1 |
If you’re like me, the first thing you probably did when you first extracted your Canon EOS R5 or R6 camera from the box was attach one of the available RF-mount lenses, power the beast up, and begin taking photos through a tentative trial-and-error process. Who has time to even scan a manual when you’re holding in your hands some of the most exciting technology Canon has ever offered? If you’re a veteran Canon shooter, you probably found many of the controls and menus very similar to what you’re used to, even though the camera itself is much more compact and lighter in weight than your previous Canon and uses lenses in the new RF lens mount.
But now that you’ve taken a few hundred (or thousand) photos with your new camera, you’re ready to learn more. You’ve noted some intriguing features and adjustments that you need to master. Of course, on the other hand, you may be new to the Canon world, or this may be your first advanced digital camera, and you need some guidance in learning to use all the creative options it has to offer. In either case, despite your surging creative juices, I recommend a more considered approach to learning how to operate the camera. This chapter and the next are designed to get your camera fired up and ready for shooting as quickly as possible. And while they boast both Auto and sophisticated Programmed Auto modes, these cameras are not point-and-shoot models; to get the most out of your new camera, you’ll want to explore its capabilities fully.
So, to help you begin shooting as quickly as possible, I’m going to first provide a basic pre-flight checklist that you need to complete before you really spread your wings and take off. You won’t find a lot of detail in these initial two chapters. Indeed, I’m going to tell you just what you absolutely must understand, accompanied by some interesting tidbits that will help you become acclimated to your camera. I’ll go into more depth and even repeat a little of what I explain here in the chapters that follow, so you don’t have to memorize everything you see. Just relax, follow a few easy steps, and then go out and begin taking your best shots—ever.
I hope that even long-time Canon owners won’t be tempted to skip this chapter or the next one. No matter how extensive your experience level is with dSLRs, your new mirrorless camera has a lot of differences from what you may be used to. Yet, I realize you don’t want to wade through a manual to find out what you must know to take those first few tentative snaps. I’m going to help you hit the ground running with this chapter, which will help you set up your camera and begin shooting in minutes. Because some of you may already have experience with previous Canon cameras, each of the major sections in this chapter will begin with a brief description of what is covered in that section, so you can easily jump ahead to the next if you are in a hurry to get started.
TIP In this book you’ll find short tips labeled My recommendation or My preference, each intended to help you sort through the available options for a feature, control, or menu entry. I’ll provide my preference, suitable for most people in most situations. I don’t provide these recommendations for every single feature, and you should consider your own needs before adopting any of them.
This section helps get you oriented with all the things that come in the box with your Canon EOS R5 or R6, including what they do. I’ll also describe some optional equipment you might want to have. If you want to get started immediately, skim through this section and jump ahead to “Initial Setup” later in this chapter.
The first thing to do is carefully unpack the camera and double-check the contents. At a minimum, the box should have the following:
My recommendation: For an enthusiast camera at this level, you can’t go wrong with the superb 24-105mm f/4L version, which compares favorably with its Canon EF-mount 24-105mm counterpart. I’ll explain your lens options in more detail in Chapter 7.
My recommendation: I never attach the Canon strap to my cameras. I use the UPstrap shown in Figure 1.1, with a patented non-slip pad that keeps your camera on your shoulder, and not crashing to the ground. I strongly prefer the UPstrap over holsters, slings, chest straps, or any support that dangles my camera upside down from the tripod socket and allows it to swing around too freely when I’m on the run. Give me a strap I can hang over either shoulder, or sling around my neck, and I am happy. Inventor-photographer Al Stegmeyer (www.journeycamera.com) can help you choose the right strap for you.
My recommendation: I don’t recommend using the cable to transfer images. Direct transfer uses a lot of battery power and is potentially slower. This cable has Type-C connectors at either end—which means you’ll need a Type-C-to-Type-A adapter to link to a non-Type-C computer or other device. Some generic Type-C-to-Type-A cables I’ve tried do not work properly, particularly with the EOS Utility (an application that allows your computer to communicate with the camera for downloading and displaying images, remote shooting, and control of camera settings). You’ll need to test yours if you’re trying to save a few dollars.
