Eos D 1
The EOS 5D is one of my favorite cameras of the entire line FIG 3.11 . It costs a bit more than the 30D, but if you can afford it, I think this is the camera to start with. First of all, this unit features a full frame, 24 X 36 mm, 12.8 megapixel CMOS sensor, which means no conversion factor. Your lenses will give you exactly what they were designed for. As this prosumer model is one step below the professional cameras, you can expect to see less of the consumer influence. For example, the pop...
Working With External Light Meters
Today's external digital light meters are miracles for photographers. All of the good ones are able to read in increments of 1 10 of an f-stop and, when they're properly calibrated to your equipment, will yield exposures that are impressively exact. Canon's internal light meters are terrific, too, and you may never come up against a situation where they will not perform admirably. Still, for studio photographers working with either Canon Speedlites in manual mode, or larger studio strobes,...
Automatic Focus Point Selection
Manufacturers have created and implemented many versions of AF over the years, but none have been as successful as Canon, mostly because, unlike other companies, Canon designs their entire system in house. Refined during the 35 mm EOS era, Canon has incorporated new algorithms and new chip technology to realize an AF system of unparalleled performance. Working in conjunction with the super fast Digic processor, Image Stabilization in some lenses , Ultrasonic Motors and the latest in CMOS...
Monochrome
Monochrome, another new algorithm, redefines Canon's traditional Black and White Parameter setting to create totally neutral RGB or sRGB images that are full of visual information and rival those produced in a darkroom FIG 6.19 . With this interface, Canon gives you the option of creating and registering three Picture Styles with your choice of Detailed Settings. For example, you could select the Portrait Picture Style, set the Sharpness to 3 and Contrast to 2, leaving the Color Tone alone....
Quick Start
Okay, so you've got your new camera and lens, and you're champing at the bit to take a picture. Now, I'm the last guy on Earth who'll tell you not to read the instruction manual today's cameras have so many sophisticated controls and systems that you'll actually be doing yourself a disfavor if you decide to rely only on what you know about film camera operation. Still, I remember my own excitement when I opened the box of my first Canon DSLR, the D60, and how anxious I was to lock and load so I...
Night Portrait
This mode will work best if you have your camera on a tripod, as the camera will automatically hold the shutter open long enough to register I wanted to use a sequence shot on snow to 1. Remember that Basic modes do not allow any exposure compensation. It doesn't matter if you're dealing with a film or digital camera every in-camera light meter can be fooled by a scene that's overly light or dark. The default meter mode, Evaluative, is designed to provide averages for whatever scene it looks...
Camera Metering
All Canon DSLRs are capable of metering exposure, via TTL Through The Lens full aperture metering, three or four different ways, each of which is accessed though the Metering Mode button. Note that none of the Rebels have spot metering, nor do any of the cameras that preceded the 30D the 20D, 10D, D60 or D30. Whether you select Evaluative, Partial, Spot, or Center-Weighted Averaging, you'll get a very accurate exposure for any average scene. Note that while you will be able to see the...
David Bicho
A rising star in Stockholm, Swedish fashion photographer David Bicho didn't shoot a paying job until age 30, and then only marketing job for a Swedish governmental institution. I spent all my awake time for a couple of years, just building my portfolio, he says. They liked it I got the job. Bicho became interested in photography at an early age, as many of us do. I went on a father-son trip to my father's home town of Lisbon, Portugal. I borrowed my mother's SLR to take some snapshots but was...
RGB Image Adjustment
You can continue to fine-tune your image by selecting the RGB Image Adjustment button, found at the top of the Tool window. Here you'll find what looks like a traditional histogram. While it shares some of the functions of a histogram, it's actually a Tone Curve Adjustment and, as such, combines the best of Photoshop's Levels and Curves with some additional features FIG 9.41 . As with Photoshop's Curves, you create a break point by clicking and dragging certain portions of the graph line,...
Canon Around the World
Take a look at what peers and colleagues can do with their Canon gear, and make note of their tricks and tips for your own work. With all the wonderful gear at their disposal, it's no wonder that Canon shooters of every level produce consistently remarkable images. From casual snapshots to photojournalism to commissioned advertising, Canon delivers the goods. There is an acronym, WYSIWYG Whizzy-wig , What You See Is What You Get, that was the Holy Grail for digital imagers. In the early years...
Gerry Kopelow
I caught up with Canada's Gerry Kopelow shortly before he was scheduled to leave for a hectic 10 days of teaching and lecturing in the States. A noted architectural photographer and author, Kopelow's insight and expertise is in great demand, especially by Canon, who often asks his help on the floor at events where architecture and photography come together. At 57, Kopelow is at the top of his game, and always willing to help those coming up the ranks. Gerry began his career in eighth grade,...
Manual Focus Point Selection MFPS
You may find it helpful to select a focus point manually. This is a useful function if you have many shots where the primary focus point will fall in a specific area, such as with a series of head and shoulder portraits. In such a case, you will not want the focus point to be influenced by body parts or props you'll want to keep primary focus on the face. Whether you're shooting vertically or horizontally, you can select the proper focus point by pushing the AF button and selecting the correct...
