Lessons
Class Introduction
12:55 2Photo Basics
04:03 3Basic Camera Controls
03:33 4Exposure Modes
20:29 5Top Deck Additional Features
05:29 6Exposure Bracketing
04:14 7Exposure Compensation Metering And Flash
18:50 8Viewfinder
12:31Live View And Movie Mode
23:52 10Autofocus Area
10:16 11Quick Menu
03:48 12Play Back
06:13 13Memory Cards
06:33 14Left And Right Of Camera Features
04:48 15Bottom And Front Of Camera Features
03:23 16Lenses
07:35 17Shooting Menu
10:45 18Lens Aberration Correction
04:31 19Multiple Exposure And Image Type
07:06 20ISO Speed Settings And Noise Reduction
10:22 21Mirror Lockup And Dust Delete Data
03:43 22External Speedlite Control And Anti Flicker
06:36 23AF Method Shutter And Metering
04:45 24Movie Menu
11:36 25AF Menu
23:09 26Playback Menu
07:43 27Setup Menu
24:13 28Custom Functions Menu Part 1
14:28 29Custom Functions Menu Part 2
19:48 30My Menu
05:04 31Camera Operation
09:47Lesson Info
Basic Camera Controls
Alright, let's get started on the good part about this class: the Camera Controls section. In this part we are gonna be going through all the buttons, all the dials, and doing a full tour of the camera and figuring out what it does, and how it does it. So first off, on the back of the camera there is an On and an Off, and a Lock switch. You wanna go right passed the Lock setting all the way to the way to On so that you have access to all the controls on the camera. When you turn the camera on, there is a little sensor in front of or a filter in front of the sensor that shakes and knocks off any sort of dust that might have adhered to it. Dust on the sensor can be a major problem cause it will show up as black specks, and you may need to go in and manually clean it; that's one of the options we'll talk about later on in the menu setting. But this is a good system that knocks off most of that dust, and will help keep your sensor clean most of the time. The shutter release will activate t...
he camera when it's asleep. The camera wants to go to sleep quite a bit to conserve battery power, so you'll be pressing down on that to shoot photos, but also to wake the camera up. The main dial on the top of the camera is kind of your go-to dial for changing almost anything. We're gonna be using it to change shutter speeds but we can also use it to change apertures if we want to. We're gonna be using it to navigate throughout the menu system, we can use it to change focusing points as well, and so that's kind of the go-to dial on the camera. But we also have Canon's legendary quick-control dial on the back of the camera which makes additional settings very, very easy to use. And so we have two main dials on the camera but I will sometimes refer to them as the top dial and the back dial, but they're known as the main and the quick dial. We have a couple of little joysticks. These are officially called multi-controllers, I'll probably call'em joysticks for most of the class, and these are gonna be used for navigating throughout the menu system, as well as changing focusing points in the shooting mode. The set button in the middle of the quick control dial is how we're often gonna confirm settings in the menu, and so once you've selected something, that's kinda like the Enter key on a computer anytime we want to confirm that that is the setting that we want to use. So there's a lot of different buttons that we press on Canon cameras and they work a little bit differently than they do on other brands of cameras sometimes. And so what you're gonna do is press down on the button and you have about six seconds to start making a change, and as soon as you make a change you get another rest on that time of about six seconds. One of the things I notice about people who first use Canon cameras is they press the button, and then they freeze up and they are not sure what to do, and by the time they get their finger over to the dial, that feature has deactivated, and it no longer does anything. And so press the button and then get your finger on over to that dial, and start making your adjustments. So we're starting with the top deck. The shutter release, obviously where you shoot photos. When you press halfway down - it's a two stage device - it wakes the camera up, it activates the auto-focusing system so it's gonna start auto-focusing, and it activates the metering system as well. If you don't like it, auto-focusing, you wanna get into doing something called back-button focusing, that is something that we will talk quite a bit more about as we get into those controls of the camera, but right out of the gate, it does auto-focus. And then pressing all the way down of course will fire the shutter.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Fred Innamorato
John does a great job as usual. He provides so many visual aides and demonstrations which really helps you understand how to operate and set up your camera. His step by step explanation of the entire menu and each tab is excellent. In addition to his many photography tips and instructions. What an excellent class and a great value for all the detailed instructions provided. Much better than the manual you get in the box. Plus you get to watch this as many times as needed. I highly recommend this course and all of John's other classes.
Joe Berkeley
I quite enjoyed John's course on the 1DX mark ii. To be frank, I should have taken it 122,000 shots ago when I bought the camera. I learned quite a bit. There were only a few occasions when I thought my cranium could explode. But I walked away from the course with some great tips and in the grand scheme of things, the money I invest in education is always more valuable than the latest and greatest camera strap, lens, or bag. It will probably take a few months for all of the information to sink in but I'm feeling good about what I learned and the price I paid for it. All in all, a good value.
Ian Sherratt
Great video. Loved the clear explanations, great views and mixture of video and slides. Iāve read a lot of manuals and books on settings and use of various Canon cameras but this is the first time Iāve really understood the full range of functions.
Student Work
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