Should auto bracketing be avoided at longer focal lengths? Should auto bracketing be avoided all together?
One of the reasons I use live view is that it effectively places the camera in mirror lock up mode. I like to use auto bracketing for convenience but am becoming worried that shutter vibrations experienced will negatively affect the image. So far this seems to have not affected my wide angle shooting, but I am soon to start shooting at longer focal lengths, 70-200MM.
Is it recommended to not use the auto the bracket function due to shutter vibration with the Canon 5D MK II and a 70-200MM lens?
My old Xsi vibrates badly, even in live view mode. When auto bracketing it seems like it wants to jump off of the tripod. I can absolutely feel the camera shake as it rattles off the bracketed shots.
The 5D MK II seems to vibrate less, maybe due to the heavier body, but I can feel it shake while shooting the bracketed shots.
When shooting at longer focal lengths is it recommended to avoid auto bracketing? Is it recommended to use the ten second timer rather than the two second timer and fire off one shot at a time?
I understand that a heavy duty tripod and head are important factors and may dictate protocol but I would like to keep this out of the topic.
Thanks,
Posted by Buck Ward on February 17, 2013 at 9:38 PM
I have occasionally used live view for mirror lock up, but usually I use the actual mirror lock up function. I've never used auto-bracket, so I can't comment on that, but if you are concerned about it, you can make some tests and see for your self, or you can simply bracket manually.
Posted by John Mumaw on February 17, 2013 at 9:45 PM
I never use AutoBracket with any focal length just because I prefer mirror lockup in conjunction with the 2 sec. timer. Why take any chances for the sake of convenience?
Thanks for the feedback. I think I’ll phase out the auto bracketing at any focal length. I have to agree, with precious little shooting time “why take chances”.
Maybe I’ll also stop shooting in live view, too I think I’ve read that using live view for extended periods heats up the sensor thus increasing noise, not to mention also draining the battery faster.
Posted by David Bostedo on February 18, 2013 at 12:29 PM
Maybe I’ll also stop shooting in live view, too I think I’ve read that using live view for extended periods heats up the sensor thus increasing noise...
A couple of things from that Richard :
1) Depending on how you're doing it, you can get much more precise manual focus in live view than your camera's autofocus can achieve. That can be a big benefit to using live view.
2) The extra noise from heating probably isn't relevant if you're not leaving it in live view for a very long time (10's of minutes at least). In any case, you could easily check the noise yourself - take a pic of anything around the house; Dimly lit will show off noise, but something brighter might be a better "real world" comparison, depending on what you shoot. Then turn on live view for a while, and re-take the same pic. With my camera, I don't see any meaningful difference after a couple of minutes of live view. I haven't tried it longer. If you do the little experiment, you can decide for yourself.
Using live view to drill down on a particular area of the comp for fine focusing is my number one reason for using live view. I love being able to magnify exactly the spot in question for precise focusing. Also I love being able to press the Depth of Field button and seeing the results displayed on the screen. It is so useful being able to, in real time, see how aperture affects DOF: simply crank up the exposure if the view gets to dark due to the higher f-stop. This must have been difficult in the old days.
Although I almost always use the view finder for setting up the comp, I will always use live view for a second look. It is
through the live view screen that I seem to detect if the frame is tilted or other important aspects missed through the view finder. Correcting camera tilt and making other adjustments seems to be easier through live view. In general I feel that the live view allows an additional perspective that is helpful.
Thanks for heads up on the noise factor.
I’ll continue to use live view for setting focus and other aspects, but will no longer rattle the camera with auto bracketing.
Discussion
5 repliesShould auto bracketing be avoided at longer focal lengths? Should auto bracketing be avoided all together?
One of the reasons I use live view is that it effectively places the camera in mirror lock up mode. I like to use auto bracketing for convenience but am becoming worried that shutter vibrations experienced will negatively affect the image. So far this seems to have not affected my wide angle shooting, but I am soon to start shooting at longer focal lengths, 70-200MM.
Is it recommended to not use the auto the bracket function due to shutter vibration with the Canon 5D MK II and a 70-200MM lens?
My old Xsi vibrates badly, even in live view mode. When auto bracketing it seems like it wants to jump off of the tripod. I can absolutely feel the camera shake as it rattles off the bracketed shots.
The 5D MK II seems to vibrate less, maybe due to the heavier body, but I can feel it shake while shooting the bracketed shots.
When shooting at longer focal lengths is it recommended to avoid auto bracketing? Is it recommended to use the ten second timer rather than the two second timer and fire off one shot at a time?
I understand that a heavy duty tripod and head are important factors and may dictate protocol but I would like to keep this out of the topic.
Thanks,
Thanks for the feedback. I think I’ll phase out the auto bracketing at any focal length. I have to agree, with precious little shooting time “why take chances”.
Maybe I’ll also stop shooting in live view, too I think I’ve read that using live view for extended periods heats up the sensor thus increasing noise, not to mention also draining the battery faster.
A couple of things from that Richard :
1) Depending on how you're doing it, you can get much more precise manual focus in live view than your camera's autofocus can achieve. That can be a big benefit to using live view.
2) The extra noise from heating probably isn't relevant if you're not leaving it in live view for a very long time (10's of minutes at least). In any case, you could easily check the noise yourself - take a pic of anything around the house; Dimly lit will show off noise, but something brighter might be a better "real world" comparison, depending on what you shoot. Then turn on live view for a while, and re-take the same pic. With my camera, I don't see any meaningful difference after a couple of minutes of live view. I haven't tried it longer. If you do the little experiment, you can decide for yourself.
Using live view to drill down on a particular area of the comp for fine focusing is my number one reason for using live view. I love being able to magnify exactly the spot in question for precise focusing. Also I love being able to press the Depth of Field button and seeing the results displayed on the screen. It is so useful being able to, in real time, see how aperture affects DOF: simply crank up the exposure if the view gets to dark due to the higher f-stop. This must have been difficult in the old days.
Although I almost always use the view finder for setting up the comp, I will always use live view for a second look. It is
through the live view screen that I seem to detect if the frame is tilted or other important aspects missed through the view finder. Correcting camera tilt and making other adjustments seems to be easier through live view. In general I feel that the live view allows an additional perspective that is helpful.
Thanks for heads up on the noise factor.
I’ll continue to use live view for setting focus and other aspects, but will no longer rattle the camera with auto bracketing.