My recommendation: While Canon warns that the camera terminals can be damaged if you do not use the protector, that’s unlikely to occur in normal use. For most applications, say, to transfer files from the camera to your computer over USB, or to temporarily route the camera’s output to a TV/monitor, using the HDMI interface, you will not need this clip. The unadorned cables fit quite snugly. (That’s why the clip is unavailable for the R6.)
However, R5 owners will find the protector invaluable in other applications. For example, if you want to shoot tethered over USB while connected to a laptop running the EOS Utility or another program, or plan to direct HDMI output to a video recorder, high-definition monitor, or other device, you’ll want to use the clips to make sure your EOS R5 remains connected.
There are a few things Canon classifies as optional accessories, even though you (and I) might consider some of them essential. Here’s a list of what you don’t get in the box, but you might want to think about as an impending purchase. I’ll list them roughly in the order of importance:
My recommendation: You really need a memory card that’s a minimum of 32GB in size, and a 64GB or larger card would be much better.
My recommendation: Buy an extra battery (I own four, in total), keep it charged, and free your mind from worry. The latest LP-E6NH version is best (it can be charged inside the camera with the USB Power Adapter PD-E1, described in the next section), but if you’re upgrading from a previous model that uses the original LP-E6 batteries and have a spare or two, you can use them as well.
My recommendation: Your add-on flash can function as the main illumination for your photo, or it can be softened and used to fill in shadows. If you do much flash photography at all, consider a Speedlite as an important accessory. For the most flexibility when lighting your subject, you’ll need two flash units: one on the camera to be used as a sender, and one off-camera flash triggered wirelessly as a receiver. (The three flash units mentioned above can function in either role. Canon also offers the ST-E2 and ST-E3-RT transmitter/triggers which can mount on the accessory shoe and serve as masters.)
My recommendation: There are several typical situations where this capability can come in handy: when you’re cleaning the sensor manually and want to totally eliminate the possibility that a lack of juice will cause the fragile shutter to spring to life during the process; when indoors shooting tabletop photos, portraits, class pictures, and so forth for hours on end; when using your camera for remote shooting as well as time-lapse photography; for extensive review of images on your television; or for file transfer to your computer. These all use prodigious amounts of power, which can be provided by this AC adapter.
My recommendation: The Canon RC-6 wireless remote control, which uses infrared signals to trigger the shutter and start/stop video, is your most basic remote option. The Canon BR-E1 wireless remote control uses Bluetooth up to a distance of about 16 feet (and doesn’t require a line of sight to the camera) and is compatible with the PZ-E1 Power Zoom Adapter for remotely adjusting zoom position and movement of the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens. It also has an AF button for autofocus during video shooting.
Or, you can opt for wired remotes like the Canon RS-80N remote switch and TC-80N3 timer remote controller (which offers more sophisticated sequences and also functions as an interval timer). Both have a Canon N3 type connection which works fine with the EOS R5. However, the R6 requires the Canon RA-E3 remote controller N3-to-E3 adapter to connect to the R6.
My recommendation: I use standard HDMI micro (Type D) cables in 6- and 9-foot lengths. They work fine, and I can buy several for the price of one Canon-branded cable. Canon recommends against using cables longer than that.
Many owners can skip this section, which describes basic setup steps. I’m including it at the request of ambitious photo buffs who have upgraded to this mirrorless camera after switching from a Canon dSLR, another camera brand, or an entry-level model from any manufacturer.
The initial setup of your camera is fast and easy. Basically, you just need to charge the battery, attach a lens, adjust the viewfinder for your vision, insert and format at least one memory card, and make a few settings. Each of these steps is easy, and if you’ve used a previous EOS model, you already know exactly what to do. I’m going to provide a little extra detail for those of you who are new to the Canon or digital SLR worlds.
