How to Use the Canon T3i and T5i

Each camera has three basic parts – the lens, the body, and the viewfinder. The lens is what lets light into the camera. The body is basically the brain of the camera – it records the images that the lens sees. The viewfinder shows you what the lens is seeing.

The Canon T3i is a DSLR camera – DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. This means that there is a mirror inside the camera that reflects up to the viewfinder and shows you exactly what the camera lens will see. This also means that it is digital – instead of recording images to film, the images are recorded to a memory card. This makes it possible to have your images immediately and transfer them to a computer. The Canon T3i can take both still pictures and videos – and it does a great job of both!

How the Camera Works

At its most basic level, a camera works very much like our own eyes – it captures light and converts that light into information. A camera has three different settings or functions that affect how light is captured.

Aperture controls how open or closed the lens is. Shutter speed controls how slowly or quickly a picture is taken. ISO controls how sensitive the camera is to light. For more information on these settings, go to www.canonoutsideofauto.ca

To use the T3i, you need to first turn on the camera. The On/Off switch is found on the top of the camera. 

Next to the On/Off switch there is a circle or wheel of different camera modes.

Go to http://digital-photography-school.com/digital-camera-modes/ to see how the different modes work and what they are good for. 

How to Take a Picture

Now that you are familiar with the modes of the camera, you can take a basic picture. I would recommend keeping the camera on the Auto setting for now, which is the green A on the control circle.

To take a picture, you need to look through the viewfinder, frame your shot, and press the round black button on the top of the camera near the front right. You should hear a “click” or a “snap”. This is a good way to make sure everything with your camera is working.

How to Record a Video

On the T3i, video has its own mode on the camera. Turn the dial to the icon that looks like a little camera on a tripod.

On other cameras the setting might be elsewhere, so look for the camera icon to find the movie setting. Once you have switched to movie mode, the screen on the back of the camera should turn on and show you what the camera is seeing. This is called Live View and will let you see what your camera is seeing without having to hold the camera up to your eye.

To record a video, press the camera icon with the red dot next to it (see picture to the left).

You should then see a red dot on the screen – this means you are recording! Press the button again to stop recording.

You can review any pictures or videos you have recorded by pressing the “Play” button near the bottom right of the back of the camera (see picture to the right).

Putting Your Footage on the Computer

Once you have recorded all of the videos that you need to, you will put them on a computer. If you have ever done this with another camera, it works exactly the same way.  On a mac, you will insert the memory card into the memory card slot on the computer and an icon that looks like your memory card will appear on the desktop.  Double-click the icon to open up the memory card. You will need to look through the folders on the card to find your videos. Once you have found them, you will need to select all of the ones you want to keep. You can select multiple videos at once by holding down the “command” button and clicking each video. Once you have them selected, click and drag them to the desktop. I recommend putting them in a folder with your name on it so it is easy to find.

Now you are ready to edit your clips together!