Image from EOS 700D and 7D

[mknittle]

Godfrey,

Just to clarify Mark's comment, this is not because the 7D produces better pictures, it is because it is ergonomically a better camera to operate - if you know how to use it - and you can learn the basics of that on your 700D, as long as the subject doesn't run/fly away

I'll also recommend the tutorials on this site to you.

Dave

Thanks Dave,

[rpcrowe]

Godfrey,

Just to clarify Mark's comment, this is not because the 7D produces better pictures, it is because it is ergonomically a better camera to operate - if you know how to use it - and you can learn the basics of that on your 700D, as long as the subject doesn't run/fly away

I'll also recommend the tutorials on this site to you.

Dave

I certainly agree with Godfrey and Dave. Let me express my views this way:

The images that you can shoot with both cameras and the lens you are using will robably turn out to be quite alike.

However, there are some images that you will be able to capture with a 7D and a fast focusing top-line lens that you might no be able to capture with the 700D and kit lens. Additionally, as mentioned several times above, you may be able to catch some fleeting images better with the 7D than with the 700D because of the better handling characteristics of the 7D.

I am not sure if I could have attained this image using a 700D with a kit lens...



I shot this in burst mode and adjusted my shooting parameters just before capturing the image. I also shot this using zone AF point selection with the upper zone selected. That is my standard way of shooting athletes so that I will be focused on the head or faces...

[thenuts15]

Thanks guys for the constructive comments.I have went through the tutorial/guides on this site a number of times.I guess i was too dependent on the setting on the DSLR.I guess the next step is to try the AP mode more then slowly shift to Manual mode.

Is there any device we can use to view the image instantly for proper adjustment rather then transfer to laptop?I found the LCD isn't that accurate.Yeah i do use histogram.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Godfrey,

I guess I was too dependent on the setting on the DSLR. I guess the next step is to try the AP mode more then slowly shift to Manual mode.

That's how most of us progress to gain ever greater control over our images. 'Automatic' exposure (including Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Auto-ISO) can only get you so far, and even then it helps to completely understand how they are working, so you can use them to your advantage when that is better than full manual (e.g. when exposure is changing more rapidly than you can follow using Manual techniques).

For exposure, using the post shot histogram and 'blinkies' warning on LCD should allow you judge whether you're close enough. You should shoot RAW though, ideally, since recovery of exposure extremes in post is more likely to be successful from RAW than jpg.

However, AF (Auto-Focus) is one area where, for the kind of photography you mention, AF should work better than trying to do it manually. It does help enormously if you understand how it works though, including the specifics of your camera; e.g. not all AF points are equal (cross-type are better), leading to decisions which AF points to use when, the effect of image content on their performance (and how that might change things if you rotate camera from horizontal to vertical orientation), when to use focus and recompose, etc.

Is there any device we can use to view the image instantly for proper adjustment rather then transfer to laptop? I found the LCD isn't that accurate.

Well, sometimes people in studios shoot 'tethered' - connected (by wire or wirelessly) to a tablet or laptop to see their images on a larger screen, but that's not practical outdoors for general photography - nor do most of us find it necessary.

My advice, based on reading between the lines of your replies, is to suggest you get out and shoot more (think Practice, practice, practice) but do this in a structured way - tackle one issue at a time.
e.g. shoot a scene with movement in at a range different shutter speeds, review the images and determine which works best, then when you fully understand that, move on to a different topic (e.g. Depth of Field).

Same goes for reading tutorials, most people become overwhelmed if they attempt to read everything in one go. Far better to read a specific topic, go out and practice that, when in control of that aspect, assess the next most prevalent problem you are experiencing, read up on that, then shoot to resolve it, and so on. If you get stuck (don't understand something or cannot succeed when shooting), don't skip past it, ask us specific questions, showing us the problem and what you've already tried to address it - don't be vague, please take the time to explain it to us.

Good luck, Dave

[DanK]

I didn't realize you were shooting in automatic mode. Dave and Richard hit the nail on the head.

You can think of Canon cameras as being in several lines. The bottom line is the Rebels, like the 700D. The next up is the 60D/70D, then the 7D.

Canon actually puts the same sensor in cameras in different lines. I don't know if the 700D and 7D are one of those pairs with the same sensor, but the specs suggest they might be. However if you buy a Rebel and a camera from the next lines up that have the same sensor, and if you put the same lens on the two, and--this is the key--you use the same settings, then the images will be essentially identical, not just similar.

Years ago, when I moved from the XTi (an ancestor of the 700D) to the 50D (an ancestor of the 7D), I did it for the better ergonomics and controls. As Richard says, it is often a lot easier or faster to get the settings to what you want with the more expensive camera. If you are shooting in any automatic mode, the better controls don't come into play at all.

Ansel Adams supposedly once said, 'the most important piece of photographic equipment is the 12 inches behind the viewfinder.' The way to improve one's images is study, practice, and constructive criticism.

I suggest that a good place to start is with the tutorials on exposure. Once you have read them, practice without any automatic mode at all, because the automatic modes make those choices for you. To do what Dave suggests--which I think is exactly the right way to go--the Av, Tv, and M modes will give you the opportunity to practice. For example, to examine the effects of aperture, set the camera in Av mode and take a series of shots, changing the aperture between them. The camera will automatically change shutter speed to keep your exposure the same, so provided you don't get to such slow shutter speeds that you blur the image, you can compare the images to see the effect of changing the aperture. One of the nice things about digital is that these practice images are free.

I've occasionally posted here the old joke about a tourist who comes to NYC, hails a cab, and asks the cabbie, 'how do I get to Carnegie Hall?' The cabbie turns to look at him and replies, 'practice, practice, practice.'