Canon Xti camera body - how to test without compact flash card or lens - how to test

[ojopere]

I as given a Canon Xti camera body without compact flash card or lens - 

I was able to use the battery from my PowerShot S80 to fire up the camera and the menu's came on ok but nothing in "live" display. Even without a lens, should I not see at least something on the lcd screen in "live" mode or does the missing lens force it to viewfinder mode?

I would like to confirm that the sensor,  live display, etc. works before buying a compact flash card & used lens for it.

Any hints on how to do that?

It would make a nice backup camera since I am planning on getting a T5i in the future.

[TTMartin]

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@ojopere wrote:

I as given a Canon Xti camera body without compact flash card or lens - 

I was able to use the battery from my PowerShot S80 to fire up the camera and the menu's came on ok but nothing in "live" display. Even without a lens, should I not see at least something on the lcd screen in "live" mode or does the missing lens force it to viewfinder mode?

I would like to confirm that the sensor,  live display, etc. works before buying a compact flash card & used lens for it.

Any hints on how to do that?

It would make a nice backup camera since I am planning on getting a T5i in the future.

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The Canon XTi is not capable of LiveView even with a lens.

It is still a great camera. I suggest you Google '400plus for the XTi' as it adds some nice functionality to it.

[ojopere]

Ok, so to be perfectly clear, what I mean by live view is that I would see on the LCD display whatever scene the camera is pointing at.

For example, my Canon PowerShot S80 displays the scene on the LCD screen so I can compose the shot, see effects of zoom, etc.

[RobertTheFat]

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@ojopere wrote:

Ok, so to be perfectly clear, what I mean by live view is that I would see on the LCD display whatever scene the camera is pointing at.

For example, my Canon PowerShot S80 displays the scene on the LCD screen so I can compose the shot, see effects of zoom, etc.

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Well, yeah, that's what's called "live view". P&S cameras have usually had it, and in some cases it's the only form of viewfinder they have. Live view is pretty power-intensive, but a P&S typically has to drive only a very small sensor. The XTi, with a much larger (APS-C) sensor, didn't have the power to pull it off. My XTi used the same battery as my wife's S50 and a smaller battery than my G-5. Today's batteries are much more powerful and are generally capable of sustaining live view, even on a full-frame DSLR. I think too that modern displays tend to draw less power than their counterparts from ten years ago.

[TTMartin]

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@ojopere wrote:

Ok, so to be perfectly clear, what I mean by live view is that I would see on the LCD display whatever scene the camera is pointing at.

For example, my Canon PowerShot S80 displays the scene on the LCD screen so I can compose the shot, see effects of zoom, etc.

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That is correct, the XTi does NOT have LiveView.

You can review photos after they are taken on the rear LCD, but, the XTi does NOT have LiveView.

With the XTi's viewfinder you are looking through the actual lens attached to the camera so you can compose the shot, see effects of zoom, etc. What you see through the viewfinder is exactly what the sensor is going to see.

[kvbarkley]

You can test without a card - there is a menu option for that - but you have to have a lens to get any kind of image. AFAIK, the camera will do nothing without a lens except give you a "lens communication" err. You can by a T-mount dohicky to fake the camera into *thinking* there is a lens, but why bother?