Robert Correll has over two decades of experience in writing and photography. He is the author of all previous editions of Digital SLR Photography All-in-One For Dummies and has written several other books specific to individual DSLR camera models.

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Icons Used in This Book 2

Where to Go from Here 3

Book 1: Pursuing Digital SLR Photography 5

Chapter 1: Embracing Digital SLRs 7

Introducing the Digital SLR 7

Naming and Classifying Digital SLRs 9

Make and model 9

Sensor size 11

Pixel count 12

Lens mount 13

Mirror and viewfinder type 15

Lenses 16

Wrapping it up 16

Pricing Digital SLRs 16

Consumer dSLRs 17

Mid-range models 18

Professional cameras 18

Delving into Camera Specifications 19

Basic information 20

Crop factor 20

ISO 21

Shutter speeds 21

Autofocus system 22

Movies 23

Shooting modes and scenes 24

In-camera processing 25

Filters and other creative effects 25

Media 26

Viewfinder specs 26

Image stabilization 27

Following Recent dSLR Developments 29

Shopping for a dSLR 31

Understanding the system 31

Going shopping 31

Investing in accessories 33

Embracing dSLRs 35

Chapter 2: Handling, Cleaning, and Protecting Your Camera 39

Anatomy of a dSLR 39

Front and center 40

Around back 40

Top and bottom 42

Both sides 43

Working the Controls 45

Gripping the Camera 47

Standard grip 47

Vertical grip 48

Over-the-shoulder grip 49

Live View grip 49

Providing Additional Support 50

Handling an Articulated Monitor 52

Using a Touchscreen 53

Changing Batteries 54

Checking battery power 54

Inserting a battery 55

Removing a battery 56

Inserting and Removing Memory Cards 57

Inserting a memory card 57

Removing a memory card 58

Cleaning Your Camera 59

Wiping off the camera body 59

Cleaning monitors and LCD panels 60

Cleaning inside the camera 61

Protecting Your Camera 63

Using a camera strap 63

Carrying a camera bag 64

Buying extra lens and camera caps 64

Armoring your camera 65

Dealing with adverse weather 65

Chapter 3: Learning about Lenses 69

Identifying and Naming Lenses 69

Brand name 71

Lens mount 72

Focal length 72

Aperture 73

Image stabilization 74

Other identifiers 74

Other lens characteristics 75

Older lenses 76

Categorizing Lenses 77

Normal lenses 78

Wide-angle lenses 78

Telephoto lenses 79

Prime lenses 80

General-purpose zoom lenses 81

Wide-angle zoom lenses 81

Telephoto zoom lenses 82

Specialty lenses 82

Looking at Lens Anatomy 85

Working with Lenses 88

Getting a grip 88

Mounting a lens 91

Removing a lens 93

Zooming in and out 94

Switching from auto to manual focus 95

Manually focusing 96

Activating lens-based image stabilization 97

Cleaning Lenses 98

Chapter 4: Exploring Menus and Camera Settings 101

Understanding How Menus Are Organized 101

Opening and Using the Menu 103

Setting Up Your Camera 106

Date and time 106

Language 107

Feature guides and expanded help 107

Review time 107

Auto power off 108

Sound 108

Touchscreen settings 108

No card 109

Setting Typical Shooting Options 109

Image size and quality 109

Using multiple memory cards 110

ISO settings 111

Picture control or creative style 111

Color space 112

Highlight and shadow options 112

Noise reduction 113

Aspect ratio 113

Red-eye reduction 113

Flash options 114

Movie options 114

Making Other Choices 114

Display settings 114

Display brightness and color 116

Filenaming and numbering 116

File and folder structure 117

Auto Rotate (camera orientation) 117

Copyright 117

Wi-Fi connectivity 118

Video mode or system 118

Controlling Playback 118

Protect Images 119

Rotate 119

Erase/Delete 119

Print order 119

Slide show 120

Retouch 120

Keeping Everything Running Smoothly 120

Showing battery information 120

Formatting memory cards 121

Cleaning the image sensor 121

Creating a dust reference photo 121

Resetting the camera 122

