Canon EOS 450D Instruction Manual

							71
s: Action Shots
 To freeze the action or moving subject.
Use a fast shutter speed such as 1/500 sec. to 1/4000 sec.
 To blur a running child or animal giving the impression of fast 
movement.
Use a medium shutter speed such as 1/30 sec. to 1/250 sec. Follow 
the moving subject through the viewfinder and press the shutter 
button to take the picture. If you use a telephoto lens, hold it steady 
to prevent camera shake.
 How to blur a flowing river or water fountain.
Use a slow shutter speed to 1/15 sec. or slower. Use a tripod to 
prevent camera shake.
 Set the shutter speed so that the aperture display does not 
blink in the viewfinder.
If you press the shutter button halfway and change 
the shutter speed while the aperture is displayed, 
the aperture display will also change to maintain the 
same exposure (amount of light reaching the image 
sensor). If you exceed the adjustable aperture 
range, the aperture display will blink to indicate that 
the standard exposure cannot be obtained.
If the exposure will be too dark, the lowest aperture will blink. If this 
happens, turn the  dial to the left to set a slower shutter speed 
or increase the ISO speed.
If the exposure will be too bright, the highest aperture will blink. If 
this happens, turn the  dial to the right to set a faster shutter 
speed or decrease the ISO speed.
To obtain a correct flash exposure, the flash output will be set to match 
the automatically-set aperture (autoflash exposure). The flash sync 
speed can be set from 30 sec. to 1/200 sec.
Shooting Tips
Using the built-in flash 
						

							72
To obtain a blurry background or to make everything near and far look 
sharp, set the Mode Dial to  (Aperture-priority AE) to adjust the 
depth of field (range of acceptable focus).
* stands for Aperture value which is the size of the diaphragm hole inside 
the lens.
1Set the Mode Dial to .
2Set the desired aperture.
 The higher the aperture, the sharper 
the picture will look with a wider depth 
of field.
 Turning the  dial to the right will 
set a higher f-number, and turning it 
to the left will set a lower f-number.
3Take the picture.
 Focus and press the shutter button 
completely. The picture will be taken 
with the selected aperture.
f: Changing the Depth of Field
Blurred backgroundSharp foreground and background
About the Aperture Display
The larger the f/number, the smaller the aperture opening will be. The 
apertures displayed will differ depending on the lens. If no lens is attached to 
the camera, “00” will be displayed for the aperture. 
						

							73
f: Changing the Depth of Field
 When using a high aperture, note that camera shake can occur 
in low light scenes.
A higher aperture will make the shutter speed slower. Under low 
light, the shutter speed can be as long as 30 sec. In such cases, 
increase the ISO speed and hold the camera steady or use a tripod.
 The depth of field depends not only on the aperture, but also 
the lens and subject distance.
Since wide-angle lenses have a wide depth of field, you need not set 
a high aperture to obtain a sharp picture from the foreground to the 
background. On the other hand, a telephoto lens has a narrow depth 
of field.
And the closer the subject, the narrower the depth of field. A farther 
subject will have a wider depth of field.
 Set the aperture so that the shutter speed display does not 
blink in the viewfinder.
If you press the shutter button halfway and change 
the aperture while the shutter speed is displayed, 
the shutter speed display will also change to 
maintain the same exposure (amount of light 
reaching the image sensor). If you exceed the 
adjustable shutter speed range, the shutter speed 
display will blink to indicate that the standard 
exposure cannot be obtained.
If the picture will be too dark, the 30 (30 sec.) shutter speed display 
will blink. If this happens, turn the  dial to the left to set a lower 
aperture or increase the ISO speed.
If the picture will be too bright, the 4000 (1/4000 sec.) shutter speed 
display will blink. If this happens, turn the  dial to the right to 
set a higher aperture or decrease the ISO speed.
Shooting Tips 
						

							f: Changing the Depth of Field
74
To obtain a correct flash exposure, the flash output will be set to match 
the set aperture (autoflash exposure). The shutter speed will set 
automatically between 30 sec. - 1/200 sec. to suit the scene’s 
brightness.
In low light, the main subject is exposed with the automatic flash, and 
the background is exposed with a slow shutter speed set automatically. 
Both the subject and background look properly exposed (automatic 
slow-speed flash sync). If you are handholding the camera, keep it 
steady to prevent camera shake. Using a tripod is recommended.
To prevent slow-speed sync, select the [7 Custom Functions (C.Fn)] 
menu’s [Flash sync. speed in Av mode] (p.154) and set it to [1: 1/
200sec. (fixed)].
Press the depth-of-field preview button 
to stop down to the current aperture 
setting. You can check the depth of field 
(range of acceptable focus) through the 
viewfinder.
Using the Built-in Flash
Depth-of-Field PreviewN
If it is difficult to discern the depth of field, first set the lowest f-number. Then 
hold down the depth-of-field preview button and look through the viewfinder 
while turning the  dial to the right. As the aperture gets smaller, you 
can see how the depth of field increases. 
						

							75
You can set both the shutter speed and aperture as desired. With flash, the 
flash exposure will be set automatically to match the aperture that was set. 
The flash sync speed can be set to bulb, or from 30 sec. to 1/200 sec.
*  stands for Manual.
1Set the Mode Dial to .
2Set the shutter speed and aperture.
 To set the shutter speed, turn the 
 dial.
 