Jeff Carsten
For all her speed and determination, Suzy was no match for Jeff Carsten's 20D, even in Program Mode. Carsten's 100-400 mm zoom, at 300 mm, gave him the angle of view of a 480 mm lens, allowing for the camera's 1.6 conversion factor, and AI Servo focus tracked the pup effortlessly as Carsten held the trigger down. ISO 400, 1 800 at f9 www.southernlightphoto.com FIG 10.21 .
Canon Dslr 1
Amsterdam Boston Heidelberg London New York Oxford Paris San Diego San Francisco Singapore Sydney Tokyo Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA Copyright 2008, Christopher Grey. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved The right of Christopher Grey to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs...
The Main Dial
The Main Dial is located just behind the shutter button on the camera-right side. You will use this wheel to change Focus Points, make Exposure Compensation adjustments, change ISO, and to control many more functions FIG 4.3 . EOS-1 bodies have an extra Main Dial with its own on off switch , along with an additional FEL button and shutter release, located under the camera's right side grip. Called the Vertical Grip Dial, this extra dial allows the photographer to control everything while...
Maximizing the Digital Negative
As I discuss in various parts of this book, there are many reasons one would shoot in RAW, the most important being the amount of control one has over the final processing of the image. A RAW file is considered the digital equivalent to a film negative thankfully without the requisite liquid chemistry and can be affected by a variety of software controls to create a .tif or .jpg file delivering exactly what you want to present. It does take additional time to work a RAW file, which is something...
Tv Shutter Speed Priority AE
Tv Time value , allows you to choose the shutter speed best suited to your creative needs while the camera chooses the correct reciprocal f-stop. This mode is a valuable tool when photographing moving objects because you can easily change the amount of motion blur in your final image, from none at all to as much as you want IG 5.24 . Note that if you see the aperture light blinking in the viewfinder or on the LCD display, you will not get a correct exposure IGS 5.25 and 5.26 . On many of its...
Quick Control Dial
Found on the back of every EOS prosumer model and EOS-1 camera, the Quick Control Dial works in conjunction with a great many of the camera's settings the Rebel uses a set of Cross-Keys . You will use it to dial through the many Menu items, select AF Auto Focus points, make exposure adjustments, or just to check images on the LCD screen. The Quick Control Dial is also used to change focus points. On the 1Ds Mark II, for example, the only way to move your focus point up and down without...
Default setTI CMltti
FIG 6.47 Moving the Color Tone slider to the right will skew colors toward yellow I used a 30D for this demo, and the interface for this function varies slightly between body styles, so your set up screens may look different. Check your camera's manual to understand what's possible and how it's configured. I'd suggest you then run a test like I did to understand the differences and subtleties you can achieve with your equipment. Want more The Canon website has three more Picture Styles...
Successful Workflow
There are monthly articles in almost every photography-related magazine, lectures given by experts in or near your fair city several times a year, and a never-ending stream of tips, ideas or just plain hearsay from store clerks and friends regarding just exactly what proper workflow is and how to accomplish it. For all the discussion, it's a very difficult subject to pin down because of one simple truth workflow is a little different for everyone. Beginning here, we'll take a hard look at...
Program AE
Like its Basic Zone brother, Full Automatic, Program AE Auto Exposure is a general purpose shooting mode and will set shutter speed and aperture in exactly the same way. Still, it offers quite a number of options that Full Auto does not, but here a just a few of the most important IG 5.23 . You can change the White Balance from Auto White Balance to any of the presets or to a Custom White Balance always a good idea . Even Color Temperature, a way to dial in a color temperature of choice, is...
Highlight Alert
It's not totally accurate, but if you are close to overexposure you'll see small portions of your image blink in the LCD. Canon's overexposure threshold is relatively low, and any minor blinking areas should not be a huge source of alarm. When you see major portions of your displayed image blinking black to white you might want to reevaluate your exposure strategy. Test your own equipment to determine limits you find acceptable, then dial in appropriate Exposure Compensation or adjust your...
Multi Stroboscopic Flash
Multi Stroboscopic Flash is yet another option for the creative photographer. Using this Mode gets you a multiple, rapid burst of strobe fires that will freeze movement in multiple positions. Use the images for analysis, like a golf swing, or just for drama or fun. This feature is just slightly more difficult to use than other Modes, but it's not that tough. You'll need to determine the correct exposure strength of one flash, in Manual mode, that falls on your subject. Use an external meter or...
Color Temperature
When a perfect white balance is not desired, Canon offers an interesting option. One of the White Balance modes is Color Temperature, designated in the white balance list on the camera's LCD , by the letter K for Kelvin . You will find this function on prosumer and professional cameras, but not on the Rebel. We know, of course, that different types of light have differing color temperatures, measured in degrees Kelvin. Canon cameras, like those of other manufacturers, will take a photograph of...