Shooting tips for my 350D I wish someone had told me in the beginning

When I first started shooting in anger with my 350D (9 months and over 15,000 shutter activations ago, not counting the film shots...) I had immense trouble and frustration losing shots to focus issues. Happily, a few things I learnt along the way really helped me:

1) Not using multi-point AF. Set it to the centre point and leave it there. Point at what you want in sharp focus, half-press the shutter, hold it down and recompose, then take the shot. Also, if you're having trouble getting the AF to lock, remember that it needs some contrast to work with. So give it an edge to look at (one that's at the focus point you want, of course) and then recompose.

2) Not using A-DEP. I don't know why I started using this in the first place really, but now I pretty much leave the camera on aperture priority (Av) and adjust for the depth of field I want (within the limitations of available light and motion of my subject... bearing in mind that you can't have everything!) Occasionally I go full manual (and paradoxically, sometimes I use P for manual lenses - eg. FD stuff with aperture rings, because the metering still helps).

3) Using one-shot AF mode. AI Focus and AI Servo modes for me are nice ideas, but I haven't figured out how to use them properly. Mostly they just cause me to focus on the wrong thing and I've come to prefer the certainty of a positive AF lock. That said, I have gotten a couple of nice bird-in-flight shots with AI Focus that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Save it for special [purpose] occasions.

4) Actual depth of field. Yes, f/1.8 is lovely for low light work and portraits, but if you're not careful your depth of field might only be a couple of centimetres, if not millimetres. You might not notice the difference in the viewfinder but you'll surely see it when you view the result full size. Consider f/8 or narrower if you have the light to do it without going so low on the shutter speed that you shake the shot anyway. (Oh and for the record, I _love_ f/1.8!)

5) Adjusting the viewfinder diopter. That little wheel to the right of the viewfinder may be set wrong for you (it's personal) and might be causing you not to notice focus issues. Or in my case, be so far out that I can barely make myself look in the viewfinder.

6) Holding the camera steady. Seems obvious, but sometimes you think you're steady when you're really not. If you're down below, say, 1/250, check your stance. Hold the lens barrel as well as the camera (don't disturb the focus, mind!) Use whatever's nearby (wall, post, etc) to brace yourself. Use a tripod. Use a monopod. Use a remote release. Etc. Etc. I can hand-hold 1/10 if I get lucky (but I do have good and bad days), but don't risk it if you don't have to. Hold the shutter release down and take a few shots if you're working on the edge - you might get at least one that works.

7) Using a vertical grip. For me, this added a nice amount of weight to the camera which make it easier for me to keep steady. The extra shutter button also meant I was much less likely to push the camera sideways when I hit the button on a portrait (ie. sideways) shot.

8) Staying on or under ISO 800. On the 350D, cranking the sensor up to ISO 1600 makes for some serious noise in the image. ISO 800 is ever so much nicer. Use ISO 1600 only if you must and be prepared for some serious editing (and/or disappointment). (Note that later models are much better in this regard - the 500D will give you decent results at 1600, for example, and this will only get better as the technology improves - one area where digital is definitely going to beat film, I'd say.)

Meanwhile, know that manual focus with a matte focus screen (ie. no split circle or microprisms) is really hard, especially with some of the cheaper EF lenses with really jumpy focus rings. And the LCD is so tiny it make make bad shots look OK (even if you zoom in the view). Trust the AF (but do try the "centre point AF, lock and recompose" trick). You may also wish to investigate a third-party split-circle focus screen if you really want to do a lot of manual focus work.

Look over your failed shots and try to figure out if it was focus or camera shake that killed it. What looks like focus might also just be depth of field - look for the sharp spot in the image. And shake might just be the operator trying to pushing the envelope too far - digital cameras are amazing but they're not magical.

Happy shooting!