Canon frustration and question about flash with 100mm 2.8 M

[Adam Hicks]

Ok first the quick question, for those who don't want to read about my little cover shot mishap. When I use the 420EX with my 28-75 2.8, the flash 'zooms' along with the lens very nicely. When I use the 100mm Macro 2.8 Canon lens, it sticks on 50mm on the flash. Why doesn't it stick at 100mm? Can someone edumacate me?

--------------------------------------------

And here's the rant!

Well first off, I was given the opportunity to shoot a cover for a popular Texas motorsports magazine (big heavy glossy cover and pages at that! :) ) so that's exciting... I've done inside shots at various events, but no covers yet - so here's where my frustration comes in.

We shoot (this is the new Lotus Elise... such a cool little ride) about 150 pictures yesterday evening as the sun was going down, and it starts getting pretty dark, so I bump ISO to 800 for the remainder of the shots and head home. This morning I get the word that they need a cover shot, so I call the owner and tell him we need to do some late morning shooting in a more scenic area (I live on a golf course so we only had to drive 3 blocks...) the sun was bright, but it was a forgiving color (dark silver) and the backdrop was perfect. I shoot about a hundred shots and really had a good time and knew I'd get some gems.

Sooooo I get home to look at the pictures and ARGGGHHHH ISO800 across the board in bright sunlight! D@mned Cannon for not showing me that info on the histogram or view window! I was shooting mainly Av and some M (for spot metering purposes) and would have surely noticed that I left it at ISO800, but thanks to Canon, I have a lot of fantastic grainy shots.

Luckily just to be safe I shot about 20% of the shots on preset portrait and landscape modes, and the landscape modes dropped it back to ISO100, so I ended up with about 12 very good shots and all is not lost, but man did my heart drop when I started looking through the RAW images and noticing they were at 800!

Hope that's fixed on the 20D.

Adam

[robertwgross]

Sounds like simple user error to me.

---Bob Gross---

[Adam Hicks]

I'll admit that it was certainly user error, but how was I to know what ISO the camera was set to without going in and blatantly checking? Am I really the only one who thinks there should be an ISO level display SOMEWHERE on the camera?

Certainly a mistake of an amateur, but I know I'm getting better and expect a few 'lessons' along the way!

Adam

[DaveG]

Ok first the quick question, for those who don't want to read about my little cover shot mishap. When I use the 420EX with my 28-75 2.8, the flash 'zooms' along with the lens very nicely. When I use the 100mm Macro 2.8 Canon lens, it sticks on 50mm on the flash. Why doesn't it stick at 100mm? Can someone edumacate me?

--------------------------------------------

And here's the rant!

Well first off, I was given the opportunity to shoot a cover for a popular Texas motorsports magazine (big heavy glossy cover and pages at that! :) ) so that's exciting... I've done inside shots at various events, but no covers yet - so here's where my frustration comes in.

We shoot (this is the new Lotus Elise... such a cool little ride) about 150 pictures yesterday evening as the sun was going down, and it starts getting pretty dark, so I bump ISO to 800 for the remainder of the shots and head home. This morning I get the word that they need a cover shot, so I call the owner and tell him we need to do some late morning shooting in a more scenic area (I live on a golf course so we only had to drive 3 blocks...) the sun was bright, but it was a forgiving color (dark silver) and the backdrop was perfect. I shoot about a hundred shots and really had a good time and knew I'd get some gems.

Sooooo I get home to look at the pictures and ARGGGHHHH ISO800 across the board in bright sunlight! D@mned Cannon for not showing me that info on the histogram or view window! I was shooting mainly Av and some M (for spot metering purposes) and would have surely noticed that I left it at ISO800, but thanks to Canon, I have a lot of fantastic grainy shots.

Luckily just to be safe I shot about 20% of the shots on preset portrait and landscape modes, and the landscape modes dropped it back to ISO100, so I ended up with about 12 very good shots and all is not lost, but man did my heart drop when I started looking through the RAW images and noticing they were at 800!

Hope that's fixed on the 20D.

Adam

100mm lens :Did you have the flash head in the bounce mode when you used the 100? As soon as you bounce it will default to a wide setting.

ISO wrong : That's not Canon's fault it's yours. I've done it too, inadvertantly shooting at a high ISO. I'd love to have an inside the viewfinder ISO readout in my 10D and future 20D but it ain't there. It is in the Mark II.

