tomfr Loc: Brevard N.C.

Hey You, I just was out walking, and realized something! You have all the information you could ever need, in regard to exposure, right in your image file. Bring up the shooting information, see what you like, and make a note of it. Or, if possible, put the exposure settings in a custom menu, and fine tune it.

tomfr

rayford2 Loc: New Bethlehem, PA

You can also get a printed (2-sides/page) 8 1/2 x 11
spiral bound manual for the T3i for $15 from
http://www.manualsink.com.
I ordered one for my camera and it came in 3 days.
Forget the smaller one...hard to read and occupies too much space for whats in it, The CD you can download free from Canon.
Enjoy your camera. If I wanted one someone would probably have gotten me a Polaroid Swinger or Kodak disc.

Hey you Loc: Tampa Florida

I appreciate all the really awesome advice and suggestions. You all "Rock"..... Thank-you.

DavidT Loc: Maryland

My niece just got a Canon T3 for Xmas, upgrading from a point-and-shoot. She asked the same question about a book or reference to learn quickly. After looking at her camera, I realized how difficult it must be these days to even know what "basic information" is that one must know. Coming from perspective of the old days (before electronic cameras) when all you needed to know was aperture, shutter speed and focus (after selecting the film and ISO), it seems these new digital cameras are too complicated. They have too many choices/options that one must search for scrolling through menus. The most basic functions of shutter speed and aperture are automatic (in P mode), and if you want to use Manual mode, they are extremely difficult to find and use. And, focusing is automatic, too.

So, when a beginner asks for basic information for using a DSLR, it seems we are now in a completely new paradigm. This younger generation thinks differently from the older generation. To have them learn every function on their camera might not be a practical solution because most of those functions are not important (at least to me).

So, what is the answer? I wish I knew.

marvin Klein Loc: upstate NY

like i told hey you go to the web sit he has cd or dvd for all camera's and watching these are better than reading. i found it great and now i use the manual for quick reference.

konica135 Loc: Ormond Beach, FL

[quote=Hey you]Merry Christmas to everyone..... I got a Canon Rebel T3i for Christmas (YEAH).............. But besides reading the manual ... any tips for online tutorials for it?????


Online tutorials may be OK, but a book in hand can be much better - easier flipping from one section to another, take it with you anywhere, etc. Try Amazon under Canon books.

marvin Klein Loc: upstate NY

NO what i am saying is that from his web site (michealthemaven.com) you can buy a dvd on just for your camera and he goes over every part on the dvd which you have also as a reference all the time and the manual you use also as a reference once you have watched the dvd.

PS i do not work for him. but i go to his web site all the time and post my photos.

Reginald

And remember the age old riddle:
Q: How do I get to Carnegie Hall?
A: Practice, practice, practice!

Best of luck with your new baby!

MyronT Loc: I live on my old wood sailboat

I have the same but the print in the manuel was so small and hard to understand that I went to a B&Noble and went to the Photography section an looked up field manuals and found a few I picked the one I liked with big print and just started using it instead of the small cute one that came with the camera. It was a lot of help since I must have changed a setting by accident and I was firing off two or three shots each time I took a picture, it was frustrating at best for me to find it in the little book how to fix the problem. Best of luck, and Merry Christmas. Myron

MyronT Loc: I live on my old wood sailboat

The basics still apply but with the T3i you also have HD video as a setting, you can still set your shutter speed like ISO, not to be confused with IS which is image stabilizer, make sure the switch on the lens is set to AF auto-focus and IS is on, the camera will take great shots in the dark without the flash but instead of taking your film to a mini-lab for processing you now do that with your computer, I would get her a field guide from a big book store just so she can try out the different shooting modes on her camera. I used to be a professional photographer, but now I am quite new to the DSLR and still just learning all the new setting on this new tool. best of Luck, Merry Christmas. Myron

