Using Touchscreen to Operate DSLR?

Pros and Cons? I know someone who is learning photography on the back of a 5DIV. This person is controlling focus, ISO, aperture and shutterspeed and getting real time feedback on how the image will turn out.

I see a lot of limitations, but I suppose it can be useful to a beginner. Thoughts?

Nathan wrote in post #18341107
Pros and Cons? I know someone who is learning photography on the back of a 5DIV. This person is controlling focus, ISO, aperture and shutterspeed and getting real time feedback on how the image will turn out.

I see a lot of limitations, but I suppose it can be useful to a beginner. Thoughts?

Don't understand what you are getting at.

Biggest con: You can't use it with your eye up to the viewfinder.

But I guess it's more user friendly for beginners. I imagine it would also be easier to show someone how the settings work if you can point them on a touch screen. Also if you're using a camera you're not familiar with, you don't need to know all the button positions?

Nathan wrote in post #18341107
Pros and Cons? I know someone who is learning photography on the back of a 5DIV. This person is controlling focus, ISO, aperture and shutterspeed and getting real time feedback on how the image will turn out.

I see a lot of limitations, but I suppose it can be useful to a beginner. Thoughts?

Ideally, I imagine a person should know their way around a camera and how to change its settings without ever taking their eye from the viewfinder. But the touchscreen can also offer a very quick route to changing some things that aren't immediately available from the buttons and dials (like if you want to change manual WB Kelvin settings or access something set up in a user menu).

I'm trying to picture how this would work with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens mounted. You're holding the camera in one hand while jabbing at the touch screen with the other? One of the first things I learned was how to hold an SLR for maximum stability. This flies in the face of it. Unless the camera is mounted on a tripod.

The touch screen is wonderful, all actions are very fast, especially when you customize the menu with your most used functions. Reviewing images is much more efficient as well.

I mix the use of screen vs buttons on some things depending on how actively I am using the camera, but use the touchscreen definitely exclusively for image review.

And yes I shoot with the 70-200, as well as the 150-600, which dwarfs the 70-200.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18341211
The touch screen is wonderful, all actions are very fast, especially when you customize the menu with your most used functions. Reviewing images is much more efficient as well.

I mix the use of screen vs buttons on some things depending on how actively I am using the camera, but use the touchscreen definitely exclusively for image review.

And yes I shoot with the 70-200, as well as the 150-600, which dwarfs the 70-200.

Another time I find the touchscreen really, really useful is at the start of a session. Pick up the camera, open up the quick menu/settings/info screen and set it up the way you want it in just a few seconds using the touchscreen. For me it is a really big plus. I certainly wouldn't want it to be the only option available and basic aperture, shutter speed and focus point are things that I will set with the viewfinder to my eye. But I do appreciate the touchscreen.

There are still some young people out there that can comprehend using the OVF with a DSLR rather than shooting in LV. My daughter has always grabbed by DSLR's to shoot the odd picture, including using my old 300D, which even had a broken AF sub mirror, so needed manual focusing too. She was out with her boyfriend the other week at a "car meet" and they were taking photos with his Canon DSLR, I don't know which model. Anyway he and his friends were trying to use LV hand held to shoot moving cars, and failing miserably. Rosie switched to using the OVF, to great general amusement, until it was apparent that she was in fact nailing almost all of the panning shots!

She does say that she thinks anyone who thinks holding a DSLR out at arms length to take pictures is about as dumb as it gets. Since it is much easier to keep it still while holding the camera to your face, using a decent stance and hold. But then she was in the GB Junior Rifle squad for a while shooting 10m Olympic air rifle. So she has a good understanding of keeping stuff still.

When it comes to touch screens I think that they can be very useful in certain situations. I'm sure that with the camera mounted on a tripod, using a touch screen to change settings is probably better that a load of direct buttons, and the front/rear wheels are. It's got to be better for image review too. Direct buttons and dials when used with the OVF are also very good, so I would not want to see one ever replace the other, but incorporating both is great.

It's the same with voice control, as mentioned here recently in another thread. There are times when being able to use voice control would also be a great idea, since it could allow the disabled with no hand control to also be able to operate a camera, without assistance from someone else. This can be hugely important for lots of people.

Alan

I use live view when I want to nail critical focus and I am manually focusing. That means I am holding the camera out in front of me to shoot it. Moon shots, macros shots, etc...

There are many different reasons to use live holding the camera out in front of you. Trying to track action in live view isn't one of those reasons however.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18341769
I use live view when I want to nail critical focus and I am manually focusing. That means I am holding the camera out in front of me to shoot it. Moon shots, macros shots, etc...

There are many different reasons to use live holding the camera out in front of you. Trying to track action in live view isn't one of those reasons however.

In that situation though I would have the camera mounted on a tripod, or at the minimum a monopod. There is no way I would want to try to hold the mass of a DSLR out at arm's length, even with the little 18-55, or a 50 f/1.8. Anything that requires large degrees of magnification, such as macro, or the moon with my 150-600mm would definitely be on

I actually struggle a bit in holding my phone to take shots with that. I now have a phone bracket to hold the phone, while it is mounted on a small little tripod. It's just the right size to make a handle for it, if it's not stood on something.

Alan

If I was teaching photography and wanted to show in real time how settings adjust exposure, etc that would be great. But most of my photography is fast faced. Aint got time to do it that way. Plus usually with my fat thumbs the touchscreen is hard to use. I just turn it off.

The touchscreen on my 80D is growing on me. I am glad it is there, but I still don't use it much.

It's a personal thing and going to be subjective based on the context of use, especially dependent on environment.

Touch screens for all controls, preview, Live View, etc, are horrible in the sun for example.
Touch screens are horrible when you have wet fingers, or stuff on them like dirt, sun screen, plain old water, etc.

I have a few touch screens via dSLR and dSLM. One I have to use the touchscreen for all controls. One I get to use the touchscreen if I want, but the other controls are mostly available as physical buttons. I much prefer the buttons and ability to use a view finder for exactly the reasons stated above (in the sun, wet fingers, dirt, sun screen, etc). But, I do appreciate touch controls and Live View when I'm doing astro in the dark. So again, it's all about context.

I think having the option to have touchscreen control & live view is superior to not having it. But I definitely don't think all-touchscreen and all-live view is superior to the alternatives.

Very best,

I find that the people who fault the touch screens are people who have not really used them in any real capacity.

I equate it to people who say " i will never get a smart phone" and just stick with a flip phone or Digital is a fad, film forever.

I can change Af point and many other options faster then anyone i know vs their dslr.

You don't have to use the touch screen for any of the options, i can just hit an on camera button and change on the fly as with any dslr.
When i got my first touch screen camera, it was of the option that i didn't care about in the slightest. Now that i have one, i prefer them.

Sure we can live with out them, but we also used to live with lower usable ISO or fewer AF points, but the more you have the easier and more usable photography is for me.

A long with everyone at first I thought it was gimmick we didn't need, after owning a camera with one I never want to go back. Love them!