Advertisement
16
Part I: Fast Track to Super Snaps
Working with Memory Cards
Instead of recording images on film, digital cameras store pictures on
memory cards. Your Rebel T3/1100D uses a specific type of memory card —
an SD (Secure Digital) card, shown in Figures 1-6 and 1-7. You can also use
high-capacity SD cards, which carry the label SDHC and come in capacities
ranging from 4–32GB (gigabytes), and extended-capacity (SDXC) cards, which
offer capacities greater than 32GB.
Memory cards also are rated according to speed class, which refers to how
quickly data can be written to and read from the card. A higher-speed card
helps ensure the smoothest movie recording and playback. Currently, the
fastest cards have a speed rating of 10. For movie recording, Canon recom-
mends that you purchase a card with a speed class of 6 or higher.
Unlike other digital SLRs, the T3/1100D memory card is located in the same
compartment as the battery, which is underneath the camera. Some Canon
compact digital cameras share this design. In and of itself, this location is nei-
ther good or bad. You'll get used to it. However, if you have your T3/1100D
mounted on a tripod and you need to swap out memory cards, you may find
it difficult to remove the card without taking the camera off the tripod.
Whatever the speed or capacity,
safeguarding your memory cards —
and the images on them — requires a
few precautions:
You may find using Live View more comfortable than the viewfinder if
you're stepping up to the T3/1100D from a point-and-shoot camera with-
out a viewfinder. But using the monitor is one of the biggest drains on
battery power, and autofocusing in Live View mode is slower than when
you use the viewfinder. For these reasons and a few others that you can
explore in Chapter 4, we stick with the viewfinder for most regular pho-
tography and reserve Live View for movie recording. (You can't use the
viewfinder in Movie mode.)
✓
Inserting a card: Turn the
camera off and then put the
card in the card slot with the
label facing the back of the
camera, as shown in Figure 1-6.
Push the card into the slot until
it clicks into place.
Memory card
Memory card access light
Figure 1-6:
Insert the card with the label facing
the camera back.
Advertisement
