Chapter 6: Shooting in Live View Mode

With Live View shooting you view, compose, and focus using a real-time view of the scene that’s displayed on the 60D’s 3-inch LCD monitor. If your shooting position makes it difficult to use the viewfinder to shoot, you can swivel and turn the articulated LCD to compose and make the image.

Live View offers a view you can magnify up to 10X to ensure tack-sharp automatic or manual focus; or you can use Live View’s Face-detection focusing option. Live View also offers two Silent modes to reduce shutter noise. While Live View shooting is not the best choice for all shooting scenes, it is a good choice in controlled and close-up shooting scenarios, such as macro and still-life shooting, as well as in scenes where you cannot get the shot by looking through the viewfinder. Whatever your needs may be, you want to include Live View in your arsenal of shooting options.

Live View Shooting Pros and Cons

If you’ve shot using a point-and-shoot digital camera, then you’re familiar with using the camera LCD to compose images. This method is now included on many digital SLRs. On a dSLR, Live View requires the camera to hold the shutter open to give you a real-time view of the scene and focus. Normally, this isn’t possible because the shutter and reflex mirror block the view to the image sensor. The 60D overcomes this blind spot with a mechanical shutter that stays completely open during Live View shooting.

Live View offers some advantages that you don’t get with non-Live View shooting. For example, because the first-curtain shutter is electronic, you can choose options to reduce the noise of the shutter cocking. Live View also offers face detection, which automatically identifies faces in the scene and focuses on one of them. If it focuses on the wrong face, you can shift the selection to choose the correct subject. And you can use the supplied, or an accessory cable, to connect the 60D to a TV and see Live View on the TV screen.

Although Live View shooting is undeniably cool, it has a few negative side effects:

Temperature affects the number of shots you can get using Live View. With a fully charged LP-E6 battery, you can expect 350 shots without flash use and approximately 320 shots with 50 percent flash use in 73-degree temperatures. In freezing temperatures, expect 310 shots without flash use and 280 shots with 50 percent flash use per charge. With a fully charged battery, you get approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes of continuous Live View shooting before the battery is exhausted. Also if you’ve been shooting in Live View and want to take a long exposure image, turn off Live View for a few minutes to let the sensor cool down to get better image quality.

High ambient temperatures, high ISO speeds, and long exposures can cause digital noise or irregular color in images taken using Live View. With continual use of Live View, the image sensor heats up quickly. Both high internal and external temperatures can degrade image quality and cause Live View to automatically shut down until the internal temperature is reduced.

An icon that resembles a thermometer is displayed on the LCD when internal and/or external temperatures are high enough to degrade image quality. If the icon appears, and especially if it begins blinking, stop shooting until the temperature cools down. Otherwise, the camera automatically stops shooting when the internal temperature gets too high. Additionally, high ISO settings combined with high temperatures can result in digital noise and inaccurate image colors. The image noise created by high ISO settings may also be amplified for Live View images.

The Live View may not accurately reflect the captured image in several different conditions. Image brightness may not be accurately reflected in low and bright-light conditions. If you move from low to a bright light and if the LCD brightness level is high, the Live View may display chrominance (color) noise, but the noise will not appear in the captured image. Suddenly moving the camera in a different direction can also throw off accurate rendering of the image brightness. If you capture an image in magnified view, the exposure may not be correct. And if you focus and then magnify the view, the focus may not be sharp.

Live View Features and Functions

While some key aspects of Live View shooting differ significantly from standard shooting, others carry over to Live View shooting. For example, you can use the LCD panel functions during Live View shooting to change the drive mode and ISO sensitivity setting. Likewise, you can press the INFO. button one or more times to change the display to include more or less shooting information along with a Brightness histogram or RGB histograms. The following sections give you a high-level view of setting up and using Live View shooting.

Live View focus

With the 60D’s large and bright LCD monitor, you can use Live View shooting to get tack-sharp focus. The following overview of the Live View focusing options will help you decide in advance which option is best for the scene or subject that you are shooting in Live View.

Live mode. With this focusing option, the camera’s image sensor detects subject contrast to establish focus. This focusing mode keeps the reflex mirror locked up so that the Live View on the LCD is not interrupted during focusing. However, focusing takes longer with Live mode. To focus in this mode, press the Multi-controller to move the rectangular autofocus (AF) point over the subject, and then press the shutter button halfway to focus. You can move the AF point in the same areas as the nine AF points you see in the viewfinder in non-Live View shooting. The AF point turns green when focus is achieved.

