My Tip- stick the PDF on your smartphone or tablet for easy reading. I use Dropbox for all my manuals, makes them easily accessible from all. Click the image below for the full PDF manual. But why read the manual when I have loads of videos covering the T4i and T5i? T4i/T5i How-to Videos (don't be scared that many are labeled T4i, all the video content is the same). 
What lens should I get for the Canon T5i?If you haven't bought your Canon T5i(700D) yet you need to decide if you want the 18-55 STM or the 18-135 STM lenses. Often the 55-250 is sold in a bundle with the 18-55 STM too. This video should help you decide if the 18-55 or the 18-135 is best for you.The 18 - 135 STM lens is excellent and when purchased with the Canon T5i, a good value, that makes the T5i with 18 - 135 kit the an excellent value If you are the type that desires one lens to do most of your shooting. If your budget is tight go ahead and get the 18-55 kit, the kit lens is fine to start with and as you shoot you will learn what is important to you and you can begin to look for lenses that will fill that gap. Update: New video- Recommended lenses for Canon DSLRS.And spend some time learning about lenses and what all those acronyms mean.Q: Can I use L lenses on the Canon T5i?A: Yes - L lenses are Canons professional level lenses and are EF mount. All EF and EF-S lenses work on the Canon T4i, T5i and 70D.Q: Can I use EF-M lenses on the Canon T4i, T5i and 70D?A: No - EF-M only fits on their small mirroless Canon EOS-M camera. EF-M lenses will not fit on the DSLRS.
T4i/T5i Tips and Tricks Portrait how to get background blur with kit lensQuick Portrait tips with the T4i/T5i (applicable to all cameras)
Canon finally updated the 60D today with the announcement of the Canon 70D. The headline of this new camera is the greatly improved live view auto focus.Canon claims that this will provide faster and more accurate auto focus during live view, much more similar to a camcorder, early, hands-on reports are very favorable. I am cautiously optimistic. This snazzy new AF is limited to it's usefulness, at this time there are still only the three STM lenses (18-55, 18-135 and 40mm) and the 40mm does still make some noise audible by the onboard mic. The 18-55 and 18-135 STM are silent. (Wondering which lens is right for you?)
Body only: Price:$1,199.0070D with 18-55 STM: Price:$1,349.0070D with 18-135 STM: Price:$1,549.00Preorder the Canon 70D from Amazon(all Models). Preorder from B&H body only | with 18-55 STM | with 18-135 STMHow does it compare to the T5i? How does it compare to the 60D? How does it compare to the Nikon D7100? - I will have those thoughts and comparisons up soon.Follow me on Facebook for updates, video thoughts and reviews coming in the near future.
London, UK, 2 July 2013 – Canon today unveils an outstanding new addition to its world-famous EOS series – the EOS 70D. Designed for aspiring enthusiast photographers, the EOS 70D is the ideal camera for anyone looking to take their photography to the next level. It combines completely new, world-first Canon imaging technology with powerful, creative and wireless sharing features – delivering a responsive, all-purpose camera ideal for capturing the moment with stunning images and Full HD video.Capture the moment with stills and Full HD moviesThe EOS 70D features a new 20.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor, designed and manufactured by Canon. It’s the first Digital SLR in the world to feature ground-breaking Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, which delivers smooth and accurate autofocus (AF) when shooting Full HD movies and fast AF acquisition when shooting in Live View mode. Paired with the 14-bit DIGIC 5+ processor and 19-point all cross-type AF System, the EOS 70D captures incredible, full resolution images at up to 7 frames per second, with up to 65 JPEG or 16 RAW images in a single burst*. Additionally, a native ISO range of ISO 100-12800 enables photographers to shoot in lower light conditions and use faster shutter speeds whilst retaining high image quality.