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  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

Features not well known, please share!

Ben Rubinstein

pro member
Hi,

Canon is well known for being niggardly with its features to seperate out its different camera lines. In general the lack of features relative to the equivelent Nikon bodies is embarressing. The flash system is also much lacking in features in general.

But that is beside the point. Let's have a thread detailing workarounds and little known features in the canon system, let's make the most of what we have!

Spot Metering.

Since the Elan II (EOS 50) no canon body has allowed you to lock spot metering with focus using the shutter release. As half the time you need to recompose, even slightly when shooting, this means you have to use the * exposure lock button even with the 1 series where you can tie the spot metering to the focus point. As in low light and with fast lenses you need to shoot around 5 frames on a 5D to get one in focus, this soon becomes very tiresome. The D700 solves this nicely by allowing you to lock the spot metering until it's unlocked.

There are 4 methods to use spot metering for multiple shots such as portraiture.

1. Use the * button on the back once, then shoot. It will lock the exposure for about 10 seconds even if you take more than one shot. I don't think it should but it does. You'll have to keep a sharp eye on the * in the viewfinder though to make sure it's still alight.

2. Set CF4 to 1. Now you will focus with the * back button and exposure lock is made with the shutter release. Now you position over your subject, press both and fire. You have to remeter for every shot but at least it's done together so that you don't forget to do one or the other. :) Many people use this focusing method anyway which is useful. I hate it with a passion so it's a no go for me.

3. I only discovered this by chance last night though it's in the manual. Meter off your subject, press and hold the * button. As long as that button is pressed the metering will stay locked however many times you focus, recompose and shoot. What is very annoying is that you don't get the preview until you let go of the button. I find this method to make the most sense for portraiture when you have no time for the method below.

4. Use manual mode with spot metering. Put the center focus point over your subject and using the scale in the viewfinder dial it in until it reaches zero. You can then shoot without ever worrying that the exposure will change unless you want it to. This is the best way to use spot metering though it needs time to set up.

Keep in mind that with canon bodies and caucasian faces, use between a +1/3 and a +2/3 of exposure compensation with spot metering.
 

Ben Rubinstein

pro member
Next.

Different methods of using Wireless ETTL.


1. Wireless ETTL can be used either with the slaves firing at the same power as on camera or using ratios. When activating ratios you can set them between the A and B groups with a 4 stop difference either way. The settings on the flash are half stops so the difference between 1:2 and 1:4 as shown on the flash is only half a stop. C mode ignores the ratio's and also ignores any Flash Exposure Compensation set on camera which is usually transmitted to all slave flashes.

2.
You can set the on camera flash not to fire eventhough it will still send the master transmission flashes.

3. You can combine ratio and manual slave flash using the Wireless ETTL system. This way in a hall you could have set up a couple of 'room lights' by placing slaves (any group) in manual at a power level you set manually while you use your on camera flash and slaves next to the subject with regular ratio Wireless ETTL. This may sound counter intuitive however I use it at every wedding reception.

4.
Manual Wireless ETTL. I've just discovered this in use eventhough I've known of its existence for many years. Switch your master flash to manual and ratio. You can now dial in the manual setting for each group from the master flash for 3 seperate groups. Given that 3 lights is about as much as you could ever need for any lighting which you would use speedlights for, this is an extremely versatile and useful feature for flash photography, especially in this strobist age.

This all said, the Nikon system creams the canon, with such features as being able to control each group from the master whether that group is set to TTL, auto or manual, heck you can even dictate what each group is set to (TTL, auto or manual) from the master flash. Add to that the ability to set distance based manual flash, manual flash which compensates for aperture changes oh and accurate flash exposures and decent fill flash. Oh well, I don't have the £4000 I'd need to covert to Nikon which would make both these posts unnecessary...
 
Hi Ben,

Thanks for sharing your findings.

