and monitor
Practicing touchscreen gestures
Working with camera memory cards
Getting acquainted with external camera controls
Checking and changing camera settings
Customizing basic camera operations
If you’re like us, shooting for the first time with a camera as sophisticated as the Canon EOS 80D produces a blend of excitement and anxiety. On 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 80D. Along with an introduction to the camera’s external controls, we offer details about working with lenses and memory cards, viewing and adjusting camera settings, and choosing basic setup options.
Looking at Lenses
One of the biggest differences between a point-and-shoot camera and a dSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera is the lens. With a dSLR, you can change lenses to suit different photographic needs, going from an extreme close-up lens to a super-long telephoto, for example. In addition, a dSLR lens has a focusing ring that gives you the option of focusing manually instead of relying on the camera’s autofocus mechanism.
We don’t have room in this book to go into detail about the science of lenses, nor do we think that an in-depth knowledge of the subject is terribly important to your photographic success. But the next few sections offer advice that may help when you’re shopping for lenses, figuring out whether the lenses you inherited from Uncle Ted or found on eBay will work with your 80D, and taking the steps involved in actually mounting and using a lens.
To decide which lens is the best partner for your camera, start by considering these factors:
❯❯ Lens compatibility: Your camera accepts two categories of Canon lenses: those with an EF-S design and those with a plain old EF design.
Two other lens acronyms to note: First, the 18–55mm and 18–135mm lenses that you can buy as part of a 80D kit are IS lenses, which means that they offer image stabilization, a feature you can explore a few sections from here. Second, they also carry another designation: STM (for the 18-55mm lens) or USM (on the 18-135mm lens). The STM abbreviation refers to the fact that the autofocusing system uses stepping motor technology, which is designed to provide smoother, quieter autofocusing. USM stands for UltraSonic Motor, which offers fast, professional-grade autofocusing.