“I was incredibly impressed with how many new technologies the EOS 70D packs into one body, and how versatile it is,” said Brutus Östling, Canon Ambassador. “The EOS 70D is the perfect camera for anyone that wants to develop their photography skills. Not only is it suited to shooting people, landscapes and action easily and in outstanding quality, but also filming subjects in Full HD with focus speeds I never thought would be possible. The camera proved itself in the most challenging of circumstances, and had a range of new-generation technologies to comfortably solve any test I threw at it – especially with the new Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology. It really takes DSLR shooting and filmmaking to a whole new level.”Canon’s new Dual Pixel CMOS AF provides swift AF performance when shooting in Live View mode and smooth accurate focus for Full HD movies. It makes it easy for users to take their next step with movies, enabling them to keep moving subjects in sharp focus and create professional-looking pull-focus effects. The technology utilises advanced CMOS architecture, allowing two photodiodes to be mounted within each pixel, both of which can be read independently to achieve autofocus, or together for image capture, with maximum image quality at all times.An advanced AF system for stills includes 19 cross-type AF points spread across the frame, providing high speed, accurate AF – ideal for tracking sports and wildlife subjects as they move within the frame. The AF system is customisable, allowing photographers to adapt to the subject they’re shooting. AF points can be used individually, together in small groups, or as a wide active area for more unpredictable subjects. A dedicated AF area selection button, positioned conveniently next to the shutter release, enables quick switching between modes, without having to take the camera away from the eye.Expertly designed for professional controlThe EOS 70D’s powerful specification is packed into an expertly-engineered body that’s designed for comfort and swift operation. The Intelligent Viewfinder, with 98 per cent frame coverage and 0.95x magnification, allows photographers to comfortably frame their images and visualise settings via the electronic overlay. Conveniently-placed controls provide instant access to the most frequently used settings, such as ISO, AF mode selection and metering, so users can quickly change settings and concentrate on capturing the moment.A 7.7cm (3.0”) Vari-angle Clear View LCD II Touch screen with a sharp 1,040k dot resolution is ideal for video shooting, or composing images from unusual and creative angles. The screen is a capacitive type, which supports a series of multi-touch gestures including swiping and pinch-zooming – perfect for navigating menus, amending settings or flicking through images.Clever connectivity for easy control and instant sharingThe EOS 70D is the latest EOS model to feature integrated Wi-Fi, providing the freedom to remotely control the camera, as well as share images. Using Wi-Fi connectivity, users can connect to the EOS Remote app and control a wide range of image settings, including ISO and exposure, as well as focus and release the shutter. Photographers can also remotely use Live View mode, as well as review and rate their images.Instant creativity unleashedThe EOS 70D features a host of creative modes to make capturing unique images easy. In-camera HDR removes the challenges of shooting in tricky, high contrast situations, merging three exposures into one that captures more detail in both the shadow and highlight areas. With multiple-exposure mode, photographers can shoot and combine up to nine exposures into a single image, or use a range of Creative Filters to instantly change the style and look of their shot.Experimenting with creative off-camera flash is easy, thanks to the Integrated Speedlite transmitter, which provides in-camera control of multiple Canon Speedlite EX flash units.Creative Full HD MoviesAlongside beautiful stills, the EOS 70D allows photographers to create high quality movies with ease. Full HD (1920 x 1080p) resolution video can be captured with a choice of selectable frame rates, including 30, 25 or 24fps, and 60 and 50fps at 720p, and a range of compression options for post-editing and sharing. Thanks to new Dual Pixel CMOS AF, Movie Servo AF mode tracks subjects as they move, or even as shots are recomposed, ensuring they’re always in focus. Alternatively, users can select different focus areas over 80 per cent of the frame** simply by tapping the touch-screen, even when recording – ensuring that movies stay sharp and clear if a subject moves or the user changes the composition of a shot.Videographers can also enjoy stereo sound using the internal microphone, or enhance audio with the in-built external microphone input terminal. Full control over settings such as aperture and ISO is also possible within manual mode, giving users greater freedom as their skills develop.EOS 70D – key features:
**Dual Pixel CMOS AF is possible over 80 per cent of the width and height of the Live View frame
B&H has a small pile of deals that are pretty darn good right now. The first deal involves Mail-in-Rebate but the savings are serious and the Pixma Pro Printer is excellent. We have an older model of that printer and the images it spits out are professional quality. 
