My 70D adventure (1 Viewer)

Good ole Santa, delivered my 70D on Christmas Day and I managed to have a brief play with it today. Initial feelings are it's going to be a good update from my trusty 40D but there's quite a bit that has changed in the intervening years, and models, that I need to get to grips with.

I have literally scratched the surface this afternoon as the light was poor and there was a distinct lack of subject matter at my favourite LNR so made the most of the green sandpipers that are regulars and tried out the video mode and the digital zoom. I was quite impressed with the latter at 3x, it's obviously softer than the bare lens/tc combo but at around 30/40m it gave a reasonable image. Without the digital zoom though the image is too sharp and contrasty at the default settings so I guess I will have to experiment and see what looks best.

I would love to be able to comment in depth on the photo quality but there was no opportunity to do anything other than take a couple of distant shots of the sandpipers in grim light (video seems more forgiving??) but I get the feeling that my 300 f4 and Kenko 1.4x combo gave sharper results OOC with the 40D. Compared against the video I guess that using the AFMA should bring this in line.

One thing has changed from my 40D which is a definite plus. When using the Kenko converter I always found that the IS on my 300 f4 would 'jump' when trying to achieve focus in AI Servo and any shots would be vertically blurred. From my brief trial with the 70D I appear to have lost this hiccup which is very good news indeed.

I can't wait to get out and use my new camera, but with it being the darkest time of year and having long hours of work time is on the short side.

Looking forward to the video experience with this camera so if anybody has any suggestions on settings, techniques and reading material please chime in and I will update this thread whenever I can.

Happy New year all

Paul

p.s. the green sandpiper video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8YsZ3k2XoA

Thanks for sharing your video clip, Paul. The quality is much better than I anticipated and I look forward to seeing more of your footage in the future once you have become more familiar with the camera.

I have used a 7D for shooting video with some success and the idea of the digital zoom appeals to me. I appreciate that it is no substitute for getting closer or using a bigger lens but it seems to me to give comparable results to "low-power" digiscoping.

Best of luck,

Mike

Hi Paul,

In case you missed it, there was a very detailed thread on DSLR video which seems to have fizzled out recently:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=160937&highlight=dslr+video

Somewhere within the thread is some advice for setting up the camera for optimal video results. I'd be very interested to see how you get on with the 70d, as I have the 600d which was (I think) the only body to have the digital zoom prior to the 70d, and will upgrade one day I'm sure. I've always raved about the digital zoom on here, and have been surprised that not many others seem too impressed by it!

Sandpiper vid looks excellent.

Peter

Mike & Peter, thanks for your comments and input. The video on the 70D is a real step-up compared to the Panasonic FZ45 and Canon SX50 that I have used previously with what I thought of as reasonable success.

I understand what you are saying about digi-scoping Mike, but having never tried to record that way myself I haven't got a yard-stick to compare to. However by my calculations the 300mm lens + tc + 1.6 crop + 3x digi-zoom comes in at approaching 40x. I suspect that under duller conditions a little in-camera sharpening could be applied to the video but under brighter conditions this would possibly have a detrimental effect, introducing more artefacts and noticeable pixelation. (An experiment for another day) I have found that with my laptop connected by HDMI to our HDTV that, providing I get the focus right, the video using the 3x digi-zoom is actually quite good - though I'm sure the BBC would disagree o

With regard to the 7D, a friend of mine who aspires to be a natural history cameraman has been using the 7D, and recently the 6D too, for filming and some pieces he shot on the 7D were used in The Great British Year. He did of course use a 500mm f4 IS :-C

He's half my age too; I wish the technology available now had been around when I was a youngster, I probably would have made some different choices

