Question regarding AEB with Canon

[MN Shutterbug]

When setting the camera to auto bracket, can you set a starting point of lets say, -1 and then have it auto bracket down to -1 2/3 and up to 1/3, by setting it for 2/3 increments? Or does it always have to start at the middle ground, in other words 0?

[Steve Foss]

XT, I don't use the auto-bracketing feature too often, but it's my understanding from the manual that the 30D always starts at 0 (standard exposure) and goes from there. I don't see any other way to use AEB, according to the 30D manual.

Not sure about the "1" series bodies. I never used the AEB when I was using those bodies.

[Dbl]

X I think, and don't hold me to it because I never use it, that you can set the AEB anywhere you want in manual. I think in Av, Tv, or P mode it starts from "0", I'm not 100% on that but give it a try and let us know. The other thing is set your drive to "continuous drive mode" so that when you press the shutter you will get your three shots off with one press of the shutter. If you are in single mode you will have to press the shutter three times.

This really is a hold over from film days when you didn't have instant feedback. Now you just check your histogram and make an adjustment. I sometimes will shoot quite a few shots if I am in a hurry and don't want to check the histogram by just changing shutter speed or aperature depending on the mode and when I get home pick the best one.

A faster method is to just use EC because you see it in the viewfinder and make 1/3 or 1/2 stops that way. Much quicker than the AEB feature. This works well for me but you may find something that works better for you.

[MN Shutterbug]

Quote:

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A faster method is to just use EC because you see it in the viewfinder and make 1/3 or 1/2 stops that way. Much quicker than the AEB feature. This works well for me but you may find something that works better for you.

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Thanks for the advice. However, I don't see how using the EC can be faster than AEB, when the camera does all the work and you don't have to turn the dial, for each shot.

Also, I've never looked at the histogram yet. I don't normally wear glasses, but do need reading glasses for up close things. When I'm outside, my glasses are always buried, and I doubt I'd be able to see the histogram on the LCD screen very well, without them. It would have been nice if they would have had the histogram appear in the viewfinder at the same time, like my Panasonic P & S.

[Dbl]

It is very fast for me, but I am used to making a LOT of changes to the camera settings in a short amount of time. Like I said it works for me, maybe not for you. My thumb just turns the wheel in back with my eye in the viewfinder, sounds weird but it does work. Fire a shot, turn the wheel, fire a shot, turn the wheel, fire a shot, etc. You see what changes you are making right in the viewfinder.

Remember you can assign the wheel on back, on top, and some joystick functions to other things through your custom functions. Might find a combination that works well for you. The thing I don't like about the AEB is that it is not easy to set it up for me. And then I am stuck taking three shots everytime, throwing off my timing. But that is just my ineptness. You will find a method that you can work with, I was just throwing out some ideas that I have been successful using.

[MN Shutterbug]

You know Dan, the more I read your post and think about it, I can see how this could work, once I'm more used to the camera. A person would have more control, also. I'm going to have to put this to practice.

[Dbl]

Remember you have had the camera a short time. Everything is strange right now. I went from shooting Pentax for almost 25 years to Canon and went right into shooting sports. I went crazy for about two weeks and 10,000 shots before I noticed that I wasn't even thinking about the things that bothered me, one of them being the histogram display.

I know what you are going through, just remember the more you shoot and experiment the quicker these things will seem to become second nature and before you know it you will have a nice comfort zone and everything will be second nature.