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    Canon EOS R50 For Dummies
    Canon EOS R50 For Dummies
    Canon EOS R50 For Dummies
    Ebook701 pages5 hours

    Canon EOS R50 For Dummies

    By Julie Adair King and Theano Nikitas

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    About this ebook

    Move on from phone snapshots and start making amazing images

    Canon EOS R50 For Dummies helps you create superior photo and video content, with step-by-step instructions for how to make the most of this advanced, interchangeable-lens digital camera. You’ll walk through the controls, interface, and accessories of the Canon EOS R50, and you’ll learn the basics of image-making, so you can take impressive shots, even if you’ve never taken a photography class. Let this Dummies guide be your teacher as you learn to take great action shots, stunning portraits, detailed closeups, low-light photos, and professional-looking video.

    • Learn your way around the Canon EOS R50 and its settings and controls
    • Get familiar with common photography terms and basic techniques
    • Start shooting right away with user-friendly instructions on using automatic modes
    • Go manual to adjust focus, color, sharpness, and more to get the look you’re after

    Photography hobbyists and content creators will love Canon EOS R50 For Dummies, the quick-start guide to the camera built for those looking for superior photo and video results.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWiley
    Release dateSep 6, 2023
    ISBN9781394209583
    Canon EOS R50 For Dummies
    Author

    Julie Adair King

    Julie Adair King ha escrito numerosos libros sobre fotografía digital y tratamiento de imágenes, incluyendo el best seller titulado Fotografía digital para Dummies. Entre sus publicaciones más recientes destaca una serie de manuales Para Dummies específicos para cámaras digitales Canon, Nikon y Olympus. Cuando no está escribiendo, da clases de fotografía digital en el Palm Beach Photographic Centre. Estudió en la Universidad de Purdue y actualmente vive en West Palm Beach, Florida.

    Read more from Julie Adair King

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      Book preview

      Canon EOS R50 For Dummies - Julie Adair King

      Introduction

      If you’ve been shopping for a new digital camera lately, you’ve probably found that most cameras fall into one of two categories: high-end pro models that deliver superb picture quality but are heavy and crazy expensive; and entry-level models that are affordable but disappoint in the picture-quality department or lack the features you want. That’s why the Canon EOS R50 is so special. Here’s a camera that brings a rare blend of superior performance at a price that won’t break the bank — in a lightweight, compact body that won’t break your back, either.

      Nor does the R50 skimp on features, offering a wealth of advanced controls for experienced photographers as well as plenty of automated options for beginners. In addition to its still photography capabilities, the camera can turn out high-definition video that will appeal to vloggers and cinematographers. You also enjoy built-in wireless connections to your computer, smartphone, or tablet so that you can quickly and easily share photos and movies online.

      In fact, the R50 is so feature-packed that sorting out everything can be a challenge — and therein lies the point of Canon EOS R50 For Dummies. With this book, you can discover how to use every bell and whistle on your camera. Unlike many books, this one doesn’t require any previous knowledge of digital photography or videography. Everything is explained in easy-to-understand language, with lots of illustrations to clear up any confusion. In short, what you have in your hands is the paperback (or ebook) version of a photography workshop tailored to your Canon EOS R50.

      About This Book

      This book is organized into four parts, each devoted to a different aspect of using your camera. Although chapters flow in a sequence that takes you from absolute beginner to experienced user, each chapter is designed to be as self-standing as possible so that you can explore topics that interest you in any order. To aid in your learning, replicas of some of your camera’s buttons and onscreen graphics appear throughout the book to help you locate the button or setting being discussed.

      Icons Used in This Book

      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:

      Tip A Tip icon flags information that saves you time, effort, money, or another valuable resource, including your sanity.

      Warning When you see this icon, look alive. It indicates a potential danger zone that can result in much wailing and teeth-gnashing if it’s ignored.

      Technical Stuff Lots of information in this book is of a technical nature — digital photography is a technical animal, after all. But if we present a detail that’s useful mainly for impressing your geeky friends, we mark it with this icon.

      Remember This icon highlights information that’s especially worth storing in your brain’s long-term memory or to remind you of a fact that may have been displaced from that memory by another pressing fact.

