How to Take a Picture on a Canon Rebel T5

Has anyone ever went on vacation and came home to upload the pictures from a phone or cheap digital camera to the computer, and all the pictures are blurry and low quality? Even after taking hundreds of photos and only one comes out halfway decent. Trying to get the perfect looking picture can seem impossible, but maybe it's the camera. Finding a good quality camera can be difficult because there are a lot of different brands to choose from.

Step 1: Assembling the Camera Part 1: Battery

Buying a canon will up anyone's picture taking game not only by quality but by clarity. Assembling a Canon to take a picture is very simple, first, take the battery and turn the camera upside down. Open the bottom slot, and insert the battery by putting the 4 gold lines downward until inserted. Do not forget the SDHC Card, or the pictures will have nowhere to go once they are taken. To insert the card, look at the slot behind the battery and place the card in by putting the gold lines down and pushing it until it clicks. After these two things are inserted shut the slot until it clicks.

Step 2: Assembling the Camera Part 2: Lens

Flip the camera back over so the lens is sticking straight up. Remove the first cap on the front of the camera, and grab the long lens to attach to that same area. Take off the cap on the back of the lens where there are numbers and letters. Attach that end of the lens to the camera where the cap was removed, and twist it 180 degrees until it clicks into place. Be very careful on this step because it is easy to scratch the lens itself.

Step 3: Turning the Camera On

Now that the camera is fully assembled it is time to take a picture. Remove the final cap on the end of the lens at the front of the camera so nothing is blocking the picture. This step is important, do not get fingerprints on the lens or it will make the pictures blurry. Flip the camera so that the lens is facing forward, and the on/off button is facing towards the ceiling. The on/off button should be on off so now flip it to the on option, and the screen should light up.

Step 4: Choosing a Camera Setting

Once the screen lights up, it is time to decide on how focused or unfocused the picture should be. There are twelve different types of picture settings on the Mode Dial on this camera, and one video setting. The easiest way to take a picture is setting it to Auto Mode because the camera automatically sets to the environment. If there was a need to set everything by hand, and changing all the setting there are 3 options to choose from. Manual mode is when no settings are chosen automatically and needs to be set according to the environment of the picture. AV Mode is when all the settings are chosen automatically except the aperture which decides how wide the camera opens and what the depth of the picture should be. Lastly, TV Mode is when the camera automatically sets everything except the shutter speed, this would be a setting for when a basketball game is going on, and the camera can take multiple shots instead of one single shot.

Step 5: Taking the Picture

Once the camera setting is decided, it is officially time to take the picture. If the setting is on automatic, find the subject of the picture in the lens on the back of the camera or if that is too small press the live photo button (it is a picture of a camera) beside the back lens so the picture appears on the screen. Then hold the shutter release button on the top right side of the camera halfway so the camera focuses on the subject, when the subject is focused the camera will click once. Once the subject is focused press the button the rest of the way down until the camera takes the picture.

Step 6: Viewing the Picture

After the picture is taken, go to the bottom playback button to view the picture, the button is right below the WB button, it is an arrow with a box around it. When the picture is taken, make sure that the lens caps are put back on, so the lens does not get ruined. Don't forget when the picture is finished, turn the on/off switch to off so the battery doesn't die.

Step 7: Disassembling the Camera

Disassembling the camera is just like assembling the camera but backwards. Turn the camera so the lens is facing the ceiling, there is a button on the left side of the lens that needs to be pressed in order to remove the lens. Push the button in, and turn the lens to the left 180 degrees, or until it disconnects from the camera. Finally, place all the correct lens caps back on the lens and the camera.

Step 8: Uploading the Picture to a Computer

Now uploading the picture to a computer can take time but it is easier to see on a bigger screen. Look at the left side of the camera, and open the slot, the camera came with an adapter cord to connect to a computer. Grab the cord and find the smaller end, not the USB end, and place it in the second hole from the bottom in the slot. Next, connect the USB end to the computer, don't forget to turn the camera back on, the computer should have a pop up that asks what to do with the file from the camera. Press the button that says, "view files," the file explorer tab should appear, and the picture can be viewed from there.