Setting Up Your Canon Rebel T6 or EOS 1300D

Once you have purchased your Canon Rebel T6 or 1300D (depending on where in the world you are), you will need to go through some basic set-up procedures. The very first thing you should do is to charge the battery. this could at up to four hours, but it is recommended to charge it fully to begin with as it helps maintain the battery life over the long term. The battery fits in through a door on the bottom of the camera and, as is often the case, it will only fit in one way. The Canon logo needs to be facing upwards if the camera is on its back. There is a clip that will keep it in place. Then insert the memory card. The camera does not come with a memory card, so you will need to buy one. Many professionals use Sandisk cards. They are a little more expensive, but are preferred because they offer a lifetime guarantee on many of their cards. Remember, this only refers to the card itself, not the information on it, so always download your pictures or videos onto something more secure, like an external hard drive or a computer. The memory card slips into a slot next to the battery and, again, it will only fit in one way.

Then you need to fix the lens. If you have bought the standard kit lens, the 18-55mm EF-S II, then you will see a small white square on the rim. Take the cap off the camera and you will see a corresponding white square on the camera. Line the two up and then turn the lens clockwise until it clicks. When changing lenses on a digital camera, always try to keep the camera body facing down so that dust doesn’t get into the camera itself.

Then we can look at changing some of the settings inside the camera. When you switch the camera on for the first time, the option to set the time and date will pop up. These values can be changed easily using the cross keys on the back of the camera. Then you will be asked if you want to save the date in the UK style (day, month, year) or the USA style (month, day, year). After setting these, goto the menu tabs. With this Canon camera, it is a good idea to have the camera switched to the manual setting on the mode dial. This is because all the tabs will then be visible on the LCD screen on the back. If you have it set on some of the automatic modes, the number of available tabs will be reduced. The first thing to look at now is the preferred language. That is in Shooting Tab 2. Use the cross keys to navigate and change it to the best language for you. There are plenty to choose from.

It is recommended to format the memory card regularly. This is because they can malfunction if the are written and over-written too often without being reset. The option here is in Shooting Tab 1. When selecting this, there will be a warning saying that all the data will be lost. This includes any images or videos that you may have protected, so you really should only format after you have downloaded everything you want from the card.

The viewfinder has a small wheel next to it which can help you see better if you wear glasses or have poor eyesight. This is the dioptric adjuster. Basically it changes the focal length of the viewfinder to match your eyesight. Remember, however, that this only changes what you see through the viewfinder. It does not affect the way the camera will focus or take pictures.

Sometimes, when you are working, the LCD screen will automatically switch off. This helps to save your battery life, but it can be annoying. To switch it back on press the menu button. to change it got to auto power off, which is in Set-Up Tab 1. You can extend it up to 15 minutes or disable it altogether, but I suggest extending it to 1 minute.

Finally, set the image size. This option is in Shooting Tab 1. There are various options, but I would recommend High quality Jpeg, as this allows you to save high quality images without taking up too much space on your memory card.

The Canon Rebel T6/EOS 1300D is an excellent beginners DSLR and is very competitively priced. This is one of a series of tutorials about the camera.