Am I been stupid! Canon 400D

alowe

I just got myself a Canon 400D, and of course after buying from Pixmania have a wonderful French manual (also supplied in German and Italian!) Unfortuently my languages aren't the best, and I have tried to figure this out online, but to no avail yet.

The camera has an LCD screen, and when I turn it on and put to auto to take a photo, I get a detailed description on the LCD, i.e. auto mode, iso, number of photos left, etc. However, I was expecting to see what the camera was pointing at - similar to your normal point and shoot digital.

Basically, what i'm wondering - is this camera extremely like my SLR, in that, you still have to look through the eye-piece to take a picture, then view it on the LCD (only after the photo is taken), or is there some setting that i'm missing that will allow me to see what the lens see's on the lcd?

Thank you very much for any light that anyone can shed on this....

Fajitas!

Yep, you have to look through the viewfinder. The mirror has to flip up to hit your sensor, exactly like your film SLR.

Haven't checked the link, but after a quick google:

http://dw2.canon.dmz.ro:8080/download/canon/manuals/canon.dmz.ro_EOSDRXTi400DIM-EN.pdf

Here might be your manual.

alowe

Fajitas! wrote:

Yep, you have to look through the viewfinder. The mirror has to flip up to hit your sensor, exactly like your film SLR.

Haven't checked the link, but after a quick google:

http://dw2.canon.dmz.ro:8080/download/canon/manuals/canon.dmz.ro_EOSDRXTi400DIM-EN.pdf

Here might be your manual.

Thanks for the fast reply. I took a look at that site and link, but unfort. it doesn't work. Have requested a manual from Pixmania, so hopefully....

Forgive my ignorance, but don't understand what you mean by mirror has to flip up... I think I really now need to read those photography books I have. With my SLR, it really was point and click...and then wait for the photos.

Is it not unusually that you can't view the image to be taken on the LCD screen? I had thought this was what all digital cameras did, thereby allowing me to see what I was taking, before I took it - giving you a better chance of getting the perfect shot (albeit making it easier to take it.)

Fajitas!

Sorry about the link. Type in Canon 400D instruction manual or the likes, and you'll get a PDF file to browse and save it.

Basically, the live view screens are availible on your compact cameras, and I think 1 or 2 DSLR's, but in general, they're not. The viewfinder is as accurate as the human eye, because, essentially, it is the human eye. It has more tonal range, and better vision in darkness than an LCD. There are a lot of reasons the viewfinder is better. It also helps you compose and concentrate, blocks out light, etc etc etc.

You'll get used to it after a while, it's not that big a drawback (In fact...you'll probably start bringing compacts to your eye...)

CrowdedHouse

No digital SLR lets you preview the picture on the LCD you have to use the viewfinder.

The sensor can't see the image until you press the shutter.

Its the same as film only it uses an electronic sensor instead

m_stan

OP, if you don't mind me saying, you bought what is a relatively expensive camera there seemingly without doing very much research ...

Having said that, I bought one myself (a 400d too) a few months back after using a compact camera for years. I knew this was the one thing I'd have to get used to the most - esp as a glasses wearer. It bothered me quite a bit when I got it first, like it seems to be bothering you.

All I can say is hold out. You'll get used to it, and you will soon forget you ever used the LCD screen to shoot a picture again.

Good luck with it, happy shooting - and post some here (unlike me - the most you'll get from me is a link to my flickr)

alowe

Thanks for all the replies. It makes a lot more sense now.

Although i'm new to the world of Digital SLR's, I have a canon 300EOS for a few years now, and love it - so am well use to looking through a viewfinder... This camera was highly recommended to me by friends who use digital SLR's, and seeing as I see this as a once off expense (not planning on upgrading for a few years), decided to bite the wallet.

This is my first evening with it - so must go and play and take loads of photos of our poor dog (only person/animal that doesn't mind or rather have a choice in having her photo taken!)

Thanks again for the responses, and savings me hours trying to get something to work that shouldn't.

supergrip

OP, what made you buy the camera without researching it at all? Surely you knew what an SLR does, given you had a 300 anyway? How did you expect the 400D to be any different?

mtracey

It is an SLR

magicbastarder

CrowdedHouse wrote:

No digital SLR lets you preview the picture on the LCD

bar the olympus E330.

Rojo

Even if you could, I think you'd look like a tool looking through the LCD...

punchdrunk

supergrip wrote:

OP, what made you buy the camera without researching it at all? Surely you knew what an SLR does, given you had a 300 anyway? How did you expect the 400D to be any different?

EOS 300= entry level film slr from a few years back
EOS 300D=model before the 350D

nilhg

Rojo wrote:

Even if you could, I think you'd look like a tool looking through the LCD...

It might save Fenster having to roll around castle floors when he is taking his cat shots:D

mathias

Using any SLR including digitals means that when you look through the viewfinder you are looking at a mirror , when you hit the release , the mirror pops up and exposes the film or sensor ,

Having live view on an SLR , like on a compact , is tricky because you need the extra circuitry to see the mirror and have it relayed to the LCD.Feeding the sensor image back is not possible in most as the sensor is in the dark until the mirror pops up , even if there is a way then the sensor must be on all the time and this can play havoc with battery life ( as in the sony R1 ...its not strictly and SLR but comes close).