Face Detection Live mode. This is the same as Live mode except that the camera automatically looks for and focuses on a human face in the scene. If the camera does not choose the face of the subject you want, you can press the Multi-controller to move the focusing frame to the correct face. If the camera cannot detect a face, the AF point reverts to the center AF point, and you can manually move the AF point to a face. If multiple faces are detected, the focusing rectangle appears with arrows on the left and right. You can then press the Multi-controller to select another person’s face.

If the person is a long way from the camera, you may need to manually turn the lens focusing ring to get the subject in focus range, and then focus by half-pressing the shutter button. Face detection does not work with extreme close-ups of a face if the subject is too far away, too bright or dark, partially obscured, or tilted horizontally or diagonally.

In Face Detection Live mode, you can’t magnify the image on the LCD using the AF-point selection/Magnify button. In both Live and Face Detection Live modes, focus at the edges of the frame is not possible and the face-focusing frame is grayed out. Unlike in non-Live View shooting, the built-in flash’s AF-assist beam is not fired to help the 60D establish focus.

Quick mode. This focusing mode uses the camera’s autofocus system. In this mode, the Live View on the LCD is suspended as the reflex mirror drops down long enough for the camera to establish focus. With Quick mode focusing, you can press the Q button, and then activate the nine AF points by pressing up or down on the Multi-controller. Then turn the Main dial to select an AF point.

Manual Focus. This focusing option is the most accurate, and you get the best results when you magnify the image to focus. Another advantage is that Live View is not interrupted during focusing. The caveat is that the lens you’re using needs to have a MF (Manual Focus) switch on the side. To focus manually, set the lens switch to MF, and then move the focusing frame wherever you want by tilting the Multi-controller. Turn the focusing ring on the lens to focus.

If you use Live View with Continuous shooting, the exposure is set for the first shot and is used for all images in the burst.

Exposure Simulation and metering

Live View shooting provides Exposure Simulation that replicates what the final image will look like at the current shutter speed, aperture, and other exposure settings on the LCD during Live View display. You can turn on Exposure Simulation on the Shooting 4 menu. While simulation is nice, the image may be easier to see at standard brightness without using Exposure Simulation.

For Live View, the camera uses Evaluative metering. Unlike standard shooting, you can set how long the camera maintains the current exposure by setting the Live View metering timer from 4 seconds to 30 minutes. If the light or your shooting position changes frequently, set a shorter meter time. Longer meter times speed up the Live View shooting operation, and longer times are effective in scenes where the lighting remains constant.

Auto Lighting Optimizer automatically corrects underexposed and low-contrast images. If you want to see the effect of exposure modifications, turn off Auto Lighting Optimizer on the Shooting 2 menu.

Silent shooting modes

Live View shooting offers two Silent shooting modes. In either Silent mode 1 or 2, the shutter noise is noticeably reduced. Following is a summary of the two Silent shooting modes and the Disable option:

Mode 1. In this mode, the shutter cocking noise is noticeably reduced when you’re using the Live focus mode. You can also use High-speed Continuous shooting at 5 fps when you hold down the shutter button completely. This mode is useful in any scenario where the noise of the shutter would scare away or disturb the subject.

Mode 2. This mode delays shutter noise as long as you keep the shutter button pressed, thus delaying the recocking sound of the shutter. If the camera is in Continuous drive mode, only one image is made because the shutter does not recock until you release the shutter button.

Disable. This is the setting to choose if you use a tilt-and-shift (TS-E) lens and make vertical shift movement, or if you use an extension tube on the lens. When you press the shutter button, it sounds like two images are being taken, but only one image is made.

Using a flash

When shooting in Live View with the built-in flash, the shooting sequence (after fully pressing the shutter button) is for the reflex mirror to drop to allow the camera to gather the preflash data. The mirror then moves up out of the optical path for the actual exposure. As a result, you hear a series of clicks, but only one image is taken. Here are some things you should know about using Live View shooting with a flash unit:

With an EX-series Speedlite Flash Exposure Lock (FE Lock), modeling flash, and test firing cannot be used except for wireless flash shooting.

FE Lock cannot be used with the built-in or an accessory Speedlite.

If you are using a Canon Speedlite and have the camera set to Silent mode 1 or 2, the camera automatically switches to the Disable option. Non-Canon flash units do not automatically switch to Disable, so you must manually set the camera to Disable.

Setting up for Live View Shooting

The settings on the Shooting 4 menu not only activate Live View shooting, but they also enable you to set your preferences for shooting in this mode, including enabling Live View shooting, displaying a grid in the LCD, setting up Silent modes, and setting the Exposure metering timer.

For all step-by-step instructions in this chapter, you can access the 60D camera menus by pressing the Menu button. Then press left or right on the Multi-controller to highlight the menu tab or turn the Main dial, and then press up or down on the Multi-controller to highlight a menu option or turn the Quick Control dial.

