Mac Photography Tips

5 Canon 50D Function Features I Like December 29, 2008

Filed under: Beginner Tips, Camera Tip, Canon 50D, Intermediate Tips — bakari @ 11:32 pm
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Before the year is out, I thought I’d upgrade my Canon 30D to the Canon 50D, to take advantage of, among other reasons, the little tax write off and the financing deal offered by Circuit City. But my financial objectives are not the reason I’m writing about Canon 50D.

Since there are a plethora of articles already written about Canon’s most recent EOS camera (see here, here, and here), I thought I’d point out some some function features of the camera that I have already found useful. Keep in mind, I’ve only had the camera less the 24 hours, but since this is my third Canon DSLR camera (in addition to owning the Canon Powershot G9), the features of this newest model are not foreign to me.

If you do a quick Google search about the 50D, you’ll see that many reviews rightly compare the camera to it’s predecessor, the 40D. There have been mixed reviews about how much better the 50D is than the 40D. I won’t get into that because I never purchased the 40D. But if you’re a 20 or 30D owner like myself, stepping up to the either 40D or the 50D is almost a no brainer, especially if you’re a serious amateur or professional photographer.

The features of the 50D (which can also be said for the 40D) are very useful for shooters who take lots of pictures, especially in demanding situations. Canon has greatly streamlined the 50D, making controls and features easier to get at. And though image quality is of course primary in selecting a camera, the function features should not be overlooked. When you pay for a camera like this, you should definitely know and use all its features to your advantage.

So here a list of my “first impression” features that I would like to share. As I get more time to play around the camera, I will try to share others.

1. Custom Menu: The 50D comes with a feature called “Registering My Menu” (page 185 in the Manual) which enables you to create a set of six of your favorite or most used menu items. After you select and set up the items, you can push the Menu button on the back of the camera, and your custom set of menu items will be the first to appear. So for instance if you use the Format, Quality, and Auto Bracketing menu items a lot, they will be included in your custom set which means you don’t have to scroll to get at them. This little feature doesn’t have anything to do with quality photos, but it does save you scrolling and clicking time. (By the way, have you ever stopped and wondered how many times you click and scroll on your computer everyday? It’s worse than changing channels on your television.)

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2. Auto Rotate: With my Canon Powershot G9, you can turn the camera in a vertical position and the image displayed will rotate into full screen viewing. When you tilt the camera back to horizontal position, the selected image will turn back to that position. It’s totally sweet. Well, you can’t do that with the 50D, and I’m bummed out about that. However, I did discover that you can turn off the auto rotation of vertical images on the 50D so that images will appear full screen in playback. You can do this so that the images only rotate on your camera and not on your computer. If you don’t this, you simply don’t get the full advantage of viewing your vertical images on the 3″ screen. This is described on page 146 of the camera’s manual.

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3. Quick Control Screen: Though I haven’t used it much yet, I think I will like the Quick Control Screen feature of the camera. This feature displays camera settings on the LCD monitor. You can select items and change settings while viewing them in the monitor. This may prove quicker than viewing some of the exposure settings on the top side of the camera, or having to go into the menu and change settings there.

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4. Highlight Alert: I think all the digital EOS cameras have had a feature called Highlight Alert. When enabled, this alert (when viewing photos in playback) will point out areas of the selected image that are overexposed. Some camera users call this the “blinkie” feature. I used this feature all the time on the 30D, but you have to push the Info button to get at it, and the selected image in playback is almost thumbnail size, preventing you from getting good assessment of what is blown out. Well, that problem has been corrected in the 50D. Now you can get Highlight Alert while the image is played back in full screen mode. Totally lovely. Page 133 of the manual.

5. Custom Mode Dials C1 and C2: Similar to the custom menu feature I discussed above, this feature allows you to register a set of camera settings (shooting mode, menus, etc.) as presets and dial them up anytime you like simply by turning to the C1 or C2 positions on the camera’s mode dial (page 186 of the manual). I use this feature on my Canon G9 and it’s great. I’ve read that the 40D has three, instead of just 2, of these preset positions. Canon took away one of the positions on the 50D and replaced it with what they call Creative Auto mode. I haven’t played with that mode yet, so I can’t say if it’s worth getting rid of one of the positions. But I do know that once you get your camera presets the way you want, these C1 and C2 positions can be quite handy. You could for example, have one position set for shooting outdoor photos and another position set for shooting indoors. Perhaps I’ll write more about this later in another blog entry.

