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Hi! I'm Rudy Winston, with Canon
USA, and in this episode, we'll
walk still-image photographers
through some of the EOS R
camera's basic operations. We'll
touch on both automatic
exposure, and working with the
EOS R in Manual exposure mode.
This is an incredibly
customizable camera, but I'm
going to strongly recommend to
anyone picking it up for the
first time to return the camera
to its default settings, and
learn its operations with that
as your starting point. In fact,
there's a Set-up Menu option to
Clear all Camera Settings; and
then in the Custom Functions
Menu area, separate Menu entries
to Clear all Custom Functions,
and also to Clear all Customized
button and dial settings. Then,
once you have the basics under
your belt, you can start to
explore the possible
customization options that'll
work for you.
Here are the primary controls
for still-image shooting on the
EOS R camera:
The Main Dial, at the top, is
used to input primary settings,
like changing an aperture in
Aperture Priority mode, or
moving from one Menu screen to
the next. In Manual mode, this
is where you'll change your
shutter speed.
For the most part,
it's like the Main Dial on
current EOS digital SLRs.
The Quick Control Dial is now at
the top of the camera, facing
rearward.
This is your Exposure
Compensation Dial in automatic
exposure modes, like Program or
Aperture Priority.
In Manual mode,
this is the default
location for aperture
adjustment. You don't need to
press a button first - just
rotate the dial with your thumb.
Press the MODE button, and then
turn the same Quick Control
Dial, to pick an exposure mode.
You can do this with the camera
at your eye, and see the choices
in the viewfinder.
Want to set a
Video recording mode?
Press the Mode button first,
then press the INFO button
to see video shooting
mode choices.
The basic, default way to move
your AF points is to press the
rear AF Point button, and then
press any of the 4-way Cross
Keys to manually move an AF
point up, down, left, or right.
This applies to expanded groups
of AF points as well, to focus
on off-center subjects. In
addition, you can move AF points
by just tapping the touch-screen
LCD monitor.
In a previous video, we spoke of
how the more compact, mirrorless
camera has less room for
external buttons and dials. So
some differences in control
layout you'll see, compared to
EOS DSLRs, include:
The Quick Control Dial is moved
from the back to the top of the
camera.
The Four Cross Keys buttons are
used for AF point movement, Menu
navigation, and so on.
There's no 8-way
multi-controller on the back.
Overall access to controls is
different.
Let's look a little more deeply
at that last point. With many
previous Canon EOS cameras, you
often pressed a button and
turned a dial to change settings
or access a feature. With the
EOS R, many of those buttons
aren't there. And this is one of
the keys to working with this
camera - quickly accessing
settings, like ISO, when there's
no button you can see on the
camera. So here's where to find
the basic, everyday controls
many of you use frequently:
First option, for basic exposure
settings like ISO: use the Touch
Screen interface, on the
camera's LCD monitor.
At the default
settings, if you pull
your eye away from the
viewfinder, the LCD monitor
quickly becomes active.
If the larger
on-screen buttons aren't
visible on the LCD, press the
INFO button to cycle through the
displays until they are.
The second option: press the
Multi-function button, near the
shutter button. Now, turn the
rear dial to select the features
that previously were often
accessed by buttons on the top
panel, like choosing your AF
Operation setting, your Single
Frame or Continuous Drive, and
your Metering pattern. It's
another way to access your ISO.
Turn the front dial to actually
change a selected setting, even
with the camera at your eye.
The third place to look: the
Quick Control Menu.
Press the Q-button,
or tap the Q icon on
the LCD monitor, and a screen
with many control options
appears.
Finally, for more detailed
settings, like customizing the
camera and so on: Press the Menu
button, and go into the camera's
full Menu screens. The good news
here, if you're already a Canon
shooter, is that the EOS R's
menus are quite similar to those
in other recent Canon EOS DSLRs.
There is also a pair of
extremely cool, new controls.
Canon's RF lenses will each have
a click-stopped ring on the
front of the barrel, called a
Control Ring. Out of the box,
it's not active, but it can be
easily customized for quick
access to exposure adjustments.
And, there's a touch-sensitive
Multi-function bar on the back
of the camera. Again, it's not
active by default, but you can
program this to allow immediate
access to numerous features with
a tap at either end, or slide
your thumb lightly across its
surface to run
through a progression of
feature changesor adjustments.
We'll have a separate
episode to explore the
possibilities.
So let's look at operating the
EOS R for typical
picture-taking. First, let's say
you're an experienced camera
enthusiast, and you normally
work in Av mode. Here are the
basic ways you'd likely start
working with the EOS R camera:
Press the MODE button, and turn
the Quick Control Dial to select
your shooting mode. Again, this
can be done with the camera at
your eye, using the electronic
viewfinder.
Turn the Main Dial to select an
aperture for Av mode.
Working in Shutter priority?
You set the shutter speed
with the Main Dial
as well. This is very similar to
how EOS DSLRs operate.
Use the Quick Control Dial to
set any Exposure Compensation.
Press the AF Point button on the
back of the camera, and then use
the 4-way Cross Keys to manually
move an AF point to a different
location. You can also tap the
LCD monitor, when the camera's
away from your eye, to do this.
If you shoot Manual, the only
real differences are that the
Main Dial sets your shutter
speed, and the rear Quick
Control Dial sets your aperture.
Input your ISO either by the
touch-screen, or by pressing the
small Multi-function button,
selecting ISO with the Quick
Control Dial, and then use the
Main Dial to input an actual ISO
setting.
Working with the EOS R is
different than Canon's digital
SLRs, but with a little
practice, the basic shooting
functions for both Manual mode
shooters and those who prefer
auto exposure should be pretty
easy to get accustomed to. But I
repeat: it's probably best to
begin learning this camera at
the factory default settings.
Later, experiment with all the
customization that's possible -
and believe me, it's extensive!
We mentioned two totally new
controls, the Control Ring on
the RF lenses, and the
Multi-function bar. We'll look
at those in our next episode.
See you there!
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