      Beyond the Book

      This book includes an excellent online resource, the Cheat Sheet, which is a handy reference to your camera's buttons, controls, and exposure modes. Just go to www.dummies.com and type Canon EOS R50 For Dummies cheat sheet in the search box.

      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 you prefer to sip while you read and then start exploring the rest of this book. Your EOS R50 is the perfect partner for your photographic journey, and we thank you for allowing us, through this book, to serve as your tour guide.

      Part 1

      Fast Track to Super Snaps

      IN THIS PART …

      Familiarize yourself with the basics of using your camera, from attaching lenses to navigating menus.

      Select the right shooting mode, shutter-release mode, picture aspect ratio, and image quality.

      Discover options available for flash photography.

      Take pictures in the A+ (Scene Intelligent Auto) and SCN (scene) modes.

      Chapter 1

      Getting Up and Running

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      Bullet Preparing the camera for its first outing

      Bullet Getting acquainted with camera features

      Bullet Viewing and adjusting camera settings

      Bullet Setting a few basic preferences

      Shooting for the first time with a camera like the Canon EOS R50 can produce 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 information you need to get comfortable with your R50. The first section walks you through the initial camera setup; following that, we provide an overview of camera controls, explain how to view and adjust settings, discuss the basics of using removable lenses, and offer advice on more setup options to consider before you start shooting.

      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 battery (charge it before the first use), you need two other items:

      Lens: Like other cameras in Canon’s mirrorless lineup, your R50 accepts RF and RF-S mount lenses; the 18–45mm kit lens sold as a bundle with the camera body falls into the RF-S category. These are the only lenses you can attach directly to the camera. However, if you purchase Canon’s Mount Adapter EF-EOS R, you can also connect EF and EF-S lenses. Flip to the later section "Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens" for details on this component of your camera.

      Secure Digital (SD) memory card: The R50 stores pictures and movies on SD memory cards. Figure 1-1 offers a look at this type of card. When handling the card, avoid touching the gold contacts on the back, labeled in Figure 1-1. Also make sure that the lock switch is in the unlocked position, as shown in the figure. When the card is locked, no data can be added to or deleted from the card.

      Tip SD cards come in many speeds and capacities; see the later sidebar "Memory cards: How big, how fast" for tips on purchasing the proper cards for the type of shooting you want to do.

      Photo depicts be sure that the card is unlocked, and avoid touching its gold contacts.

      Western Digital Corporation

      FIGURE 1-1: Be sure that the card is unlocked, and avoid touching its gold contacts.

      With camera, lens, battery, and card within reach, take these steps:

      Make sure that the camera is turned off.

      Install the battery and memory card into the compartment on the bottom of the camera, as shown in Figure1-2.

      To open the compartment, slide the Open/Lock switch to the Open position. Orient the memory card as shown in the figure and then push the card gently into the slot. When inserting the battery, hold it with the contacts down and the Canon imprint facing in the direction shown in the figure. Push the battery in until the gray lock switch clicks into place. Close the compartment door and slide the lever to the Lock position.

      Photo depicts the battery and memory card go into the compartment on the bottom of the camera.

      Canon India Pvt Ltd.

      FIGURE 1-2: The battery and memory card go into the compartment on the bottom of the camera.

      Attach a lens.

      First, remove the caps that cover the front of the camera and the back of the lens. Then look for the red bars labeled Camera mounting index and Lens mounting index in Figure 1-3. After aligning the marks, place the lens on the camera mount and rotate the lens toward the side of the camera that has the EOS label — that is, away from the shutter button side. You should feel a solid click as the lens locks into place.

      These instructions assume that you’re using an RF or RF-S type lens. If you’re using a lens adapter to attach an EF or EF-S lens, follow the instructions that come with the adapter.

      Remember On the back of the camera, a red light flashes briefly to let you know that the camera recognizes the card. The light is located to the right of the Info button.

      Photo depicts align the red mounting index on?the lens with the one on the camera?body.

      Canon India Pvt Ltd.

      FIGURE 1-3: Align the red mounting index on the lens with the one on the camera body.

      Rotate the monitor to the position shown on the left in Figure1-4.

