New 20 D - Help!

[john_m10]

OK, I made the plunge. I bought the 20D. The manual, like all EOS

manuals, stinks. I have had extensive experience, mostly

pleasurable, in using an EOS 3 and good Canon lenses and filters for

lighthouse and landscape photography. Sooo, it took me about an hour

to figure out how to download the first set of practice images from

the new camera to the computer using the Canon EOS Viewer Utility

software. I screwed around with the Photo Elements 2 software which

also came with the camera. Question (1): Is there a good manual/DVD

out there which will take me step by step thru the camera to computer

experience without me using language which will make a sailor blush?

(2) Is there better software (manual included) which makes the

download/simple correction experience better? I want to keep copies

of my good shots, do some corrections, and transfer them to my

favorite photolab for printing. THANK YOU.

John

[bennyboy]

Most people find that a card reader works better than transferring images from the camera using a cable, you simply plug a card reader into a USB port, insert your CF card and it shows up as a new disk drive on your computer. This method is also much faster than the one you are using.

 

Take a look in the Digital Darkroom forum for tips on post processing, there's info in there to cover beginner to expert level techniques.

[thomas_sullivan]

actually, of all the camera's I've ever bought, the 20D Manual has been the best. It really all is in there for the camera.

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Now, the software, that's a different story.

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Anyhow, the best way to down load the images from your memory card is to buy a <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=search&Q=&a=556_4703&mnp=0.0&mxp=0.0&shs=&ci=1096&ac=&Submit.x=13&Submit.y=11"><u>compact flash card reader</u></a> for your computer. You take the card out of the camera and put it in the reader. Fast and easy.<br><br>Editting software I highly recomend the full version of Photoshop...think you still get a deal with Adobe having bought a Canon Camera. something like $300 for a $700 program....don't quote me on the prices, been a while. But if you don't wanna spend that much, I'm told the Photoshop Elements 3 is a pretty good editor...but I never used it, so can't vouch for that. PS elements 2 is not versatile enough for me, but if you don't wanna do much editting it's decent. As far as books, just go to Amazon and search on the program you have....I'm sure there are plenty of books.

[phoneguy]

John, welcome to digital. First off, I agree, the manual for the 20D is better than any previous one that I have looked at. You could buy a (Dare I Say It) Keep It Simple "KISS" book at your local Barnes and noble. Your just going to need a little time, and practice with the new camera. You'll get it though. It's just a learning curve. When you start to get the hang of it, you'll realize how much more controll you have with your images vs. film. Be patient, and read a lot. Start with the archives here at PhotoNet. Use the search function and type in keywords like "20D" "New 20D" etc... I'm sure you know how to search.

 

In regards to the image transfer to pc...If your PC doesn't already have a slot for the CF card, get a card reader as stated by the previous posters. You don't want to make a habit of plugging the camera in to the pc for your transfers.

 

If you are not a serious photographer, I don't see the need to buy the full blown version of Photo Shop CS2, although you will get a smokin deal on it with the coupon that just came with the 20D.

 

I would suggest Photoshop Elements 4 ($89). It is great for people that are just learning to edit photos, yet it is advanced enough to handle a good majority of your needs.

 

There are numerous photo editors out there, Like ArcSoft 5.5, Gimp, etc. They all have a learning curve though. I would start my learning curve on one of the Adobe Photo Shop versions, as it is the industry standard. If you should ever go further with your photography, you'll be glad you did.

 

Just remember, be patient, and read and practice alot. You have digital, you can afford to make mistakes.

 

Mike

[phoneguy]

I just realized you got a copy of Photo Shop Elements 2 w/ your camera. That is the version I still use. It is more than suffice, although I am about to upgrade to Version 4. Just play around with it, it takes a little time, but it gets easier. Start with the "enhance" pull down, and play with the auto corrections first. You can then move into manual adjustments from the same pull down menu.

 

Mike

[toddklassy]

Do yourself a favor and upgrade to Adobe Photoshop 4.0. Once you have done that, either by buying it in the store or by downloading it, go to the following web page:

 

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/

 

If you have never really used a graphics/photo editor before, I highly recommend (1) soaking up information on the bulletin board, (2) subscribing to their Photoshop Elements magazine, (3) viewing all of the free video tutorials on the web page, and (4) paying to take the online class to learn the ins and outs of the software. Save the video tutorials to your computer and review them on occaision even after you've gone through the entire course. Then you'll be able to do basic photo editing and you'll be ready to buy a book to walk you through some of the more complex (and fun) aspects of photo editing.

 

Taking photographs with a Canon 20D and not having/using a sound photo editing software package is like buying a new BMW and never washing it.

 

Todd

[whwhitejr]

John,

I found the Blue Crane Digital DVD For the 20D to be helpful. I got my copy from B&H listed under the 20D camera. (about $20) Card readers are the best way to download images to your computer. If you are handy with computer hardware you can add one to your computer by using the extra internal USB connection on your mother board(Tiger Direct ect). If not just plug an external card reader(for CF card sold at Wal-Mart) into an empty USB port on your computer.LOL,Bill

[JeffOwen]

I have a 20D but do NOT use the software that came with it to download. If you are using a pc with Windows XP on then plug in your camera via the USB (version 2 is faster) and wait for the windows pop up to ask how you want the image files transferred. I select the 'scanner and camera' option which is generic (do not select the Canon utility).