Canon EOS Rebel T3i Camera Kit with 18-55mm/55-250mm Lenses & PIXMA PRO-100 Wireless Printer(You only see price at Checkout)Total Price of Kit = $1,381.99You Pay at Checkout $989 Price after MIR $589! ( $792.99 SAVING)
This Kit Includes:
Canon EOS 60D DSLR Camera (Body Only)$799 Now $599 + 2% Rewards(You only see price at Checkout)
Canon EOS 60D DSLR Camera Kit with Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS Lens$1,099 Now $899.00 + 2 Rewards (Lowest price on the net)
Rokinon 8mm Ultra Wide Angle f/3.5 Fisheye LensCanon EF Mount, Nikon F Mount
Now $219 + 2% Rewards
It is no secret that I love my Triggertrap app/dongle. We walk around with these little computers in our pocket and I love folks that increase the versatilty of these devices with such a simple idea -use your smartphone or tablet to trigger your camera. You could do it just once with a clap, or set it up for a time lapse, or use motion detect to capture how many times a day your cats spend eating (I have that video coming soon, it is about as exciting as it sounds but I love the ability to add all these features to my dumb DSLR). Drive lapses too, and that is just a few ideas. Now the app with a flash connector is also capable of firing your flash, this opens up an exciting world of high speed photography, Typically high speed photo rigs cost thousands of dollars, this works with your existing camera and external flash. A review unit is on its way and I am excited to try out some balloon popping, water dropping and whatever else I can manage.Introducing Triggertrap Flash Adapter from Triggertrap on Vimeo.[gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="3687,3686,3685,3681"]
Triggertrap Mobile Brings High-Speed Photography to the Masses with Latest Update and Accessory
iOS camera triggering app exponentially improves performance speeds in latest update, combines with just-launched Triggertrap Flash Adapter to simplify high-speed photography for all skill levels
LONDON – June 26, 2013 – Triggertrap, developer of creative camera triggering solutions for photographers of all skill levels, today announced updates to both its iOS mobile app and product line that will provide users with the ability to easily capture jaw-dropping, professional-grade high-speed photography. With its latest update, the Triggertrap Mobile iOS app enables trigger response times that are up to 12 times faster than previously possible, complementing its launch of the Triggertrap Flash Adapter accessory and putting high-speed capture within reach of any photographer with an iOS device.High-speed photography, those dramatic, split-second moments captured at the very instant an action occurs, previously demanded the sort of skill, precision, and patience typically reserved for experts and professionals. It was impossible for the average consumer-level photographer to capture those special, frozen microseconds, whether it be a bouncing tennis ball caught hovering millimeters from the clay, breaking glass shattering into a million pieces, or a tiny pipistrelle bat darting out of the night.This type of true, stunning high-speed photography is now possible for users of all skill levels with the combination of the new Triggertrap Flash Adapter, a Triggertrap Mobile Dongle, and the free Triggertrap Mobile app installed on an iOS device. Photographers simply attach the Flash Adapter to any hot shoe-ready flash gun and iOS device in a darkened room, set their camera on a long exposure, and use any of Triggertrap Mobile’s many triggers including the sound sensor or vibration modes to simultaneously fire the shutter and flash.For high-speed photographers, the reaction time involved in triggering a DSLR camera from a smartphone is critical, and the delay between a screen-tap or hand-clap and the camera going off has been, unfortunately, detrimental to their efforts. With the Triggertrap Mobile app’s reaction times now up to 12 times faster (improved from 60 milliseconds to as low as 5 milliseconds depending on the device used), these shutter lag issues are a thing of the past and users can take full advantage of the Flash Adapter’s creative capabilities.“Whether it be timelapse, sound triggering, or our new high-speed capabilities, Triggertrap has always taken pride in simplifying previously complicated photo techniques, once only possible with years of expertise and expensive equipment, and making them available to the masses,” said Triggertrap CEO and Founder Haje Jan Kamps. “Quite frankly, we think that high-speed photography is pretty awesome and presents limitless creative opportunities. The sky is now the limit for anyone with a smartphone and the creative instinct to give it a try.”The Triggertrap Flash Adapter is available for a MSRP of $29.99 and is available for direct purchase through Triggertrap’s online shop at http://shop.triggertrap.com/. To purchase the Triggertrap Mobile app for iOS, click here. About TriggertrapTriggertrap Ltd was founded in 2011, and was brought to life through crowd-funding site Kickstarter. Based in Bristol, UK, the company’s flagship smartphone-based camera triggering solution, Triggertrap Mobile, has been downloaded more than 75,000 times , and their triggers are in use by thousands of photographers in more than a hundred different countries. Triggertrap’s entry-level products are a set of affordable hardware and software, which enables photographers to connect their smartphones to their SLR cameras. In addition to the entry-level products, Triggertrap sells a line of more advanced products, aimed at advanced amateurs and professional photographers, in particular for photographers who do high-speed studio- and experimental photography. For more information, please visit www.triggertrap.com.
