Live View - Who Uses and "How Much - %"???

fldspringer · May 10, 2008

bobmax said:
1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

Yes, but not alot.

bobmax said:
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

I'd guess 1 to 2%. I have the E-3 and the viewfinder is great. I own a DSLR for their response. Live view kills that with the E-3.

bobmax said:
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

The only time I use it is when the perspective I want is very uncomfortable or impossible. Water level shots from a pond would be such a time.

Greg

Drummer · May 10, 2008

bobmax said:
1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

Yes

bobmax said:
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%

5%

bobmax said:
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

a. I use it with tripod and histogram when taking long exposure shots of water/waterfalls in low light/early morning. Works quite well for my needs.

--
David
http://www.pbase.com/bluesfish
FCAS Member 122 Oly Div.

craig w garland · May 10, 2008

Yes. Lately 10-20%. Low angle shots w/ ultra-wides (7-14 & 12-60). I set the E3 on a good tough leather beanbag (for support, protection, and minor adjustments e.g. horizon). The articulating screen is a must for this-- wish it were brighter though. Recently set my E3 on beanbag on a rock just above water level in a stream with nice results using 7-14.

And BTW, the "bean bag discovery" has been a revelation for me. I paid $42. for a Novoflex beanbag at B&H-- seems spendy, but it's made of tough suede leather for good grip, and has a zipper for filling or carrying empty-- 8x8" about 2" thick when 2/3 full. It also has 2 large grommet holes to hang or tie it to something, e.g. tripod.

Of course a zippered bean bag would be cheap and easy to make for someone who sews. Being in wet coastal Oregon, I'd like one w/ a waterproof side.

Cheers. Craig
--
'Shoot freely and edit ruthlessly' me, November 2002-- after purchase of E-1.
Equipment in profile.

Jay Turberville · May 10, 2008

bobmax said:
1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

Yes.

bobmax said:
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

I dunno. It all depends on what I'm shooting. Probably somewhere between 20-40% of the time. Note, I use it on the E-330. I almost never use it on the L1 with its fixed LCD.

bobmax said:
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

Too varied to list. An example from this evening. I was shooting the fountain at Fountain Park at sunset with my 4x5 Super Graphic. I was using the E-330 as my light meter. The 4x5 was on the tripod. I decided to take some shots with the E-330 resting on top of the 4x5 for stability after I had finished shooting with the 4x5. On goes live view A for more comfortable viewing.

Another example. I'm shooting pictures of parts of the Central Arizona Project Canal for the CAP folks. The canal isn't all that pretty in most places. I'm trying to get out over the water a bit and avoid the canal bank on one side. Out comes live view A again so that I can reach out an extra couple feet further than my head will reach with the camera up against it. It was clear bright sunlight, but I could still see the LCD well enough to frame the shots.

--
Jay Turberville
http://www.jayandwanda.com

Jay Turberville · May 10, 2008

Prognathous said:
LV one the E339 is still a compromise. The LCD is difficult to use in
daylight, and the constant mirror flips are very annoying. The former
should be solved with OLED screens, and the latter is already solved
by other makers (see EOS 40D).

My Creative Labs Zen V MP3 player has an OLED screen. The hypercrystal LCDs on my Olympus cameras (including the E-330) are by a rough estimate about 3.2 gazillion times better in bright daylight. I'm not holding my breath for OLED to be a solution. The Olympus hypercrystal LCD can be useful in direct sunlight since it operates in a rather interesting mode where it seems to be reflective.

--
Jay Turberville
http://www.jayandwanda.com

Pedal2Floor · May 10, 2008

I use it for Macro only. I would say less than 5% of the time, but recently more because we were trying to make presents for mothers day so I have taken a lot of flower shots.

For outdoors, I simply created my own LCD hood using black cardboard paper and it sticks to my camera by using a glue stick that puts the same glue on the paper as which you can find on sticky notes. The glue stick can be found at staples or other similar stores.

Always on a tripod and with the grid turned on.

The only other time I have found it useful is when I was trying to take a moon shot.

I find it less useful because it is not like the 330's LV.

dholl · May 10, 2008

bobmax said:
1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

Aye

bobmax said:
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

I guess between 2 - 5%

bobmax said:
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

In low-light or when I want an exact manual focus on something that's far away (I then use the very useful 7x or 10x live view mode)

For macro, I still prefer the viewfinder.

--
dholl

jfinite · May 10, 2008

1 - Y
2 - 12% (E-330)
3 - Invaluable for OM lenses. Long lenses get the tripod or monopod:

OM 200/4

Short, fast lenses are a lot more fun when I can see where my focus point is:

OM 50/1.8

Tilt-screen gets me shots I wouldn't normally get, like over my head:

That pretty much sums up why I love my 330.
--

http://www.pbase.com/jfinite

udaman · May 10, 2008

bobmax said:
Hi:

Thought this might be interesting information to see who "is" vs "is
not" using Live View. Obviously a Oly innovation that is considered a
"must" today on all DSLR's by most reviewers and by all Mfg's. So:

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

Haven't really explored it yet...Got 510 for IQ. IS, Size

bobmax said:
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,

0%

bobmax said:
etc...)?
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

I must admit that except for accidentally, I've yet to take a live
view shot. I "do" see it a usable feature in "macro" work (like
flowers, etc) - but to do that the LCD would really (IMHO) need to be
"very viewable" in daylight. Therein seems to be the issue..

