So you’ve finally purchased a fancy new DSLR camera—you’ve seen a noticeable improvement in the quality of your images but you’re blown away by the content some people are able to produce with the same hardware on sites like Flickr. What are they doing different? If you’re like most beginners you probably shoot using auto or standard icon modes, but in order to truly get the most out of your camera, you’re going to want to learn how to shoot in manual mode.
- Canon Pc1438 User Manual
- Canon Pc1438 User Manual Online
- Canon Pc1438 User Manual User
- Canon User Manuals Download
EVERY time I turn on my camera a screen comes up asking me to set a date and time. I do so, it says the date and time is as I set it. However, when I turn it back on the same screen comes up. When pictures are downloaded in my computer. The time is set to 1980. Canon Pc1438 Service Manual Manuals and user guide free PDF downloads for Canon PowerShot SX20 IS. Download a free PDF of the PowerShot SX20 IS Camera User Guide for the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS. DownloadCanon pc1438 user manual. Thomson Reuters Technical Support for his help. User manual for C-720 Digital camera existing in our database. Canon U.S.A., Inc. And Canon Canada Inc. (collectively 'Canon') warrant to the original end-user purchaser, when delivered to you in new condition in its original container, that this PowerShot Digital Camera Product (the 'Product') will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of one (1) year.
Why Shoot in Manual Mode?
Two words: total control. There are no real surprises once you’ve truly mastered manual mode, as you’ll have full control of the three major points of the exposure triangle aperture, shutter speed and ISO. We’ll go into detail on each of these points later in this article, but for now here’s a brief list of the situations where knowing manual mode is a big plus:
- Bokeh – Those artistic photos with blurred backgrounds filled with circles of light.
- To avoid unexpected flash when shooting in low light conditions.
- Silhouettes
- Incorporating motion blur for artistic reasons.
- Anything that requires a creative angle, focal point or shot.
While you have total control over your images, it does take longer to prepare a shot with manual mode, as you have to specify each setting. The best photographers know when and where to rely on autofocus, pre-programmed settings, or preset modes. As a general rule, if you have time to take the shot, shoot in manual, if you have a need for speed, another mode may have the settings you need ready at the press of a button.
How to Shoot in Manual Mode
Now let’s return to the exposure triangle—aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The general process of shooting in manual mode might look something like this:
- Check the exposure of your shot with the light meter visible through your viewfinder.
- Pick an aperture.
- Adjust the shutter speed.
- Pick an ISO setting.
- If the light meter “ticker” is lined up with 0 you have a “properly” exposed picture.
- Take the Shot.
Light Meter
You’ve probably noticed the little number line at the bottom of your field of view when you look through the viewfinder that looks something like this: -2…1…0…1…2+ (Canon) or +2…1…0…1…2- (Nikon). This is the light meter, and when aligned with 0 you know that your photo will come out properly exposed. Of course if you are going for a certain effect, it may be necessary to be a little over or under exposed and you can use the light meter to help you achieve the desired effect.
Aperture
The aperture is the hole at the center of your camera’s shutter or iris. If you’re aiming for professional blurred background or the artistic Bokeh, it helps to set your aperture (also known as f-stop) and can basically be thought of as a means of adjusting the amount of your picture that is in focus. The lower the f number, the more light reaches your sensor, and the more of your background is blurred. The higher the f number, the greater the field of focus and the more of your picture will be in focus. In other words, low f-number gives more light with a blurrier background; high f-number gives less light and a sharper background.
Shutter Speed
Your shutter speed can be thought of as the amount of time your camera’s shutter is open allowing light to hit your camera’s light sensor. Typically denoted as a fraction of a second (e.g. 1/125), your shutter speed will have an effect on the sharpness of your subject. Lower shutter speeds let in more light, but make your image susceptible to blur and requires a steady hand or tripod. Faster shutter speeds let in less light, but can give you a sharper subject and an image less susceptible to unsteady hands.
ISO
ISO can be thought of as your camera’s sensitivity to light, with typical ranges on DSLR’s today being 200-1600. The lower the ISO number, the more light is required to get a good exposure on your photographs and the less noise you will see in your resulting images. Higher ISO numbers allow you to shoot better quality photos in lower light conditions, but the more noise you may see in the background of your images. DSLR’s can producer better quality images at higher ISOs because of the larger size of the pixels in their image sensors. They also often feature noise reduction to further assist in maintaining quality at higher ISO numbers. As a general guideline, shooting outside under the sun, ISO 100-200 is a safe bet, but if you’re shooting indoors under low lighting you want to be in the ISO 800-1600 range.