Updating the firmware 122

Exploring Advanced Options 123

Using custom functions and settings 124

Creating custom shooting profiles 124

Tweaking autofocus settings 124

Configuring bracketing settings 125

Customizing the controls 125

Creating custom menus 126

Chapter 5: Taking Pictures with Your dSLR 127

Seeing the Big Picture 127

Planning Ahead 128

Unpacking and Readying Your Gear 129

Setting Up Your Camera 131

Performing an initial checkup 131

Preparing for still photography 132

Choosing a shooting mode 132

Setting the image quality 144

Choosing a viewing mode 144

Configuring the display 146

Setting exposure controls 146

Setting other parameters 147

Taking and Reviewing Photos 154

Book 2: Looking Through Lenses 161

Chapter 1: Appreciating Standard Zoom Lenses 163

Embodying Versatility 163

Taking Wide-Angle Shots 165

Working with Normal Focal Lengths 168

Zooming In 170

Capturing telephoto shots 171

Capturing portraits 172

Capturing close-ups 173

Chapter 2: Enjoying Wide-Angle Lenses 177

Wide-Angle Whatzit 177

Looking at Landscapes 179

Capturing Wide-Angle Cityscapes 180

Focusing on Single Buildings 182

Photographing Interiors 184

Shooting Wide-Angle Portraits 185

Improving Your Wide-Angle Shots 186

Frame tall objects from afar 186

Get up close and personal 187

Use the vertical 188

Combine different elements into one shot 189

Emphasize height 189

Chapter 3: Capturing Macros and Close-ups 193

Defining Macro and Close-up Photography 194

Shooting at Close Ranges 195

Managing Depth of Field 196

Shooting Handheld with a Flash 197

Maximizing Shutter Speed 198

Shooting in Controlled Conditions 199

Exploring Creative Alternatives 201

Relaxing your angle of view 201

Shooting close-ups with everyday lenses 202

Using telephoto lenses 202

Using Holga lenses 203

Shooting with Special Accessories 204

Using a teleconverter 205

Using extension tubes 205

Using diopters 207

Using reverse rings 209

Using a macro bellows 211

Chapter 4: Reaching Out with Telephoto Lenses 213

Learning the Lingo 213

Using a Super Telephoto Lens 216

Capturing Action with Telephoto Lenses 219

Using Telephoto Lenses for Close-ups 221

Capturing Portraits 223

Photographing Animals 225

Chapter 5: Exploring Other Lenses 229

Fisheye Lenses 229

Tilt-Shift Lenses 233

Holga Lenses 236

Lensbaby Lenses 239

Pinhole Lenses 241

Diana F+ Lenses 242

Book 3: Taking Creative Control 245

Chapter 1: Making Sense of Exposure 247

Understanding Exposure 247

Evaluating exposure 248

Controlling exposure 249

Comparing exposure intervals 250

Keeping an Eye on Exposure Information 252

Reading the exposure level 252

Viewing exposure settings 253

Paying attention to warnings 255

Measuring Light by Metering 255

General metering methods 256

Camera metering modes 256

Changing metering modes 258

Metering the scene with your camera 258

Using an external light meter 259

Reviewing and Analyzing Your Photos 260

Delving into photo playback 260

Interpreting histograms 262

Troubleshooting Exposure 268

Using exposure compensation 268

Setting the exposure manually 269

Using AE lock 271

Autoexposure bracketing (AEB) 274

Using other exposure tricks 275

Chapter 2: Setting the Aperture 277

Investigating f-numbers and Apertures 277

Learning about f-numbers 277

Lenses and apertures 278

Setting the Aperture 281

From the camera 281

From the lens 282

Digging into Depth of Field 283

Controlling the depth of field 283

Previewing the depth of field 285

Paying attention to the blurry parts 286

Being realistic 287

Designing with Depth of Field 288

Landscapes 288

Portraits 289

Macros and close-ups 292

Action 293

Tilt-shift lenses 294

Chapter 3: Choosing a Shutter Speed 295

Decoding Shutter Speed 295

Learning about the shutter 296

Reading the speed 298

Shutter speed and exposure 300

Setting the Shutter Speed 301

