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someone please help me...driving me mad!

suffolkcanon
Contributor

Hey guys...love the forum, and hoping someone here can help me out with their own experiences.

 

I am a professional archaeologist in the UK, and I have just set up a mast for aerial shots on site. I want to shoot pics using the laptop with the camera remotely tethered, and downloaded the EOS utility software. I was under the impression that I could auto focus whilst also having live view on screen, but it seems that if live view is on with the viewfinder picture on the screen I cannot autofocus...only press the shutter button and get an out of focus picture??

 

Is there any way that I can get over this?

 

Really help someone can help! cheers!

10 REPLIES 10

TCampbell
Elite
Elite

Which camera do you own?

 

Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da

sorry about that...its a canon 500D!

It has been a while since I had or used a T1i but I don't think auto focus was available in Live View.

But, if the camera is on a “mast” you can probably pre-focus it by using a smaller aperture.

 

You also didn't mention what lens you are using? You also didn't mention the lighting conditions you are under?

The more info you can provide, the better we can give you some suggestions.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

jrhoffman75
Legend
Legend

This might help.

 

Capture#1.JPGCapture#2.JPG

John Hoffman
Conway, NH

1D X Mark III, Many lenses, Pixma PRO-100, Pixma TR8620a, LR Classic

hey guys....thanks for your replies...all very helpful indeed...the last post there was perfect...I have tried it out, and now have autofocus working perfectly!

 

Just one question...

 

If I am shooting from eight metres up and want to get, for example, an eight metre round house fully in focus how can I make sure the focus is spread across the whole shot, not just in the selected box in live view?

 

cheers!

"... not just in the selected box in live view?"

 

This will likely depend on the lens' DOF (depth of field).  Like I mentioned you may want to just pre-set the aperture, to a larger number, and forget AF.

Did you mention what lens you are using?

It would be good to know the lighting conditions, too. But a smaller aperture will make most of, if not all of the frame in focus.

And without any input from you or the camera.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

"...you may want to just pre-set the aperture, to a larger number..."

 

I agree....

 

Actually, first be sure you are using a relatively wide angle setting on the lens (I'm assuming it's a zoom). Wide lenses naturally have greater depth of field that will help keep much of the area encompased in the image in focus. Ultrawide lenses such as Canon 10-22mm, at its wider end, or even wider "fisheye" lenses hardly need to be focused at all... DOF is so deep. But an 18-55mm lens set to 18mm will also give fairly great depth of field.  

 

Nextbe sure to select a small aperture (a higher number).... for example, use f/8 or, better yet f/11. These smaller apertures will get you maximum depth of field possible with the lens, yet aren't so small that "diffraction" starts to become a problem. (You can test f/16 and f/22 to see if they meet your purposes, but watch ouf for loss of fine detail in your images, at such small apertures.)

 

I'd still go ahead and focus the image, as per above recommendations. Be sure the camera is in One Shot mode, so you get Focus Confirmation. Hopefully you'll be able to hear the "beep" when focus is achieved. Focus in Live View mode is rather slow, so the confirmation might be important.

 

There are Depth of Field charts and online calculators. Another thing you might want to study up on is "hyperfocal focusing distance". Between these two, you'll know better how to get a pre-planned shot fully in focus.

 

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM 

 





 

hey guys...yeah, I have a stock 18-55mm lens...I have been trying it out and its not going to badly...only issue is a 5 metre high wall with trees branches in front of it...and I need to get the wall in focus without the branches being in focus first!! Driving me a bit mad to be honest!

There are two methods. 1. Set lens to manual focus and focus on wall, or 2. Select a single auto focus point that will "see" the wall and not any branches (i. e. look through an open section of the tree).
John Hoffman
Conway, NH

1D X Mark III, Many lenses, Pixma PRO-100, Pixma TR8620a, LR Classic
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