Mastering my Camera!

            Welcome to my Blog! I'm new to the blog world and I can honestly say I'm a little nervous that I'm going to do a horrible job! I've been into photography my entire life and I've always had a camera. I like taking pictures of random objects, nature/scenic/landscape, candid people, and macro photography. I'm trying to get more into portraits and events/wedding photography. I'm by no means a professional photographer but I do hope I'm a well-known and successful one someday! 

OK, enough about me though, lets discuss one of the tools I need to reach my goals. We are going to discuss my current camera, the Canon T1i/500d. The camera itself is a DSLR, and has many features of a professional camera. It’s a 15.1 megapixel camera and has the ability to shoot video in full 1080p. It has many of the features you would expect to find on a DSLR these days such as:  a built in flash, automatic and manual shooting modes, automatic sensor cleaning, 3” LCD screen, Digic 4 processor and a 9-point auto focus system. The camera can shoot at 3.4 frames per second and has an ISO range of 100-3200 or to 12800 when expanded.

The automatic modes in order on the camera are: Full Automatic mode, Portrait mode, Landscape mode, Close-up (Macro) mode, Sports mode, Night Portrait mode, Flash Off mode, and Movie Recording mode. All the automatic modes do exactly what they say they do and don’t let you change the settings. If in a hurry I use the automatic modes to quickly get into the shot and let the camera do most of the work. I actually use them the most because I don’t have a deep knowledge in digital photography yet!

The manual modes in order are: Creative Auto mode, Program AE, Tv (shutter-priority mode AE), Av (aperture-priority mode AE), Manual Exposure, and A-DEP (Automatic Depth of Field AE). These modes let you really get into the creative function of photography and from one mode to the next allow you to make a multitude of changes. This gives you greater control of the camera and all of its functions.

The camera is compatible with most EF/EFS lenses and most EOS accessories. I’ve been able to purchase many lenses on craiglist for the fraction of the cost online. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re trying to find lenses that fit your shooting style. Another great function for beginners and movie lovers is the live view screen. This allows you to shoot without looking through the view finder but by using the cameras LCD screen. I also find it very helpful that the camera has e-TTL. This allows me to use a compatible flash that will work by automatically setting itself. I’m still learning so it’s a great tool being able to have a flash automatically set itself while I try to mess with manual settings.

I find the camera very comfortable to carry around and use. It’s very versatile and well built. I like that the camera is easy enough to take out of the box and begin shooting with right away with a minimal amount of learning. I would strongly recommend reading the manual however. The camera can do much more than what I knew it could do before I read the manual. If you want a good all-around DLSR that has the ability to shoot video and cannot afford a high priced professional camera, this one gives you the best bang for the buck.