For expediency’s sake, we refer to this button from this point forward as just the Q button.
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❯❯ Set button and Multi-controller: Figure 1-15 points out the Set button and surrounding controller, known as the Multi-controller. These buttons team up to perform several functions, including choosing options from the camera menus.
You work the Multi-controller by pressing one of the eight tiny arrows around its perimeter. In this book, the instruction “Press the Multi-controller right” means to press the right arrow, for example.
❯❯ Quick Control dial: The Quick Control dial surrounds the Set button and the Multi-controller. Rotating the dial offers a handy way to quickly scroll through options and settings. It’s a timesaver, so we point out when to use it as we provide instructions throughout the book.
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❯❯ Multi Function Lock switch: You can rotate this switch up, in the direction of the arrow, to lock the Quick Control dial so that you don’t accidentally move the dial and change a camera setting that you aren't intending to modify. If you want an even larger safety net, you can set things up so that the switch also locks the Main dial, the Multi-controller, and the touchscreen (when shooting). The section “Setting up the Lock switch,” toward the end of this chapter, has details.
❯❯ Speaker: When you play movies, the sound emanates from the speaker.
On the front-left side of the camera body are a few more things of note, labeled in Figure 1-16.
FIGURE 1-16: Press the Flash button to bring the built-in flash out of hiding.
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❯❯ Lens-release button: Press this button to disengage the lens from the lens mount so that you can remove it from the camera. See the first part of this chapter for details on mounting and removing lenses.
❯❯ Connection port covers: The covers hide ports for connecting the camera to other devices; see the next section for details.
A couple of sensors and a button are on the right side of the camera, as shown in Figure 1-17:
❯❯ Remote control sensor: When you use the optional Remote Controller RC-6 wireless remote, the sensor detects the signal from the remote.
❯❯ Depth-of-field preview button: When you press this button, the image in the viewfinder offers an approximation of the depth of field that will result from your aperture setting, or f-stop. Chapter 8 provides details.
❯❯ Red-Eye Reduction/self-timer lamp: When you set your flash to Red-Eye Reduction mode, this lamp emits a brief burst of light prior to the real flash: the idea being that your subjects’ pupils will constrict in response to the light, thus lessening the chances of red-eye. If you use the camera’s self-timer feature, the lamp blinks to provide you with a visual countdown to the moment at which the picture will be recorded. See Chapter 2 for more details about Red-Eye Reduction flash mode and the self-timer function.
FIGURE 1-17: Here’s a look at the right-front doodads.
Hidden under the covers on the left side of the camera, you find inputs for connecting the camera to various devices. The left side of Figure 1-18 shows what lurks beneath the first cover; the right side of the figure shows the connections found under the second cover.
FIGURE 1-18: These three rubber covers conceal terminals for connecting the camera to other devices.
Starting with the left side, the available connections are
❯❯ Microphone jack: If you’re not happy with the audio quality provided by the internal microphone when you record movies, you can plug in an external microphone here. The jack accepts a 3.5mm stereo microphone miniplug.
❯❯ Headphone jack: Likewise, if you want a better listening experience, connect your headphones to this 3.5mm terminal and monitor sound while recording or playing back movies in style.
❯❯ Remote-control terminal: As an alternative to using a wireless remote controller to trigger the shutter release, you can attach the Canon Remote Switch RS-60E3 wired controller here.
❯❯ HDMI terminal: For playback on a high-definition television or screen, you can connect the camera via this terminal, using the optional HDMI Cable HTC-100.
❯❯ USB connection terminal: This connection point serves two purposes: You can connect your camera to a computer via a compatible USB interface cable (not supplied), a topic discussed in Chapter 6. You use the same terminal to connect the camera to Canon’s optional GP-E2 GPS receiver. It’s worth noting that this terminal no longer supports audio/visual playback. Do not attempt to connect your 80D to a television using Canon’s AVC-DC400ST A/V cable or equivalent.
If you turn the camera over, you find a tripod socket, which enables you to mount the camera on a tripod that uses a quarter-inch screw, plus the battery chamber. And finally, hidden inside the battery chamber is a little flap that covers a connection for attaching the optional AC power adapter kit ACK-E6. See the camera manual for specifics on running the camera on AC power.
Ordering from Camera Menus
Camera menus are organized into the categories labeled in Figure 1-19. However, which menus appear depends on the exposure mode. For example, if you’re shooting in Scene Intelligent Auto mode – represented by the green A+ on the Mode dial – you see