Your Canon EOS R5 or R6 is a sophisticated hunk of machinery and electronics, but it needs a charged battery to function, so rejuvenating the LP-E6NH lithium-ion battery pack furnished with your camera should be your first step. A fully charged power source should be good for approximately 400 shots, more or less, depending on whether you’re using the LCD or viewfinder to compose your shots. This rough estimate is based on standard tests defined by the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) document DC-002.
All rechargeable batteries undergo some degree of self-discharge just sitting idle in the camera or in the original packaging. Lithium-ion power packs of this type typically lose a small amount of their charge every day, even when the camera isn’t turned on. The small amount of juice used to provide the “skeleton” outline on the top-panel monochrome LCD of the R5 when the camera is turned off isn’t the culprit; Li-ion cells lose their power through a chemical reaction that continues when the camera is switched off. So, it’s very likely that the battery purchased with your camera is at least partially pooped out, so you’ll want to revive it before going out for some serious shooting.
Several battery chargers are available for your camera. The compact LC-E6 is the charger that most owners end up using. Purchasing one of the optional charging devices offers more than some additional features: You gain a spare that can keep your camera running until you can replace your primary power rejuvenator. I like to have an extra charger in case my original charger breaks, or when I want to charge more than one battery at a time. (That’s often the case if you’re using the BG-R10 grip.) Here’s a list of your power options:
My recommendation: Even though it is expensive, hold out for the BG-R10. Many people love third-party grips from Meike, Neewer, Vivitar, and others, at a lower cost. I have purchased these grips in the past and found them acceptable for occasional use. I expect a similar unit will be available for both the R5 and R6 by the time this book is published. However, most people like to clamp their add-on grips onto the camera and remove them only rarely. If you intend to make a battery grip part of your permanent setup, the Canon model will be better made, more rugged, and guaranteed to work seamlessly with your camera.
The access lamp in the lower-right corner of the camera’s back panel will glow green during charging. (This is the same LED that flashes red when the camera is writing to the memory card.) When charging is finished, the lamp turns off.
When the battery is inserted into the LC-E6 charger properly (it’s impossible to insert it incorrectly), a Charge light begins flashing. It flashes on and off until the battery reaches a 50 percent charge, then blinks in two-flash cycles between 50 and 75 percent charged, and in a three-flash sequence until the battery is 90 percent charged, usually within about 90 minutes. In my experience, to be safe you should allow the charger to continue for about 60 minutes more, until the status lamp glows green steadily, to ensure a full charge. When the battery is charged, flip the lever on the bottom of the camera and slide in the battery (see Figure 1.2, right). To remove the battery from the camera, press the white retaining button.
As you’ll see, my recommended lens-mounting procedure emphasizes protecting your equipment from accidental damage and minimizing the intrusion of dust. If your camera has no lens attached, select the lens you want to use and loosen (but do not remove) the rear lens cap. I generally place the lens I am planning to mount vertically in a slot in my camera bag, where it’s protected from mishaps, but ready to pick up quickly. By loosening the rear lens cap, you’ll be able to lift it off the back of the lens at the last instant, so the rear element of the lens is covered until then.
After that, remove the body cap by rotating the cap toward the shutter release button. You should always mount the body cap when there is no lens on the camera because it helps keep dust out of the interior of the camera, where it can settle in the interior and potentially find its way onto the sensor. (While the sensor-cleaning mechanism works fine, the less dust it has to contend with, the better.) The body cap also protects the vulnerable sensor from damage caused by intruding objects (including your fingers if you’re not cautious).
Once the body cap has been removed, remove the rear lens cap from the lens, set it aside, and then mount the lens on the camera by matching the raised red alignment indicator on the lens barrel with the red line on the camera’s lens mount. Rotate the lens away from the shutter release until it seats securely. Set the focus mode switch on the lens to AF (autofocus) and the stabilizer switch to On. If the lens hood is bayoneted on the lens in the reversed position (which makes the lens/hood combination more compact for transport), twist it off and remount so it is facing outward. A lens hood protects the front of the lens from accidental bumps, stray fingerprints, and reduces flare caused by extraneous light arriving at the front element of the lens from outside the picture area.