Peter, thanks for the link, I will have a good read of it when I have a moment - it's taken over 90 minutes to type this post with everything that goes on in this madhouse! I think the digital zoom is a useful tool provided it's understood and used within its limitations. Certainly for recording behaviour it's great - I have a video I took yesterday of a snipe which, although soft and suffering from CA or flare, shows quite clearly the bird feeding and bobbing. The bird fills the frame and is far more interesting to watch that a sharp but small image. (I think the CA/flare was caused by condensation forming on the front of the polarising filter I am using to keep the aperture open)

A few points on the camera itself:

I have noticed that the viewfinder is much clearer than the 40D's - compared to the 600D you will probably be blown away, Peter

The normal AF where I have just used it to scan the surroundings is very fast and accurate - can't wait to have an opportunity to try and take some photos of something interesting. Particularly hopeful that I can have a good chance of getting some Barn Owl shots in the spring.

The live view af is very snappy on still and video with a still subject (will have to wait for an opportunity to try it on a moving target.

The af on digi-zoom is slower than a slow thing from slowville. Actually, that is probably unfair but it does go completely out of focus, then hunts before settling. Eventually

I don't find the build quality to be worse than the 40D body. Different, yes, but I like it.

The touch screen - how have I ever managed without one? I have it really intuitive and once I get my head around all the other options my opinion will probably go.

Right, that's another half-an-hour gone so better finish up. Another Green Sandpiper vid link, this time in better light but still 3x digi-zoom. There is a lot more pixelation which from my brief google search I think is probably linked to the level of movement in the rippling water and data compression. Certainly the original, when played back on laptop and HDTV shows no such problems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI9uAjK68lo&feature=youtu.be


cheers Paul

Video on the 70D looking good. Thanks for the info Paul, it makes good reading.

Paul, you seem to have mastered the video function on the 70D very well. The second Green Sandpiper clip looks great due to the better light and played back quite well on my computer monitor. As you stated, data compression can sometimes be a killer.

This is not a criticism but I notice a little "motion-blur" as the bird moved its head in your video clip. What shutter speed were you using? I know the experts recommend somewhere around 1/60th to 1/125th for a good "flow" but it can cause a little blurring of fast-moving actions or subjects. Perhaps you could try shooting around 1/250th to see if it cured the problem.

Looking forward to seeing more soon.

Best wishes,

Mike

Mike, feel free to criticise, there's loads I don't know about video recording and any ideas are welcome! I stuck to 24fps and 1/50th as per the normal suggestions but I really need to try some other settings just to see what the results are like. Using a faster shutter speed would certainly help with the aperture as I found I was dropping down to f14, meaning that I would lose background blur with close-ups.

I am planning to do some work with Kingfishers this spring and would hope to be reasonably au fait with the workings in advance - all the rest will be trial and error.

In a couple of weeks I have loan of a 500 f4 so need to try and find a subject to push the AF but don't know how much luck I'll have. We'll see

Recording size and compression are my biggest annoyances at the moment - I haven't worked out how anybody can upload anything more than a couple of minute's of HD video to YouTube without losing the will to go on??

Anyway, hoping to get out and try some more tomorrow - but that may be rained off and Sunday I will be helping to cut up a large hornbeam that has been blown over on a local nature reserve!

John, glad it's of interest

Paul

As a 40D user looking to upgrade I'd be keen to know whether the 70D takes better pictures and has more usable ISO; any useful comments in the weeks ahead gratefully received.
Russ

Tarsiger said:

As a 40D user looking to upgrade I'd be keen to know whether the 70D takes better pictures and has more usable ISO; any useful comments in the weeks ahead gratefully received.
Russ

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Will do Russ. I think today really is going to be a wash out :C

I had a chance to get out and take some photos - but couldn't find anything to shoot! With the only thing of interest being the moon I tried a few shots and with Russ's question in mind about noise I have posted a screenshot of a RAW image on Flickr. I swear the images I have got in the past with the 40D using lower ISO weren't as clean - of course I started kicking myself for not taking my 40D too!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43324529@N04/11891938504/sizes/o/in/photostream/

a shot taken with the 40D for comparison. Noise isn't actually that much worse but much softer and I can't just put that down to not using the IS on the lens as I've taken shots of the moon with the camera on a tripod and using the timer and not had much better results

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43324529@N04/11893747856/sizes/o/in/photostream/

and a bright dot that is Jupiter ISO 5000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43324529@N04/11892325383/in/photostream/

Paul - Herts said:

I had a chance to get out and take some photos - but couldn't find anything to shoot

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Ha! ... We've all been there Paul! Lol!

