tricking your 300d into ai servo

[phidong]

I've been trying different methods.. focusing far, then close.. pushing the focus ring out of focus.. but nothing works consistently enough..

and then.. I found out a way to do it every single time.

Hold the rebel in one hand, hold your other hand out (left) in front of the camera and focus on your fingernail. Right after the beeping sound, move your left hand closer to the camera (slightly) so that the fingernail goes out of focus. Taadaa. AI SERVO mode. Its simple. Your hand is so close to the lens that when you move it just slightly it gets out of focus ;)

[defordphoto]

Do you have to also hop on one foot and sing any songs? This would look awful silly at say a wedding, or a sports event while the 'event' is happening and you're 'shooting' your finger.

Are you serious?

[ron chappel]

I think he is.Sounds like a quick easy way if it really works.Anyone who wants to mock please just go spend your extra $500 on the 10D.
Has anyone ever tricked a rebel (any kind) into under/overexposing with flash?I did work out a way one with my brother but have forgotten how we did it...

[soumya63]

ron chappel wrote:
I think he is.Sounds like a quick easy way if it really works.Anyone who wants to mock please just go spend your extra $500 on the 10D.
Has anyone ever tricked a rebel (any kind) into under/overexposing with flash?I did work out a way one with my brother but have forgotten how we did it...

I can't agree more. These forums are to share and learn knowledge about a tool we all want to master. I have seen many tool fanatics, who take personal pride or have developed some peculiar attachment to the tool. They try to ridicule, mock, flame or try to gag post not matching their fancy. In this way we are just stopping the real flow of knowledge and end up with all those threads announcing purchase of a new camera body, or lens or a personal website. Those are good things to share but do not add any value to this forum.

I wish there was someone (Pekka ?) to moderate this site to keep it focused and a gold mine for any EOS D photographer.

I do not have a 300D, but I congratulate Phi Dong for the effort of finding a way to trick it to do AF Servo. I would love to see similar kind of post, which enriches my knowledgebase.


Soumya

http://www.mitraphoto.com

[CyberDyneSystems]

Nice one Phidong! :)

[BobbyC]

Jim is speaking from the point of view of a working photographer and has a totally valid point. If phidong is only a hobbiest then this wouldn't matter to him, but if he is shooting for money then Jim's point is totally appropriate. Speaking as someone who shoots for money, I would say the same thing, you're gonna look pretty silly and it's entirely possible a person wouldn't have thought of that.

From a purely technical standpoint, phidong has found a perfectly valid way to accomplish what he wants to do. Everyone has thier opinions and unless they make a personal assault, that opinion is valuable, whether everyone agrees with it or not.

[soumya63]

BobbyC wrote:
Jim is speaking from the point of view of a working photographer and has a totally valid point. If phidong is only a hobbiest then this wouldn't matter to him, but if he is shooting for money then Jim's point is totally appropriate. Speaking as someone who shoots for money, I would say the same thing, you're gonna look pretty silly and it's entirely possible a person wouldn't have thought of that.



If one is a professional, he would have more reason to learn about such tricks cause in tight situation, it may save the day.

Looking silly is a relative term. I may thing a photographer looks silly with a 1.5 K camera like 10D when I am shooting with 8K camera like 1DS.

I do not care about looking silly as long as I get my shots. And I would love to read similar 'silly' posting

;)

www.mitraphoto.com


PS: If you know about Galen Rowell (I consider him as my mentor), the great grandmaster of 35mm landscape photography, he actually have danced with his both hand up in the sky (the trick he had learned from another photographer) to approach Deer. Now he might have looked silly to some people, but art lovers pay thousands to get his original signed prints.

[OviV]

Silly newby question: What is ai servo?

[soumya63]

oviv wrote:
Silly newby question: What is ai servo?
One should read it as AF Servo :D

[BobbyC]

Okay soumya63 you're right, I'm wrong. I can't seem to offer any suggestions in this forum without someone being intent on saying I'm wrong. I made my statement in reply to a post that chided Jim for his statement but apparently it has been deleted.

Someone of the caliber of Galen Rowell would never make a statement like the one about the price of a camera, you should know as much as anybody it's not the camera.

[soumya63]

BobbyC wrote:
Okay soumya63 you're right, I'm wrong. I can't seem to offer any suggestions in this forum without someone being intent on saying I'm wrong. I made my statement in reply to a post that chided Jim for his statement but apparently it has been deleted.

Someone of the caliber of Galen Rowell would never make a statement like the one about the price of a camera, you should know as much as anybody it's not the camera.

It is not my objective to prove myself right and you wrong BobbyC. I am sorry if I have sounded that way.

What I have meant that for any professional, the first the foremost thing is to get the shot, and while doing that he / she does not care if a person considers his tools or posture silly. Moreover every one of us in this forum is contributing valuable information, which can help us in critical situations.

It is not a good idea to put down a piece of information with some smart comment, which may discourage the poster from sharing some of his unique findings.

