Great Photography IS Easy

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Cake, Candles, And Child's Face

How can you capture it all beautiful--without flash?
With Flash                                                With IS lens
Flash sometimes destroy the mood of the room.
Consider using available light instead (with Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM)

  1. Since candlelight alone is not enough, put on some room light. Or keep the room somewhat dark, and let in light from another source (such as the room next door).
  2. Set your zoom lens to a wide to normal angle (17-28mm), which has a shorter focal length.
  3. Choose the Av exposure mode and keep the aperture fully open.
  4. When aiming at the subject, put your elbow(s) on the table (or somewhere else) to hold the camera steady as you focus on the child's eyes. To prevent blurring, try to press the shutter button when your child is relative still

Indoor Shots

EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM 1/10sec., f5.6
It's happy birthday time! Take pictures in low light without spoiling the mood.
Low light? No flash? Don't be concerned--be inspired! Canon IS Lenses let you take full advantage of candlelight and other low light condition to create breathtakingly beautiful indoor pictures in available illumination. On any occasion.

Without IS Lens
Picture problems
Dim light, didn't use flash, camera shake, fuzzy photos... there are so many excuses for lost photo opportunities! But now, you don't have apologize any more because Canon IS Lenses show outstanding performance in many different kinds of indoor shooting situations. Without a flash.

Friday, December 17, 2010

How can you capture twilight scenes when the light changes each second?

Simple! Just use the convenient AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing) function to generate three different brightness variations for a single shot!


  1. Set the camera's drive mode to continuous shooting mode.
  2. Set the camera's AEB adjustment to 2/3 in 1/3-step increments.
  3. Turn the IS function of the lens "on".
  4. When you press the shutter button and hold it, three photos with different brightness ( exposure levels) are created.
  5. Select the one you like best.
AEB eliminates the time consuming task of searching for optimal exposure.
So you won't miss once-in-a-lifetime pictures.

Under exposure
Normal exposure
Over exposure

Night shots

EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM 1/4 sec. f5.6
Evening enchantment. Canon's standard IS zoom Lens is ready for brilliant shots!
As the sun sets and the dusk grows darker with every passing second, the city lights up with exciting possibilities for glamorous night shots. And You're ready to take dazzling hand-held pictures with Canon's standard IS Zoom Lens. Perfect!


Witout IS Lens
Picture problems
What's the difference between these two night shots? Same low light conditions, same low shutter speed. The critical differencce is camera shake, which ruins your ability to make the most of picture opportunities after dark. Don't carry a tripod around? Just keep a Canon IS Lens handy!

Catch that little chipmunk with telephoto in beautifully blurred natural setting.

Here's how to take a charming picture and get an intentionally blurred background (using EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM):

  1. Set the lens as far as possible to the telephoto side (200-300mm), for the longest focusing distance.
  2. Select the Av exposure mode and keep the aperture open.
  3. Choose natural element as a background--flowers, gleams of sunlight on leaves, etc.
  4. Get as close to the subject as possible---quietly.
  5. Find ideal framing and angle while checking shot through the LCD monitor.
Shot with open aperture f/5.6


Shot with closed aperture f/16


Animal snapshots

EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, 1/125 sec., Shutterpriority AE


Turn a tiny creature into a great picture.
Canon IS telephoto zoom makes it easy!
You're in the park and cute chipmunk is posing within range! You lower your camera and focus on its eyes. All set? No, you're not steady enough. You need a Canon IS lens to stop camera shake---and even create a softly hazy background.


Without IS Lens
Picture problems
Before you blame your camera for poor results, take a good look at your picture-taking posture.
Are you trying to shoot at low level while squatting on your heels? Well, sometimes you can't brace yourself or choose a steady platform. That's why you need Canon IS Lenses to banish camera shake.

Fast moving subject, slow background.

How can you get good panning shot?
If you know the optimal setting, panning techniques can get better results. Here's one example
( with EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM):


  1. Turn the IS function on and select IS mode 2.
  2. To improve your success, shoot at around 100-200mm(rather than an extreme 300mm telephoto setting).
  3. Select the camera Tv exposure mode and 1/60 sec. shutter speed. Select Al Servo AF as the auto-focus mode.
  4. While keeping the moving subject in the viewfinder, press the shutter button halfway down and hold.
  5. Then, at the right moment, press the shutter button all the way down to take the shot while continuing to follow the subject. Keep using this technique while taking several photos.
Go ahead! Impress yourself with panning shots like a pro!

What the best shutter speed?
Actually, there's no simple answer. The optimal shutter speed varies depending on the amount of subject motion and other conditions. If shutter speed is too fast, images appear static and lacking in energy; if the shutter speed is too slow, images may be completely blurred. Find the best shutter speed by trial and error. Check results in the LCD monitor right after shooting and decide the best shutter speed for yourself.

1/60 sec.                                                                                                 1/320 sec.

Kids in motion

EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, 1/60sec Shutterpriority AE
Your child is swinging, running, playing actively.
Now you can capture pure energy in pictures!
Kid won't slow down? planning* technique is trickly, but worth trying.
Just set a Canon IS Lens to mode 2 to correct vertical camera shake while taking pictures.
The results? Panning shots mode easy-- so you can catch that kd for keeps!


Witout IS Lens
Picture Problems
Chasing your child with the camera? It's hard to even keep the kid in your viewfinder! And when you take the shot, you push the shutter button too hard---shaking the camera and creating vertical blurring. But no more! Canon IS Lenses with Mode 2 help you get the picture right.

Trying to take snapshot of the animals

But bars get in the way? what to do?
f/16                                                f/5.0
It's easy to get rid of distracting element like cage bars--- with a little know- how!


  1. Simply set your lens to telephoto.
  2. Choose Av mode and hold the aperture as wide open as possible.
  3. Approach the cage as close as safety possible and shoot.
Now, see how well the shot turn out. The cage bars are gone, and the animals look like they're in the wild.

Zoo pictures

EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM,1/125sec., shutterpriority AE
Most children love going to the zoo.
Here's how to shoot "wild" pictures!
Great shot! Can you get it? Photographing animals from afar takes good timing and usually, super-telephoto lens.
But don't worry! With a steady-shooting Canon IS Lens, there's no fear of blurry results. Even if you're not using a tripod.

Without IS Lens
Picture Problems
Blurrng is virtually unavoidable when shooting distant subjects with a telephoto lens (unlike a wide-angle lens).
Maybe you can reduce blur with a faster shutter speed, but that won't work on cloudy days or when shooting subjects in shadow. So a Canon IS Lens is a must!

Great Photography IS Easy!

Using Image Stabilizer Lenses For Better Results.

Taking too many blurry pictures?
Canon IS* Lenses are the solution.

Nice shot! Or is? When you enlarge your image, the print looks fuzzy. Frustrating! But a common experience.
In most cases, this accidental blurring is caused by camera shake- especially when shooting with a telephoto lens or at slow shutter speeds in dark places.
Even if you try to stay still, the camera isn't perfectly steady in your hands when the shutter button is pressed.
But now there's a great solution : Canon IS* Lenses.
For beautifully clear, blur-free photos. With ease.

Day or night, indoors or outdoors.
Canon IS Lenses give you steady control of great pictures!


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