Live View--Especially as it Pertains to Canon 7D
Jun 26, 2012 16:59:06 #
Almost without exception the many manuals I've consulted praise the virtues of Live View (LV).
Would like to ask our fine and many resident experts to comment on your experiences and possible practical approaches in dealing with any difficulties encountered in using LV--if, indeed, such was the case.
Please comment--when and how you use LV? I personally experience difficulties with the slowness of AF. What steps seem to give the best results? Or do you avoid using LV entirely? The only possible success I have with LV is perhaps in landscapes but even there I'm mot very happy.
Would like to ask our fine and many resident experts to comment on your experiences and possible practical approaches in dealing with any difficulties encountered in using LV--if, indeed, such was the case.
Please comment--when and how you use LV? I personally experience difficulties with the slowness of AF. What steps seem to give the best results? Or do you avoid using LV entirely? The only possible success I have with LV is perhaps in landscapes but even there I'm mot very happy.
Jun 26, 2012 17:12:10 #
Neddick wrote:
Almost without exception the many manuals I've con... (show quote)
I have the 7D and use live view infrequently, usually because I can zoom in and use it for critical manual focus. Obiously, this works only for stationary subjects. Other than that, I have no use for it.
Jun 26, 2012 17:28:06 #
Jun 26, 2012 17:29:43 #
I have used it for fine focus on stationary object, other than that, I find no use for it.
Jun 26, 2012 17:37:20 #
fthomas
Loc: Philippines
I don't have the 7D, but the 60D and use live view all the time for macro and landscapes. It helps a tremendous amount to use a Hoodman HoodLoupe 3.0 (of course this thing isn't cheap). That is when Live View really starts to have advantages. Until then using Live View was difficult during the day because you couldn't see the screen due to glare.
The greatest benefit for me is helping me determine composition of my image better than just through the view finder and for manual focusing for macro. I think it is an under utlized feature and tool with some great advantages.
The greatest benefit for me is helping me determine composition of my image better than just through the view finder and for manual focusing for macro. I think it is an under utlized feature and tool with some great advantages.
Jun 26, 2012 17:42:44 #
fthomas wrote:
... using Live View was difficult during the day because you couldn't see the screen due to glare.
An interesting idea for reducing daytime glare http://goo.gl/JStBq
Jun 26, 2012 17:45:20 #
I sometimes use it for shots real close to the ground and I don't want to get dirty or there are times when the subject was at some weird angle and didn't allow me to look through the view finder. I found that it focuses very slow and you must keep camera very still or it'll move out of focus. 99% of the time though I use the view finder.
Jun 26, 2012 19:00:26 #
I shot Nikon :) I use it for Moon shots and micro work. Other than those 2 things, pretty much useless.
Erv
Erv
Jun 27, 2012 02:43:19 #
Neddick wrote:
Please comment--when and how you use LV? I personally experience difficulties with the slowness of AF. What steps seem to give the best results? Or do you avoid using LV entirely? The only possible success I have with LV is perhaps in landscapes but even there I'm mot very happy.
Neddick, I use a 5dll and use LV mostly for night, studio and landscape and of course only with the camera on a tripod. I use it for focus and always on manual focus and exclusively on 10X. I sometimes use it for birds when they are big and standing still or small birds in branches and not moving since I can't get the auto focus to lock onto what I'm shooting, even on the center focus. The drawbacks? I always focus then turn it off. If you leave it on too long your camera will shut down due to the sensor overheating. When it starts to heat up you will see it start to get noisy, NOT good. That noise will be in your photo. If you use it a lot , be sure to turn off and let it cool between shots. I don't think the overheating will cause any damage but better to not introduce the noise, I don't know how long it takes to clear up.
Of course it's what makes video possible. It's a great thing for a lot of situations but just keep it within its' limits. I would not get a camera that does not have LV unless I had to.
Jun 27, 2012 08:45:10 #
St3v3M wrote:
An interesting idea for reducing daytime glare http://goo.gl/JStBq
fthomas wrote:
... using Live View was difficult during the day because you couldn't see the screen due to glare.
An interesting idea for reducing daytime glare http://goo.gl/JStBq
I have used these on several of my Canon DSLRs, mostly to protect the LCD screen. They do help a bit but not really a lot. I took some video of an outdoor horse show at mid day and at least I was able to focus and frame the shot.
To me these are worth the investment.
Jun 27, 2012 10:04:51 #
Neddick wrote:
I use it for fine manual focus on macros when I cannot get a clear view thru the viewfinder and when taking video. For the most part, I don't use it very much.Almost without exception the many manuals I've con... (show quote)
Jun 27, 2012 10:36:31 #
If my 60D is on a tripod, and it usually is, I'm using Live View with manual focus. Some advantages include 1) the mirror is automatically locked up, 2) the camera is nearly silent (can be important with interior shots), 3) it makes AEB (Automatic Exposure Bracketing) for HDR easier IMO, 4) manual focusing on an enlarged LCD image is usualy more accurate than automatic focusing.
Jun 27, 2012 10:47:17 #
Very handy for MACRO photography when shooting at low levels or unusual angles and where getting the eye to the viewfinder can be difficult or impossible. The high magnification screen image helps critical focus when DOF is extremely limited. Essentially allows the photographer more time to relax and concentrate on technique and composition rather than continually squinting into the viewfinder in these circumstances.
Jun 27, 2012 11:42:41 #
I use it for fine focus when I have my 7inch monitor attached or when i am tethered to my computer.
Jun 27, 2012 11:55:28 #
I use LV on my 5d for landscapes when the lighting isn't changing rapidly; I can magnify the image 10x to manually focus. This is especially useful when using a 24mm tilt/shift lens, since that lens doesn't have auto focus. The magnified image (for me anyway) is much easier to focus than the image in the viewfinder.
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