YES...........The LCD does need to have better viewing for Daylight..I am considering a LCD Hood..That folds down and locks when not in use.

bobmax said:
Thanks!
--
Bob

--
Peter

Enjoy your photography images, even if your wife doesn't ! ;-(
http://laurence-photography.com/
http://www.pbase.com/peterarbib/
Cameras in profile.

bobmax · May 10, 2008

--
Bob

rob214 · May 10, 2008

just to try it, but i see the merit in some circumstances. i don't do much macro or landscpe
rob

amalric · May 10, 2008

Photo-Wiz said:
Amalric,

Can you explain what attachments and techniques you use to duplicate
slides? Does it work better than scannng?

Professional scanning is known to be better, but is expensive and tedious.

I have converted an old 35mm Slide Duplicator, and use it with a Zeiss 50mm with 2x and 4x closeup lenses. The SD length to fill the frame is about 13 cm.

Another person uses a Nikon digital slide duplicator and a Zuiko digital 35mm macro, if i remember well. Just do a search for 'slide duplicator' or 'slide duplication' on the forum.

Quallity is is good, depending on how you deal with Photoshop, up to 18x24 cm, and perhaps even above, but only if your slide is not too discoloured, IMHO.

Am.

--
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7689141@N06/

Rriley · May 10, 2008

bobmax said:
Hi:

Thought this might be interesting information to see who "is" vs "is
not" using Live View. Obviously a Oly innovation that is considered a
"must" today on all DSLR's by most reviewers and by all Mfg's. So:

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

yes

bobmax said:
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

daily, .....between 5 and 10%

bobmax said:
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

getting an angle i cant shoot from the ground

i shoot real estate, and its great for getting the all important shots of houses uphill from the shooting position. I sometimes only shoot over head, but sometimes put E3 on a pole with a radio remote release. This gets me around 15ft additional height, and maintains the roof profile of the house

also when i need to squeeze as much into a frame as possible but Im stuck for space behind me, the additional 12" or so can be very useful

--
Riley

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous (just)

Rriley · May 10, 2008

and they look like this
camera is about 10ft overhead (i think)
you see a fuller roof profile and more of the garden design

--
Riley

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous (just)

TonyinJapan · May 10, 2008

I actually really like the Live View feature in my E-420. It has come in handy in situations where the viewfinder just not work. Here are some examples:

• Taking shots where the camera is in a place you cannot possibility put your eye into the viewfinder. I tooks some shots of objects on the table at Starbucks with the camera on the middle of the table, so the Live View was very useful. Plus, the camera rested on the table, so it acted as a tripod as well to keep the camera steady.

• Giving the camera to a non-camera user to take a group photo. Many people are used to the P&S method of composing on the LCD screen. Yesterday, I gave my camera to my wife to take a group shot and she instinctively knew how to take a shot via the Live View. It may have been more difficult for her looking through the small viewfinder. The shots she took were great!

• It might be gimmicky, but with face detection enabled and using Live View, you can see the frame boxes on each persons face when focusing your shots.

• Live View previews DOF on the LCD before you take your shots so you know how your background will appear. Cannot do this via the viewfinder.

• Other previews available too like Live Preview of exposure or giving you 4-selected variations to choose from to pick the best shot before you shoot (not explored this yet)

• On the downside, because of its slowness, it is not good for children or fast moving objects. It is best for still-life I think.

bobmax said:
Hi:

bobmax said:
1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

Yes

bobmax said:
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

25%-30%

bobmax said:
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

Please see above...

Gearóid Ó Laoi Garry Lee · May 10, 2008

Previewing the metering in a tricky shot.

For those of you who use all-in-ones (my current one is Fuji s9500, a great holiday camera), you will appreciate getting the metering right in the viewfinder BEFORE shooting.

It's of coure also great for an awkward shot.

yonix · May 11, 2008

Ed Oliver said:
1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

I tried

Ed Oliver said:
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

1%

Ed Oliver said:
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

Well i can't say, i just try it.

On the E-510 the LCD is fixed (no way to use the live view over head then).

The LCD is almost impossible to be used in daylight. (lots of light where i live)

The process (mirror, rearm, whatever) between pictures is time consuming.

alantan · May 11, 2008

yes
99% with e330.

Basically framing shots at waist height. I find that eye level is usually not the best height to shoot from for me so 80% of my shots at from around waist height. After a while, got used to it and used live view exclusively.
--
my gallery
http://www.keehian.com/gallery

strawman_John · May 11, 2008

OK a Canon users perspective,

bobmax said:
1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

Yes

bobmax said:
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

@ 15%

bobmax said:
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

For landscapes its great, you can get a stopped down Depth of field preview, you can rove about the scene checking actual focus. Also you get a moving metering area, so you can use that to preview the metering. Plus as the mirror is locked up in canons (it does not return to prime the shutter) it doubles as mirror lock up. For HDR you can also prime the camera to from live view, pause 2 or 10 seconds then take 3 bracketed shots all with the mirror locked.

For macro, well you said the reasons, but in still life macro it helps. for bugs etc, forget it, I find the viewfinder easier to use.

For studio use its good too, you can real time display on a lap top, plus drive the camera remotely should you wish. I have found this more a help for education.

bobmax said:
I must admit that except for accidentally, I've yet to take a live
view shot. I "do" see it a usable feature in "macro" work (like
flowers, etc) - but to do that the LCD would really (IMHO) need to be
"very viewable" in daylight. Therein seems to be the issue..

I found it worked much better than expected. But for normal hand held photography I prefer the normal viewfinder.

Ron Joiner · May 11, 2008

never and E330 about 60% of the time. I use Liveview A quite a bit for candid, low angle shots and B for macro.

Ron
--

E-510, E-330, ZD14-54, ZD40-150, FL-36, ZD50 f2, Sigma 135-400, Manfrotto tripod and head

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronjoiner/
http://joiner.shutterchance.com/

Live View - Who Uses and "How Much - %"???

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