John In Ireland said:

Ha! ... We've all been there Paul! Lol!

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There's always tomorrow - shame the forecast is rubbish :-C

A friend on Flickr has just got a 70D (as an upgrade from a the 50D I think) and has posted a few shots of fungi over the last few days starting with this one> I've just been looking at the shadows for noise and it looks nice to me

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnbalcombe/11818325115/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Another disappointing day for photography but at least I got out for a bit. Added a severely cropped shot of a sparrowhawk to Flickr which was a delight to watch bathing but too distant for any good shots. A couple more thoughts on the camera though.

I was out shooting at sunset yesterday using 300mm and 1.4x. I found that when using the Liveview AF to try and focus on the horizon in the direction the sun had set the AF really hunts. Switch back to normal AF and it locks straightaway.

I've read quite a few complaints about changing AF points without the joystick which had me fiddling too - until I realised last night that I can use the top dial to move horizontally and the rear dial to go vertically. With use I think this will prove, for me at least, to be a much quicker way than the joystick.

Image quality when cropping is puzzling me though. I almost feel as though I could get better defined images from the 40D. I think once the weather improves I will have to set up a target and compare the two different cameras in a controlled way.

I do love the handling of the and camera the more I play with it, and I do play, the more I find it intuitive. The quick menu coupled with the touch screen makes changing settings very easy and I find I am trying things out more than I did with the 40D because they are more accessible. Only grumble on the controls is the lock on the mode dial - I never accidentally turned it on the 40D, set it to the wrong mode many a time, but it's not easy to switch from AV to M quickly when there is a button to press to unlock it.

Paul

Edit: Oh yeah, the AF area selection button just by the shutter release is nicely placed too - just a little difficult to locate as it is small but that will come with practice too

Well, this weekend has been a complete waste as far as photography goes with the rain bearing down again. The main salvation has been that we are not one of the unfortunates that lives in one of the already flooded regions of the UK and who must be living a rather intolerable existence currently.

I've made good use of the time doing a lot of 'window shopping' on the net and have stumbled on a rather interesting bit of kit that could resolve my desire for remote shooting of the 70D's video capability - the Camranger! I've been looking at wireless remotes since I got the camera for various uses including intervalometer but could find none that supported video. I've even toyed with adding a GoPro 3 with wifi remote but all the video that I have seen of wildlife isn't actually of that great quality - the surfing and skiing videos are fantastic but neither are hobbies that I have any desire to take up, along with throwing myself out of planes or BMX riding.

More investigation and consideration to be done but I'm quite impressed with what the Camranger appears capable of when linked to a wifi enabled phone or, as I have, android tablet. Plus they also make a powered tripod mount for rotating the camera - more bucks but interesting.

Anyways, that's just a pointer for anybody else who is looking for an answer to that particular problem

Paul

Edit: I should point out that it is not cheap - I am looking it as being the same sort of money as the GoPro but with the bonus of being compatible with the 40D for remote shooting where I would rather not place the new camera!

DYI alternative to the camranger, if you're handy
http://www.slrlounge.com/diy-wireless-control-canon-dslr-50

RonW said:

DYI alternative to the camranger, if you're handy
http://www.slrlounge.com/diy-wireless-control-canon-dslr-50

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Thanks for the link Ron, I have kind of baulked at the price after reading that there is a 2 second lag with the Camranger - not really a big issue with video but when photographing birds then that's just too much. Will probably get a Hahnel wireless remote/intervalometer for the time being and follow your find and see what I can come up with.