      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. To open the monitor, put your finger in the notch just above the upper-right corner of the monitor. You can then rotate the monitor to move it into the traditional position on the camera back, as shown on the left in Figure 1-4, or swing the monitor out to get a different viewing angle, as shown on the right. You can even rotate the monitor so that it faces the front of the camera, enabling you to see yourself on the screen as you take selfies or record a vlog (video blog).

      Remember For this initial setup process, keep the monitor flat against the camera back. When the monitor isn’t in that position, the viewfinder becomes inoperable and you need it to complete an upcoming step.

      Photo depicts here are two possible monitor positions.

      Canon India Pvt Ltd.

      FIGURE 1-4: Here are two possible monitor positions.

      Turn on the camera.

      Set the language, time zone, and date.

      When you power up the camera for the first time, you’re asked to set the date, time, and time zone. The easiest way to adjust these settings is to use the touchscreen: Just tap an option to select it. Small triangles appear above and below the option to let you know that it’s active, but don’t tap those triangles to change the value. Instead, look for the up and down triangles in the lower-left corner of the screen, and tap those arrows to set the value. Lather, rinse, and repeat until you complete all the adjustments you want to make. Finally, tap OK to exit the screen.

      Tip The date/time information is included as metadata (hidden data) in the picture file. You can view metadata in some playback display modes (see Chapter 9) and in certain photo programs, including Canon Digital Photo Professional 4. (Refer to Chapter 12.) Also note the sun symbol to the left of the Time Zone option. That symbol represents the option that automatically adjusts the camera’s clock when daylight saving time begins and ends, if that’s a thing in your part of the globe. If the word Off appears by the sun, the feature is disabled.

      Dismiss the Welcome screen shown on the left in Figure1-5.

      This screen invites you to begin the process of connecting your camera to a smartphone. The message shows up every time you start the camera, whether or not you have any interest in making this connection. To stop this nonsense, press the Info button on the back of the camera or tap the empty Info box on the screen to fill it with a check mark, as shown on the right in the figure. See the appendix for details on connecting your camera to a smartphone, including when and why you may want to do so.

      If you’re using a retractable lens, extend the lens.

      Some lenses, including the one featured in this book, are retractable — you can collapse them when you’re not shooting, saving space in your camera bag. Figure 1-6 shows the 18-45mm kit lens in its retracted and extended positions. Notice the white dot and white line on this lens; when the lens is fully retracted, the two are aligned, as shown on the left side of the figure.

      Screenshots of prevent the camera from nagging you to connect to a smartphone every time you turn on the camera (left), select the Hide Next Time option (right).

      FIGURE 1-5: To prevent the camera from nagging you to connect to a smartphone every time you turn on the camera (left), select the Hide Next Time option (right).

      Photo depicts here’s a look at the 18-45mm kit lens in its retracted position (left) and extended position (right).

      Canon India Pvt Ltd.

      FIGURE 1-6: Here’s a look at the 18-45mm kit lens in its retracted position (left) and extended position (right).

      When you turn on the camera and the lens is retracted, the camera asks you to extend the lens. To do so, rotate the zoom barrel, labeled on the right in the figure, until at least one of the numbers on the lens aligns with the white line on the base of the barrel. To retract the lens, rotate in the opposite direction. You need to apply a little pressure — just a little! — to extend and retract the lens. (That resistance is a good thing because you can’t accidentally extend the lens from the retracted position, or vice versa.)

      Tip The white line on the base of the lens barrel is the focal length indicator. When you use a zoom lens (the 18-45mm kit lens is a zoom lens), the number that aligns with the indicator represents the current focal length. In the figure, the focal length is 35mm, for example. For details on focal length and using your lens, see "Familiarizing Yourself with the Lens," later in this chapter.

      Remove the lens cap.

      Now the monitor displays a preview of what the lens is seeing, along with a bunch of data that you can ignore at the moment.

      Adjust the viewfinder to your eyesight.

      Warning This step is critical; if you don’t set the viewfinder to your eyesight, subjects that appear out of focus in the viewfinder might actually be in focus, and vice versa. If you wear glasses while shooting, adjust the viewfinder with your glasses on.

