- \n
- Make sure the battery is charged<\/strong> and an SD card<\/strong> is inserted<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Remove the lens cap<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Move the power switch<\/strong> on the top of the camera to ON<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Taking a Photo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Look through the viewfinder<\/strong> or use the screen<\/strong>\n
- \n
- To switch between the viewfinder and the screen, press the button with the camera <\/strong>icon<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/files\/2025\/11\/View-Finder-button-1024x805.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n- \n
- Press the shutter button halfway<\/strong> to focus\n
- \n
- You\u2019ll hear a beep or see a focus indicator<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Press the shutter button all the way down<\/strong> to take the photo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/files\/2025\/11\/Shutter-button-1024x860.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUsing Auto Mode (Recommended for Beginners)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If you just need to take photos quickly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Turn the mode dial<\/strong> to A (Auto)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/files\/2025\/11\/SL3-mode-1024x601.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n- \n
- The camera will automatically choose the best settings for you<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Focus on framing your shot and pressing the shutter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Understanding the Exposure Triangle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re ready for more control, you\u2019ll adjust three settings that affect how bright your photo is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Aperture (f-stop):<\/strong> Controls how much light enters the lens and how blurry the background is<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Shutter Speed:<\/strong> Controls how long the shutter stays open and how motion appears<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ISO:<\/strong> Controls how sensitive the camera is to light<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Changing one setting affects the others. Together, these make up the exposure triangle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/files\/2025\/11\/Exposure-triangle-1024x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUsing Manual Mode<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
To control all settings yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Turn the mode dial<\/strong> to M (Manual)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- All settings will appear on the screen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In Manual mode:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Use the main dial<\/strong> to change shutter speed<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/files\/2025\/11\/IMG_6171-1024x768.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n- \n
- Press the ISO button<\/strong> to adjust ISO<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/files\/2025\/11\/ISO-button-1-1024x550.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n- \n
- To change the aperture, use the main dial <\/strong>while holding the AV <\/strong>button <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/files\/2025\/11\/AV-and-slider-1024x768.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWatch the exposure meter on the screen to help balance your settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reviewing Your Photos<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Press the Play<\/strong> button to view photos you\u2019ve taken<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use the arrow<\/strong> buttons or dial to scroll through images<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Press Delete<\/strong> if you need to remove a photo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Shooting Video <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Turn the dial<\/strong> to movie mode<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/files\/2025\/11\/Movie-mode-1024x680.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n- \n
- To start and stop the recording, press the camera<\/strong> button with the adjacent red dot<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/files\/2025\/11\/View-Finder-button-1-1024x805.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHelpful Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Use Auto mode<\/strong> when you\u2019re unsure<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use Manual mode<\/strong> when lighting or motion matters<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Keep your ISO as low as possible<\/strong> for cleaner images<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If photos look blurry, try a faster shutter speed<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re Ready to Shoot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t need to master every setting to take good photos. Start simple, experiment often, and adjust as you go. The Canon SL3 is a great camera for learning photography fundamentals while producing high-quality results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Canon SL3 DSLR Camera is a versatile, beginner-friendly camera that gives you more creative control than a phone or point-and-shoot. You might use the Canon SL3 when you want higher-quality photos or video, sharper images in low light, or the ability to control settings like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. It\u2019s a great option […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audiovisualequipment","category-tutorials"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":609,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions\/609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/mediacenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Use Manual mode<\/strong> when lighting or motion matters<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use Auto mode<\/strong> when you\u2019re unsure<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- To start and stop the recording, press the camera<\/strong> button with the adjacent red dot<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Use the arrow<\/strong> buttons or dial to scroll through images<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Press the Play<\/strong> button to view photos you\u2019ve taken<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- To change the aperture, use the main dial <\/strong>while holding the AV <\/strong>button <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Press the ISO button<\/strong> to adjust ISO<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- All settings will appear on the screen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Shutter Speed:<\/strong> Controls how long the shutter stays open and how motion appears<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Aperture (f-stop):<\/strong> Controls how much light enters the lens and how blurry the background is<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Turn the mode dial<\/strong> to A (Auto)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Press the shutter button halfway<\/strong> to focus\n
- To switch between the viewfinder and the screen, press the button with the camera <\/strong>icon<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Remove the lens cap<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n