The cost of the camera is mentioned because I feel many of us take personal pride in flaunting their gears like women love to show their new diamonds. They think shooting with lower priced gear makes a person silly. I do not understand why on earth a person may look silly while shooting with 300D and in tight situation trying to get AF servo by focusing on his fingertips? I sometime take gray card reading from my palm or hand- hold my Grad ND filter as I feel those grad filter holders are too cumbersome. I may look like an idiot to some other rich amateur, but finally I get my image and that’s what counts.

:D

Soumya

http://www.mitraphoto.com

[defordphoto]

BobbyC wrote:
I made my statement in reply to a post that chided Jim for his statement but apparently it has been deleted.



Thanks Bobby, but your comments apparently fall on deaf ears. This entire forum has gotten quite silly the past few weeks and has offered little valuable info. It's almost as we're getting fallout from dpreview throwbacks.

Sad...

Anyway, on with the silliness!

[phidong]

Well, I would rather be seen shooting my finger for less than a second (thats all it takes to trigger it) than to not use it at all. Noah Grey from (noahgrey.com) said something along the lines that he believes its not exactly what you use or what you do.. its where you get to.

I couldn't agree more. I don't care if I look like a dumbass. Its the pictures that matter. If I have to shoot my finger for a second and take a picture.. then I'll do it. I'm sorry if I'm not a rich person like you and I cannot dispose of that much money on a hobby that I'm just learning.. I'm not priviledged you might say.. as to have that kind of extra cash.

I got what was available to me.. and I'm learning how to use it. I don't think your comments were appropriate as I am only trying to pass on information. People have been complaining about not being able to pick focus modes and this is one work around for that. Enough said.

[Andy_T]

Hey all,

Let's just agree that we have found another difference between the 300D and the 10D if you're in the decision which one to buy:

# 21: If it' important to you that other people might think you look stupid trying to get your 300D to use AF servo, then the extra 500$ on the 10D are well spent :)

No kidding, in a thread on DPreview on 'what it takes to start out as a pro' some contributions mentioned that in your beginning phase as a pro, if you haven't made a name yet, it might be necessary to impress some of you customers by displaying a 'professional air' ... until you have a decent portfolio and can use that to convince them.

For me, as a 'poor rich amateur' :), that thought has a lower priority than getting some tool to play with.

Best regards,
Andy

[AliasMoze]

I'm not a professional photographer, but I have worked with professional cinematographers, and I would offer that, with all the sophisticated gear he can get to perform a shot, often it's simple rigs, like sticking a finger in front of the lens, that gets the job done. Rigging up shots is part of working as a pro or hobbyist, and only amateurs think it's all about equipment. Give me a great photographer with a point-and-shoot over a moron with a 10D any day.

The trick posted here is perfectly valid, and I'd use it if I ever used servo in the first place, so thanks for posting it.

Furthermore, coming into a thread and saying that a certain trick would look stupid or that one camera is inherently more amateur than another is just plain snobbish. If you can throw down shots like Ansel Adams, fine, we're all ears. Otherwise, drop the philistine posturing, please. As a newbie here, I'd say that such an attitude seems to dominate many threads, and it's a tad sickening, unproductive, and obvious. Thanks.

[defordphoto]

Good grief you people have no sense of humor anymore. You have turned two sentences into this obscure story. I was serious in asking if he was serious and did not get a response from the actual thread starter until now, in between all the people reading this huge in-between-the-lines psycho-babble from my slightly tongue-in-cheek comment. With all the oddities of what people seem to be doing with their cameras OTHER than shooting photos: Creating pointless, ridiculous petitions; Massive graphs on focusing, etc. It seems that many have purchased their cameras to argue rather that shoot photographs. Sorry if that seems odd. Sorry if thinking that shooting your finger to force AI Servo seems odd. But, that is just plain odd. All I asked if that the original poster was actually serious. With some of these threads here lately, it would surprise me to see that some did actually jump up and down, sing a song and who knows what else to get their camera to perform some sort of magic tricks. Thank you to the original poster for finally coming back online to answer the original question. Obviously your are serious about this method to force AI Servo on your 300D. And it's still odd either way.

[AliasMoze]

Jim, sorry if my post seemed focused on you. My response is really a built-up feeling I've had since joining this board, and unfortunately, I accidentally lumped it all onto you, which isn't fair. I recognize that your "are you serious" was not an "are you SERIOUS?!?"

[defordphoto]

AliasMoze: Yeah. I see you have noticed the direction of the board too. Hopefully it'll shift back into reality mode soon. I also apologize if I offended anyone, but my original post still states a serious question to an odd statement.

So, I ask this: If you're tracking a subject with the 300D, does that in itself not force AI Servo? Is the (now infamous) 'finger-trick' the only way to get the 300D into AI Servo mode? I would find that a huge downside if that is true as with my 10D and D60 I use AI Servo a lot shooting motorsports. I was considering the 300D as a cheap backup camera, but with it evidently being AI-Servo challenged, that makes it a definite non-purchase for me. But, it still fills a gap for the average, amateur photographer. I've seen some pretty impressive 300D shots posted.