      Adjust the viewfinder focus by moving the slider located under the viewfinder; it’s labeled in Figure 1-7. (In official lingo, it’s called the dioptric adjustment slider.)

      Start by looking through the viewfinder, pressing the shutter button halfway, and then releasing the button. Data appears at the bottom of the viewfinder display. Concentrate on that data and move the slider until the data appears sharpest. Ignore the scene you see through the lens; that won’t change because you’re not actually focusing the camera. If the data disappears before you finish making your adjustment, give the shutter button a quick half-press and release to redisplay it.

      That’s all there is to it — the camera is now ready to go.

      Photo depicts use this slider to adjust the viewfinder focus to your eyesight.

      Canon India Pvt Ltd.

      FIGURE 1-7: Use this slider to adjust the viewfinder focus to your eyesight.

      Technical Stuff White SD MEMORY CARDS: HOW BIG, HOW FAST?

      SD memory cards offer different capacities and read/write speeds, which refers to how quickly they can record and transfer data. Of course, because this camera component is really a computer-related item, The Powers That Be use cryptic symbols and acronyms to indicate capacity and speed. The following list explains terms used to describe these specifications:

      Capacity: You should see a specific storage capacity in big numbers on the card, usually followed by the letters GB (gigabyte). For example, the card shown in Figure 1-1 has a capacity of 64GB. But most cards also carry a capacity category label: SD by itself indicates a capacity of up to 2GB; SDHC, 2GB to 32GB; SDXC, 32GB to 2TB (terabytes).

      How large a card should you buy? It depends on your risk tolerance. The greater the capacity, the more photos and videos it can hold — and the more work you lose if that card gets lost or fails. Keep in mind that a 32GB card can hold more than 1,000 photos even when you set the camera to create the largest, highest-quality files. Video files take up more room than photos, so you may want to buy 64GB or 128GB cards if video is your main interest.

      Card speed: This specification is stated in several ways, but in all cases, higher numbers indicate speedier cards. Speed is most important for video recording and for burst shooting (capturing a rapid-fire series of pictures). At the very least, look for a card that has an SD card speed of 10 (this number is usually inside a circle, as in Figure 1-1). You should also see a UHS speed class number ranging from 1 to 3. This value appears inside a U-shaped container. Again, a higher number means a faster card. However, as far as the camera is concerned, you gain no advantage by going beyond UHS 1. So don’t pay more for a higher UHS speed unless you plan to use the card in another device that can handle the faster data flow. Finally, most cards now also state the actual data-transfer rate, such as 150MB/s (megabytes per second). Whether you actually see that speed performance depends on the capabilities of the device, however.

      Using the Touchscreen

      If you've used a smartphone or tablet or another touchscreen device, working with the camera's touchscreen will feel familiar. Just as with those devices, you communicate with the camera by tapping an option on the screen or by dragging one or two fingers across the screen. For example, during picture playback, you can drag your finger horizontally across the screen to scroll from one picture to the next. By default, the touchscreen is enabled. But if you often inadvertently tap the screen, resulting in an adjustment you didn’t intend, you can disable the touchscreen. You can also increase the sensitivity of the touch response if you prefer. The following steps walk you through the process of adjusting this option and give you some practice in using the touchscreen:

      Press the Menu button to display the camera menus.

      Tap the Setup Menu icon, labeled on the left in Figure1-8.

      The screen in the figure is the one that appears when the camera is set to the default shooting mode, A+, represented by the A+ symbol on the Mode dial on top of the camera. In some other shooting modes, you see additional menu options.

      Screenshots of use this menu option to disable the touchscreen or make it more sensitive.

      FIGURE 1-8: Use this menu option to disable the touchscreen or make it more sensitive.

      Tap 4 to display Setup Menu 4, shown in the figure.

      Tap Touch Control to display the screen shown on the right in the figure.

      To make the monitor more responsive to your touch, choose Sensitive. To turn off touch control, choose Disable.

      Remember If you choose Disable, you can’t use the touchscreen to switch back to Enable. Instead, see the later section "Ordering from Camera menus" to discover an alternative way to select menus and menu items.

      Tap Set OK to exit the settings screen.

      Exit the menus by pressing the Menu button.

      You also can press the shutter button halfway and release it.