The problem with these cameras is that there are so many features, and so few read the manuals, that it becomes hard to find settings that are optimal for certain scenarios. That's how I tend to appoach the settings (after reading the manual), on a shooting scenario base.

For example HDR bracketing. I usually shoot those from a tripod, with the 2 second self-release timer, and mirror lock-up activated. On my 1Ds3 a single shutter button press will; flip up the mirror, wait 2 seconds for vibrations to settle, quickly bracket through the number of shots I set previously (2, 3, 5, or 7 shots). However, this only works if you have the C.Fn III function 15 (Auto focus drive) set to 2. Enable: Down with SET. The rapid sequence minimizes the movement of e.g. clouds between brackets, and only a single shutter button press is needed for all brackets to take place. Other camera models may require other CF settings.

Cheers,
Bart
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Ben,

Thanks for your nice description of these useful, and often not-recognized, features.

I do have a correction on one point you make and a comment on another.

The settings on the flash are half stops so the difference between 1:2 and 1:4 as shown on the flash is only half a stop.

1:2 means that the A group contributes "1 unit" of relative exposure while the B group contributes "2 units"; we might describe that as a ratio of one stop of B over A.

1:4 means that the A group contributes "1 unit" of relative exposure while the B group contributes "4 units"; we might describe that as a ratio of two stops of B over A.

We could then describe the latter as being a one stop greater ratio of B:A than the former.

The fact that in the flash unit one can set the ratio in "half stop" increments does not have any effect on the meaning of the chosen ratio as displayed. 1:4 is one stop hotter for B (relative to A) than 1:2.

What is does mean is that we can set the A:B ratio to the following values (moving only in in one direction from 1:1); the ratios shown in bold are marked on the scale, the ones in between are just represented with little dots:

1:1__1:1.4__1:2__1:2.8__1:4__1:5.6__1:8

Any of those ratio values means just what it seems to. 1:4 is one stop hotter for B (relative to A) than 1:2; 1:5.6 is 1-1/2 stops hotter for B (relative to A) than 1:2.

C mode ignores the ratio's and also ignores any Flash Exposure Compensation set on camera . . ..
In the A:B C mode, the contribution of the group C flashes is indeed not set as a ratio to the contribution of the A and B group units, or to their collective contribution. It is controlled on the basis of a flash exposure compensation value that can be set on the flash itself (as part of the wireless flash control area).

As you point out,, the regular flash exposure compensation setting on the camera will not affect the C group units in this mode.

However, if the camera is capable of controlling flash unit settings, then there will in general be a menu item there for controlling the Group C flash exposure compensation in the A:B C wireless mode.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Nill Toulme

New member
Using Auto ISO in M mode with exposure compensation:

The way I do it on the Mark IV is using the CF for AE Micro Adjust, which I've added to My Menu for quick access. I think I've seen another workaround described elsewhere, but I can't remember what it is.

Nill
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
On the Canon EOS dSLR bodies with which I am familiar, if one has invoked exposure lock (as with the "*" button) but thought better of it, it can be canceled without waiting for it to die a natural death in 6 seconds by turning the shooting mode dial to one side or the other and then back to the mode of interest.

(If you are in P mode and in half press, be sure not to turn the knob to the green box mode or the flash may pop up.)

Best regards,

Doug
 

Ben Rubinstein

pro member
Another way Doug is to hit the DOF preview button which will cancel both exposure and flash exposure lock. I use it the whole time actually when I hit the * button by mistake.

Re the 'C' mode for flash, you can as you mention dial in FEC on the slave unit, though as you mention, on the later bodies such as the mkIII's, 7D, etc you can define the amount of FEC for C from the camera using the flash CF menu. Useful but very annoying that some features can be reached from the flash unit and some only from the camera, heaven help you if your camera doesn't have a 'quick menu'.

