Full Remote Control Software

[tpk]

Does software exist that allows full remote control of 20D from laptop, including previewing? I know the EOS Capture utility permits some adjustments, but not preview -- unless I'm missing something, which is more than possible.

Last year, a pro -- with a big Canon digital -- shot a brochure for me and my recollection is that he and his crew worked solely from a laptop. Sound possible?

tpk

[kawter2]

when you mention preview, do you mean before the picture is taken?

if so this is not possible

[pierrot]

You can preview... if you mean "before the picture is in my laptop", yes. But it has to be in the CF card into the camera prior to that, thus the picture has to be taken for real.
You don't have an electronic "viewfinder" in a 20D as you'd find in G series cameras.

[tpk]

Thanks, kawter and pierrot. By "preview" I meant seeing the shot before actually pushing the release button. After reading your answers and thinking about it, I understand now that prior to recording the image, there isn't anything to send to the laptop. I was just geeking-out.

[kmagic-digital]

A few years ago Fovion had a laptop computer/camera with the lens mounted directly on the laptop which would preview the image continuously. Worked great - but was very expensive.

[Persian-Rice]

Breeze systems makes one, but even then you can't preview. You might want to go read up on how a SLR camera works, digital or film, it will explain itself. Here's a hint though, a mirror.

[mattchase]

The Breeze Systems remote capture program does actually let you do a preview of sorts. You have to release the shutter, there is no way around that, but an image is not actually captured and saved to the hard drive. The software basically just reads the data from the camera and displays it, which works much quicker than taking an actual image because it isn't saving any of that data to the hard drive. The only way to do this is through the software itself, there is a button for doing the capture (with save to hard drive and or CF card) and there is a button for doing the preview (with no data saved).

So no, you can't have a live preview, but yes, you can take a preview (call it a polaroid) shot prior to the real shots that will be saved to the hard drive.