Canon AEB shooting on a 70D

[Wheels67]

I moved to Canon last summer from having a Nikon D300s, I have been trying to figure out this weekend how to do bracketing shots. Sadly I just cant figure it out. Is it possible to do HDR shots automatically using the AEB? If so please tell me how.

Thanks in advance

[inkista]

To set up AEB, hit the SET button, select the exposure compensation scale, turn the top wheel to adjust the interval, and hit SET again. Now you're bracketing, and you have to release the shutter for each shot in the set, so burst mode can come in handy. If you want to change the sequence, or have more than three shots, you have to dive into the Custom Function I. I-3 turns auto cancellation of AEB on/off, I-4 adjusts the sequence of the bracketing, and I-5 lets you set the number of shots per set from 3 to 2, 5, or 7.

If you want to take the set with a single shutter release, have up to 8EV intervals, up to 11 shots in the sequence, or have the camera automatically calculate how many shots are needed to cover the entire dynamic range, or having an enfuse script automatically generated at the same time you shoot, you're going to have to wait until there's a Magic Lantern release for the 70D (it's listed as in progress at the moment, though, which is good). Personally, as I'm lazy, I prefer using ML's dual ISO mode for HDR on my 5DMkII, since I don't have to worry about ghosts, clones, or alignment and it's essentially single-shot HDR, but it has some drawbacks since bracketing's done by ISO and data is interpolated.

[Wheels67]

To set up AEB, hit the SET button, select the exposure compensation scale, turn the top wheel to adjust the interval, and hit SET again. Now you're bracketing, and you have to release the shutter for each shot in the set, so burst mode can come in handy. If you want to change the sequence, or have more than three shots, you have to dive into the Custom Function I. I-3 turns auto cancellation of AEB on/off, I-4 adjusts the sequence of the bracketing, and I-5 lets you set the number of shots per set from 3 to 2, 5, or 7.

If you want to take the set with a single shutter release, have up to 8EV intervals, up to 11 shots in the sequence, or have the camera automatically calculate how many shots are needed to cover the entire dynamic range, or having an enfuse script automatically generated at the same time you shoot, you're going to have to wait until there's a Magic Lantern release for the 70D (it's listed as in progress at the moment, though, which is good). Personally, as I'm lazy, I prefer using ML's dual-ISO mode for HDR on my 5DMkII, since I don't have to worry about ghosts, clones, or alignment and it's essentially single-shot HDR, but it has some drawbacks since bracketing's done by ISO and data is interpolated.

Thanks Kathy I will give this a go and let you know

[rpcrowe]

Kathy, as always is perfectly correct. However, would like to add something that I learned the hard way. The default camera setting for AEB on Canon cameras (at least all that I have used D60, 10D, 350D, 40D and 7D) is to have the AEB deselected every time the camera is shut off. I like to control my camera settings so I went into the custom settings menu and selected the option that allows continuing the AEB after the camera is shut off and restarted, until the operator selects to discontinue the AEB.

I said that I learned this the hard way. My battery died at the bottom of Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and I replaced it with a fresh battery. However, I did not realize that shutting of the camera to replace the battery would discontinue the AEB. So I shot 3 identical exposures of each shot for the rest of my time down in the caverns. Luckily, the camera's meter did a pretty good job in exposing so all was not lost!

Additionally, the camera default setting in AEB has the three exposures with exposure as the camera reads first followed by the under and over frames. I can see a valid reason for that but, I prefer to have it expose the under exposed frame followed by the exposure as the meter reads and then the over exposed shot. That is just a personal quirk though...