Re the flash ratios, the ratio as described for studio flash is a full stop between 1:1 and 1:2. On the Canon flashes it's infact only half a stop difference, hence my comment. I'm not sure how that figures with your explanation but the canon ratio is not accurate with the figures, a well known issue.
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Ben,

Another way Doug is to hit the DOF preview button which will cancel both exposure and flash exposure lock. I use it the whole time actually when I hit the * button by mistake.
I had actually started to report that, which I had discovered on my 300D, but I find out that it doesn't seem to do that on my 20D or 40D, so I thought better of mentioning it as a general tool.

Note of course that, regarding FEL, if there is a working external flash attached, the DOF preview button does modeling light (assuming that is enabled in the flash unit), so it might not be handsome for canceling the exposure lock.

Re the flash ratios, the ratio as described for studio flash is a full stop between 1:1 and 1:2. On the Canon flashes it's infact only half a stop difference, hence my comment.
I'm not sure what you mean about "studio flashes". Are you speaking of "full output" vs. "1/2 output"? That is of course a different matter than the ratio between the exposure given by two flash units.

But are you saying that on a Canon wireless flash system with the A:B ratio set to 1:2 the B group exposure is only about 1.4 times that for the A group (1/2 stop greater)?

I have never actually made any tests of that. Maybe tonight!

Thanks.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Ben Rubinstein

pro member
Hi Doug, the DOF preview thingy for cancelling has worked on every canon I've ever owned though I'll check it at the end of the week on my 20D (I'm away at the mo) if I remember. Perhaps I've been mistaken and it only cancels FEL rather than both FEL and AEL. I have the modelling light disabled on my flashes using the flash CF as default, it's annoying as heck when you hit it by mistake.

Incidentally your method of switching modes to cancel also works to switch auto bracketing off completely, something I wish I'd known in the past, I remember a great shot of running horses that I missed in Iceland 6 years ago with an original 1Ds cause I thought I had to go back into the menu to switch off AEB and by the time I was ready they had gone. On the flip side it's annoying as heck when you want it to stay as you switch between AV an M.

As far as I've always understood it when describing a 1:2 ratio for regular studio use it means that one light is providing double the light of the other which in photographic terms we call a stop difference in light. When the 1:2 setting is dialed in on a canon flash the difference is only half a stop. That has been my experience as well but I'll be glad to be proven wrong as I use the ratio's a lot and the more information we have the better we can use our tools!
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Ben,

As far as I've always understood it when describing a 1:2 ratio for regular studio use it means that one light is providing double the light of the other which in photographic terms we call a stop difference in light.
Oh, sure.

When the 1:2 setting is dialed in on a canon flash the difference is only half a stop. That has been my experience as well but I'll be glad to be proven wrong as I use the ratio's a lot and the more information we have the better we can use our tools!

Yes, I hadn't known that.

I want to do some testing, but it is harder to set up properly than might be thought, so that will have to come a little later.

One problem is that I only have three Speedlite units that can participate in the wireless flash system, only two as masters: One 420EX, one 550EX, and one 580EX.

If the actual ratio turns out to be roughly half the ratio (in stops) suggested by the numerical ratio, I still don't think that has anything to do with the ratio being settable in half-stop steps (it in fact is - that is, the "indicated" ratio is in fact settable in half stop steps, as I discussed earlier), but rather just on some "flaw" in the working of the scheme.

It's not beyond belief that this is the result of some gaffe in system design. Perhaps some designer thought that the actual ratio was intended to be half (in stops) the indicated ratio, while another designer provided for the indicted ratio being settable in half stop steps.

As in the old Three Stooges comedy where the guys made beer at home, "Moe, did you put in the yeast?"