For many summer means fireworks and sparklers - here are my quick tips(with video) on capturing cool photos using sparklers or really any small light source.
You need:
Camera with control over manual settings
Tripod
Flashlight or cell phone (for low light focusing help) OR Hotshoe LED light
Pile of sparklers or a glow stick or small flash light - any light source really
Remote shutter release - Not mandatory but helpful (Recommended cheap one)
First task is to do this all safely. Don't hurt anyone in an effort to get a photo and make sure you are complying with all fireworks and sparkler laws in your area - beautiful photos can be made with glow sticks, flash lights and other non-dangerous light sources.
Your shutter speeds are going to range from 2 seconds on up to Bulb mode so the use of a tripod is a must.
Setup your camera - manual mode (M), a good starting point is a 5 second shutter speed, ISO 200 and an aperture around f/4.5.
Have your subject stand still and hold up a small light source so you can focus on them, either auto focus or manual, zoom in. After you get focus switch to manual so that the camera isn't struggling to get focus in the dark. You can also use back button focus to avoid this issue. They can now put away the little flash light
Once you have focus have them light the sparkler and start moving it around. Use the remote release to trigger the shutter or gently press the shutter button on the camera (you really need to be careful not to wiggle the camera when you press the button, alternatively you can use the self-timer: 2-sec delay but that does require a bit more coordination with your subject.
A third option is to use the remote shutter release and BULB mode in your camera. In the T4i/T5i bulb mode is activated by setting the camera to M and increasing the shutter speed past 30 seconds. This doesn't mean the shutter has to be longer than 30 seconds for your exposures, it will just stay open as long as you hold the shutter release button down. This is great if someone is trying to write their name with a sparkler, you hold it down just as long as it takes the subject, when you release the button the shutter closes. With sparklers I notice that the slower you move them the more sparky trails you get - fast moving sparklers leave a more smooth line of light. You are limited by your imagination!
Related Video - How To Photograph Fireworks
VideoThese two cameras are very similar in size and shape. You may want to put your hands on both to see what feels nicest. Additional sample videos
If you were to just count the bullets Nikon would get a fairly clear K.O but not every bullet is worth the same weight and it depends on your needs and use case. Both cameras produce excellent images in a variety of conditions. If I had to pick highlights for each -On the Canon T5i side I would mention that user friendly touchscreen which makes the whole camera a bit simpler to operate and the pairing with the 18-55 STM or the 18-135 STM that provides silent and smooth auto focus during video -this is a very family friendly feature and makes this an all around photo and video machine.On the Nikon D5200 side I would mention the ISO performance and general feature richness of the camera.Another Item worth mentioning - Nikon's track record of customer service is a bit less than stellar, they have had a few camera models in recent years shipped out with serious issues that they denied for way to long and their general average repair time is often several times longer than Canon. I really haven't heard of any customer horror stories with Canon, although they too have shipped cameras with problems they seem to deal with the issue quickly enough and fairly.So which should you buy? You are going to make the best pictures with the camera you are most comfortable using and I think for many of you this will be your first DSLR and that friendly touchscreen and user interface of the Canon is worth lots. If you are willing to work a bit harder it is *possible" to get better photos out of the Nikon but I don't think for many of you that it is worth the quirks and in my opinion the more difficult operating system.Would you like a personal recommendation? Leave me a message on my Facebook page or a comment below letting me know about you, what you like to photograph and where you hope to be as a photographer in a year or two.
Buying the Nikon or Canon through my links supports this site and costs you nothing extra.
(Buy from Amazon). 18-135 STM (Buy from Amazon)Coming Soon -Next Steps - Price out lens packages for general use. What does Nikon offer for general walk around, good zooms for wildlife, portraits, street, primes, macros etc. External Flash options - Articles/Videos are coming along with "What would be your cost of owning"
A few times a year we hear that the next full moon will be a SUPER MOON. The media loves to talk this up with the SUPER MOON headlines everywhere and while the size difference isn't THAT impressive - More info here about the size (the Moon can appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon). The May 26th, 2021 moon will just be 7.6% bigger than average.