Combating Blur and Noise 302

Camera shake, rattle, and roll 302

Shooting moving targets 307

Enabling Long Exposure Noise Reduction 308

Designing with Shutter Speed 308

Shooting crisp photos 309

Accounting for flash sync speed 311

Photographing action 312

Being creative with water 313

Working with slow shutter speeds 315

Using Bulb mode 316

Shooting macros 316

Chapter 4: Selecting an ISO 319

Understanding ISO 319

A bit of history 320

Inside the numbers 321

Generating noise with high ISOs 323

The funny thing about noise 324

Setting ISO 325

Controlling ISO yourself 325

Using Auto ISO 326

Restricting Auto ISO 327

Using High ISO Noise Reduction 328

Managing ISO 329

ISO Gallery 331

Elevated ISO 331

High ISO levels 332

Extreme ISO settings 334

Chapter 5: Using Filters 337

Learning about Filters 337

Looking at how filters work 337

Considering filter pros and cons 339

Using filters with dSLRs 341

Taking Shape with Filter Systems 342

Circular (screw-in) 343

Rectangular frame slide-in 345

Using Filters for Different Purposes 346

Protective 346

Circular polarizer 347

Ultraviolet (UV) 348

Neutral density (ND) 349

ND graduated 351

Color filter 351

Color grad filter 352

Other filters 352

Book 4: Lighting the Scene 355

Chapter 1: Working with Ambient Light 357

Working in Natural Light 357

Shooting during the morning golden hour 358

Fighting with the light at noon 359

Going out in the early evening 360

Enjoying the evening golden hour 360

Photographing the sunset 361

Capturing twilight 362

Shooting at night 363

Dealing with Weather 364

Capturing clouds 364

Working in the snow 365

Using fog 366

Shooting Inside 367

Photographing in large interior spaces 367

Photographing in living spaces 368

Using stage lighting 369

Being Creative in Different Situations 370

Working with indirect light 370

Capturing reflections 370

Dealing with glare and haze 371

Shooting high-contrast scenes 372

Photographing low contrast scenes 373

The Shadow knows! 373

Chapter 2: Exploring Basic Flash Photography 375

Finding the Flash 376

Using the Flash Automatically 377

Setting a flash-friendly shooting mode 377

Preventing the built-in flash from firing 378

Customizing automatic flash settings 378

Manually Activating the Built-in Flash 379

Using the built-in flash 379

Knowing when to use flash 381

Disabling the built-in flash 384

Tips on Using the Built-in Flash 384

Getting Fancy with the Flash 386

Enabling red-eye reduction 387

Using flash compensation 388

Using FE Lock 389

Controlling the flash strength manually 389

Unlocking more advanced features 390

Chapter 3: Using an External Flash and Accessories 393

Getting to Know External Flash Units 393

Looking at the front 395

From the back and sides 397

Accessorizing your external flash 399

Handling an External Flash 402

Attaching it to your camera 402

Removing the flash 403

Tilting and swiveling the flash head 404

Attaching a mini stand 405

Working the controls 405

Configuring Your External Flash 407

Trying Different Techniques 408

Using high-speed sync 408

Bouncing and diffusing 409

Using an umbrella 410

Focusing light with a snoot 411

Using a stand 412

Elevating the flash with a bracket 413

Cords galore 413

Going wireless 414

Book 5: Managing and Processing Your Shots 417

Chapter 1: Transferring and Managing Files 419

Getting a Workflow 419

Early Decisions 422

Transferring Files 422

Connecting 422

Downloading 426

Getting a Grip on Your Pictures 428

Manual management 428

Media-management software 429

Processing and managing software 430

Photo editors 433

Managing Photos 434

Quickly Processing the Good Ones 435

Advanced Editing When Desired 436

Publishing 436

General considerations 436

Resizing options 438

Saving and exporting 439

Archiving 440

Playing it safe 441

Putting the plan into action 442

Chapter 2: Quickly Sprucing Up Shots 445