Best regards,

Doug
 

Ben Rubinstein

pro member
Aah, I see your point, not having one infront of me I think you can even set to 1/3 stop ratios? It is very hard to test as you cannot use a light meter due to the preflash. You would have to shoot the ratio's manually on a subject then try and replicate it with ETTL and see if they matched keeping in mind that ETTL has a mind of its own...
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Ben,
Aah, I see your point, not having one infront of me I think you can even set to 1/3 stop ratios?
No, in all the Speedlite units I have that can be wireless masters, one can set the (indicated) ratio only in half-stop increments: 1:1, 1:1.4, 1:2, 1:2.8, etc. (only the bold ones being labeled) There is no provision for changing that to 1/3-stop increments.

The situation is well spelled out (more or less) in the manuals for both the 550EX and the 580EX II. Of course, the intimation is that the indicated ratio is actually attained!

It is very hard to test as you cannot use a light meter due to the preflash. You would have to shoot the ratio's manually on a subject then try and replicate it with ETTL and see if they matched keeping in mind that ETTL has a mind of its own...
Indeed. One must use a target with two faces that receive light from only one flash unit to be able to discern, from the image, the difference in exposure afforded by the two flash units. And we must try to make the metering treat the two "layers" of the process equally.

I have in mind an experiment design I may be able to work with later today. We have a big Easter dinner gathering here today, which had put the quietus on any lab work for the moment.

Frankly, I expect there to be so many "irregularities" in behavior that I will not be able to come to a meaningful conclusion on the actual execution of the A:B ratio.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Ben,

These are from the manual for the Canon Speedlite 550EX, the section on wireless flash operation, the subsection on A:B ratio:

550EX_AB_ratio_01.gif


550EX_AB_ratio_02.gif


There are of course only twelve 1/2-stop increments (thirteen values at a 1/2-stop increment). It's a tough language.

By the way, the note about pressing the SEL/SET button to make the display flash again so that one can again change the ratio is unneeded, as is told immediately after by this "hint":

550EX_AB_ratio_03.gif


Best regards,

Doug
 

Ben Rubinstein

pro member
Hi, Ben,

No, in all the Speedlite units I have that can be wireless masters, one can set the (indicated) ratio only in half-stop increments: 1:1, 1:1.4, 1:2, 1:2.8, etc. (only the bold ones being labeled) There is no provision for changing that to 1/3-stop increments.

OK, couldn't remember.

The situation is well spelled out (more or less) in the manuals for both the 550EX and the 580EX II. Of course, the intimation is that the indicated ratio is actually attained!

That is very true, for example a problem I often have is where one group hasn't recycled sufficiently and the whole thing gets thrown right off.

Frankly, I expect there to be so many "irregularities" in behavior that I will not be able to come to a meaningful conclusion on the actual execution of the A:B ratio.

Couldn't agree with you more. It's why the manual wireless settings seem to make so much sense if you have time to set it up. It's not much use to me out in the field when I have 10 mins to do the bridal portraits though which is why I trouble to wrestle the beast that is wireless ETTL into submission! :)
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Ben,

Last night I conducted a simple series of tests in an attempt to get some insight into wireless network performance with a ratio in effect. The test setup and procedure, along with the results, are given here:

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=114273#post114273

Here is the summary of results (the context is of course described in the referenced post):

In this table the first column is the A:B ratio setting; the second column shows the "expected" exposure of the right-hand leaf [the half of the target illuminated by the "B" unit] as compared to that of the left-hand leaf ["A" unit] (in stops); the third column shows the observed implied relative exposure of the right-hand leaf as compared to the left-hand leaf, in stops.

Code:
4:1  -2.0  -2.2
2:1  -1.0  -1.1
1:1   0.0  -0.2
1:2  +1.0  +1.4
1:4  +2.0  +2.5

Conclusion

In this particular idealized test setup, with a simplistic test protocol, and a single round of tests, we find that the apparent ratio between the exposure contributions of the "A" and "B" flash units was consistently slightly greater than the ratio implied by the A:B ratio setting, by as much (in one case) as 0.5 stop.