Well, that’s my five function features that I like so far. I would have included the Live View feature in the list, but I haven’t played around with it enough to like it. It’s more clunky and difficult to use than on the G9, in which I use the Live View all the time.

I didn’t of course talk about image quality features, but it’s going to be interesting to see how the camera performs in this area. I’ve read that you can shoot at higher ISOs and get really acceptable photos. So I’m looking forward to seeing the results of this performance feature. By the way, check out this article on the Ins and Outs of ISO by Bryan Peterson. It has very interesting insights about higher ISO.

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Simple Out of Focus Background Technique December 23, 2008

Filed under: Intermediate Tips, Photoshop — bakari @ 9:35 pm

Thanks to Photoshop and other image processing applications, we can improve our photographs in ways that are not always possible when we’re doing the actual job of shooting photos on location. Here’s a particular example I wanted to share that is easy to apply to similar images.

During a recent wedding reception, I made a number of photos of the bride and groom before they started eating their meal. In making my first few shots, I didn’t really notice the distracting background painting of the French nobleman that looks annoyed by the couple. Yet, at the same time, this painting does add to the ambiance of the reception.

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So how do we fix the problem? Well, we could simply crop the painting out of the photo. Like this:

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But if want to keep the painting in the background, it’s pretty simple to just blur it out in Photoshop. Here’s how:

1. Open the image in Photoshop, and duplicate the background layer.

2. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Blur the image, paying particular notice of course to the background. Don’t worry about the foreground of the image, you will fix that in the next step six.

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3. Now, at the bottom of the layer’s palette, click the Layer Mask button (the third one from the left of the palette that has a square and circle in the middle.)

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4. Now make sure the foreground color in the Tool’s palette is black.

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5. Select the Brush tool in the Tool’s palette. It should be a hard brush about medium size. Make sure the layer mask is selected in the layer’s palette.

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6. Use the brush tool to “paint” back in the areas in the foreground of the image that you don’t want blurred out.

In the before and after, we can clearly see that blurring the background helps keep the focus on the couple and not the distracting French guy in the painting.

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Automatically View Your Photos on Your Computer December 10, 2008

Filed under: Camera Tip, Intermediate Tips, Software — bakari @ 8:45 pm

eye-fiI’ve written about a really great gadget called Eye-fi, an SD memory card that wirelessly uploads photos taken in digital camera. You can read my review here.

Though this card is popularly used for uploading photos to a designated photo website, I use it primarily for nearly instant viewing of photos on my desktop or laptop computer. When Eye-fi uploads my images to my computer, I use a little application called Hazel which automatically opens up imported photos in my designated Eye-fi folder on my computer.

The rules for using Hazel in this regard are pretty simple.

1. Add the Eye-fi folder on your computer to the Hazel folder list. I have customized the icon for my Eye-fi folder, so yours might look generic.

Next, you’re going to create two rules for opening up and displaying your Eye-fi imported images. You can create another rule to empty your Eye-fi folder of images that have been in there for a day or two, or forever how along you want them to remain there until deleted.

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2. Next, set up this rule for the Eye-fi folder. This rules says that every image that is added to the folder is to be opened using the Default Application (in this case Preview) and is to be revealed in the Finder.

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Set up the Preview application to open all images in one window; that way when Eye-fi imports and opens up your photos you won’t have a lot of separate Preview windows opened in your Finder.

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Also, what’s great about this method, you can view your photos in Preview before deciding to import them into a iPhoto or Aperture. You can of course set up Eye-fi to import your photos directly into iPhoto, but I prefer this method so that I’m not importing lots of photos that I will probably delete anyway.

3. Finally, you can create a second rule which deletes images from your Eye-fi folder after they have been there a couple of days. The two other items you see here in my screen shot refer to a couple of Apple Automator applications I use to send and tag my imported images to a designated Aperture project.

