4, and to lock flash exposure (FE), a feature detailed in Chapter 2.
This button also serves two image-viewing functions: It switches the display to Index mode, enabling you to see multiple image thumbnails at once. And if you magnify a photo, pressing the button reduces the magnification level.
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❯❯ Memory-card access light: Labeled in Figure 1-7, this light glows while the camera is recording data to the memory card. Don’t power off the camera while the light is lit, or you may damage the card or camera.
❯❯ Set button and cross keys: Figure 1-7 points out the Set button and the four surrounding buttons, known as cross keys. These buttons team up to perform several functions, including choosing options from the camera menus. You use the cross keys to navigate through menus and then press the Set button to select a specific menu setting.
During viewfinder photography – that is, when you’re using the viewfinder and not the monitor to frame your shots – the cross keys also have individual responsibilities, which are indicated by their labels:
● Press the up cross key to change the White Balance setting. The White Balance control, explained in Chapter 6, enables you to ensure that colors are rendered accurately.
● Press the right cross key to adjust the AF Operation mode. This option controls one aspect of the camera’s autofocus behavior, as outlined in Chapter 5.
● Press the left cross key to change the Drive mode. The Drive mode settings enable you to switch the camera from single-frame shooting to continuous capture or any of the other drive modes. See Chapter 2 for details.
● Press the down cross key to change the Picture Style. Chapter 6 explains Picture Styles, which you can use to adjust the color, contrast, and sharpness of your pictures.
For Live View and Movie shooting, the cross keys perform different actions, all related to autofocusing. See Chapter 5 for help.
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Info button: In Live View, Movie, and Playback modes, pressing this button changes the picture-display style.
During viewfinder photography, you can press the Info button to toggle between the Quick Control screen and electronic level. (These displays are explained later in this chapter.)
❯❯ Menu button: Press this button to display camera menus; press a second time to exit the menus. See the upcoming section “Ordering from Camera Menus” for help navigating menus.
The remaining external features of note are shown in Figure 1-8 and described in the following list:
❯❯ Wireless remote-control sensor: This sensor can pick up the signal from the optional Canon wireless remote-control unit. The part number is Canon RC-6 and sells for about $20.
You also have two other wireless remote-control options. If you have a smartphone or tablet that can run the Canon Connect app, you can use that device as a wireless remote; the appendix provides more information. Alternatively, you can buy the Canon Wireless Remote Control BR-E1 (about $50), which connects to your camera via Bluetooth, also detailed in the appendix. I bring them up now because unlike the RC-6 unit, these two tools don’t need to be aimed at the camera’s remote-control sensor to work.
❯❯ Lens-release button: Press this button to disengage the lens from the lens mount so that you can remove it from the camera. While pressing the button, rotate the lens toward the shutter-button side of the camera to dismount the lens.
❯❯ Flash button: Press this button to raise the built-in flash in the advanced exposure modes (P, Tv, Av, and M).
❯❯ Depth-of-Field Preview button: When you press this button, the image in the viewfinder (or, in Live View mode, on the monitor) offers an approximation of the depth of field that will result from your selected aperture setting, or f-stop. Depth of field refers to the distance over which the scene appears to be in focus. Chapter 5 provides details.
❯❯ Speaker: When you play a movie that contains audio, the sound comes wafting through these little holes.
❯❯ Connection ports: Hidden under two covers on the left side of the camera, you find inputs for connecting the camera to various devices. Open the smaller cover to access the connections for a wired remote control or external microphone. Under the larger door, you find a digital terminal for connecting the camera to your computer via USB and an HDMI out port that sends the signal from your camera to an HDMI-equipped TV. To use either feature, you need to purchase a cable to make the connection. For USB downloading, check the Canon
