Learning the 7D

<p>Howdy fella's,<br>

I used to have a small studio. I shot with film back then with a Nikon F4.<br>

I mostly used a 70-210 AF NiKKOR 1:4-5.6 lens back then. The good ol days.<br>

I've recently purchased a Canon 7D ES with an 18-105 IS EFS lens.<br>

Whoaaaa....talk about dust on the ol saddle and a new Philly wanting to bust out of the barn.<br>

I read a post about some fella unhappy with his 7D and some responses spoke of a steep learning curve.<br>

I read the PDF manual and upgraded the firmware to 2.0.1 and have eyed some you tube videos.<br>

Still the with the complexity of this race horse.<br>

<strong>I'm looking for a good tutorial on the web to shorten that learning curve.</strong><br>

I want a speedlite but don't have the $700 for that top of the line model. Any suggestions there?<br>

I have two speedlites from yester years. A Nikon SB28 DX and a Sony FVL-F32X. Think either of these would work short term? I know I wouldn't have all the options but anything is better than that on camera flash. Not that it's bad for what it does but with my Strobo Frame ya just never get a bad lighting.</p>

<p>Well the Nikon speedlights wont really work with the Canon, not in dedicated mode but they might work in manual mode. As far as the learning curve, it might be a little steep since you don't have any Canon EOS experience. When I switched over from Nikon to Canon I started off with a Canon film camera, so when the Digitals came along it was a hop skip and a jump.</p>

<p>I think you r best bet would be to read the manual. The first few pages are all about using the camera in Automatic mode. Forget about custom adjustments and other complicated features these will come with time. Concentrate on using the 'P' automatic mode then try the AV aperture priority mode, or Tv shutter priority mode just like you did with your F4. You might be able to find a 430EX, or 550EX on the used market for about $200. Anything smaller than that would just be a a waste of money since you are going to need a big flash sooner or later. </p>

<p>I can’t assist recommending any on line tutorial.<br>

Do you have any ‘digital’ experience? If not then there’s learning Post Production also – and having a few basics for that.<br>

Apropos the camera, (any new DSLR camera) I’d suggest you learn the TTL Metering System, first.</p>

<p>WW </p>

<p>The "steep learning curve" that some spoke of was regarding the difficulty of taking full advantage of the high pixel density of the 7D. The pixels at 100% without any post processing will not look sharp. This can be an issue for any high pixel density camera. Don't get obsessed with this, learn to use the camera first. The camera isn't that much harder to use than the beginner level Canons.</p>

<p>As for flash, any flash with manual capability should work. For amateur use, the Yongnou RF-602 or RF-603 remote triggers (Amazon) are an inexpensive, convenient way to trigger the flashes. They will work with most any flash with a standard hot shoe. Pros often go with the much more expensive, but more reliable Pocket Wizards.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I found learning to PP 7D RAWs relatively easy compared to my prior 10D and 20D. They really needed lots of tweaks to look decent. The 7D is like falling off a log in comparison. The most touchy issue is applying NR. What many of us found difficult was figuring out what situations to best use the 5 AF modes and, especially, tweaking sensitivity for AI servo. It also took me a while to figure how I wanted to customize the controls. Eventually I discovered I loved Spot AF and assigned it to the DOF button to invoke on the fly.</p>

<p>Perhaps people hate Canon's tutorials but they're free and a good place to start if you're a new 7D owner. The best thing is to learn one or two features and then go out and practice using them before trying the next big deal. The 7D has more features and multiple ways of doing the same thing nobody will ever use them all. You just learn the ones you need for your shooting style. <br>

http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/galleries/galleries/tutorials/eos_7d_tutorials.shtml</p>

<p>Puppy Face:<br /><br />"I found learning to PP 7D RAWs relatively easy compared to my prior 10D and 20D. They really needed lots of tweaks to look decent. The 7D is like falling off a log in comparison."<br>

<br>

I'm not crazy after all! Not that I was really worried. Yes, that's my experience exactly. I do not understand those who claim otherwise.<br>

<br>

Ken:<br>

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As pointed out above, learn the TTL exposure system first. The evaluative mode works fine for walk-around shooting but for serious work you'll want to learn how to quickly flip into spot mode, etc. But this isn't really new for an F4 user.<br>

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Then the AF system. I think people make too much of the complexity of it, if you want it to act like first-generation AF (like my old EOS-1) you can just tell it to focus using the center sensor and focus then re-frame just like the not-so-good-days. That at least would get you going with something simple. Then you can start exploring the other options, of which there are many, each with its strength and weaknesses. Just remember that if you choose one of the modes where it chooses the focus point for you, it's going to want to choose the point in the selection zone that focuses on the part of the scene/subject nearest you.<br>

