So when is Canon going to make 5 bracket camera?

Ok everyone seems to be doing this ,even Panasonic pocket cameras. So when is Canon going to make a DSLR that actually can shoot more than 3 shots in auto bracketing? Nikon(sorry) has them , and has had them for awhile. Is it really that difficult?
I've sent Canon a few emails but have never gotten a response back.
Also out of thread I am still using my trusty 20D, and would like to ove up to the 40D, Whats a good price for a 40D with low shot count in excellent condition?

I agree with your sentiment, but my 1DsII can bracket 5 or 7 shots. I guess they don't see it as an important enough issue to change the rest of the line up.

Yes thats true the higher end models have that feature, I only wish the lower end models would as well.

I'm sure it won't be too difficult to add - surely just a matter of some software coding?

Having said that, I usually bracket manually anyway so it's not a big issue for me...

If it's merely a software issue, then Magic Lantern should be able to address it, if it hasn't already.

And if they don't or no one makes a tweak to do it...there's always the expensive but worthy Promote remote....I took the plunge and love it.

You can create a 5 bracket by doing a 3 bracket at ±1.5ev and then a second 3 bracket at ±3ev. Admittedly not as efficient as a single 5 bracket shot, and it duplicates the 0ev shot, but it works.

HughR wrote in post #12034077
You can create a 5 bracket by doing a 3 bracket at ±1.5ev and then a second 3 bracket at ±3ev. Admittedly not as efficient as a single 5 bracket shot, and it duplicates the 0ev shot, but it works.

If I understand what you are saying, that would involve going into the menus and changing the AEB spacing between bracket sets. To do something a bit quicker, with a wider exposure range, and with less fiddling around between shots, take the first bracket (at ±2 EV AEB spacing) after setting the EV compensation to -2. This will give you shots at -4 EV, -2 EV and 0 EV. Then dial the compensation up to +2, and take another bracked set, which will be at 0 EV, +2 EV and +4 EV. Toss out one of the 0 EV exposures, and you have a 5-shot set covering an 8 EV range. (If you went ±3 EV on the AEB spacing and set the EV compensation to ±3 EV before bracketing, you would have a 12 EV range, but the exposures might be too widely spaced. I've never tried that, though.)

I agree with the OP, however. It would be nice if Canon would provide more than three-shot brackets. It can't be difficult to program in.

I believe you can do this with CHDK for the p&s cameras.

And since the 7D has 3 custom settings, C1, C2 and C3, each can be set to a different exposure spread. So, when you take your bracketed set you start on C1, take three exposures, turn the knob one click for the next set then one click for the final set. That's 9 exposures by only turning one knob twice. By using exposure compensation as well as AEB, you could have C1= -1, 0 +1: C2= -4, -3, -2: and C3= +2, +3, +4.

The function on my 1ds2 has to be changed by connecting to a computer and choosing 5 or 7 shots.
Being able to choose 3, 5, 7 or 9 as needed from the camera menu would be ideal.

pknight wrote in post #12036711
If I understand what you are saying, that would involve going into the menus and changing the AEB spacing between bracket sets.

Actually, I find that the easier way is to take 2 brackets but change the starting exposure settings of each one so that they overlap. This also gives greater control over the amount of sepration in the bracketed shots.

IOW:

- figure out the settings you want for your center exposure. Let's say that 1/125 is the shutter value for our middle shot.
- select the amount of bracketing you want, we'll use 2 stops.
- adjust the settings so that you are underexposing by the amount of separation you want. In this case, we want 2 stops so you'd be setting the shutter to 1/500.
- fire the bracket, which will give shots at 1/500, 1/2000 and 1/125.
- adjust the settings so that you are overexposing by the same amount. In this example we want 2 stops which would be 1/30.
- fire the bracket and you'll get shots at 1/30, 1/125 and 1/8.
- throw out one of the shots with duplicate exposure and you'll have 5 bracketed shots. In this case you will have: 1/8, 1/30, 1/125, 1/500 and 1/2000.

If you want to stick with 1 stop between each frame, you can also do it by:

- set the AEB to 2 stops
- select the correct exposure
- fire the bracket
- reduce the exposure settings by 1 stop
- fire another bracket
- throw away the underexposed shot from the second bracket.

If you start with 1/125 as your shutter speed, the first bracket from this would give you 1/125, 1/500, 1/30. Then you'd set the shutter to 1/250 and the second bracket would give you 1/250, 1/60 and 1/1000. Throw away the 1/1000 shot and you are left with 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250 and 1/500.

tmcman, even though you can alternate between 3 & 5 or 3 & 7 exposures in camera, it would be great to be able to alternate between all three possibilites in camera. I just keep mine on 7 since I always seem to have plenty of room on the CF card. If I wanted the equivilent of 9 exposures from -4 to +4, I would set up my spread to 1 1/3 stops at 7 exposures...assuming the default custom function of a 1/3 stop change wasn't changed to 1/2 stop.

Exactly Gene. tmcman, I keep my camera on 7 brackets and never change it. I don't ever forsee a time when more isn't better. Even in the circumstance when you want only 3 shots just don't process the others. So far, that's never happened to me.

Just as Gene mentioned I too change my spread to match the dynamic range I'm hoping to achieve. If I have a tripod and the range requires it, I'll shoot two series with a high and low 0 EV and choose from the 14 shots.

I would want to use a 3 bracket for simple bracketing/non-hdr post processing, just to see which raw shot I'd like to work on.
Also for shots of scenes with minor movement I've had good results with a 3 bracket back when I was using a 30D.
Fast shutter speed, bang, bang, bang and the people haven't moved too much.
My cam is set on 5 and really needs to be on 7 for high quality hdr. Back to the firewire cable! Where the hell did I put that thing?