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I can’t say how much this process is a huge time saver for me. Often times when I come back home from doing a shoot with with my Canon Powershot G9, I can turn the camera on downstairs and while I’m off doing something else, my images are being imported and displayed on my computer, waiting for me to process them. I don’t have to waste time with a wired configuration. I can also use this process in a studio manner to view imported photos on the larger computer screen as they are shot. This is tethered shooting at its best.

BTW, if you’re a 35mm Canon shooter, you can set up this type of tethered shooting for free. Click here to find out how.

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From Canon XSi to Photoshop CS3 Accelerated – Three Book Reviews December 4, 2008

Filed under: Book Reviews — bakari @ 10:57 pm

I write book reviews mainly for MyMac.com. When I do, I will republish them here.

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion
by Ben Long
O’Reilly Press
ISBN: 978-0-596-52086-1, 271 pages
$24.99 US, $24.99 CN

Canon EOS 40D: The Rocky Nook Manual
by Artur Landt
Rocky Nook
ISBN: 978-1-933952-33-8
$29.95 US, $29.95 CN

Photoshop CS3 Accelerated
by Blues Kim
YoungJin
ISBN: 978-8931434378
$24.99 US, $24.99 CN, £14.99 UK

It’s difficult for a mere book reviewer like myself to understand how publishers and book writers can keep up with the frequent updates in digital software and hardware. Just when you purchase a Canon camera or the latest update of Photoshop, new versions of these products come out in less than a year’s time. It seems like writers and publishers have to scramble to keep up with the ever expanding technology. But somehow they get the job done, and in most cases very well.

If you’re a Canon shooter, you no doubt have heard or followed the recent update to its EOS line of cameras. As a reviewer, I wish I could say I’ve gotten my hands on their newest cameras, if nothing else but for review purposes. But sadly I haven’t. However, I was sent a couple of new books on Canon cameras for review that provide me some insight about the new Canon Digital Rebel XSi/450D and the Canon 40D. I have the predecessors to both of these cameras, so what is discussed in these books under review are not foreign to me.

Canon EOS 40D: The Rocky Nook Manual
Iwould imagine that it’s difficult for an author to know the type of audience that will typically read his or her book about a Canon camera. Will it mainly be novice photographers purchasing and learning digital photography for the first time or it will mostly be experienced photographers purchasing an upgrade? Dr. Artur Landt’s book on the Canon 40D seems to address the latter audience. I found parts of the book very technical, meaning that it might not be as accessible to novice Canon users or digital photographers. He starts off the book talking about camera technology of the camera, with illustrations of the image sensor, the optical low-pass filter, the DIGIC III Image Processor, and Demosaicing, and the like. While a professional or advance user of a Canon EOS camera might find this information useful, it will probably be a turn off for novice users. The first chapter might have been more accessible outlining some of the specific differences between the Canon 40D and its, or at least just highlighting the newest features and how they will benefit photographers.

Almost every page of Landt’s book, however, does include grey boxed tips and tricks that will be useful to novice digital photographers. He also has useful and important chapters on autofocus and exposure, exposure modes, flash photography, interchangeable lenses, camera accessories, and image output —e.g. transferring camera files to your computer, and processing and printing them using the Canon software provided with the camera.

This instructional text of the manual is supported with Landt’s own well done photography, which rangers from scenic travel photo and portraits, to sports and macro images, which help illustrate the information. But for the most part, the instructional aspects of Landt’s manual are more descriptive, which means he describes the features of and technology behind the Canon 40D, but the manual is short on how-tos. For example, when Landt describes the AF Points used for selective focus in the camera, he doesn’t describe or illustrate how to use the AF Points features. He explains it but doesn’t do a very good showing how. In most technical manuals of this type, you’d expect to see numerous step-by-step outlines for using features of the camera, but that’s not so in this book. And for some odd reason, the book doesn’t come with an index, which is useful for quickly referencing specific information.

So for the most part, this Rocky Nook Manual may be most useful for intermediate and advance Canon EOS photographers, but not for those who just purchased the Canon camera for the first time. I would strongly advise previewing the book in hand before purchasing it.

