Mirror lock up on 40D

sinitry23 wrote in post #4186390
Please explain...

If I was to shoot landscape is it better to lock the mirror and then snap the shot or use live view and snap the shot?

I'd say to just use MLU by itself unless there's a need to use LV.

xarqi wrote in post #4187727
OK - so the unanswered question here is if using liveview provides the same advantages for vibration reduction as using mirror lock-up. Any opinions/data on this?

If all you're looking at is the vibration reduction, I'd say, yes. Unfortunately, there are other factors that need to be considered.

tzalman wrote in post #4187954
Precisely, and with the bonus that you don't lose eye contact. OTOH, use it sparingly to avoid heat generated from LV raising the noise level.

And the heat issue's one of them. So's the question of focusing - if you're using LV, you're going to have to either use the "AF On" button to flip the mirror back down while the camera AFs, then out of the way again, or to manually focus, both of which give you opportunities to shake things up. OTOH, if you're using grads, LV with exposure preview may just be worth it.

My trick: set one of the Custom Functions to engage both MLU and the 2 second timer. This negates the need for a cable release. You have instant access to perfect lanscapes with one turn of the command dial. Nice design Canon!

BogongBreeze wrote in post #4187969
Don't forget that you'll probably negate any benefit unless you use MLU on a tripod with a cable release. Just pressing the shutter button will probably give a vibration greater than that of the mirror itself.

or set a 2 second timer if you dont have a remote.. Good tip though!

Good points about LV not being a complete alternative to MLU; tripod/timer/remote release etc are still essential of course. However, without using a custom setting (a very viable option, mind you), it does eliminate the need to hunt through the menus for a custom function to set, then reset after, which is the biggest operator interface gaffe on recent bodies, IMO.

I feel like a bit of a fraud, discussing these things when I don't have a 40D, but I'm trying to think ahead to when I step up to FF (hoping the 5D+ has LV), so I hope that's OK.