Canon® EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D For Dummies®

Chapter 1. Getting the Lay of the Land

In This Chapter

• Attaching and using an SLR lens

• Adjusting the viewfinder to your eyesight

• Working with camera memory cards

• Getting acquainted with external camera controls

• Using the camera menus and Camera Settings display

• Deciphering viewfinder data

• Customizing basic camera operations

I still remember the day that I bought my first SLR film camera. I was excited to finally move up from my one-button point-and-shoot camera, but I was a little anxious, too. My new pride and joy sported several unfamiliar buttons and dials, and the explanations in the camera manual clearly were written for someone with an engineering degree. And then there was the whole business of attaching the lens to the camera, an entirely new task for me. I saved up my pennies a long time for that camera — what if my inexperience caused me to damage the thing before I even shot my first pictures?

You may be feeling similarly insecure if your Rebel XSi/450D is your first SLR, although some of the buttons on the camera back may look familiar if you've previously used a digital point-and-shoot camera. If your Canon is both your first SLR and first digital camera, you may be doubly intimidated.

Trust me, though, that your camera isn't nearly as complicated as its exterior makes it appear. With a little practice and the help of this chapter, which introduces you to each external control, ...