Chapter 5. Using Live View Shooting

In This Chapter

  • About Live View shooting

  • Live View features and functions

  • Setting up for Live View shooting

  • Shooting in Live View

For any veteran digital SLR photographer, the notion of shooting with a live view of the scene displayed on the LCD is not only foreign but also somewhat suspect. Certainly having a live view is a staple feature of point-and-shoot cameras, but on a digital SLR? The first questions an experienced photographer is likely to ask are, "Why, and when?" What advantage is there to a live view, and in what shooting scenarios would it be useful?

The answers to these questions become clearer with use. The Live View feature in the EOS 40D offers more flexibility in framing images, particularly when crouching down to examine the shot through the viewfinder requires unnatural body contortions; it offers a big view that can be magnified up to 10× to ensure tack-sharp automatic or manual focus; it offers a Silent mode that reduces shutter noise, which can spook wildlife; and it can simulate actual exposure settings on the LCD.

The Live View shooting function is useful in specific shooting situations including macro work, when shooting tethered (where the camera is connected by a cable to a computer) or wireless in the studio, and for still-life shooting. In short, it is most useful in controlled and close-up shooting scenarios.

About Live View Shooting

The concept of the camera being able to hold the shutter open to give you a real-time view ...

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