Canon 550D: tips for using your EOS camera

So you think you know how to use your Canon 550D? Like many of us, you may have a DSLR or compact system camera but tend to use only a handful of your its features.

In our ongoing review of some of the more popular current and ‘out of date’ Canon cameras, we want to help you better harness the creative potential of your camera.

Call them camera tips, or call it a user’s guide to your favourite Canon camera. The advice below comes from experts who have used the Canon 550D and know this DSLR inside and out.

If you have your own Canon 550D tips you’d like to share, post them in the comments below. What we want to build is an ever-growing user’s guide for the Canon 550D that comes not from a press release or a lab test, but from the photographers who shoot with this DSLR (read more DSLR tips or read about another Canon DSLR).

We want to inspire you to twist the mode dial and move beyond your favourite settings and functions and get more out of your Canon 550D starting today!

Canon 550D Tip 1: 2nd curtain sync 
By default, the 550D’s pop-up flash is set to 1st curtain sync. This means it will fire at the start of the exposure. When shooting action in low light, try setting it to 2nd curtain sync for more natural looking trails that follow your moving subject.

Canon 550D Tip 2: Centre AF
To quickly reset the AF point, make sure Custom Function IV: 10 (Assign SET button) shows 0 (disabled). Then switch to Manual focus point selection. If you now move to a different active AF point, press SET to return to the centre one.

Canon 550D Tip 3 Display snapshot
When you’re in the menu system and want a quick snapshot of how the camera is currently set up, simply press the DISP button to bring up a handy display that shows you which of the key functions are enabled or disabled.

Canon 550D Tip 4: Diopter adjustment
If everything looks a bit fuzzy through the viewfinder, it doesn’t always mean your focusing system’s on the blink. Have you tried adjusting the diopter wheel? Remove the rubber eyepiece by squeezing its sides first.

Canon 550D Tip 5: Grid lines
To tie in with the rest of this month’s Workshop, have you tried using a grid overlay when shooting movies? Its very useful when panning across a landscape as you can use the horizontal lines to ensure everything is level.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 24th, 2012 at 7:00 am and is filed under Canon D-SLR Skills, Photography Tutorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a comment. Pinging is currently not allowed.