Canon 50d Owners Manual

51
The  (Portrait) mode blurs the background to make the human 
subject stand out. It also makes flesh tones and the hair look softer than 
with the < 1> (Full Auto) mode.
  The farther the distance between the subject and background, 
the better.
The further the distance between the subject and background, the 
more blurred the background will  look. The subject will also stand 
out better in front of a plain, dark background.
  Use a telephoto lens.
If you have a zoom lens, use the te lephoto end to...

52
Use the  (Landscape) mode for wide scenery, night scenes, or to 
have everything in focus from near to far. The greens and blues also 
become more vivid and sharper than with < 1> (Full Auto).
  With a zoom lens, use the wide-angle end.
When using the wide-angle end of a  zoom lens, objects near and far 
will be in focus better than at the telephoto end. It also adds breadth 
to landscapes.
  Shooting night scenes.
Since the built-in flash will be disabled, this 
mode is also good for night scenes....

53
When you want to photograph flowers or small things up close, use the 
 (Close-up) mode. To make small things appear much larger, use 
a macro lens (sold separately).
  Use a simple background.
A simple background makes the flower, etc., stand out better.
  Move to the subject as close as possible.
Check the lens for its minimum focusing distance. Some lenses 
have indications such as < 40.28m/0.9ft >. The lens minimum 
focusing distance is measured from the < V> (focal plane) mark on 
the camera to...

54
To photograph a moving subject, whether it is a child running or a moving vehicle, use the  (Sports) mode.
  Use a telephoto lens.
Using a telephoto lens is recommend ed so you can shoot from afar.
  Use the center AF point to focus.
Aim the center AF point over the subject, then press the shutter 
button halfway to auto focus. During autofocusing, the beeper will 
continue beeping softly. If focus cannot be achieved, the focus 
confirmation light < o> will blink.
When you want to take the picture,...

55
To shoot someone at night and obtain a natural-looking exposure in the background, use the  (Night Portrait) mode.
  Use a wide-angle lens and a tripod.
When using a zoom lens, use the wide-angle end to obtain a wide 
night view. Also, use a tripod to prevent camera shake.
  Keep the person within 5 meters/16.4 feet from the camera.
Under low light, the built-in flash wi ll fire automatically to obtain a 
good exposure of the person. The effective distance of the built-in 
flash is 5 meters/16.4 feet...

56
In places where flash photography is prohibited, use the  (Flash 
Off) mode. This mode is also effe ctive for candlelight scenes when you 
want to capture the ambient light.
 If the numeric display in the vi ewfinder blinks, take care to 
prevent camera shake.
Under low light when camera shake is prone to occur, the 
viewfinder’s shutter speed display will blink. Hold the camera steady 
or use a tripod. When using a zoom  lens, use the wide-angle end to 
reduce blur caused by camera shake.
  Taking...

57
The  (Creative Auto) mode enables you to easily change the 
picture’s brightness, etc. The defau lt settings are the same as the  
(Full Auto) mode.
* CA stands for Creative Auto.
1Set the Mode Dial to < C>.
XThe Creative Auto screen appears on 
the LCD monitor.
2Press < 9> straight down.
XYou can use  to select a 
function.
  Functions (1) to (6) shown on the next 
page can be selected.
3Set the desired setting.
 Use < 9> to select the function.
X The selected functi on is displayed on 
the screen’s...

C Creative Auto Shooting
58
(1) Flash firing
 (Auto firing), < D> (Flash on), or < b> (Flash off, with AF-assist 
beam enabled) can be se lected. If you set , see “Disabling 
Flash” on page 56.
(2) Blurring/sharpening the background If you move the index mark toward  the left, the background will look 
more blurred. If you move it to ward the right, the background will 
look more in focus. If you want to blur the background, see “Shooting\
 
Portraits” on page 51.
(3) Adjusting the picture brightness If...

59
3
Image Settings
This chapter explains image-related function settings: 
Image-recording quality, ISO speed, Picture Styles, 
white balance, color space, etc.
 In the Basic Zone modes, you can only set the image-
recording quality and lens perip heral illumination correction, 
create and select folders, and set the file numbering as 
explained in this chapter.
  The  M icon on the right of the page title indicates that the 
respective feature is avail able only in Creative Zone modes 
( d , s , f , a,...

60
You can select the pixel count and the image quality. The following 
JPEG quality settings can be set: 73, 83 , 74 , 84 , 76 , 86. 
RAW images captured as  1, D 1, or D 2 must be 
processed with the provided software (p.62).
1Select [Quality].
 Under the [1 ] tab, select [Quality], 
then press < 0>.
X The [ Quality ] screen will appear.
2Select the image-recording quality.
 To select a RAW setting, turn the 
 dial. To select a JPEG setting, 
turn the < 5> dial.
 
On the upper right, the “***M...