The Best Way to Learn—Just Do It!
When you’re starting out, developing an intuitive understanding of how the different points of the exposure triangle play off one another may seem overwhelming at first, but shooting in manual gets easier over time. Since you have to consciously select your settings, you’ll develop a feel for how much exposure you need and what combination of ISO, aperture and shutter speed is required to achieve a desired effect. Go wild, get creative and practice shooting in manual mode—you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll improve once you master the exposure triangle.
Related
Manual: Download the official Canon SX20 IS PDF manual (provided by Canon).
Approved Memory Cards & Capacity: The Canon SX20 IS is compatible with SD, SDHC, MMC and HC MMCplus memory cards.
Card Size | No. of Images (Fine) | Min. of HD Video (720p) |
---|---|---|
8GB | 2,505 | 42 min |
16GB | 5,010 | 84 min |
32GB | 10,020 | 168 min |
Battery Life & Charger Info:
Compatible Charger | Compatible Battery | Battery Life |
---|---|---|
AA NiMH Charger | AA NiMH | 450 shots |
Recommended Bags & Cases: The Canon SX20 IS is 5.04″ long by 3.46″ tall by 3.43″ wide. Here are the best cases and bags that fit the SX20 IS like a glove.
Canon Pc1438 User Manual
All Purpose | Compact | Stylish |
---|---|---|
Case Logic DCB-304 High Zoom Bag | Canon PSC-4000 Leather Case | Lowepro Exchange Messenger Bag |
Canon Pc1438 User Manual Online
Filter Size & Adapters: The Canon SX20 IS can accept 67mm filters with the help of the Canon FA-DC67A Filter adapter. Here are my recommended filters.
67mm UV | 67mm Polarizer | 67mm ND 3 Stop | 67mm ND 10 Stop |
---|---|---|---|
B+W, Hoya, Tiffen | B+W, Hoya, Tiffen | B+W, Hoya, Tiffen | B+W, Hoya |
Compatible External Speedlites (Flashes):
Portable | All Purpose | Powerful | Professional |
---|---|---|---|
Canon 270EX II | Canon 320EX | Canon 430EX II | Canon 580EX II |
Other Compatible Accessories:
HDMI Cable | HTC-100 HDMI to Mini-HDMI cable for HDTV photo/video playback |
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Initial Setup:
Setting | Selection | Manual |
---|---|---|
Highest Image Size & Quality | Select JPEG (L) | Pg. 70 |
Highest Image Quality Compression | Select FINE | Pg. 70 |
ISO (Outdoors/Bright Light) | Select an ISO of 80 | Pg. 73 |
ISO (Indoors/Low Light) | Select Auto or Manually Set between 400 to 1600 | Pg. 73 |
White Balance | Select Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash or Custom | Pg. 74 |
Cool Effects:
Effect | Selection | Manual |
---|---|---|
Shoot in Black and White | FUNC/SET → My Colors → B/W | Pg. 76 |
Increase Color Saturation | FUNC/SET → My Colors → V | Pg. 76 |
Subject in Color/Background Black & White | SCN Mode → FUNC/SET → Color Accent (icon: Eyedropper+A) | Pg. 103 |
Swap Color with Another | SCN Mode → FUNC/SET → Color Swap (icon: Eyedropper+S) | Pg. 104 |
Panoramic Shots | SCN mode → FUNC/SET → Stitch Assist (icon: Box w/ left or right arrow) | Pg. 105 |
Canon Pc1438 User Manual User
Better Control & Performance:
Canon User Manuals Download
Setting | Selection | Manual |
---|---|---|
Close-ups | Select Macro Mode (left arrow) | Pg. 72 |
Quick burst of shots | FUNC/SET → Drive Mode → Continuous (icon: three boxes) | Pg. 75 |
Imprint the Time & Date | MENU → Shooting tab (icon : camera) → Date Stamp | Pg. 64 |
Include Yourself in the Photo | Select the Self-Timer (down arrow) | Pg. 65 |