Super Moon or not any moon (it doesn’t even need to be full) is a great opportunity to get out and shoot the moon. Few of us have zoom lenses large enough to capture the moon as is massively shown in mostly fake shots but we can get close enough with some cropping to at least impress your friends. The image below was shot with a 200mm zoom on a full-frame sensor and then heavily cropped.
The photo below is FAKE and is often shared online.
supermoon - SUPER FAKE - Snopes Info - Creator Unkown.
Real Moon Photo - Captured during the Snow Super Moon of February 2020. Sony a7Riii + 100-400 (at 400mm) +1.4x =560mm and cropped in lightroom
EXIF 1/400 f/09 ISO 100
CopyRight: Tobias Gelston
Real Moon Photo - Captured during the Snow Super Moon of February 2020. Sony a7Riii + 100-400 (at 148mm)
EXIF 1/160 f/9 ISO 100
CopyRight: Tobias Gelston
While it is not impossible to get a photo like the red moon above the mountains (first photo in the document) it is very difficult and requires a VERY long lens. But even without a very long lens you can get decent photos of the moon - Here are my tips -
1) Plan - what time is the moon visible in your area? http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/moonrise.html?obj=moon-- You can certainly capture the moon in the sky but it will often look small and less impressive. Pay careful attention to the rise and set times, this will allow you to incorporate some of the landscape making for more interesting photos. Even better if you can capture it near sunrise or sunset, providing some light for the landscape. My moon over snowy mountains photo above was taking about 30 minutes after sunrise.
2) Knowing where the moon will break the horizon and the angle it will travel as it rises is important - Photopills App offers info on rise, set, and the path of celestial objects including the moon. It will even allow you to overlay this info with your real-world view. Another option is the http://photoephemeris.com/.
3) Get off AUTO mode. When shooting a small bright object in a very dark sky your camera is going to be easily confused and often the moon will be captured as a featureless white blob. Shoot MANUAL - good starting values ISO 200, Aperture f/8, and shutter speed 1/125 to 1/250 of a second. These settings are just starting values, depending on the conditions in your area - city lights, clouds, sunlight. you may need to adjust. If you are photographing a thin crescent moon your shutter speed may be much slower, closer to a second.
NOTE: An eclipsed moon is much less bright - You are going to need to open the aperture wider, slow your shutter speed and adjust ISO accordingly.
4) You may be able to autofocus on brighter moons, place your focus point right at the edge of the moon - the contrast between the light and dark will help the camera focus. If you don’t have any luck using AF switch to manual focus magnify your view and carefully move your focus ring toward infinity.
5) Tripods are almost mandatory. Remember the general rule of thumb is a shutter speed twice your focal length. If you are shooting with a 70-300 lens and using 300mm - your shutter speed should be 1/800 second. Any slower than that and you should be on a tripod. Tripods also help you compose a shot - plan where the moon will be, set up your tripod, and wait.
5) Review your shots as you take them, zoom in on the images when you review to check focus and exposure levels. I have been fooled in the past thinking I was capturing sharp images of the moon and only once I looked at them on the computer realized they were all a little soft. I'd love to see some full moon shots on my Facebook page or Instagram tag me!
I captured the photo below on October 31, 2020, as the supermoon rose above the Seattle Skyline. This is a composite. One photo for a good exposure of the moon and one photo for a good exposure of the city and sky. I combined in Photoshop but needed to increase the size of the moon by about 10% to hide some issues with the original moon. This is the reason for the “almost” in the title of this article.
The two photos used for the composite moon over Seattle.
And it is easy!I have been a fan of Blurb for a few years now and their new, super simple, Designer Templates are sweet. I figured I'd take just a few minutes and show you how I recently made a book of my Costa Rica Trip Photos. Do you have summer plans?, early summer plans? Blurb has two deals happening right now: Remember creating a book is as easy as connecting your Facebook or Instagram account.
