Why am I unable to access Live View with my new T1i?

Today I bought a new T1i and tonight I've been reading through the manual.

Things were going well until I tried to use Live View. For some reason I have been unable to Enable Live View Shooting (p. 107). Whenever I press the Menu button and go to the designated icon I see only the following options listed:

LCD brightness
Date/Time
Language
Video System
Sensor cleaning

There is no option for Live View.

Also, whenever I press the Live View button, instead of seeing a Live View image, the information screen stays on.

Perhaps there's a very simple solution to this perplexing problem. I figure I must be doing something wrong. I can't imagine that my brand new camera would somehow be missing the Live View function.

I would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone who might know what exactly is wrong.

I'm not sure about the particularities of the camera you are using, but when you say 'designated icon,' are you sure?
Poke around the menus a bit more, who knows what you'll find.

Are you in Auto/Scene modes? You can only use live view in the P, AV, TV, M modes.

watchtherocks wrote in post #8002269
I'm not sure about the particularities of the camera you are using, but when you say 'designated icon,' are you sure?
Poke around the menus a bit more, who knows what you'll find.

Thank you for your quick response.

The icon/tab displayed in the manual is a wrench followed by a colon, so that's where I checked. I haven't read the manual thoroughly, so maybe I should follow your advice and read further. I believe the answer is there; it's just that I have yet to find it.

Thanks again.

tkbslc wrote in post #8002320
Are you in Auto/Scene modes? You can only use live view in the P, AV, TV, M modes.

Thanks you! I knew there had to be a simple answer. Yes, I've been in Auto Mode and I guess I just assumed that Live View would function in Auto. I'm sure there must be a logical reason for it not to function in Auto. Perhaps I need to read further in the manual. This is my first SLR camera, and I obviously have a lot to learn.

Thanks again.

Just use P mode. It is like Auto with unlocked setting and features. Auto is set up to assume you are too dumb to actually use your camera as it was designed. You can't use RAW, pick AF points, decide whether to use flash, use liveview, change AF mode, picture styles, etc, etc. in the Auto or Scene modes.

The fact that you asked this question means you are too smart for Auto mode

tkbslc wrote in post #8002583
Just use P mode. It is like Auto with unlocked setting and features. Auto is set up to assume you are too dumb to actually use your camera as it was designed. You can't use RAW, pick AF points, decide whether to use flash, use liveview, change AF mode, picture styles, etc, etc. in the Auto or Scene modes.

The fact that you asked this question means you are too smart for Auto mode

Basically, if you use Auto, go back to a point and shoot, SLRs are not for you

KenjiS wrote in post #8002649
Basically, if you use Auto, go back to a point and shoot, SLRs are not for you

Eh, I wouldn't go that far. There are still plenty of benefits to having an SLR, even in auto mode.

tkbslc wrote in post #8004653
Eh, I wouldn't go that far. There are still plenty of benefits to having an SLR, even in auto mode.

Well..true, namely the better image quality gained from a larger sensor and better high iso noise performance, as well as much better optics

tkbslc wrote in post #8004653
Eh, I wouldn't go that far. There are still plenty of benefits to having an SLR, even in auto mode.

Not really, considering some of the better point and shoot cameras now. rebel+kit lens+auto mode isn't that much better than a lumix lx3

basroil wrote in post #8005500
Not really, considering some of the better point and shoot cameras now. rebel+kit lens+auto mode isn't that much better than a lumix lx3

How about:

Access to sharper/faster/longer/​wider lenses
shutter lag (one of the main reasons I got an SLR)
viewfinder
Focus speed
high ISO performance (the LX3 is the best compact, but still not really a contest)

what about the ability to change lenses

tkbslc wrote in post #8006033
How about:

Access to sharper/faster/longer/​wider lenses

But the people who wont bother to try learning things [the ones who will throw it in the auto modes constantly] are never going to learn HOW to use those lenses properly and then complain when their $1000 lens looks like crap [When in fact its the photographer]

KenjiS wrote in post #8006511
But the people who wont bother to try learning things [the ones who will throw it in the auto modes constantly] are never going to learn HOW to use those lenses properly and then complain when their $1000 lens looks like crap [When in fact its the photographer]

I still disagree. Put a 70-200 F4 IS on an SLR in auto mode or sports mode and it will still focus fast as hell and crank out very sharp shots. Put on a Canon 10-22 in landscape mode and you can take ultrawide shots not possible with a compact. You can take very good photos with the auto modes. I've done it, and my wife does it. If you want to unleash all the power of your camera, you need the manual modes, but for lots of general usage stuff, Auto/Scene modes can do just as well.

tkbslc wrote in post #8006033
How about:

Access to sharper/faster/longer/​wider lenses
shutter lag (one of the main reasons I got an SLR)
viewfinder
Focus speed
high ISO performance (the LX3 is the best compact, but still not really a contest)

1) Access, but if you read my post, and know people, very few that buy an SLR to replace a basic (SD700 type) point and shoot actually get anything other than the kit lens. Access doesn't mean anything really, you have access to your savings money in the bank, but in order to spend that money you need to withdraw it, transfer it, or otherwise do something else before spending it. Same thing with lenses. Unless it's there in your hand (or bag), it's as good as not having it.

2) Misnomer. Shutter lag is the time the camera takes to set off the shutter given everything else is done. Most modern point and shoot cameras have lag on par with a 50d. What you refer to is full press to shot time, which is the time it takes to focus, evaluate exposure, and release shutter. While this is still slower than SLRs in some conditions, it too has improved a lot. In some conditions, like a dark room with little contrast, a point and shoot is actually better, since almost all have an af assist lamp.

3) Apples to oranges there. P&S have 100% coverage EVF, DSLRs have 94-96% coverage optical viewfinders (1d have 100%, but I won't compare a 1d to a rebel, let alone point and shoot).

4) One that I do not contest, except for dark rooms with low contrast. AF assist lamp makes all the difference. Otherwise, SLRs are god. However, speed and accuracy are two different things, and often casual slr users (not worth it to call them photographers) have no idea how to focus, so they end up being off by a lot. Yea it's fast, and in the right hands better, but in the wrong hands it's just fast.

5) High ISO performance is great, but how often will they use it? You might love high ISO, but if they leave the camera in Auto, iso400 is their maximum (most point and shoots have acceptable quality at iso400 now), and anything that requires more will involve flash.

Remember, my stance is that a great deal of people that got SLRs in the last year or two generally don't need one. Yes, plenty of people want to learn photography and will evenually need every last drop of performance, but the vast majority just treat it like a large point and shoot. For that latter group, a point and shoot would actually help them more than an SLR.