Part I: Getting Started with Your Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D

This first part of the book, consisting of just three short chapters, is designed to familiarize you with the basics of your Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D as quickly as possible, even though I have no doubt that you’ve already been out shooting a few hundred (or thousand) photographs with your pride and joy.

After all, inserting a memory card, mounting a lens, stuffing a charged battery into the base, and removing the lens cap to fire off a shot or two isn’t rocket science. Even the rawest neophyte can rotate the Mode Dial (located at top right on the camera body) to the P (Programmed auto) position or select Scene Intelligent Auto (marked with a green icon) and then point the T3i at something interesting and press the shutter release. Presto! A pretty good picture will pop up on the color LCD on the back of the camera. It’s easy!

But in digital photography, there is such a thing as too easy. If you bought a T3i, you certainly had no intention of using the camera as a point-and-shoot snapshooter. After all, the T3i is a tool suitable for the most advanced photographic pursuits, with an extensive array of customization possibilities. As such, you don’t want the camera’s operation to be brainless; you want access to the advanced features to be easy.

You get that easy access with the Canon T3i. However, you’ll still need to take the time to learn how to use these features, and I’m going to provide everything you need to know in these first three chapters to begin shooting:

• Chapter 1: This is a “Meet Your T3i” introduction, where you’ll find information about what came in the box with your camera and, more importantly, what didn’t come with the camera that you seriously should consider adding to your arsenal. I’ll also cover some things you might not have known about charging the T3i’s battery, choosing a memory card, setting the time and date, and a few other pre-flight tasks. This is basic stuff, and if you’re a Canon veteran you can skim over it quickly. A lot of this first chapter is intended for EOS newbies, and even if you personally don’t find it essential, you’ll probably agree that there was some point during your photographic development (so to speak) that you would have wished this information was spelled out for you. There’s no extra charge!

• Chapter 2: Here, you’ll find a Quick Start aimed at those who may not be old hands with Canon cameras having this level of sophistication. The T3i has some interesting new features, including one of the most advanced autofocus systems ever seen in a mid-level camera body (and which deserves an entire chapter of its own later in this book). But even with all the goodies to play with and learning curve still to climb, you’ll find that Chapter 2 will get you shooting quickly with a minimum of fuss.

• Chapter 3: This is a Streetsmart Roadmap to the Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D. Confused by the tiny little diagrams and multiple cross-references for each and every control that send you scurrying around looking for information you know is buried somewhere in the small and inadequate manual stuffed in the box? This chapter uses multiple large full-color pictures that show every dial, knob, and button, and explain the basics of using each in clear, easy-to-understand language. I’ll give you the basics up front, and, even if I have to send you deeper into the book for a full discussion of a complex topic, you’ll have what you need to use a control right away.

Once you’ve finished (or skimmed through) these three chapters, you’ll be ready for Part II, which explains how to use the most important basic features, such as the T3i’s exposure controls, nifty new autofocus system, and the related tools that put Live View and movie-making tools at your fingertips. Then, you can visit Part III, the advanced tools section, which explains all the dozens of set-up options that can be used to modify the capabilities you’ve learned to use so far, how to choose and use lenses, and introduces the EOS Rebel T3i/600D’s built-in flash and external flash capabilities. I’ll wind up this book with Part IV, which covers image software, printing, and transfer options and includes some troubleshooting that may help you when good cameras (or film cards) go bad.