Learn how to optimize the Canon XSi/450D for a landscape
Tags:Canon XSi/450D: Set for Landscape Scene,canon xsi/450d,digital camera tutorial,how to use a digital camera,lb guides,photography lessons,set for landscape scene
Grab video code:
Transcript
Landscape pictures are very, very simple to set up, it’s not a problem. Your Mode Dial, you’ll notice up here does have a Landscape Scene Mode. And this option will optimize the camera for taking pictures of landscapes but you have really very, very little control over any of these settings. So instead of using this mode, what I prefer using is like most other scenes, go back to P for Program. This will give us control over all these settings, I need to maintain an ISO of 100, this is the landscape, so go ahead and use a tripod if there isn’t enough light. If this is broad daylight then you should have absolutely no problem with an ISO of 100. The ISO button, if yours is not set to 100 is located right here; with your index finger, you can press that and use the up and down navigation buttons to move the highlighted portion to indicated 100 and press set.
Your white balance should be set to daylight or outdoors. So go ahead and press WB for white balance. Your daylight option is great when you’re outdoors and there’s broad daylight; harder if it’s a cloudy day. You can warm up the tones a bit by choosing cloudy or even shade to warm up the tones even more. I’m going to go ahead and choose daylight for my picture and then press set.
Now, everything is pretty much set up just fine. There’s really just one last thing that you’re going to need to do and that is set your aperture to the smallest aperture size possible or the largest F number. Now, you maybe asking yourself why were using the program mode if we want to set the aperture then we’ll be using the aperture value mode.
Well, normally I use program so as suppose to changing the mode dial then going about setting my aperture, I just keep it on program. And what I can do is just press the shutter button halfway and since I’m not using the flash, you would not be able to do this if you were using the flash, but since I’m not using the flash, if I press the shutter button halfway, you can see that the shutter speed and aperture value are displayed here on the back; they're also displayed in the view finder if you’re looking through there.
And then before these values go away, I just turn the dial so that my F number is up at F/20; I can go up to F/22 even, really whatever I want. And I can see as I’m turning this, what my shutter speed is at. So this is why I prefer using this mode because it’s a live preview of what my shutter speed is going to be. This is a landscape. So what I need to have is a large F number or a small Aperture opening so that everything is in focus. But I also want to make sure that the Shutter Speed doesn’t go below 1/60 of second assuming I’m hand holding the shot. If you’re using a tripod then this number is really irrelevant so it’s not a problem. But if you’re not using a tripod and your outdoor in this broad daylight, you really shouldn’t be running into any issues with the shutter speed because you’ll have so much light; it will be just fine.
So you’ll also be able to have a large F number and a fast shutter Speed. So once your Aperture opening is nice and small so that everything is in focus; go back and press the Shutter Button again so those values don’t go away and focus on your target. Remember, we set up this Center Focusing Point and we’re getting sort of guide; so put that Center Focusing Point on the horizon or anything at great distance. Press the Shutter Button halfway; make sure you do that before this numbers disappear because now it will go back to their default values and you have to roll the Dial again. So press the Shutter Button halfway, roll the Dial, press the Shutter Button again halfway to focus and then press the Shutter Button all the rest of the way to take the picture.
To find out much more about Digital Photography and your Digital Camera, go to LBGuides.com
I've tutored thousands of digital camera users since 1998. I love this subject and want to share the knowledge I've gained over the years with as many as possible. I hope you enjoy my video guides.
Comments