This is not an issue in compacts because compacts have much smaller sensors and dont draw so heavily on the batteries as a result.

Most keen photographers and pros shun live views anyway , and prefer the viewfinder , so having a live view on D-SLR's is not at the top of any manufacturers must have list for this reason,

However , if you are willing to part with the cash , there are add ons that give a live view , like this thing , I really want one , but the price is putting me off. Also I havnt found any full reviews yet so Id be waiting for a reliable one before parting with any money.

http://www.argraph.com/Zigview/Zigview%20S2/Zigview%20S2%20Page.htm

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/index.cfm

supergrip

punchdrunk wrote:

EOS 300= entry level film slr from a few years back
EOS 300D=model before the 350D

I'm well aware of what a Eos 300 is, having owned one myself. You're the first to mention a 300D, so I don't know quite what your point is.

The point of the thread is that the op bought a spiffy new camera, probably because a friend of his reckoned it would be a good idea or something (it sure as hell seems that he didn't know exactly what he was buying himself), and then was disappointed to discover that his fancy new camera didn't do what he wanted it to do. An SLR is an SLR, irrespective of whether it is digital or film, and anyone prepared to spend that much money on such a camera should at least be aware of what they are spending their hard-earned cash on.

It's just like someone buying an ipod and discovering that his CDs didn't fit into the usb slot, because it says "holds 100 cds" or something like that.

alowe

supergrip wrote:

The point of the thread is that the op bought a spiffy new camera, probably because a friend of his reckoned it would be a good idea or something (it sure as hell seems that he didn't know exactly what he was buying himself), and then was disappointed to discover that his fancy new camera didn't do what he wanted it to do. An SLR is an SLR, irrespective of whether it is digital or film, and anyone prepared to spend that much money on such a camera should at least be aware of what they are spending their hard-earned cash on.

Ok, apart from feeling like an extreme dunce for asking a question here.....I bought the 300 to learn photography and found that I liked taking pics - but not as much into it as some people. I got a bonus in work, and wanted to buy myself a nice pressie, so hence the 400d. I asked friends who are very techie on this stuff what they would recommend, and I did look at reviews on the web about the camera. Without going into the professional camera price range, this was rated as the best digital SLR for the money, so because I wanted a good/nice digital, I got it.

I'd like to point out that I'm not disappointed that I can't see the image on the LCD - like a poster before, I think it is better, as realistically i prefer to look through a view-finder - you would look like a plonker with a hugh camera a foot away from your face looking at the LCD. Why I came on the forum, was that I had never owned a digital SLR, and wasn't sure if the camera was ok - also because I couldn't find info anywhere spelling out to me that you don't see the image on the lcd (I did search).

Thanks to all who have explained exactly why the slr is what it is - now at least I posess a bit more knowledge, and hopefully won't ask such apparently stupid questions!

JMcL

You can download an english manual in PDF from here (It's called Rebel XTi in the US)

RichyX

Fajitas! wrote:

Basically, the live view screens are availible on your compact cameras, and I think 1 or 2 DSLR's, but in general, they're not.

Call me ignorant if you will but I was completely unaware of this. I played around with a Canon 400D last week and was wondering why I couldn't get it to show a live view on the screen.

I was planning to pick up a Pentax K100D in London next month. This makes me doubt things as I wear glasses and the viewfinder is an immense pain in the hole for me.
I have never even used the viewfinder on my old compact KM G600

Fajitas!

I won't call you ignorant for it at all, but I wear glasses too, as do a fair few of the members here, and it really dosn't make that much of a difference. Besides, I'd generally trust my own eyes before a 2 inch LCD screen, in general...

Owen

RichyX wrote:

I was planning to pick up a Pentax K100D in London next month. This makes me doubt things as I wear glasses and the viewfinder is an immense pain in the hole for me.

The 350 and 400D's have a wheel next to the viewfinder for adjusting diopter. You can adjust it to focus at a different length to suit your own eyeball, without your Glasses.

sineadw

alowe wrote:

won't ask such apparently stupid questions!

Hey meet your sister- I didn't know that about DSLR's either. You learn something new every day

alowe

After more searching on the net, I found the following thread which gave me comfort in that I wasn't the only one who didn't know about the live view. It describes further about the camera (more detail than what earlier members say here.)

Tis a good site for info on the 400D though.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=21787553

JMcL

RichyX wrote:

I was planning to pick up a Pentax K100D in London next month. This makes me doubt things as I wear glasses and the viewfinder is an immense pain in the hole for me.
I have never even used the viewfinder on my old compact KM G600

One thing to consider with live view LCDs is how much you're going to have to develop your biceps to handhold an SLR, even a relatively compact one like the Pentax, at arms length even with a modest lens With longer focal lengths, I'd say you can forget it. Looking through the viewfinder you at least can brace your arms against your body to add a bit of stability

RichyX

ned78 wrote:

The 350 and 400D's have a wheel next to the viewfinder for adjusting diopter. You can adjust it to focus at a different length to suit your own eyeball, without your Glasses.

Not really interested in the Canon's.
That's a nice feature though.

I'll play around with a K100D in the shops over in London (since no shop in Cork seems to carry it...), and decide based on that.

Good point about the weight, hadn't thought of that.

Fajitas!

I think all SLR's have the diopter.