*Offer valid through June 24, 2013 (11:59 p.m. local time). Valid for printed books only. A 15% discount is applied to your product total with a minimum order of USD $50, a 20% discount is applied to your product total with a minimum order of USD $100, or a 25% discount is applied to your product total with a minimum order of USD $150. Maximum discount is USD $100, GBP £65, EUR €75, CAD $100 or AUD $100 off product total. This offer is good for one time use, and cannot be combined with volume discounts, other promotional codes, gift cards, or used for adjustments on previous orders.**This offer is good for 15% off your product total up to a max discount of $150 USD, CAD & AUD. Each code may only be used once per user and on books made by you. Offer expires at 11.59pm (local time) on June 30th, 2013. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offers, volume discounts or retroactively applied to any previous orders.
Lightroom 5 came out of beta today and is now available for pre-order from B&H (available by June 13th, download available now)One of the new features is Smart Preview - this nifty features frees laptop owners to keep originals on an external disk but still work with and edit copies when you are on the road and not connected to that drive. It does this by creating a lossy DNG file that is stored on your laptop, typically they are about 5% of the size of the original images with a maximum dimension of 2500 pixels. You can star/rate, add keywords and other meta data AND edit in the develop panel. You can even export a file up to 2500 pixels, perfectly large enough for sharing online. More in the video below.Note about Catalogs- A catalog is a database that tracks the location of photos and information about them, you can have more than one catalog but only one catalog can be open at a time. I typically have a catalog for each year, starting a new one at the beginning of each year. Catalogs do not actually store your photos, just the previews and the changes you have applied, along with any metadata. The actual images are stored in folders on your hard drive or multiple hard drives.
The first rule of lightning photography is to be safe. Do NOT put yourself in any danger to get a photo, ever.
The story behind the photo. With spring comes thunderstorms and I had been paying attention to the weather reports and thinking about possible vantage points. I was looking for some place with enough elevation to get a good view without being at the top of a mountain myself. I also wanted a view that was going to be fairly clear or artificial light, with longer shutter speeds those lights can really ruin a scene. Though there are plenty of shots with cityscapes and lightning, but the area I am in doesn't really offer that. I used my knowledge of the area and Google Earth to scout potential vantage points settling on a location that gave me a good view of the Connecticut river valley.
I brought my 5D Mark III, tripod and Triggertrap app on an iPad. Now I don't have any pictures of the setup in the car, I was shooting out of the car window with the tripod spread around my lap. It was not the most comfortable and roomy setup but I could live with it. Truthfully I didn't end up using the Triggertrap app, for no reason other than I pulled up and lightning was happening so I rushed to setup everything. I should have taken a moment to plug in the app, the Star Trail Mode would be perfect for lightning photos.
Yes, contrary to popular belief you don't try to capture lightning by watching for a bolt and quickly pressing the shutter button - you will not be fast enough. What you do is shoot long exposures - anywhere from 6 seconds to 30 seconds can give you good results. So the shutter is open, the sensor is recording a fairly dark scene and hopefully during the time the shutter is opening a strike will happen. I have heard from one of my readers that if a strike happens in the middle of an exposure it is a good idea to throw a black cloth over the lens to keep any more light from entering and potentially ruining the image. I may try that in a future shoot.
Now when I first set up I took a few long exposures to get a sense of my composition, it was quite difficult to get a sense through live view or the view finder, so you can raise your ISO way up for a few test photos, this way your shutter speed only needs to be a few seconds - these aren't keepers, just trying to get a feel for what the camera will capture.
I was shooting around 40mm on a full frame camera. That is about 22mm on a crop sensor camera like the Canon T4i/T5i.30 shots later I captured what would turn out to be the best of the night- Rollover to see the unprocessed straight out of the camera shot. 38mm on full frame at ISO 400, f/10 and 20.0 seconds shutter speed.
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I continued shooting for another 30 minutes, another 40 shots and captured a few more bolts but the storm fell apart and low level clouds rolled in making it difficult to capture individual bolts[gallery ids="3623,3622,3621,3620,3619,3624" orderby="rand"]SO if you read all of this, or skipped to this point let me give you the moral of the story.
SL1 Compared to Canon T5i/T4i | First Thoughts and Feature Tour of the Canon SL1Canon SL1(100D) World's Smallest DSLR
I think this camera is right for people who have a collection of Canon lenses and are willing to sacrifice a little performance for minor weight savings, I know those people are out there, I have heard from them. I also think this is a powerful little video recording device- interviewers, using the 40mm, stick an external mic on the hot shoe or wire in a lav and you are going to get gorgeous HD video and low light capabilities that still can’t be matched by most of the mirror-less or micro 4/3 crowd.