Those of us with less than perfect eyesight can often benefit from a little optical correction in the viewfinder. Your contact lenses or glasses may provide all the correction you need, but if you are a glasses wearer and want to work without your glasses, you can take advantage of the camera’s built-in diopter adjustment, which can be varied from –4 to +2 correction. With the camera powered up, rotate the diopter adjustment control located to the immediate right of the viewfinder (see Figure 1.3) while looking through the viewfinder until the indicators appear sharp.
You can’t take photos without at least one memory card inserted in your camera, so your final step will be to insert one or two. Slide the door on the right side of the body toward the back of the camera to release the cover, and then open it. (You should only remove the memory card when the camera is switched off, but the camera will remind you if the door is opened while the camera is still writing photos to the memory card.)
Insert the memory card into either of the two slots with the label facing the back of the camera, as shown in Figure 1.4, oriented so the edge with the contacts goes into the slot first. Slot 1 is the slot closest to the back of the camera; Slot 2 is located behind it. With the R5, Slot 1 is used with CFexpress cards and Slot 2 is for SD-type cards. Although XQD cards have the same form factor as CFexpress Type-B media and will fit in Slot 1, your R5 cannot recognize or use them. The R6 contains two identical SD slots.
If you load only one card, the camera will automatically default to the slot that contains the memory card and operate just fine. I’ll show you how to specify the default card and how the camera uses them when two memory cards are inserted in Chapter 14. Close the door, and your preflight checklist is done! (I’m going to assume you remember to remove the lens cap when you’re ready to take a picture!) When you want to remove a memory card later, press down on the card to make it pop out.
It’s worthwhile to consider one of the early “controversies” (if you can call it that) about the original EOS R and EOS RP models: each had only a single card slot. Apparently, all professional or semi-professional cameras (generally automatically applied to any model with an MSRP of $2,000 or more) must have the ability to use two card slots, for overflow or backup purposes. Those of us who made our living for a few decades using cameras that held just a single roll of film (which required after-the-fact processing to confirm that you got anything at all) are less upset. Of course, in those days it was common to wield two or more cameras per shoot, which provided for overflow (back when we depended on 36-exposure rolls of film) and a rudimentary form of interleaved backup.
The R5 and R6 solve that problem by offering two memory card slots. Dual memory cards in overflow mode come in especially handy for spot news and sports, as a photojournalist will frequently swap out a card that’s 80 percent (or slightly more) full for a fresh one to avoid missing something important during an inopportune trade. But most of the time I simply store my images on my fastest or largest memory card and treat the second slot as convenient insurance.
Although having a pair of cards with the same form factor (as the R6 does) is most convenient, Canon elected to add a CFexpress slot and SD slot to the R5. The CFexpress form factor offers the ruggedness and comforting larger size many advanced enthusiasts and professionals prefer. They are also the most robust and fastest storage options available for digital photography. Note that the R5 uses the Type-B CFe card, not the smaller Type-A media that is about the size of an SD card.
Secure Digital cards have a lower top-speed ceiling than CFexpress cards. However, SD cards, including the latest SDXC cards, are available in speeds up to 300Mbs transfer rates with UHS-II-compliant models. Keep in mind that different vendors use different specifications for speed (both “X” factors and megabytes per second), and that write speed means how fast the device can transfer an image file to storage, while read speed (which may be emphasized because it is faster) represents how quickly the image can be transferred to your computer though a sufficiently fast connection (such as a USB 3.x card reader).
The remaining setup steps require working with some of the basic controls of your camera. The R5 and R6 offer multiple ways to move through the various screens displayed in the viewfinder and on the back-panel LCD. You’ll use these navigational tools to make menus selections, move focus points and zones around within the frame, and to change the area viewed during focusing and playback. This camera also has a versatile touch screen that can perform many of the same functions. For this intentionally concise Quick Start, I will stick to the basic controls suggested. I’ll show you how to add the touch screen to your repertoire in Chapter 2.