Software for Sprucing Up Photos 445

Deciding on an Image Quality 446

Benefits of Raw images 446

Challenges of working with Raw photos 447

Non-destructive editing 448

Getting Started 448

Reviewing and flagging good photos 448

Switching to the Develop module 451

Setting the lens profile 451

Testing the waters 452

etting Brightness and Contrast 453

Adjusting the exposure 453

Improving contrast 454

Protecting highlights and shadows 455

Setting the black and white points 456

Working with texture, clarity, and haze 457

Correcting and Improving Color 459

Checking the white balance 459

Adjusting color vibrancy and saturation 459

Making Additional Improvements 461

Finishing Up 463

Straightening and cropping 463

Exporting images 464

Processing Photos In-Camera 464

Chapter 3: Digging Deeper into Photo Editing 467

Software for Editing Photos 468

Dealing with the Mundane Stuff 468

Creating a Photoshop file 468

Helpful Photoshop features 470

Coping with color management 471

Saving your final images 472

Dodging and Burning 472

Using High Pass to Sharpen 474

Making Minor Adjustments 476

Applying Changes Selectively with Masks 477

Mashing Up Versions of the Same Shot 478

Stamping Out Imperfections and Distractions 480

Dusting and cleaning 480

Removing other distractions 482

Improving complexions 482

Adjusting Final Composition 484

Words of Caution and Encouragement 486

Chapter 4: Expressing Your Artistry 489

Why Be Creative? 490

Software for Your Artistic Endeavors 491

Converting to Black and White 492

Using black-and-white adjustment layers 493

Photo gallery 495

Colorizing Your Photos 498

Tinting the fast and easy way 498

Colorizing with Hue/Saturation 500

Split toning using Color Balance 500

Cross-processing with Curves 502

Using color layers 503

Creating duotones 506

Experimenting with Artistic Filters 508

Using the Filter Gallery 508

Applying other filters 510

Smart Filters 510

Filter fun 511

Using In-Camera Creative Styles and Filters 514

Using in-camera styles 514

Applying in-camera filters 516

Chapter 5: Creating Panoramas 519

Shooting Pan-tastic Panoramas 519

Getting your camera ready 520

Shooting tripod-assisted panoramas 520

Shooting handheld panoramas 522

Stitching Photos Together 523

Creating panoramas with Lightroom 523

Creating panoramas with Photoshop 527

Stepping Up Your Game 530

Advanced blending in Photoshop 530

Using a panoramic tripod head 531

Using specialized panorama software 532

Shooting HDR panoramas 533

Shooting Automatic Panoramas 534

Chapter 6: Enjoying HDR Photography 537

HDR Software 538

Learning about HDR 538

Shooting Exposure Brackets for HDR 540

Configuring your camera 540

Setting up automatic exposure bracketing (AEB) 541

Shooting the exposure brackets 543

Tone Mapping in Photomatix Pro 544

Creating the HDR image 544

Tone mapping the HDR image 548

Trying Alternative Techniques 552

Using your camera’s HDR modes 552

Preparing your images differently 553

Trying single-exposure HDR 554

Creating your own brackets from a single shot 554

Manually bracketing exposures 555

Using other applications for HDR 555

Book 6: Showcasing Different Scenes 559

Chapter 1: Portraits 561

Capturing Animal Portraits 561

Copy What Works 563

Snapping Casual Portraits 563

Posing Group Photos 565

Say Cheese! 566

Chapter 2: Landscapes 567

Using an Ultra Wide-Angle Lens 567

Getting Up Early 568

Going Different Places 569

Getting Out in the Weather 570

The Classic Sunset 571

Chapter 3: Action 573

Tracking the Action 573

Using an External Flash 574

Finding the Right Spot 575

Great Light is Great 576

Pushing to the Limits 577

Chapter 4: Close-Ups 579

Zoom In 579

Be Ready to Grab Your Camera 580

Using Diopters 581

Whatever Works, Works 583

Focus on Small Details 584

Index 585

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.