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Black "lines" at top and bottom of viewfinder

nexgraphics
Contributor

hi...I have a Canon EOS T8i and im trying to figure out what the black "lines" at the top and bottom of the viewport are when I press down the shoot button.  Can I get rid of them?   thanks!

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Your camera is an APS-C 'crop' sensor camera.  However, this is not about the overall dimensions of the sensor, it is about the format that you want to shoot in.  The traditional proportions for film and a sensor are 3:2, which uses the full area of the sensor.  However, many people post their images on screens that display in 19x10, or for image composition purposes even on 1:1.  When you went to the screen to change the lines you would have seen a list of different proportions listed, as per the image on Newton's last post.  In that case the camera reduces what the sensor records to the various proportions shown.  The lines on the screen are to help you compose your image to the new proportions.  On mirrorless cameras, which don't use an optical viewfinder, the image is displayed in the chosen proportion to the electronic viewfinder.

I would recommend, if you have not done so, downloading a copy of your manual from Canon, and use that to check these things - you will find it a wealth of information.


cheers, TREVOR

"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

View solution in original post

6 REPLIES 6

If by "lines" you mean bars, please check your aspect ratio. I'm pretty sure it should be 3:2 by default, which is full frame.

T8i Aspect Ratio-1.jpg

Newton

EOS R5, R6, R6II. RF 15-35 f/2.8L, 50mm f/1.2L, 85mm f/1.2L, 100mm f/2.8L Macro, 100-400mm, 100-500mm L, 1.4X.

Thank you - that worked!   But question, as I was told that this camera is NOT a full frame camera....so is it then?

Your camera is an APS-C 'crop' sensor camera.  However, this is not about the overall dimensions of the sensor, it is about the format that you want to shoot in.  The traditional proportions for film and a sensor are 3:2, which uses the full area of the sensor.  However, many people post their images on screens that display in 19x10, or for image composition purposes even on 1:1.  When you went to the screen to change the lines you would have seen a list of different proportions listed, as per the image on Newton's last post.  In that case the camera reduces what the sensor records to the various proportions shown.  The lines on the screen are to help you compose your image to the new proportions.  On mirrorless cameras, which don't use an optical viewfinder, the image is displayed in the chosen proportion to the electronic viewfinder.

I would recommend, if you have not done so, downloading a copy of your manual from Canon, and use that to check these things - you will find it a wealth of information.


cheers, TREVOR

"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

Thank you very much!

You're welcome.  Definitely download your manual though - you will be amazed at the stuff you can learn! 🙂


cheers, TREVOR

"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris


@nexgraphics wrote:

Thank you - that worked!   But question, as I was told that this camera is NOT a full frame camera....so is it then?


Sorry, I should have been more clear and said "entire frame" or "THE full frame" to eliminate any confusion. I won't take it any further as Trevor has pretty much explained it.

Newton

EOS R5, R6, R6II. RF 15-35 f/2.8L, 50mm f/1.2L, 85mm f/1.2L, 100mm f/2.8L Macro, 100-400mm, 100-500mm L, 1.4X.
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