The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D Companion

Using the Histogram

One of the great things about digital photography is that you can see your images onscreen right away. In fact, we're now well into a generation of kids who've never known cameras to work any other way and for whom the idea of waiting to see an image makes about as much sense as having a guy deliver blocks of ice to the house.

And while the image on the XS's LCD does provide a great way to check your composition, it offers very little help when it comes to assessing your exposure choices. It's very important to understand that the color and contrast shown on the back of the XS screen is not very accurate. This is not due to any ineptitude on Canon's part. Just the opposite, actually. The XS screen needs to be visible in many different situations, including bright sunlight. To make this possible, the XS intentionally pumps up the brightness and saturation on the image that are shown on the camera's screen. While this makes the image easier to see in bright light, it also means you won't have an accurate view of color and contrast.

Fortunately, the camera includes an additional feature that provides a tremendous amount of information about exposure and that will repeatedly save you from returning home with poorly exposed shots.

You have already caught a glimpse of the histogram when we explored the XS's different display modes. Go into playback mode on your camera, and press the DISP button until you see a display that looks like this:

Figure 7-11. The first of the ...