      Here are a few other details to help you best take advantage of the touchscreen:

      Standard touchscreen lingo applies. In this book, we use the following common terminology to indicate how to interact with the touchscreen:

      Tap: Tap the screen lightly with any finger.

      Swipe: Drag your finger across the screen. Which direction you need to drag depends on the action you’re trying to accomplish.

      Pinch out/pinch in: During picture playback, you can magnify pictures by placing two fingers in the center of the screen and then dragging both outward toward the corners of the screen — sometimes called pinching out. To reduce the magnification, drag both fingers from two opposite corners of the monitor toward the center, also known as pinching in.Chapter 9 has additional details on viewing photos in magnified view as well as some other touchscreen operations available during playback.

      A border around a symbol means that you’re looking at an item you can tap to activate. For example, Figure 1-9 shows the monitor display as it appears by default when you shoot in A+ mode. Notice that the magnifying glass in the upper-right corner has a border, as do the four symbols at the bottom of the screen.

      On screens that offer a selection box, you can tap the box to toggle the related feature on and off.Figure 1-5, in the preceding section, shows one such screen. Tapping the box places a check mark in the box, which tells the camera to stop displaying the screen every time you turn on the camera. Tapping OK confirms your selection.

      Tip Most on-screen boxes are accompanied by a text label that corresponds to a physical button — in the case of Figure 1-5, the label is INFO. Pressing the Info button accomplishes the same thing as tapping the box.

      By default, tapping your subject on the monitor sets focus on the spot you tap. This assumes that your camera is set to autofocusing, which it is, by default. After you tap, some additional options appear on the screen; Chapter 5 digs into the details of these and other autofocusing settings.

      You can set the camera to focus and take a picture when you tap your subject on the screen. By default, this option, called the Touch Shutter, is disabled. To toggle the setting on and off, tap the Touch Shutter icon, labeled in Figure 1-9. When the icon includes the word Off, as in the figure, tapping your subject simply sets focus.

      The touchscreen is disabled when the camera is connected to an external monitor via an HDMI cable. You may want to connect your camera this way to show your pictures in a classroom setting or at a family gathering. Chapter 12 explains more about displaying your work on a big screen.

      Screenshot of a border around an onscreen symbol means that you can tap it to activate the feature it represents.

      FIGURE 1-9: A border around an onscreen symbol means that you can tap it to activate the feature it represents.

      Exploring External Camera Features

      Scattered across your camera’s exterior are features that you use to change picture-taking settings, review your photos, and perform other operations. Later chapters explain how and when to use these tools; the following sections provide a basic What’s this thing do? introduction to them. (Don’t worry about memorizing the button names; throughout the book, figures and margin symbols show exactly which button to use.)

      Topside controls

      Your virtual tour begins on the top of the camera, shown in Figure 1-10. Here are the items of note:

      Photo depicts here’s a guide to controls found on top of the camera.

      Canon India Pvt Ltd.

      FIGURE 1-10: Here’s a guide to controls found on top of the camera.

      On/Off switch: We won’t insult your intelligence by explaining what this switch does. But be aware that even when the switch is in the On position, the camera automatically goes to sleep after a period of inactivity to save battery power. To wake up the camera, press the shutter button halfway and release it.

      Mode dial: Rotate this dial to select a shooting mode. For still photography, your choices range from fully automatic photography, offered in A+ mode (Scene Intelligent Auto) to manual operation, represented by the letter M. To record videos, rotate the dial to the movie-camera symbol. Chapter 2 provides details about shooting modes.

      Movie record button: Press this button to start and stop movie recording.

      Dial: Canon has for years referred to this dial as the Main dial because many of its cameras had a second, similar dial on the back of the camera. The R50 has just this single unmarked dial, which Canon’s instruction manual names simply Dial — kind of like Daryl in The Walking Dead calls his dog Dog. It seems weird to just refer to this as the Dial because it’s central to so many camera functions, from scrolling through menus to changing certain shooting and playback settings. But if you search for Main dial in the user-manual index, you won’t find that term. So Dial it is.

