In This Appendix
Downloading with a USB cable
Downloading with a card reader
Updating the T1i/500D firmware
You can download digital images from the Rebel T1i/500D using the USB cable that is supplied with your camera, or by using an accessory card reader. After you download the images to the computer, you can use the programs that Canon provides with the camera to view, sort, and edit the images.
One advantage of digital cameras is that manufacturers periodically offer updates to the internal instructions that improve aspects of the camera or resolve minor problems. These internal instructions are called firmware. Canon offers not only firmware updates for the Rebel T1i/500D, but it also offers updates to the software programs such as Digital Photo Professional that come with the camera.
In this appendix, you learn how to download images to your computer and how to update the Rebel firmware when updates are available.
Downloading images using the USB cable supplied with the camera is as simple as connecting the camera to the computer with the USB cable.
Note
For details on choosing JPEG or RAW capture options, see Chapter 2.
Before you begin downloading images, be sure that:
The camera battery has a full charge
You've installed the programs on the EOS Digital Solution Disk
If you want to transfer only some images to the computer, then you must first select them.
Press the Menu button, and then turn the Main dial to select the Playback 1 (blue) menu.
Press the down cross key to highlight Transfer order, and then press the Set button. The Transfer order screen appears.
Press the Set button. The last captured image appears on the LCD with controls at the top left of the preview image.
To select the image for transfer to the computer, press the up or down cross key. A checkmark appears in the box at the top left of the image.
Press the left or right cross key to move to the next image, and then repeat Step 4 to select the image for transfer, or continue moving through the images on the card.
Follow these steps to download pictures to your computer:
Turn off the camera and turn the Mode dial to anything except Movie mode.
Insert the USB cable into the digital terminal located on the side of the camera under the rubber cover. Make sure the symbol on the front of the cable is facing the front of the camera, and then insert the other end of the USB cable into an available USB slot on your computer.
Turn the camera power switch On. The EOS Utility window appears and the Direct transfer screen appears on the camera LCD with several options for transferring images to the computer. The All image option is selected.
Select one of the image transfer options on the camera LCD by pressing the up or down cross key. You can choose from the following options:
All images. The camera transfers all images on the media card to the computer.
New images. The camera automatically chooses and transfers images that haven't already been transferred to the computer.
Transfer order images. To use this option, you must first select the images as described previously.
Select and transfer. Press the Set button. The last captured image appears on the LCD. To select and transfer the image, press the Set button, or press the left or right cross key to select another image, and then press the Set button. Then press the Menu button to exit the screen.
Wallpaper. Select if you want to use one of the images on the media card as the wallpaper for your computer screen. Then press the Menu button to exit the screen. Only JPEG images can be selected as Wallpaper.
To transfer images, press the LiveView shooting/Movie shooting/Print/Share button on the back of the camera or click the Starts to download images option in the EOS Utility screen on your computer. The Print/Share button, located to the right of the LCD panel, has a printer icon with a jagged arrow under it. The blue Print/Share light blinks as the images transfer to your computer. On the computer, transferred images are displayed in a Quick Preview window, and Digital Photo Professional opens to display all images. Images are stored in the My Pictures folder on a Windows PC or to the Pictures folder on a Mac.
Turn off the camera, and then disconnect the cable from the camera and the computer.
After the images are downloaded to the computer, you can choose the task that you want to do next from the panel or toolbar in the Digital Photo Professional window.
The easiest way to download images from the camera to the computer is by using a card reader. A card reader is a small device that plugs into the computer with its own USB cable. You can leave the card reader plugged into the computer indefinitely, making it a handy way to download images. Also, with a card reader, you don't have to use the camera battery while you download images. When you're ready to download images, you insert the media card into the card-reader slot. The card reader is displayed on the computer as a drive with an icon. Just double-click the card-reader icon to display the images folder on the SD/SDHC media card.
Card readers come in single and multiple card styles. Multiple-card-style readers accept SD, SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity), and other media card types. Card readers are inexpensive and have a small footprint on the desktop. All in all, they are a bargain for the convenience that they offer.
Install the card reader according to manufacturer recommendations, and then follow these steps to download images:
Note
The steps may vary slightly depending on your card reader and computer's preferences.
Remove the media card from the camera, and insert it into the card reader. A window opens, displaying the media card folder.
Double-click the folder to display the images, select all the images, and drag them to the folder where you want to store them on your computer.
One advantage of owning a digital camera such as the T1i/500D is that Canon often posts updates to the firmware (the internal instructions) for the camera to its Web site. New firmware releases can add improved functionality to existing features and, in some cases, fix reported problems with the camera.
New firmware along with ever-improving software keeps your camera and your ability to process images current as technology improves. To determine if you need to update firmware, compare the firmware version number installed on your T1i/500D to the latest release from Canon on its Web site.
To check the current firmware version installed on your camera, follow these steps. Press the Menu button, and then turn the Main dial to select the Setup 3 (yellow) menu. The Firmware Ver. menu item displays the currently installed version of the firmware. Note the firmware version number. If the firmware installed on your camera is older than the firmware offered on the Canon Web site, then your camera firmware needs updating.
Note
When you update the firmware, you can also choose to download the latest versions of Canon's Digital Photo Professional, ZoomBrowser EX, EOS Utility, and other programs that are provided on the EOS Digital Solution Disk as well as online versions of the printed manuals that come with the T1i/500D.
Before installing firmware updates, be sure that the camera battery has a full charge. If the camera loses power during the firmware update, the camera can become inoperable. Also have a freshly formatted media card available on which to copy the firmware update. Or you can connect the camera to your computer with a USB cable, and then copy the firmware file onto the media card in the camera.
To download firmware updates and install them on the Rebel T1i/500D, follow these steps:
Insert the media card into a card reader attached to your computer, and then go to the Canon Web site at
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=18385#DownloadDetailAct.Click Drivers & Downloads, and then click the down arrow next to Select OS and select your computer's operating system.
Scroll down the page to the Firmware section, and then click the firmware link displayed in red. The Drivers & Downloads page appears with complete instructions for downloading and installing the firmware.
Scroll down the page to the License Agreement, and then click I Agree – Begin Download. A new window opens with details on the firmware updates and installation instructions. Follow the installation instructions provided on the Web site to download the firmware to your computer.
On your computer, click and drag the firmware file to the SD/SDHC card displayed on your computer. The card reader is displayed on the computer as a hard drive.
Insert the SD/SDHC card into the camera, and then press the Menu button on the back of the camera.
Turn the Main dial to select the Setup 3 (yellow) menu, and then press the down cross key to highlight Firmware Ver. The camera displays the current firmware version number with a message asking you to confirm that you want to update the firmware.
Press the right cross key to highlight OK, and then press the Set button. The Firmware update program screen appears on the LCD, and then the camera asks you to select the firmware version to update.
Press the Set button, and then press the right cross key to select OK. The updating process begins and a progress bar appears. Do not turn off the camera or press any buttons until the update is completed.
Press the Set button to select OK.