Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Quick Hit

Which is actually a bleg aimed at Canon dSLR users.  I found out last night that my new toy thinks it's smarter than me and it may well be coz I've never been known to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.  But a machine that thinks it's smarter than me risks bein' smashed to pieces in moments of frustration; all that's stopping me is the realization that smashing the thing would be stupider than I REALLY am, not to mention expensive.  But I am oh-so-tempted. 

Let's get specific: there are times when using manual mode that the focus square turns red (it's normally green or yellow) and the camera just will NOT shoot, period.  I'm pretty sure the camera thinks the settings are underexposed and is protecting me from myself.  Well, thanks, but no thanks... a "normally" exposed shot of a sunset would result in a washed-out photograph and that's NOT what I want or need.  What I DO want is complete creative control and I'm not gettin' it.  My XTi never did this sorta thang and the fact the T3i does is not an improvement.

Anyone have any ideers?  And yeah, I applied the ol' USAF maintenance man's maxim: "When all else fails, read the manual."  Nada.  Zip.  Zero.

13 comments:

  1. And yeah, I applied the ol' USAF maintenance man's maxim: "When all else fails, read the manual." I'm surprised you didn't do the 'journeyman electrician' thang and crumple the destructions up and throw them over your shoulder. Used to happen all the time on site and then they'd be asking me how does this thing go together.

    Sorry I can't help with the problem.

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  2. Heh. The Air Force tends to be a bit anal about the "destructions," Deb. There's a checklist for everything, and I was sorta surprised they didn't specify the steps to follow in the bedroom. But I'm also sure they gave it some consideration.

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  3. There's a checklist for everything, and I was sorta surprised they didn't specify the steps to follow in the bedroom. But I'm also sure they gave it some consideration. Thanks for the visual. That really made me laugh. I'm fairly certain that by the time you got in the AF you kinda, sorta had an idea about how it was done.

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  4. Feel your pain on the camera. Both of my fancy pants cameras will decide to sit and wait for the photo moment to go away.

    Snobbery, I say!

    I haven't been as happy as when I had a very manual aperture Petrie camera circa 1969. It had a really cool light meter that let me know when it was appropriate to depress dem trigger. Dem trigger would fire even if it was not appropriate.

    Try twisting the round thing on right behind the button until it leaves the automatic mode.

    Good luck!

    (At least no film gets wasted... just the operator;) )

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  5. Try twisting the round thing on right behind the button until it leaves the automatic mode.

    Umm, Darryl. You missed this: "...there are times when using manual mode..." I shoot in manual... including shutter and aperture priority... as much, if not more, than in full-auto.

    Your Petrie may have been cool (as was my OM-1) but there wasn't any sort of instant gratification now, was there? ;-)

    Deb: Glad I made ya smile!

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  6. That may have been the ol' USAF radar maintenance man's fix...I wish some of my guys would use that! Our usual is "get a bigger hammer!"

    SN1

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  7. The camera companies seem to only allow you to actually decide for yourself if you want to over expose/under expose or any other such "skilled" type alterations if you buy their much more expensive models. They figure that only "professionals" would ever know how to do that and succeed.

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  8. I take pictures13 July, 2011 17:54

    Easy - there might be an auto focus switch on the lens. Move that to the off position.

    Focus for infinity and away you go...

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  9. I take pictures13 July, 2011 18:07

    Page 138.

    Another way might be to crank-in a bunch of ISO while in auto.

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  10. I had one of those Petri's, too, a 7s. I may still have it... buried somewhere. I loved that light meter, hated that I had to wait for film developing.

    I kinda wish I'd had my current camera with me tonight. The clouds over the Southern Cascades were awesome.

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  11. No opinion or help here. My little point and shoot gives me enough trouble.

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  12. Buck: You're prolly right. I had nuthin' to do with flying machines, as you well know.

    Anon: My XTi let me have full control. Which is why I was surprised to find my T3i didn't.

    Pictures: The AF/MF switch sounds reasonable. I'll give that a shot the next time that happens.

    Skip: I know from whence you speak about the Cascades. They were on my doorstep when I lived in Klamath Falls, no more than a hundred miles or so north of you.

    Lou: You do good work with your point and shoot.

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  13. Sorry. I'm no help at all. The newest camera at Moogie's Mansion (that has all those scary bells and whistles) owns me. I miss my dead point and shoot.

    W/V -- focative, kinda like I'm averse to focusing.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.