      Tip On some menu screens, you see a symbol that resembles the top half of the Dial with notches around the edge, as shown in Figure 1-11. That symbol indicates that you use the Dial to adjust the setting. On some screens, curved arrows appear near the symbol. In Figure 1-11, you see one arrow just to the left of the Dial symbol and another on the left side of the screen. When using the touchscreen, you can tap those arrows to adjust the setting instead of using the Dial.

      ISO button: True to its name, this button, shown in Figure 1-10, displays a screen where you can adjust the ISO setting, which determines how sensitive the camera is to light. Chapter 4 details this setting.

      Shutter button: You no doubt already understand the function of this button, but you may not realize that when you use autofocus and autoexposure, you need to use a two-stage process when taking a picture: Press the shutter button halfway, pause to let the camera set focus and exposure, and then press down the rest of the way to capture the image.

      Multi-function shoe: Labeled in Figure 1-10, this is the connection for attaching an external flash and other accessories such as a microphone. When you unbox the camera, a cover plate is inserted into the shoe to protect the electrical contacts. The figure shows the shoe uncovered, but keep the cover in place until you want to attach something to the shoe. Slide the cover outward to remove it.

      Technical Stuff Focal plane mark: Should you need to know the exact distance between your subject and the camera, the focal plane mark, labeled in Figure 1-10, is the key. This mark indicates the plane at which light coming through the lens is focused onto the camera’s image sensor. Basing your measurement on this mark produces a more accurate camera-to-subject distance than using the end of the lens or some other point on the camera body as your reference point. You might take advantage of this feature when taking pictures for a legal or scientific purpose that requires you to submit the camera-to-subject distance along with the photos.

      Photo depicts the notched half-circle symbol tells you to use the Dial on top of the camera to adjust the setting.

      FIGURE 1-11: The notched half-circle symbol tells you to use the Dial on top of the camera to adjust the setting.

      Speaker: When you play a movie that contains audio, the sound comes wafting through these holes.

      Microphone: You can record movie audio via the built-in microphone, which picks up sound from the two holes labeled Microphone in Figure 1-10.

      Back-of-the-body controls

      Traveling over the top of the camera to its back, you encounter the controls shown in Figure 1-12 and detailed in the upcoming list.

      Photo depicts having lots of external buttons makes accessing the camera’s functions easier.

      Canon India Pvt Ltd.

      FIGURE 1-12: Having lots of external buttons makes accessing the camera’s functions easier.

      Remember Some buttons have multiple official names in the camera instruction manual because they serve different purposes depending on whether you’re taking pictures, reviewing images, recording a movie, or performing some other function. In most cases, this book refers to these buttons by the first label you see in the following list (and in Figure 1-12) to simplify matters. Again, though, the margin icons and figures show you exactly which button to press to accomplish the task being discussed.

      9781394209569-ma213 AE Lock/FE Lock/Magnify button: During shooting, you can press this button to lock autoexposure (AE) settings, as covered in Chapter 4, or to lock flash exposure (FE), a feature detailed in Chapter 2. In Playback mode, covered in Chapter 9, you press the button to magnify the image display (thus the button’s Magnifying Glass icon).

      9781394209569-ma214 AF Point Selection/Index/Reduce button: This button has a multitude of functions:

      During shooting: In all shooting modes except A+ and Hybrid Auto, pressing the button brings up the screen shown in Figure 1-13. See the word Info next to the Magnifying Glass symbol? That’s your cue that pressing the Info button magnifies the display so that you can check focus or other details (tapping the on-screen magnifying glass symbol does the same). Chapter 5 provides focusing details. While the screen is displayed, you also can tap the ISO option or press the ISO button on top of the camera to access the AF Area mode setting, which tells the camera which autofocus points you want it to use.

      In A+ mode, you get only the magnification option. In Hybrid Auto, pressing the button displays the word Set on the screen to let you know that you can press the Set button to exit the screen, as you can in any shooting mode.

      You also can exit the screen by pressing the AF Point Selection button again.

      During playback: Pressing the button switches the display to Index mode, enabling you to see multiple image thumbnails at one time. If you magnify a photo, pressing the button reduces the magnification level.

      Screenshot of some shooting modes, pressing the AF Point Selection button displays this screen, which provides quick access to the AF Area setting and focus magnification.