[Andy_T]

Jim,

I'd reckon the 300D would select AF servo if you follow moving racecars.

However, if the AI is not fast enough to determine you want AF servo when you wait for a car to come around a bend and then have only fractions of a seconds to get a sharp shot, this might really be a major limitation for you.

You might also hold a tiny matchbox car in your hand to focus on it if you don't want to use your finger, otherwise:)

Regards,
Andy

[defordphoto]

andythaler wrote:
You might also hold a tiny matchbox car in your hand to focus on it if you don't want to use your finger, otherwise:)

Regards,
Andy

ROFLMAO!

Now THAT was funny! :) Good one Andy. Good one!

[billhercus]

It really does work and proves the value of a forum like this. I'm now really glad I didn't spend the extra pounds sterling (bucks) on a 10D as lack of the AI Servo AF did make me hesitate ......

Whilst we are all being philosophical, I do sometimes get the feeling we concentrate far too much on the equipment and not nearly enough on technique. Superb pictures are takendaily with very basic cameras - but maybe this should be a new (and probably off repeated) thread.

[BobbyC]

soumya63 wrote:

What I have meant that for any professional, the first the foremost thing is to get the shot, and while doing that he / she does not care if a person considers his tools or posture silly. Moreover every one of us in this forum is contributing valuable information, which can help us in critical situations.

You are correct to a point, but as I said, from a working standpoint it's not going to look very good when the paying customer asks what you are doing and you have to tell them I have to do this to make the camera do what I want. Maybe someone just starting out didn't think of that, which was my point, you could end up looking silly

It is not a good idea to put down a piece of information with some smart comment, which may discourage the poster from sharing some of his unique findings.

I didn't think anyone was "putting down" the equipment and as I said, I was just pointing out that there is merit to Jims statement and it certainly didn't call for involving the forum administrator (this was from the deleted post I was replying to.) And remember I said it was a perfectly valid way to accomplish what he wanted.

The cost of the camera is mentioned because I feel many of us take personal pride in flaunting their gears like women love to show their new diamonds. They think shooting with lower priced gear makes a person silly.

I agree, but no one said or did that. I used to get so frusted when I was first starting my business in 99, I would go to a forum or talk to a local pro and ask for opinions on equipment and be told stuff like "no pro would ever use 35mm for portraits" then I would say okay I 'm getting a Hassy, then I would get "Don't you know it's not the equipment" comments...you can't win.

I do not understand why on earth a person may look silly while shooting with 300D and in tight situation trying to get AF servo by focusing on his fingertips? I sometime take gray card reading from my palm or hand- hold my Grad ND filter as I feel those grad filter holders are too cumbersome. I may look like an idiot to some other rich amateur, but finally I get my image and that’s what counts.

You are right, but again, should we not mention that it may look silly? Taking a grey card reading or holding a grad filter is not quite the same thing as standing there moving your finger back and forth trying to get the servo going. And no one said you would look like an idiot, maybe a rich amateur would, but I don't know any.

Speaking for myself, I try to contribute when I think I have something to offer, and I tend to be one of those "look at the other side" people that sometimes comes off looking the wrong way, particularly on a forum. I've been as guilty as anyone of getting sucked into some nasty threads, but I'm getting better at staying out of those.

And I guess that's what the bottom line is, I want to help when I can and get help when I need it, all in the spirit of moving forward in photography.

[soumya63]

BobbyC wrote:
And I guess that's what the bottom line is, I want to help when I can and get help when I need it, all in the spirit of moving forward in photography.



Thanks Bobby, that's the spirit with which Pekka created this forum. Many thanks goes to him also. If all of us just maintain this attitude and stop ridiculing others view or findings, it would be so wonderful.

Happy shooting and open invitation to every one residing at East Bay to the artist reception at my Photography show at Willits Center Gallery on 10th October evening 7PM-10PM. You can meet all participating artists, including me and enjoy art show with live music while tasting California wine. It will be great fun. The address is given at my website

http://www.mitraphoto.com


Soumya

[defordphoto]

Well said, BobbyC.

[Andy_T]

BobbyC wrote:
[Taking a grey card reading or holding a grad filter is not quite the same thing as standing there moving your finger back and forth trying to get the servo going.


Now THAT's the solution!!!

Simply move a grey card in front of your lens to get it to focus in AF servo mode :)

Have fun,
Andy

[Pekka]

RFMSports wrote:
Well said, BobbyC.

Who needs strict moderator jumping up and down when in due time people can solve any problems/arguments/offtopics by themselves? :) Thanks guys and gals!!!

That's the way it should be. I'd really like to reserve my moderator rights only to fixing quote codes and moving topics to correct boards.

[AliasMoze]

This would make a horrible reality show, people solving their own problems.

[defordphoto]

Like with most things Pekka, this got blown way out of proportion and made much bigger a deal that it ever needed to be. Time to move on. The horse is dead.

[CyberDyneSystems]

RFMSports wrote:
Time to move on. The horse is dead.


er,.. which finger ???


:D :D :D :D

lol!