But that target audience is pretty small and the rest of us looking for a small camera with better than P&S quality have a fair number of options including the excellent Olympus Pens, the Panasonic GF series and the Sony NEX all of which offer smaller packages, many packed full of fun features and small lens systems that keep the size of the entire package smaller and lighter.
Despite everything I wrote I like this camera and would consider owning it as I am one of those with a collection of EF lenses and at time would like to travel light. I also think it will sell fairly well with the Canon name attached.
Support this site- Buy the Canon SL1 from Amazon. Not in the US? use the links at the bottom of this post.
I have had the Canon SL1 in my hands for about two weeks. It is an enjoyable little camera with some neat features.
Video of my early thoughtsVideo SL1 Compared to the Canon T5i Not mentioned in the video- SL1 has a mono mic, T5i has stereo.
Should you use auto ISO? What is ISO and why do I want it to be as low as possible
Gear Needed:Camera that allows shutter speed control and a tripod.Recommended Gear:Remote shutter release(to avoid wiggling the camera) and a Circular Polarizer or Neutral Density Filter. If you don't have the filters you will need to shoot when light levels are low, almost to the point of getting dark - after sunset and before sunrise.In this video I use a Canon T5i with 18-135 STM lens with a Circular Polarizer on a Benro MeFoto Travel Tripod.I mention Back Button Focusing in this video, helpful to keep the camera from refocusing each time you try a shot.Even with the filters the best time is near dawn or sunset, the rest of the day is too bright, even if it is overcast.
In my latest video "Wedding Day Photography: An in-depth look from morning to midnight" I talk about the importance of having a good bag for all your gear and specifically mention ThinkTank as one of the best options - We know have five different ThinkTank bags in the house and they are all fantastic - construction and design is solid, they stand up to day to day use and abuse just fine. thoughtful details from top to bottom and really, it is hard to find better bags out there. They have just launched a sweet program - you can try out any bag from their Retrospective line for FREE for 30 days. Decide you like it? Keep it and they charge you.I love a company that is so sure of the products they sell that they feel comfortable launching a program that would certainly cost them lots of money if everyone decided to send their bags back after 30 days. The Retrospective line is huge from small shoulder bags to much more cavernous style bags and include the lens exchange bags that Christina and I use, we wear these bags for 8-10 hours at a time and they feel comfortable at hour two and hour 10 AND they work really well for us- simple and quick access to our gear at all times, could you ask for more?
Pick the bag you want to try for the next 30 days - free shipping till the end of this Month if you click through the link below and a free gift. T4i shooters looking for a bag for your Camera and a spare lens? I recommend the Retrospective 5 or 7.ThinkTank's Test Drive Program
Today's on Kelby's Show, Tom Hogarty, a product manager for Adobe demoed a prototype/alpha/may-never-see-the-light-of-day app that provides photographers a way to edit RAW files with many of the develop modules we love in Lightroom and the ability to rate, sort, flag etc. Cool and then. . . all of this would be synced through the cloud to your master library!! That would be awesome. I now imagine myself relaxing, a high resolution tablet on my lap, swiping through photos, rating, pinching to zoom and check focus and quickly dealing with a large number of photos in a smooth, efficient and comfortable manner. I might be getting ahead of myself here - there was no release date and no mention that this was even definitively scheduled as a product that is coming to market.I queued the video to start where they begin discussing the app.In Related News - I get asked all the time for photo editing software options and my answer 90% of the time is Lightroom. It is approachable program though I wouldn't necessarily call it beginner friendly that offers a ton of power, maybe three tons! But there are times that people what a more photoshop like experience and Mac users have an option that was recently update and very affordable, Acorn- Until the end of this month it is being offered for $29, that is a lot easy to swallow than the hundreds Photoshop costs. There are of course many things Photoshop can do that Acorn can't but I am betting for 90% of you photographers out there, Acorn combined with Lightroom will handle almost all your needs.
Window's users feeling left out - I have been playing around with http://pixlr.com/ It is browser based but certainly capable and the interface doesn't look all that different from Acorn. And of course since it is browser based it is available to anyone.