Figure 1.5 shows the main navigational controls of both the R5 (left) and R6 (right). Note that the location and function of the navigation controls are identical on both cameras. The chief difference between them is that the R5 has a MODE button (which shifts among shooting modes like Aperture-priority and Shutter-priority) in the center of the Quick Control Dial 2. The R6 has a physical Mode Dial substituting for the R5’s top-panel LCD.
I’ll explain how to change shooting modes later. For now, let’s concentrate on the navigational controls:
Canon didn’t do us any favors when it decided on nomenclature for its four directional controls, especially if you’re migrating from a non-Canon camera platform. We’re blessed with three dials and a joystick that have been given names that can be confusing for newcomers and veterans alike.
When Canon decided to augment its Main Dial located on the front of the top-right panel with a second dial positioned at the rear of the same panel, it could have labeled it Rear Dial to differentiate the two. Instead, the company elected to assign the name already given to the back-panel Quick Control Dial on its cameras and dub it Quick Control Dial 2. The original Quick Control Dial is now called Quick Control Dial 1. Sometimes the two dials perform the same function; I’ll alert you when you must use the second QCD.
In the past, I’ve used the QCD abbreviation to save space; henceforth QCD-1 will represent the original Quick Control Dial, and QCD-2 will be used to indicate what many call the rear dial interloper. The term Multi-controller will always refer to the R5’s or R6’s joystick.
You can practice using the basic controls I just introduced by formatting a memory card. There are three ways to create a blank memory card for your camera, and two of them are at least partially wrong. Here are your options, both correct and incorrect:
The first time you use the camera, it may ask you to enter the time and date. (This information may have been set by someone checking out your camera on your behalf prior to sale.) Follow these steps:
As I noted, your camera has a touch-sensitive screen that is useful for navigating menus, selecting focus points, and other functions. In many cases, you can use the buttons and dials and the touch screen almost interchangeably, but for this introductory chapter I’m going to stick to using the physical controls instead of the touch controls. There are two reasons for that. First, it’s important you become comfortable using the buttons and dials, because for many functions they are faster, sometimes easier, and work reliably even when your fingers are “encumbered” (say, while you’re wearing gloves). In addition, this chapter is intended primarily for those new to the Canon mirrorless world. I’ll explain how to use the touch screen in Chapter 2.
The following sections show you how to choose semi-automatic, automatic shooting, or exposure modes; select a metering mode (which tells the camera what portions of the frame to evaluate for exposure); and set the basic autofocus functions. If you understand how to do these things, you can skip ahead to “Other Settings.”
Turn on the camera, and, if you mounted a lens and inserted a fresh battery and memory card, you’re ready to begin. You’ll need to select a shooting mode, metering mode, and focus mode.
Shooting modes are selected in a slightly different way for the R5 and R6:
The camera has one fully automatic mode called Scene Intelligent Auto (A+ on the display), which makes virtually all the decisions for you (except when to press the shutter). There are also six semi-automatic/manual modes (what Canon calls Creative Zone on its entry- and mid-level models), including Flexible-priority (Fv), Program (P), Shutter-priority (Tv), Aperture-priority (Av), Manual (M), and Bulb (B). These each allow you to provide input over the exposure and settings the camera uses. There are also three camera user settings (Custom shooting modes) that can be used to store specific groups of camera settings, which you can then recall quickly by choosing C1, C2, or C3 as your shooting mode.
The final spot on the R6’s Mode Dial represents the Movie function. Movie Shooting modes are not shown on the R5’s Shooting mode display; as I’ll explain later, you can switch from still to movie shooting modes by pressing the INFO button. You’ll find a complete description of fully automatic and semi-automatic/manual modes in Chapter 4, as well as Custom shooting modes in Chapter 14. Movie options are explained in detail in Chapters 15 and 16.
If you’re very new to digital photography, you might want to set the camera to Scene Intelligent Auto (A+) or P (Program mode) and start snapping away. These modes will make all the appropriate settings for you for many shooting situations. Your choices are as follows:
As its name implies, this option gives you a great deal of flexibility in choosing which settings are chosen automatically, and which are specified by you manually. I recommend that beginners not use this shooting mode until they’ve read my complete description of how to use it easily in Chapter 4.