 

This only works if the images are jpg, if you are using raw then use a card reader and follow the same routine as above.

[andrew_carlson]

I think most of the suggestions are dead on, I haven't heard of any books covering post processing though. There are so many ways to handle post processing that it can be kinda scary or intimidating. I shoot raw+jpg(small) on 512MB cards. I have a portable hard drive known as a digital wallet. You won't find them at big box stores but online like image tank, epson makes one, etc. Battery operated for a few hours. I can fill up a CF card, push copy, put a new card in, format it, and keep shooting. When the 2nd card is full, swap 'em, copy to the drive, and format the one in camera. Some people worry pretty heavily on corrupt files, corrupt images, etc. While those worries can be valid In 2 and a half years I've never had one corrupt image or file.

 

I copy those images to my PC and just review them using Capture one from Phase one. I'm not a big fan of computer automated tasks like it automatically copying files somewhere and opening an app. What if I don't want to open the app? What if I wanna do something different? I also use Imatch photo for ogranization and bulk editing. They cost about the same as Adobe Elements . In capture one I have a very wide range of white balance control, exposure compensation, contrast compensation, and more. Its a phenominal tool. Imatch can do some pretty amazing things too, I use it for creating web sized pictures with borders, watermarks, mass-renaming all files, etc.

 

Regarding backups, I have a server that automatically sync's various folders on the PC to itself once a week. It is enough for me, but for the very nervous, double DVD or CD media backups aren't unheard of. I'd say get an external USB or Firewire drive to store copies and work your own workflow out. What works for me may not make sense to you and vice versa.

[jim_larson1]

Honestly. . .I don't think I have hooked the USB to my camera since the first week I owned. It was nice to put in your "name" into the camera. . .but beyond that. . .bah. The card reader method just seems too versitile for downloading photos. And quick.

 

Plus . . .with a card reader, you can use you CF card as a USB key drive (although even though my CF cards have more capacity, I have not done this for a long time)

 

I have heard all the stories about image tanks and the like. For me, when on the road, 90% of the time I have a laptop with me. When I don't *have* to bring the laptop -> I bring it anyway. I figure that putting up with the laptop is easier than getting (and dealing with) a dedicated gizmo for this stuff.

 

As for software. . .photoshop elements 2 is fine. I use it (along with Capture one). You can still get the Adobe CS2 upgrade for $299. I would do that rather than throwing $89 into an elements upgrade.

 

I think you do want to get a "curves" plugin for elements. Earthbound Light has a very good one.

 

Honestly. . .with the curves plugin. . I am not sure how much more CS2 adds (beyond the RAW converter) to elements. Except maybe a pile of "authentication" hassle.

[andrew_carlson]

Just a thought here, the laptop works for some people and some situations. But when you're carring everything on your back for 10 days or more 'cause you're hiking the <insert name> trail here - its a little impractical. While that's an extreme, some trips just don't warrant a laptop.

 

I went to ride the Cumbres & Toltec NG RR a couple of years back and brought my laptop along like a good little office geek. I wished I hadn't. Too much weight to bear along with lenses, camera, food, clothes for one night. Sometimes ya wanna pack light. If that's not the case and you have one then yeah a laptop is fine. I wouldn't go race out to buy one for the purpose though.

 

What I'm hoping isn't to start a opinion war, but your question revolves around workflow and hopefully this will reveal that workflow is as unique and individual as how you comb your hair or do other tasks. What's a good idea for some doesn't work for others. If you have the laptop already then sure use it. But if you're climbing everest or doing something where packing light is key then you'll regret it pretty early on. That's why I bought the image tank, to do away with the laptop. I hated having the thing with me for two days on that train as it added 14lbs or more and was too big and bulky. I stopped reviewing photos on it within 6 hours too as it was overkill.

[doug_landrum]

Hi John,

 

All of the recommendations to get a card reader are spot on. A USB card reader works just like a disk drive. You can use Windows Explorer to drag and drop the folders created on the Compactflash card to your computer. I use a separate drive to store my files. I created a folder named "Canon Photos" and drag and drop the subfolders, named on the CF card as "XXXCANON" to this drive. I use a separate folder on the same drive as "Photoshop Files" with named subfolders to transfer all of my processed files. This keeps all of my files as shot undisturbed. I like to keep my original files because I constantly learn how to process the files better.

 

Depending on what you shoot, you should shoot almost always in RAW. This creates a .CR2 file that is readable in Photoshop CS2. Canon's program, Digital Photo Professional (packaged with your camera), is very useful in processing RAW .CR2 files to JPEGS if you need to share your photos files with others.

 

Your challenge will be to learn how to use Photoshop to take full advantage of digital capture. Otherwise you can pay for digital processing of your files to people who may be very good or marginal.

 

You need the full version of Photoshop in my view. And the learning curve for Photoshop is steep and long. You might try some community college courses. Ultimately I think that you need to know LAB Mode techniques. The book on the subject is "Photoshop LAB Color" by Dan Margulis.

 

So, your challenge to the 20D is leaning the computer tools. Otherwise, take JPEGs and take your valuable CF cards to CostCo for 4X6 prints.

 

Good shooting,

Doug