3 questions regarding the DRebel (help an amateur out!)

[Blitz]

Sorry if these seem obvious to most of you, but I'm really trying to get better with my DRebel. It's enough that no one takes a 16 year old seriously (the fact that most think of the Rebel as a "toy" because it's silver doesn't help), but it's far worse if I don't learn to make good use of such a great camera.

1. When I set the camera to Av or Tv mode, the Automatic Exposure is +2. I have no idea how to get it back to 0, and have tried playing with the menu. Should I just reset to Default Settings?

2. What exactly does the Sensor Clean option do? I've yet to try it in the few months that I've had the camera. Should I be doing it every now and then?

3. This is the big one. I have absolutely no idea what RAW means. What are the advantages to shooting these files? Am I missing out by not using them? I'll happily admit I'm just an amateur. Any information is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Andy_T]

Question #4) Is it good to post the same question in different Forums?
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=46154

Answer: No, you should not do that. The reason is that with more than one thread, some comments will be here, some there, and nobody will know in which one to answer.
For this reason, duplicate threads are normally locked by moderators.

But then, as you're new to the forum, you did not know that :wink:

Welcome to the forum and Good luck with your camera!

Best regards,
Andy

[Jon]

1) AEC is +2 in Av/Tv. To correct this (I think it's essentially the same on the DR), depress the shutter release part way and spin the back wheel (is that the 4 buttons around the "Set" button on a DR?), watching the AEC setting move back to normal.
2) If you start seeing evidence of dirt or dust on the sensor, this will lock the mirror up and the shutter open so you can use the proper sensor-cleaning tools to remove it. THere are several threads on that here - you can find them with the "Search" function.
3) "Raw" is the unaltered information directly as it's captured by the camera's sensor. It's not directly usable under normal circumstances, although PhotoShop CS and PS Pro 9 have the ability to read Canon Raw. The advantages are that, because it's unprocessed, you can apply much more precise and extensive controls to the data, thus getting a better-quality image in dificult conditions. The disadvantages are that fewer programs can read it, and you'll have to do a lot of work to get the most out of it. Many people find it's just not worth the effort. If you do, or find yourself wanting to do, a lot of post-processing to your photos, though, it's probably the way to go. If what comes out of the camera, using the parameter sets Canon makes available to you, is good enough, stick with Jpeg Large Fine.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Hi Blitz,

As Andy has kindly pointed out.. mutiple posts are indeed a no no :) for a few reasons. The obvious one is plain and simple "clutter".. but of more concern is now you have people taking there own personal time to answer this same question in two threads. :?

Normally a "dupe" is deleted.. but as Jon has been good enough to provide such a comprehensive answer we'll just leave a marker here for others to find the correct thread in the "EOS" forum.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=46154

Welcome to the forum! :)

To avoid further confusion you may want to have a look at the forum rules;

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/rules.php

....which are availble via link located on the top right hand side of any page of this forum. :wink:

CDS