We make no effect to explain why this was observed, nor to extrapolate this to actual practice.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Bogdan Hrastnik

New member
Hi,
Before continuing: I only have one (270EX) flash for my 450D.
In this thread I have noticed "pushing DOF while flash is ON.." which touch issue which bother me for some time now. That is:
If flash is attached and is ON (obviously), then pressing DOF button on camera fires flash! The thing is, at first, I didn't know at all how come flash fires without aparent reason. Later I discovered, that (because camera is quite small) I have pressed DOF without noticing.
Is it possible to disable such behaviour? Or is that some Canon "feature"?

Thanks for reading,
Bogdan
 

Kevin Stecyk

New member
The problem with these cameras is that there are so many features, and so few read the manuals, that it becomes hard to find settings that are optimal for certain scenarios. That's how I tend to appoach the settings (after reading the manual), on a shooting scenario base.

Take your PDF manual with you on your smart phone or your Kindle.
 
Sorry to wak up a year old thread, but these observations may be use to some; I have been reviewing my 1DsIII via documentation and articles while I am travelling on business, giving me a chance to do stuff that at home would be overtaken by real life.

I've noticed there's lots of small print in the main manual that I have certainly missed on previous readings:

1. Is you have C.Fn I-8 (Safety Shift) set to 2 - "ISO" - then the burst level in the viewfinder will be reduced but "depending on the ISO speed during shooting, the actual maximum burst may be higher than indicated in the viewfinder". I'm going to turn this off as I never really use it anyway.

2. The playback zoom "centre on focus point" only works for manually selected focus points and does not work when the selection is automatic - just like spot metering - and so you can't use it to review focus on a chimped shot when auto AF is allowed to run free :)

3. The DOF preview button also works in LiveView so you don't have to have "simulated" exposure on all the time.

4. Picture Styles - they are actually a great idea if your primary output is off-camera JPEG. Some of the work done by others on Picture Styles for video on the 5DII have really shown that you can get some very cool effects which can help give you images a unique look without too much post-processing work. Of course Picture Styles only work for JPEGs and for RAW files processed by DPP, but I am only just starting playing here...


Oh, and if you are shooting for direct on-line display like Facebook or G+ (yes, even with a 1DsIII) then a small JPEG at quality 2 is *more* than sufficient and almost small enough to upload quickly ;)
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Ben,

Thank you so much for this excellent report.

This was an area to which I used to pay close attention, but I haven't for a number of years! I appreciate your keeping the knowledge (not to be confused with The Knowledge) alive.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Ben Rubinstein

pro member
Here's another tip. With canon you cannot lock spot or partial metering with a half press of the shutter (you can but then you have to focus with a separate button). You have to hit the * exposure lock button on the back right of the camera if the area you are metering from is not covered by the spot meter, with anything but a 1 series this means if you want to spot meter anywhere but the centre focus point.

So far so good. But how about if you want to take more than one picture? The spot meter exposure lock cancels after 16 seconds! You can transfer the spot meter readings to manual mode and shoot like that but it's a relatively slow process, especially like me if you are shooting weddings.

There is another undocumented way to do it. If you spot meter and lock using the back button, and then hold the button down, you can focus, recompose, shoot as many times as you like, as long as your finger is on that button, the exposure will remain locked. That way you don't have to worry if your 16 seconds have run out.

Downside is that you lose review (I think, not done this for a while) during that time but hey, if you're locking exposure with the spot meter you've probably nailed the exposure anyway. If you are using spot meter in the first place, chances are you know how to use it!

Or just buy a Nikon, practically any of them, you get spot metering with all focus points and you can both focus and lock spot meter exposure with a single half press of the shutter release, heaven!

The above method works perfectly in principle. In reality, at least until the 5D3 which is supposed to be better, the spot meter in anything but the 1 series is thrown off by any backlighting in the frame so although it works in theory, where you need it to work, a bride in white infront of a window, it fails miserably. If you're going to use a 1 series then you probably don't have the problem in the first place. Oh well....
 
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