Before you begin setting up for Live View shooting, review the focusing options detailed previously, and the aspect ratio descriptions in Chapter 2. To set up the 60D for Live View shooting and to set your preferences, follow these steps:

1. On the Shooting 4 menu tab, highlight Live View shooting, and then press the SET button. The Live View shooting options appear.

2. Select Enable, and then press the SET button. The Shooting 4 menu is displayed.

3. On the Shooting 4 menu, highlight any of the following options, and then press the SET button to display the settings you can select.

• AF mode: Select Live mode, Face Detection Live mode, or Quick mode, and then press the SET button.

• Grid display: Select a 3 × 3 or 4 × 6 grid to help you align horizontal and vertical lines in the scene. Or select Off if you do not want to use a grid, and then press the SET button.

• Aspect ratio: Select 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, or 1:1, and then press the SET button. Aspect ratios are detailed in Chapter 2.

• Expo. (Exposure) simulation: Choose Enable to see an approximation of the final exposure on the screen. Otherwise, choose Disable, and then press the SET button.

• Silent shooting: Choose Mode 1 to reduce the sound of the shutter. Choose Mode 2 to delay the sound of the shutter until you release the shutter button. Choose Disable if you are using a non-Canon flash unit, a TS-E lens, or a lens extender. Then press the SET button.

• Metering timer: Choose 4, 16, or 30 seconds, or 1, 10, or 30 minutes to determine how long the camera retains the exposure. If the light changes often, choose a shorter time. Then press the SET button.

Working with Live View

Now that you’ve chosen the focusing mode and selected the Live View options, you’re ready to begin shooting. Here are a few tips to get you started:

For still-life and macro shooting, manual focusing with the image enlarged to 5X or 10X helps ensure tack-sharp focus.

For a really large view, tether the camera to your laptop using the supplied USB cable. Alternatively, you can hook up the camera to the TV and use the TV screen as a monitor.

Just a few minutes of watching the real-time view will convince you that a tripod is necessary for Live View shooting. With any focal length approaching telephoto, Live View provides a real-time gauge of just how steady or unsteady your hands are.

Shooting in Live View

The operation of the camera during Live View shooting differs from traditional still shooting, but the following steps guide you through the controls and operation of the camera.

To shoot in Live View using autofocus, follow these steps:

1. With the camera set to any shooting mode except Movie mode, press the Live View shooting button on the back of the camera. This button has a camera icon on it and is to the right of the viewfinder. A current view of the scene appears on the LCD.

2. Press the INFO. button one or more times to display to show more or less information, and to display the histogram if Exposure Simulation or the grid is turned on.

3. Press the Q button to display the settings that you can adjust. The settings you can adjust depend on the shooting mode. In automatic modes such as Portrait, Landscape, and so on, you can change the focus mode, drive mode, Ambience, and Lighting or Scene type. In Creative Auto (CA) mode, you can change the amount of Background blur. In Program AE (P), Shutter-priority AE (Tv), Aperture-priority AE (Av), and Manual (M) shooting modes, you can adjust the AF and drive mode, White Balance, Picture Style, Auto Lighting Optimizer level, Image-recording quality, and Exposure and Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC).

4. Press up or down on the Multi-controller to select the setting you want to adjust, and turn the Main or Quick Control dial to adjust the setting.

5. Press the buttons above the LCD panel to change the drive mode and ISO. Evaluative metering is automatically set for Live View shooting, and you can’t change it. You can use the camera controls and buttons that you use in still shooting during Live View shooting. For example, to set Exposure Compensation, press the shutter button halfway, and then turn the Quick Control dial to set the amount of compensation. If you access the camera menus, then lightly press the shutter button to restore the Live View on the LCD.

6. Compose the image. As you move the camera and half-press the shutter button, the exposure changes and is displayed in the bottom bar under the Live View display.

7. If you are using Quick mode to focus, press up or down on the Multi-controller, and then turn the Main or Quick Control dial to select the AF point that you want. You can also press the Autofocus On button (AF-ON) to focus.

If you are using Quick mode to focus, when you press the AF-ON button, you hear the sound of the reflex mirror dropping down to focus and Live View is suspended. If you are using Live focusing mode, focus takes longer, and it is a good idea to magnify the image to verify sharp focus. In all focus modes, when the camera achieves sharp focus, the AF focus rectangle turns red.

Press the AF-point Selection/Magnify button on the top-right corner of the camera to magnify the view for manual focusing. The first press of the button enlarges the view to 5X, and a second press enlarges the view to 10X.

8. Press the shutter button completely to make the picture. The shutter fires to make the picture, the image preview is displayed, and then Live View resumes.

To return to non-Live View shooting, press the Live View shooting button.