<br>

As far as post-processing goes, I have personally (like many others) become a huge fan of Lightroom 4. I'm not big on manipulation, just fiddle a bit with white balance, exposure, noise, and sharpness and LR is fast and very convenient for this level of PP fiddling. I only use PS (actually elements 9) rarely now.<br>

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Now, of course, the most important lesson regarding the 7D is a lesson you learned when you began photography with film: SHOOT, SHOOT, and SHOOT some more. This is how you learned to get the results you wanted from film, your f4, and favorite lens(es). Nothing has changed - except - you no longer have to buy film! When you shoot like crazy to learn your new tool, each shot you discard won't make you think of money being tossed into the wastebasket ...<br>

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</p>

<p>A comment about the conversation between Don and Puppy Face about the comparison of learning the ‘tweaking’ of the7D compared to the 10D and the 20D:<br>

I see it as two (key) elements: one - the intrinsic difference between the two cameras; two - the fact that you guys had had the experience with the previous cameras - that’s why I asked the OP what, if any, digital experience he had had.</p>

<p>On the Metering – specifically about the Canon ‘Evaluative’ Mode: across all the Canon DSLRs I’ve used: the Canon ‘Evaluative’ is less forgiving and less understanding of many back-lighting scenarios than the Nikon’s DSLR “Matrix’ System – but (I having used Nikon Film cameras) the OP coming the older style Matrix System of the F4 might not be aware of the improvements – also a warning of the SMALLER latitude there is for wrong exposure.</p>

<p>WW </p>

<p>For some more comprehensive reading, look at David Busch's book on the "Canon 7D" as it covers just about everything there is to know. And, like Don said, shoot, shoot, shoot! Learn the AF modes and larn how to configure your camera the way you want to in order to make shooting as pleasant an experience as you can. As for a flash, the 7D isn't able to take advantage of all of the features of Canon's latest flash I don't believe. The 580EX II is an outstanding flash and can be purchased for around $350-$375. Enjoy the camera, Ken. I've had mine for over 3 years and I'm <em>still</em> excited to use it every time I pick it up.</p>

<p>Most of us were film "scanners" prior to the DLSR revolution so even the worse of Canon's DSLRs are easy to PP compared to film scans (and a lot smaller file sizes). I remember struggling with multiple layers of 4000DPI side scan back in the day. Tools are so much better and easier to use today you really don't have much to worry about with a little study and practice.</p>

<p>William W - good points.<br>

And one reason I find the 7D so much easier to work with is Lightroom ... it makes post processing almost a pleasure rather than the painful experience it was back when I was shooting my 20D and doing PP in photoshop.</p>

 

<p><em><strong> . . ."was shooting my 20D and doing PP in photoshop."</strong></em> - me too - same.<br>

An EOS 20D and much ignorance, was my first, so was Photoshop.</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p>WW ... life is so much better now, with better tools, no?</p>

<p>Still I've made excellent 14x20 inch prints from the 20D ... </p>

<p>Aside:<br>

haha - yes. Nice term of phrase! I like using the better tools now.<br>

Don - it's funny because on the other side of the coin: I teach (tutor) High School kids, for their final exams (Art-Photography Major): at the beginning of the year I have one or two who complain about their 'gear'. I pull out my 20D and the NON IS kit lens and we make a few photographs - their choice of subject. Yes the 20D still is a good camera, still makes good photos . . . still can be pushed to 'H' (imitation ISO3200) if treated very carefully and I can get a 'good' 11 x 14 even from that 3200 . . .<br>

WW</p>

<p>Since you're new to digital, find out how ETTR ("expose to the right") works for digital images.<br>

With the camera, learn to move the AF point around without taking your eye off the viewfinder, learn to change ISO wihtout taking your eye off the viewfinder and learn to change aperture or shutter speed (your choice) without taking you eye off the viewfinder. The only thing left is exposure compensation (EV + or 1) using the big back wheel.</p>

<p>To be fair, 7D is like any other camera except its autofocus system, which in some ways is unlike any previous AF system in a Canon EOS SLR. In particular, there’s a diverse new set of options for selecting an area of the image to focus upon. It is this focus that needs  learning, depending on of course what one intends to capture. The most interesting is Zone AF e.g. to capture fast moving objects using the servo setting. Keith, am I doing well so far?<br>

However, in my experience to have a sharp image, I have to be more particular - sort of extra effort.<br>

Below are two images: (a) crop from 100% enlargement - used specific settings for the capture (b) the original JPEG which was cropped.</p><div></div>

Next the original<div></div>