Metering mode is the next setting you’ll want to make. Note that for this and the settings that follow, the camera must be set to one of the semi-automatic and manual modes and not to Scene Intelligent Auto (A+). Among the four metering modes I’ll describe next, the default Evaluative metering is probably the best choice as you get to know your camera.
To change metering modes, use the Quick Control screen, which comes in several variations and can be accessed using one of these three methods:
If at any time the expected display does not appear on the LCD screen or electronic viewfinder display in shooting or playback modes, press the INFO button several times until it is shown. One of the most frequent queries I get from new users asks why, when they follow the directions in my book, the illustrated screen isn’t shown. In virtually all cases, it’s because the photographer has changed the display using the INFO button on the back of the camera to the right of the viewfinder.
The four metering modes you’ll be using are these (you’ll find a detailed description of each of these modes in Chapter 4):
As you’ve just learned, the Quick Control screen is a speedy way of making any of 10 different settings, which were called out earlier in Figure 1.10. To access any of the adjustments, use the directional controls to move highlighting from one icon to the next one; movement will wrap around between columns. When you’ve highlighted the adjustment you want to make, use the left/right directional controls or either dial to select from the options displayed at the bottom of the screen. As I noted, you can also tap their icons on the touch screen. Note: A second Quick Control screen is available while reviewing your images. I’ll describe its options in the section on Playback later in this chapter. In Shooting mode, your choices include:
You can easily switch between automatic and manual focus by moving the AF/MF switch on the lens mounted on your camera. However, if you’re using a semi-automatic shooting mode, you’ll still need to choose an appropriate focus mode, which tells the camera when to focus when AF is active. (You can read more on selecting focus parameters in Chapter 5.)
To set the autofocus mode, access the viewfinder or two LCD screen versions of the Quick Control display, as described above, and navigate to the AF Operation (focus mode) icon. It’s located immediately to the left of the Metering Mode icon in the graphic Quick Control screen, and second from the top in the left column of the other two views. Choose one of these options, represented by the labels One-Shot or Servo AF. If the lens has been set to manual focus, neither option will be available, and an MF indicator will be shown as the icon.
The focus modes are:
The Canon EOS R5 and R6 offer thousands of different selectable focus positions embedded in the sensor that you can select to calculate correct focus. (The number varies depending on shooting and autofocus mode, as I’ll explain in Chapter 5.) In Scene Intelligent Auto mode, the focus point is selected automatically by the camera, using the face detection and tracking mode I’ll describe shortly. In the other semi-automatic and manual exposure modes, you can allow the camera to select the focus point automatically, or you can specify which focus point should be used.
Your camera has eight different ways of specifying which of the available focus points is selected by the camera automatically, or by the user manually. I’ll describe all of them in detail in Chapters 5 and 12 and will include illustrations showing the size and coverage of each of the AF methods. They are as follows:
I recommend Face+Tracking as your default AF focus method when starting to use your camera. I’ll provide extensive tips for choosing the other six methods and will only describe them briefly in this chapter.
In addition to the Quick Control menu, the R5 and R6 offer several other ways of choosing the AF method. Here’s a quick how-to on choosing the autofocus areas your camera will use:
Many informational and settings screens will be “live” for about 6 to 14 seconds after you’ve pressed the relevant button. I won’t repeat that information for every setting in this book; if a screen vanishes, just press the appropriate button once more.
Once you’ve chosen your AF method, you can move the active focus point around the screen to a location of your choice when using any of the AF methods except Face+Tracking. Just press the AF point selection button, as you did before, but do not touch the M-Fn button. Instead, simply use the Main Dial to move the selected point, group of points, or zone left or right in the array, and the QCD-1 to move the point, group, or zone up or down. Or, you can use the directional controls, like the Multi-controller joystick.
There are a few other options, such as white balance and using the self-timer. You can use these right away if you’re feeling ambitious, but don’t feel ashamed if you postpone using these features until you’ve racked up a little more experience with your camera.