But you and I knew it could happen and we didn't check. Next time check and there won't be any problems will there? When I think of the mental checklist that I go through with Metz flash, TTL and my Mamiya Pro-TL throughout the day of a wedding, then the checklist for the 10D is remarkably short, but there sure is one, at least in my head. Geez, if I left the batteries home or started out without any CF cards, it wouldn't be Canon's fault because there's no siren going off when I left the house?

[nosquare2003]

It would be a nice feature to show the ISO in the camera.

Well, the aperture and shutter combination will be quite different for ISO100 and ISO800...

People posted good habits for photo taking some time ago. Resetting ISO is one of them.

[nosquare2003]

Geez, if I left the batteries home or started out without any CF cards, it wouldn't be Canon's fault because there's no siren going off when I left the house?

Yes, it's Canon to blame. The camera should have backup batteries and built-in memory in the camera. :P

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[Adam Hicks]

DaveG... thanks for the 100mm answer. I was using a lumiquest pocket bouncer and that explains the wide mode. I didn't know the flash did that. thanks again... as far as batteries and compact flash and checklists go, I think this is something all together different. If Canon had left out a display for shutter speed and/or aperture would anyone complain? I'm guessing they would. Since ISO levels have a direct effect on the shutter speed of the camera (assume I'm shooting Av mode) I should be made aware of the setting. Oh well... I'll learn to remember. At least I haven't forgotten any CF cards (have 4 big ones just in case) or fresh batteries... YET!

Adam

[robertwgross]

I do not have a Digital Rebel, hacked or otherwise, but I do have the venerable old D60. The menu shows me the ISO setting, and there is no auto-ISO possibility, so what I dial in is what I get.

---Bob Gross---

[DocFrankenstein]

Wouldn't you notice the shutter speeds being 8x higher than usual? :?

Canon is hardly to blame. I don't know what camera you are using, but in histogram mode my rebel displays the ISO. :roll: :wink:

[Scottes]

I spent a night playing with ISO 3200.

I then spent the next morning taking sunrises at ISO 3200. I finally noticed when the sun was partially up and I was getting 1/2000 shutter speeds.

I've never done it again.

[Pekka]

Luckily just to be safe I shot about 20% of the shots on preset portrait and landscape modes, and the landscape modes dropped it back to ISO100, so I ended up with about 12 very good shots and all is not lost, but man did my heart drop when I started looking through the RAW images and noticing they were at 800!

I don't get this: why ISO 800 shots would be worse? The noise will not usually show on prints and you can use Neat Image or such to completely remove the noise or lower it.

I have a feeling that viewing shots on PC screen every day has given many people "ISO fear" and a very dangerous attitude in thinking that noisy photos = worse photos. Same applies to sharpness. If unsharp and noisy photos would be considered automatically as bad Capa would not have sold a single image.

Hope that's fixed on the 20D.

No it is not there, sorry. You'll have to upgrade to 1D series to see ISO in viewfinder and back LCD.

[Big_B]

If Canon had left out a display for shutter speed and/or aperture would anyone complain? I'm guessing they would. Since ISO levels have a direct effect on the shutter speed of the camera (assume I'm shooting Av mode) I should be made aware of the setting.

I know what you mean, I have had the same problem a couple of times. It can be very frustrating. These days I always set the ISO to minimum once I've finished shooting.

[DaveG]

If Canon had left out a display for shutter speed and/or aperture would anyone complain? I'm guessing they would. Since ISO levels have a direct effect on the shutter speed of the camera (assume I'm shooting Av mode) I should be made aware of the setting.

I know what you mean, I have had the same problem a couple of times. It can be very frustrating. These days I always set the ISO to minimum once I've finished shooting.

The ISO is there. You just have to push a button and look.

[Big_B]

If Canon had left out a display for shutter speed and/or aperture would anyone complain? I'm guessing they would. Since ISO levels have a direct effect on the shutter speed of the camera (assume I'm shooting Av mode) I should be made aware of the setting.

I know what you mean, I have had the same problem a couple of times. It can be very frustrating. These days I always set the ISO to minimum once I've finished shooting.

The ISO is there. You just have to push a button and look.

I know I should remember to check before I shoot but my memory has more holes then a sieve.

It may be my fault for not rembering to check but then it wouldn't be a difficult feature to add, so I can understand Adam's frustration.

[JohnEBongo]

I don't have the camera in my hands but there is a setting in menus for the review of pictures that gives all of the details of each picture taken on the LCD. This includes the picture itself, the histogram and all technical details like f-stop, shutter speed, white balance and what ISO was used. If you check this review you can catch a problem before taking a whole bunch of shots with the wrong ISO.