EOS Rebel T7 settings for baseball and family photos

[baemey1]

Hi I'm new to this camera I would love if someone can guide me how to set my camera, I'm trying to take pictures of baseball and some family photos I have EF 100-400 F./4.5- 5.6L

[Waddizzle]

“ …I am new to this camera… “

Does that also mean that you are new to using an interchangeable lens camera?  Like a musical instrument, one cannot buy a guitar and expect to use and play it proficiently right away. You need to learn about music theory. 

Using a “real” camera is similar. While the camera does have “automatic” modes that can setup the camera to capture photos in various shooting scenarios and lighting conditions, the results are often mediocre.

 In other words, no one can really tell you exactly what to do ahead of time. Too much depends on your shooting location, ambient lighting conditions, and your subjects. 

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome to the forum:
Using a dedicated camera is a very different experience from using a cell phone. The potential to take better pictures is greater but you need to understand how cameras work with light and how to control exposure, focus and composition.

I would suggest watching some of the following videos:

The first one, by a professional photographer is a gentle education into the basics of photography:

Choose from one or more of these videos to learn the controls of your camera specifically:
(7) Rebel T7 Tutorials - YouTube

Now, some folks prefer to have hand-on education, in which case I recommend engaging with a local camera club or college to see if they offer a course on photography basics.

The lens you quote is not a Canon unit, so I'm guessing it is a 3rd party unit like a Tamron or Sigma.  They should work fine but for general social photography  you would want something with a shorter focal range and with less bulk and weight.  I would suggest the Canon EF-S 18-135 IS USM lens, it's a great optic and not expensive, but not sold new by Canon any longer as they have moved to the R mirrorless platform - if you live in the US, you can pick one up from KEH.COM, which sells them with a warranty.

For baseball specifically, again there are videos on You Tube that will offer some suggestions. There are folks here who do a lot of that, so I will leave it to them to offer their advice.

[zakslm]

baemey1,

The advice you received is good advice.  Experience, in addition to the online photo courses, etc. is required to take or make decent photos.  A photography course at a local community college or an community education course would also be very useful and valuable.

Unfortunatly, the above takes time and a lot of "shutter clicks", but if you're serious about learning, it's worth it.

I have to say that you haven't made it easy on yourself.  Leaning with a 100-400 L lens may be like learning to drive in a highly tuned sports car with a manual transmission.  If you have the kit lens (EF-S 18-55 IS) using that on you camera during the initial learning phases may speed the process.

Answering your question - I don't shoot baseball, but guessing at it, I'd try this first:  Set the T7 to "Sports" mode.  See and follow the instructions on page 70 of the manual that you can download from usa.canon.com if you haven't done so already.   

Good luck!

LZ