      Canon India Pvt Ltd.

      FIGURE 1-13: In some shooting modes, pressing the AF Point Selection button displays this screen, which provides quick access to the AF Area setting and focus magnification.

      9781394209569-ma216 Info button: The main role of this button, shown in Figure 1-12, is to change the amount and type of data that appears on the monitor and in the viewfinder. You can also vary the data that appears when you view photos during playback. In some cases, pressing the button toggles a check box on or off or displays a new set of options; the Info label on the screen is your cue to press the button.

      9781394209569-ma215 Q/Set button and cross keys:Figure 1-14 offers a close-up look at this cluster of controls, which consists of the Q/Set button in the center and four cross keys — the notches at the top, bottom, left, and right of the button.

      When you’re scrolling through menus or settings screens, you can usually press the Q/Set button to select an option and confirm changes to settings. When no menus or setting screens are active, pressing the button shifts the camera to Quick Control mode — thus the Q part of the button label. Check out "Using Quick Control Mode," later in this chapter, for details.

      Each of the cross keys is assigned a specific function that’s indicated by the label on the key, as follows:

      Top cross key: Press to access Exposure Compensation, an exposure tool you can explore in Chapter 4.

      Right cross key: Press to change the Drive mode, which determines whether the camera takes a single picture or a series of shots or uses self-timer shooting. Chapter 2 explains Drive mode options. The symbols on the cross key represent two of the available settings.

      Left cross key: Press this button to display a screen where you can set your lens to manual or automatic focusing. You need to use this feature only if the lens has no auto/manual focus switch of its own.

      Bottom cross key: This cross key bears the Trash Can symbol, the worldwide emoji for delete. During playback, press the key to erase the picture currently being displayed.

      You also may need to press a cross key when adjusting certain other settings. In the camera instruction manual, Canon often shows arrowhead symbols to represent the cross key you need to press — a right-pointing arrowhead means to press the right cross key, for example.

      Photo depicts the cross keys and Q/Set button provide quick access to a variety of settings.

      FIGURE 1-14: The cross keys and Q/Set button provide quick access to a variety of settings.

      Memory-card access lamp: Labeled in Figure 1-12, this lamp blinks while the camera is accessing the memory card. Don’t power off the camera while the lamp is blinking or else you may damage the card or camera as well as corrupt files on the card.

      9781394209569-ma224 Playback button: Press this button to switch the camera to Playback mode so that you can view your pictures and movies.

      Menu button: Just to the right of the Playback button, the Menu button does exactly what you would expect: Press it once to display camera menus; press it a second time to exit the menus. See the upcoming section "Ordering from Camera Menus" for help with navigating menus.

      And the rest …

      The remaining external features are shown in Figure 1-15 and described in the following list:

      Built-in flash handles: On many Canon cameras, you raise the built-in flash by pressing a Flash button. Don’t waste time looking for that button on the R50; it’s not there. The only way to raise the flash is to put your thumb and forefinger on the notches found toward the front of the flash and lift the flash. You can see one handle labeled in Figure 1-15. To close the flash, press the top of the flash unit down.

      Red-Eye Reduction/Self-timer/AF Assist Lamp: When you set the flash to Red-Eye Reduction mode, this lamp emits a brief burst of light before the real flash happens — the idea is that your subjects’ pupils will constrict in response to the light, thus lessening the chance of red-eye. If you use the camera’s self-timer feature, the lamp lights during the countdown period before the shutter is released. In dim lighting, the lamp may light to help the camera find its focus target when you use autofocusing. See Chapter 2 for more details about the red-eye reduction and self-timer functions.

      Lens-release button: Press this button to disengage the lens from the lens mount so that you can remove the lens from the camera. While pressing the button, rotate the lens toward the shutter-button side of the camera to dismount the lens.

      External microphone terminal: Lift the cover labeled MIC (left side of Figure 1-15) to find the spot to connect an external microphone for video recording. The terminal accepts a 3.5mm-diameter stereo mini jack.

      Connection ports: Open the rubber door shown on the right side of Figure 1-15 to find a USB port, which enables you to use a USB cable to connect the camera to your computer for file downloading. You can also use a USB connection for tethered

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