If you like, you can custom-tailor your white balance (color balance) and ISO sensitivity settings. To start out, it’s best to set white balance (WB) to Auto, and ISO to ISO 100 or ISO 200 for daylight photos, and ISO 400 for pictures in dimmer light. You’ll find complete recommendations for both these settings in Chapter 4.
Drive modes derive their name from the days of film shooting, when physical mechanisms were used to advance the film and provide a delay before the shutter was triggered. Your camera has five “drive” modes, one for taking a single shot each time the shutter is pressed, two continuous shooting modes that can capture images at up to 8.0 and 5.4 shots per second, and two self-timer/remote modes which trip the shutter after 10 seconds or 2 seconds have elapsed.
The fastest way to choose a drive mode is with the M-Fn button, as described earlier. The Drive icon is the second from the left in the M-Fn array. Highlight it using the QCD-1, and then select one of these modes using the Main Dial.
This section of the chapter guides you through taking your first pictures, reviewing them on the LCD monitor, and transferring your shots to your computer.
Just press the shutter release button halfway to lock in focus at the selected autofocus point. When the shutter button is in the half-depressed position, the exposure, calculated using the shooting mode you’ve selected, is also locked.
Press the button the rest of the way down to take a picture. At that instant, the shutter opens, the electronic flash (if attached and enabled) fires, and your camera’s sensor absorbs a burst of light to capture an exposure. In fractions of a moment, the shutter closes, and the image you’ve taken is escorted off the CMOS sensor chip very quickly into an in-camera store of memory called a buffer, and the camera is ready to take another photo. The buffer continues dumping your image onto the memory card as you keep snapping pictures without pause (at least until the buffer fills and you must wait for it to get ahead of your continuous shooting, or your memory card fills completely).
The Canon EOS R5 and R6 have a broad range of playback and image review options. Here are the basics, as shown in Figure 1.13. I’ll explain more choices, such as rotating the image on review, in Chapter 2:
You can navigate quickly among thumbnails representing a series of images using the Index mode. Here are your basic options.
The final step in your picture-taking session will be to transfer the photos you’ve taken to your computer for printing, further review, or image editing. Your camera allows you to create print orders right in the camera.
For now, you’ll probably want to transfer your images either by using a cable transfer from the camera to the computer or by removing the memory card from the camera and transferring the images with a card reader. The latter option is generally the best because it’s usually much faster and doesn’t deplete the battery of your camera. However, you can use a cable transfer when you have the cable and a computer, but no card reader (perhaps you’re using the computer of a friend or colleague, or at an Internet café).
To transfer images from the camera to a Mac or PC computer using the USB cable:
To transfer images from a memory card to the computer using a card reader:
As mentioned earlier, in Shooting or Playback modes, when you press the Q button, a Quick Control menu appears with icons representing adjustments you can make for that mode. In most cases, using an available Quick Control option is faster than making a visit to the multiple tabs of the conventional menu system. The Quick Control menus shown in the electronic viewfinder and LCD screen for each mode are very similar, so I’m going to show you one of each.
The LCD screen version of the Quick Control menu in Shooting mode appears in Figure 1.16. (The viewfinder version was shown earlier in Figure 1.10. The two are almost identical, but the LCD screen options can be accessed by tapping on the icons surrounded by white boxes. A Return icon is used to exit the Quick Control menu.
To access any of the features, use the QCD-1 to move highlighting from one icon to the next one; movement will wrap around between columns. When you’ve highlighted the adjustment you want to make, use the Main Dial to select from the options displayed at the bottom of the screen. Your choices include:
The LCD version of the Quick Control menu in Playback mode is shown in Figure 1.17. As with the Shooting LCD version, you can access any of the features by tapping the icons or pressing the directional controls to move highlighting from one icon to the next. When you’ve highlighted the adjustment you want to make, use the directional controls or either Main Dial or QCD-2 to select from the options displayed.
Your choices include the following, which I will explain in detail in Chapter 13:
3.128.198.21