To set the aperture, hold down the 
<
O> button and turn the  dial.
3Set the exposure and take the 
picture.
 The exposure level indicator in the 
viewfinder indicates the exposure 
level up to ±2 stops from the standard 
exposure index at the center. While 
you change the shutter speed and 
aperture, the exposure level mark will 
move. You can decide which 
exposure level to set.
In step 2, turn the  dial left to set . A bulb exposure 
keeps the shutter open for as long as you hold down the shutter button. 
It can be used to photograph fireworks, etc. The elapsed exposure time 
will be displayed on the LCD monitor. 
a: Manual Exposure
 + 
Exposure level mark Standard exposure index
Bulb Exposures
 Since bulb exposures produce more noise than usual, the image will look 
rough or grainy. You can reduce this noise by setting the [7 Custom 
Functions (C.Fn)] menu’s [Long exp. noise reduction] (p.155) to [1: 
Auto] or [2: On].
 The Auto Lighting Optimizer (p.156) will not work. 
						

							76
Objects in the foreground and background will be in focus automatically. 
All the AF points will function to detect the subject, and the aperture 
required to attain the necessary depth of field will be set automatically.
*  stands for Auto-Depth of field. This mode sets the depth of field automatically.
1Set the Mode Dial to .
2Focus the subject.
 Aim the AF points over the subjects 
and press the shutter button halfway. 
(0)
 All the subjects covered by the AF 
points flashing in red will be in focus.
3Take the picture.
 The shutter speed display in the viewfinder blinks.
If the “30” shutter speed blinks, it means that the subject is too dark. 
Increase the ISO speed. If the “4000” shutter speed blinks, it means 
that the subject is too bright. Decrease the ISO speed.
 The aperture display in the viewfinder blinks.
The exposure is correct, but the desired depth of field cannot be 
obtained. Either use a wide-angle lens or move farther away from 
the subjects.
 A slow shutter speed has been set.
Use a tripod.
 I want to use flash.
Flash can be used, however, the result will be the same as using the 
 mode with flash. The desired depth of field will not be obtained.
8: Automatic Depth-of-Field AE
FAQ 
						

							77
The metering mode is the method of measuring the brightness of the subject. Normally, evaluative metering is recommended.
1Press the  button.
X[Metering mode] will appear.
2Select the metering mode.
 Press the  key to select the 
metering mode, then press .
q Evaluative metering 
This is an all-around metering mode suited for portraits 
and even backlit subjects. The camera sets the exposure 
automatically to suit the scene. This metering mode is set 
automatically in the Basic Zone modes.
w Partial metering
Effective when the background is much brighter 
than the subject due to backlighting, etc. The gray 
area in the left figure is where the metering is 
weighted to obtain the standard exposure.
r Spot metering
This is for metering a specific part of the subject or 
scene. The gray area in the left figure is where the 
metering is weighted to obtain the standard 
exposure. This metering mode is for advanced users.
e Center-weighted average metering
The metering is weighted at the center and then 
averaged for the entire scene. This metering mode 
is for advanced users.
q Changing the Metering ModeN 
						

							78
Exposure compensation is used to alter the standard exposure set by 
the camera. You can make the image look brighter (increased 
exposure) or darker (decreased exposure). This feature can be used in 
the Creative Zone modes (except ). The exposure compensation 
setting will not be automatically canceled when you turn off the camera. 
After taking the picture, reset the exposure compensation to zero.
Set exposure compensation if the exposure (without flash) does not 
come out as desired.
Making it brighter
Hold down the  button and 
turn the  dial to the right.
Making it darker
Hold down the  button and 
turn the  dial to the left.
XAs shown in the figure, the exposure 
level is displayed on the LCD monitor 
and in the viewfinder.
 After taking the picture, hold down the 
 button and turn the  
dial to reset the exposure 
compensation to zero.
Setting Exposure CompensationN
Setting Exposure Compensation
Making it brighter
Making it darker
Exposure is dark Exposure compensation made it brighter 
						

							79
Setting Exposure CompensationN
Set flash exposure compensation if the flash exposure of the subject does not 
come out as desired. This feature also works with external EX-series Speedlites.
1Select [Flash exp comp].
 Under the [2] tab, select [Flash exp 
comp], then press .
2Set the exposure compensation 
amount.
 To make the flash exposure brighter, 
press the  key. Or to make it 
darker, press the  key.
 After setting the flash exposure 
compensation amount, press .
 
When you press the shutter button 
halfway, the <
y> icon and flash 
exposure compensation amount will be 
displayed on the LCD monitor and the 
<
y> icon will appear in the viewfinder.
 After taking the picture, do step 2 to 
reset the flash exposure 
compensation amount to zero.
y Flash Exposure CompensationN
A bright flash exposure Flash exposure compensation 
making it darker
If the [7 Custom Functions (C.Fn)] menu’s [Auto Lighting Optimizer] 
(p.156) is set to [0: Enable], the exposure compensation and flash exposure 
compensation may not be effective. In such cases, set it to [1: Disable]. 
						

							80
This feature takes exposure compensation a step further by varying the 
exposure automatically with three shots as shown below. You can then 
choose the best exposure. This is called AEB (Auto Exposure 
Bracketing).
1Select [AEB].
 Under the [2] tab, select [AEB], then 
press .
2Set the AEB amount.
 Press the  key to set the AEB 
amount, then press .
 When you press the shutter button 
halfway, the AEB amount will be 
displayed on the LCD monitor.
3Take the picture.
 Focus and press the shutter button 
completely. The three bracketed 
shots will be taken in this sequence: 
Standard, decreased, and increased 
exposure.
3 Auto Exposure BracketingN
Standard exposure Darker exposure
(Decreased exposure)Brighter exposure
(Increased exposure)
AEB amount