Canon EOS 80D For Dummies

Chapter 3

Taking Great Pictures, Automatically

IN THIS CHAPTER

Shooting your first pictures

Setting focus and exposure automatically

Getting better results by using the automatic scene modes

Understanding the Ambience and Lighting/Scene Type features

Gaining more control with Creative Auto mode

Are you old enough to remember the Certs television commercials from the 1960s and 1970s? “It’s a candy mint!” declared one actor. “It’s a breath mint!” argued another. Then a narrator declared the debate a tie and spoke the famous catchphrase: “It’s two, two, two mints in one!”

Well, that pretty much describes the 80D. On one hand, it provides a range of powerful controls, offering just about every feature a serious photographer could want. On the other, it also offers fully automated exposure modes that enable people with no experience to capture beautiful images. “It’s a sophisticated photographic tool!” “It’s as simple as ‘point and shoot’!” “It’s two, two, two cameras in one!”

Of course, you probably bought this book for help with your camera’s advanced side, so that’s what other chapters cover. This chapter, however, is devoted to your camera’s point-and-shoot side, explaining how to get the best results from the fully automatic exposure modes.

Although the fully automated modes work in Live View mode, where you use the monitor to compose your shots, some picture-taking steps (including ...