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MyMac.com Rating: 3 out of 5

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion
Ben Long’s book on the Canon XSi/450D is the type of instructional manual that will appeal to both novice and intermediate photographers. Long is a prolific writer who has written entire companion books on digital photography, Aperture 2.0 (Apple’s pro image management and processing application), digital filmmaking, and the ins and out of the camera Raw format. He maintains a popular website, www.completeditalphotographery.com that features a wide array of articles and resources.

Long’s book takes readers from setting up the Rebel XSi/450D for simple automatic shooting, providing tips on how to hold the camera, framing a shot, dealing with back lighting, and playing back shots. Of course, he also outlines the body parts and all the features of the camera. Every page is illustrated and outlined with step-to-step instructions for using all the features of the Canon’s entry level EOS camera. Long provides practical examples based on a typical photographer’s workflow. Later chapters go into more detail about advance shooting modes, and particularly how to control the light coming into the camera. His writing is very accessible and is not weighted down with technical jargon, though important technical aspects of the camera are explained.

Long’s companion book is the type I would recommend to students in my digital photography workshops because it reveals camera features often overlooked by most novice photographers. Chapter 5 for his book, “Photography 101,” is good introduction to how light and exposure work to produce effectively exposed images. The ending chapters get more into the art of photographers, focusing more on composition, using various focal lengths, shooting panoramas, and handling low light situations.

This companion book is a fine introduction to digital photography and those purchasing the Canon Rebel for the first time. It might also be a good refresher guide for intermediate photographers as well.

MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5

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Photoshop CS3 Accelerated
If you’re a serious digital photographer, you’re no doubt doing some post-processing of photos. And if you’re even more serious, you probably no doubt use some version of Photoshop CS or Photoshop Elements in your post-production workflow. Well, in terms of Blues Kim’s Photoshop CS3 Accelerated, accelerated really refers novice or general users of Photoshop. This book is not for intermediate or advance users who use the program for more professional purposes.

This 8×10 book is well laid out with space for underlining and jotting notes. Every page is illustrated with step-by-step instructions. The first few pages show how to install the program and then move on to explaining the various basic tools of CS3. Chapters include how-tos and exercises on making selections in images, retouching photos, working with layers, using paths, types, and shapes; understanding channels, making color corrections, and using various Photoshop filters. The book includes a CD containing all the Photoshop source files for the book’s exercises.

But depending on type of photography you do, this book may or not be helpful. If you’re nature photographer, portrait, or wedding photographer, for example, I would say this book is not for you. It’s far too general. If you’re a hobbyist or say a scrapbooker looking to learn more about the program, you may find this book useful.

The source files used in the exercises are not very interesting, but that might help new users to Photoshop feel less challenged about using the program. As a rather experienced Photoshop user and one who has taught and written about the program, I would have started off the early chapters of the book explaining the use of layers, since layers are the heart of Photoshop and are often the most difficult to understand for new users.

The exercises in the book could be more real world exercises, illustrating the type of projects that most users will actually do with their photographs or layout designs. Instead, the book makes heavy use of stock images rather than the type of images typical photographers take and make. The photo for example used to explain blend modes simply does not do justice for illustrating the power of this Photoshop feature. Using the Soft Light or Overlay blend mode can easily add significant contrast and color punch to photos, but you would not know that from the photo used in this book.

Also while the book does point to advance features of Photoshop CS3 like layer paths, channels, layer comps, there’s no exercises about using the powerful smart object feature of CS3, and not a single page as for as I can see about how to use Photoshop actions which is an essential time saving tool that every avid Photoshop user should know and use.

I also think the included CD could have included video tutorials showing some of more difficult Photoshop techniques and features, such as curves adjustments. These type of video tutorials are not difficult to make, and it would provide a more multimedia learning experience for many users.

I don’t want underrate this book too much, because I know that Photoshop CS3 or even earlier versions of the program can be very daunting for would-be users. So any book is helpful. But I just happen to think there are better books on CS3 already published. Thus, this is another book that I strongly suggest previewing in-hand before purchase. It will probably not appeal to more serious photographers or Photoshop users.

MyMac.com Rating: 2 out of 5

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