topic Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

Eliza2018 — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 14:24:48 GMT

I have had a 7D for several years and it seems to me that, in the past, it displayed the 3x3 grid in the view finder, as it does on the LCD screen, which seems to be completely unavailable to me, now. Is there any way to force the camera to display it?

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

ebiggs1 — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 15:20:04 GMT

You should have ...

Grid display

Off

Grid 1

Grid 2

... selections. Do you see that menu?

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

Eliza2018 — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 16:18:10 GMT

@ebiggs1

... selections. Do you see that menu?

I do and it is set to Grid 1 which causes the 3 x 3 grid to display on the LCD, which is what I want, but I also want it in the viewfinder. With the VF grid display set to enable, I have six columns and four rows in the viewfinder (5 vertical lines, three horizontal), despite choosing Grid 1. This is not useful for composition, since the two outer columns are narrower than the center four and this is, at best, distracting. I know I can approximate a third, vertically and horizontally, but I would like to understand the point of the 6 x 4 grid?

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

ebiggs1 — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 16:48:32 GMT

Oh, OK for the view finder.......

Turn the < Main Dial > to select the 2nd Tools menu.

Turn the < Quick Control Dial > to select VF grid display, then press SET

Turn the < Quick Control Dial > to select Enable, then press SET

This grid will be displayed in the viewfinder.

If I remember correctly this is the only grid for the view finder but it has been a while since I owned my 7D.

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

Eliza2018 — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 18:21:29 GMT

Thank you, but that is the grid that I find unhelpful. The 3 x 3 on the LCD is so much easier to use for composition, but the LCD is no good for hand-held (for me). I appreciate your effort. Guess I will have to live with it.

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

kvbarkley — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 19:30:25 GMT

One question I have is how a square grid fits onto a non-square image? How does the rule-of-thirds work in that case?

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

Eliza2018 — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 20:11:37 GMT

The grid on the 7D (LCD only) is rectangular. Sort of like this:

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

ebiggs1 — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 20:46:51 GMT

Yeah, I don't think the 7D does that in the VF.

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

RobertTheFat — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 15:22:53 GMT

@Eliza2018 wrote:
The grid on the 7D (LCD only) is rectangular. Sort of like this:

The "rule of thirds" can provide a rudimentary explanation for why some compositions look better than others. But I think you may be trying to follow the rule too slavishly. It's a tool to help you make compositional decisions, not a limit on your artistic sense.

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

Eliza2018 — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 16:57:59 GMT

@RobertTheFat wrote:
@Eliza2018
I think you may be trying to follow the rule too slavishly.

I agree, but I am taking courses and have to meet course criteria. I did do some more reading and apparently, the multi-line grid in the optical view finder is more for architectural photography, to keep the picture level and buildings vertical. I did find an interesting article about creating your own grids, if you have Magic Lantern installed. It was an interesting exercise, but, of course, they can be viewed only on the LCD. It was an interesting way to waste time.

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

RobertTheFat — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 17:30:49 GMT

@Eliza2018 wrote:
@RobertTheFat wrote:
@Eliza2018
I think you may be trying to follow the rule too slavishly.
I agree, but I am taking courses and have to meet course criteria. I did do some more reading and apparently, the multi-line grid in the optical view finder is more for architectural photography, to keep the picture level and buildings vertical. I did find an interesting article about creating your own grids, if you have Magic Lantern installed. It was an interesting exercise, but, of course, they can be viewed only on the LCD. It was an interesting way to waste time.

I suspected as much, but I figured I'd better stop short of encouraging you to call out the course instructor. Such actions tend to do more harm than good.

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

kvbarkley — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 17:51:56 GMT

You should be able to guesstimate from the existing grid. Actually, the gaps in the focus area are pretty close.

Another thing to do is to zoom out a bit and then crop to get the exact composition you want.

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

ebiggs1 — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 01:38:46 GMT

"It was an interesting way to waste time."

So is Magic Lantern, don't do it.

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

Eliza2018 — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 11:00:24 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:

So is Magic Lantern, don't do it.

Is ML problematic? I installed it because I wanted to do some time-lapse photography and it worked well. When I don't want to use it, but forget to press the Set button while booting, the ML menu can interfere. Other than that, it seems okay.

Re: 3 X 3 Grid In 7D Viewfinder

ebiggs1 — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 14:05:30 GMT

"Is ML problematic?"

You have been lucky. When it works it is fine. When it doesn't, it is a nightmare. If, when, it does, your camera will turn into a brick. Only Canon service can repair it.