CocoaRoger Loc: Cocoa Florida

Read a lot, I got my first Nikon DSLR a couple months ago and have read books from the library by Bryon Peterson and Dave Busch, watch videos on line or as was suggested get that instructional CD. You'ld be surprised what you can find online and on youtube. Both authors have video's on you tube you can watch. Although I haven't had time to go through this website yet it was suggested to me http://www.morguefile.com /docs/Classroom/, aka Judie Coston and last and most important---PLAY!!! That is take your camera out and take as many photos as you like and experiment with different settings, different shutter speeds and aperture settings or 'priorities' ie if you set your camera to aperture priority it will make it's own decision on shutter speed and vice versa. Remember, there are no mistakes, only lessons learned and it's better to learn them by getting lousy shots of the dog running around the yard than to find out your shutter speed was too slow, or ISO was too low when you download your pics and find them blurred or underexposed. Also, if you aren't already knowledgeable about RAW files, you'll want to learn about that too. I would start with youtube and look for photographers and photography lessons such as Bryon Peterson. Then get in touch with the library and get his or someone's books and just sit there on the patio or porch with your camera and read and try some of the things mentioned in the books. Learn to 'compose' a picture in your mind. Learn about light and it's warmth or coolness, shadows and angles. For example, whether you agree with him or not Bryon Peterson calls light between 11am and 3pm is 'pool light' meaning that's when he puts his camera down and sits by the pool because the sun being so high eliminates shadows, being the shortest distance through the atmosphere it's more blue than morning or late afternoon. Sure, in some cases you have to. But if you want to take landscape or scenery the best time is early morning or late afternoon. He said even in sunny days he sets his camera to cloudy and that gives the photos a 'warm' appearance rather than just a bright true blue color. Sure enough I set my camera to cloudy and took some pics of the yard and what a much warmer and interesting set of pictures of the yard than just the stark reality. In other words learn to see it as a form of art. One of the better photos I took was yesterday just walking about the yard. Here in Florida the 'soil' is mostly ancient sea bed and there was a bare patch that everyone else would simply overlook. I framed it in and took a shot and when I downloaded it I saw old ancient broken sea shells, a green yet dying leaf and an old penny with green patina. I'm no artist but it seemed to say 'old' and 'dead' to me. Not in a morbid way but in the sense that the sea animals are long gone, the leaf was in the process of going from green and life to brown and dead and the penny was also corroding and green. This was something I learned by reading. In one of the books the photographer showed some nice artistic shots and said he took them by just walking down the street and looking at what was at his feet. That's another thing, when you do take the camera out and about, don't just look at what's in front of you, turn around and look behind you, below you, above you. When you see something, ask yourself, what would that boring object look like from a different angle? Or different lighting or time of day? You'll hear a lot about 'rules' and there are certain rules BUT NO ONE RULE applies to every picture. Rules are good to learn and are helpful guidelines but there is no rule that can't be bent or broken. Watch, read, ask questions, experiment and like I said PLAY. Take 200 pictures of 'nothing' in your yard, of leaves, and insects, experiment with macro photography. I have a lot to learn but I've learned SOOO much in the past couple of months by doing these things. Go to a local park, walk around look CLOSE at things, COMPOSE pictures in your mind, don't just TAKE pictures. See an object or setting and use your imagination as to where you should take the picture from ie angle. Should you be high looking down on it, or down low and looking up? Where should I stand in relation to the light, the background, depth of field. What's more interestiing? A picture of a baby or dog taken from a simple standing angle looking down? Or one take down on the same level, or even below with the dog looking straight into the camera or down at it? Take pictures from angles not normally seen in everyday life, that's what makes them interesting. Read, learn and play. If you take 100 pictures but only 1 jumps out at you ask yourself why? Then the next time you'll remember what made that one different and try to recreate it, and improve it. This is what make photography fun. When everyone else see's a little oil and water mixed in the road they see a mess, a photographer sees the colors mixing together, the slow flow and lines and that little messy puddle is now a potential interesting artful photo.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I recommend books called Magic Lanter Guides. They make them for each specific camera model. Here's one for your model:

http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Lantern-Guides-Multimedia-Workshop/dp/1600597025/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324919299&sr=1-12

I bought one for my girlfriend when she got her T1i and I enjoyed it as much if not more than she did.

Dryart38 Loc: Carlsbad, NM

HeyYou! Find a comfortable chair, and, with your new T3i in hand, read your owners' manual, trying each page, as you read. If you need beginners' help, buy one of the digital photography for dummies guides - I believe they've got them for the T3i! Don't buy a lot of extra equipment, except for maybe a longer telephoto zoom, until you understand what your camera can do. You've got one of the most advanced entry level-novice level-enthusiast level cameras on the market, with superb image quality! What more could you ask for? Learn to use what you've got, which is plenty, and you'll make some superb photographs, to the envy of lots of pros. No insult intended in the "dummies" suggestion - these are great books, and have taught thousands how to make great pictures! Enjoy!

larrycumba

Excellant book.

MyronT Loc: I live on my old wood sailboat

I reviewed the site you noted and found it might be more helpful if I had the time to explore each lesson one day at a time so go to that site and look at classes.