I am hoping that tomorrow is going to be a reasonable day and I can actually get out

cheers Ron :t:

Paul

Edit: doing some quick reading on this and it looks to me like it would work just as well (with a few development glitches) for about 15% of the price! That's the Camranger right out the window! Ron you are a star

You're welcome. I just ordered a micro USB otg cable to try it out first and then decide if I want to go wireless as well. App+otg cable = about 8 euros. Worth a try

Paul - Herts said:

Thanks for the link Ron, I have kind of baulked at the price after reading that there is a 2 second lag with the Camranger - not really a big issue with video but when photographing birds then that's just too much. Will probably get a Hahnel wireless remote/intervalometer for the time being and follow your find and see what I can come up with.

I am hoping that tomorrow is going to be a reasonable day and I can actually get out

cheers Ron :t:

Paul

Edit: doing some quick reading on this and it looks to me like it would work just as well (with a few development glitches) for about 15% of the price! That's the Camranger right out the window! Ron you are a star

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Copied from the Tamron 150-600mm thread. Does anybody have experience with third-party lenses and the 70D live view AF?


Quote:


Originally Posted by Hor Kee View Post

The 70D's dual pixel AF won't work on the Tammy, so live view focusing on the Tammy will be slow compared with other Canon lenses. Same applies for all third party lenses.

Why not Hor Kee?

Edit:

OK just tried a couple of old Sigma lenses that I still have.

Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 APO DG Macro. Bought this when I got my 350D so must be something like 7+ years old with a slow, noisy motor. Live view AF works - sort of! In live view video mode it refocuses quite quickly and smoothly as I pan slowly so not a problem. In photo live view it also works whilst panning and focusing on a closer target BUT as soon as I press the shutter button it refocuses on nothing and shows focus achieved.

Sigma 105mm f2.8 EX DG macro non-HSM. I can't find out what the motor on this is but, trust me, it is not fast. It has always been slow and prone to hunting and in live view it still does deliver the same standards BUT given decent light it seems to have no problems - well, no MORE problems. I would like to upgrade this lens to one with a faster motor to be honest but not a priority at the moment.

Conclusion: I haven't got one

Anybody tried 70D live view with a more recent third-party lens?
__________________

RonW said:

You're welcome. I just ordered a micro USB otg cable to try it out first and then decide if I want to go wireless as well. App+otg cable = about 8 euros. Worth a try

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I decided to take the same route as Ron and try out DSLRController via a usb/otg connector. The short connector is effectively an adapter that connects my Nexus 7 tablet to the standard usb cable that comes with the camera which then connects to the camera and the whole thing works the same as the Canon utility software.

There is a little bit of lag (this increases with cable length and I would guess more so if you go the mobile router route) in the image you view and this would be the same the other way when actually taking a photo so fast moving targets would be difficult but if you have a bird using a regular perch it would be easy to set up and monitor. Focus control varies - my 70D af's with no problem at all but my 40D has to be manually focused using a series of controls - it's not difficult to do if your target is still.

There's lots to play with too. I've had my first ever go at time lapse using this set up (there's some short and unexciting cloud videos up on my Flickr page that I took yesterday with the 40D - I figure if I'm going to burn out a shutter taking hundreds of shots then the older camera is the way to play!) I was surprised that after taking 1200 shots in the space of 40 minutes that the Duracell battery I got for the 40D was still showing full charge and the Nexus 81%.

There is also a mode for focus shift if you want to do macro focus stacking - something I will try once the weather has improved, an HDR set up and of course video control with the 70D.

If you have already got a tablet or smart phone that is compatible with the software then for the sake of a few quid it's worth a try - it cost me less than £8!

cheers Paul

My dad has one and he loves it. So do I except for one aspect - there seem to be no buttons for adjusting image exposure compensation during live view shooting. The only way appears to be by pressing the touch screen. Have you figured out how to adjust this feature?