EOS magazine October-December 2022 preview edition

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EDITOR

EDITOR Angela August angela@eos-magazine.com

Angela August angela@eos-magazine.com

TECHNICAL EDITOR

TECHNICAL EDITOR Nina Bailey nina@eos-magazine.com

Nina Bailey nina@eos-magazine.com

CONSULTANT EDITOR

CONSULTANT EDITOR Robert Scott robert@eos-magazine.com

Robert Scott robert@eos-magazine.com

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All

EOS Robert Scott

EOS Wales. Registration number 4663971.

Like many of you, I have access to the entire library of EOS magazine back issues at my fingertips. But despite its convenience and search feature, I also have a complete stash of hard copies on a shelf behind my desk. I frequently find myself turning to these in preference to the digital version, and a glance through the front covers over the last four years since JanuaryMarch 2019 reveals that there have been only three issues when Canon has not released new product. That’s pretty impressive. No wonder we always have something new to write about!

This issue adheres to the norm, with two new lenses. RF lenses, of course. Canon said it would continue to dedicate its R&D to the R-system, which has proved to be as popular as it is ground-breaking, so Canon continues to push forward with this line. And of course it makes financial sense; the wider the choice of RF lenses available, the more photographers will be tempted to ditch their (perfectly good) DSLR cameras and jump on the R-system bus.

If you find yourself stuck indoors over the winter months, you might like to turn your hand to shooting flatlays. Shot from above, flatlays have been popularised by use on websites and social media, and will require all your compositional flair. We didn’t quite have the confidence to set flatlays as the theme for this issue’s Reader challenge (pages 60 to 64), choosing instead the motion blur technique (pages 46 to 53), but if you do shoot some successful flatlay set-ups, we’d love to see them. Why not email a couple of your best results to: editorial@eos-magazine.com

In EOS magazine, we are not afraid to cover complex camera settings, even if they are often best suited to the more advanced photographer. These very targeted options are often not well-documented in the camera manual, so particularly warrant the detailed explanation that we can give in EOS magazine. One such setting is ‘Switching tracked subjects’, and we hope that your sport and action images improve after exploring it further (pages 42 to 45). Again, let us know how you get on. Long-time subscriber Tony Todd did just that, sharing his favourite settings for shooting motorsport (pages 40 to 41) – a new feature that we hope to continue with.

Angela August, Editor

© 2022

Robert Scott Publishing Limited ISSN 1748-5568

© 2022 Robert Scott Publishing Limited ISSN 1748-5568 plc

Printed by Warners (Midlands) plc

The RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM is a new prime lens for the EOS R system (page 23).

CANON

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PHOTO TECHNIQUE

24 The art of flatlays

Flatlays have become a popular way to shoot attention-grabbing visuals for websites and social media channels.

46 Creative blur

Using a slow shutter speed to photograph a moving subject can help to impart a feeling of movement in your still images.

EOS CONTEST

60 Reader challenge

Results of our reader photo competition, plus details of the next challenge.

REGULAR FEATURES

06 World of EOS

Canon news, developments and winning images.

20 EOS Shop

Camera gear, books and accessories for your Canon photography.

70 Ask the EOS experts

Readers’ questions answered.

74 Forum

Experimenting with photo stitching.

EOS PROJECT

12 The Perimeter

Over a period of five years Quintin Lake walked the entire coastline of Britain, photographing the extraordinarily varied landscape as he did so.

NEW PRODUCTS

22 Latest equipment

Two new compact RF lenses – RF 24mm f1.8 Macro IS STM and RF 15-30mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM.

GET IT ALL...

The art of flatlays

Cover and pages 24-29.

Everything EOS

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Every camera, lens and Speedlite is listed in our ‘Everything EOS’ system guide, along with the many Canon EOS accessories. You can download this 52-page guide for free from EOS Extra! (see above).

“Flatlays shot from a bird’s eye view emphasise the shapes in the composition. Shooting from a different angle, such as I have done here, adds depth to the scene because the objects now have volume. Another way to capture more shots from this set-up would be to shoot a few detail shots.”

Connie Chan EOS 5D Mark III, EF 17-40mm f4L USM lens, 1/125 second at f6.3, ISO 200.

CAMERA FEATURES

30 Custom controls

Custom controls allow you to personalise your camera for ultimate ease of use and performance.

34 Fixed vs. zoom

Most photographers would not be without a zoom lens, but Canon actually produces a greater number of fixed focal length optics. We look at the benefits of each type.

40 My camera settings

Motorsport photographer and EOS magazine subscriber Tony Todd shares his photo settings.

42 Subject switching

How do you control which subject your camera focuses on when there is more than one subject in the frame?

54 Instant MF

Some cameras and lenses have a feature that allows you to manually focus instantly when the lens is still set to autofocus.

66 Weather sealing

How much weather sealing your EOS camera or lens has will affect the care you need to take when shooting in the rain.

Who’s who in this issue?

Nina Bailey Technical Editor & EOS Training Academy tutor

Claire Barrett

Robert Scott Consultant Editor

Quintin Lake

Connie Chan Product photographer and content creator

World of EOS

Canon legends

Canon releases iconic NFTs

You may not have heard of an NFT. It’s a non-fungible token, which is effectively a digital certificate that can validate the authenticity and unique ownership of something – like digital artwork, photographs, videos, animations, and more. NFTs can therefore provide a way for an artist to sell definite ownership of their digital art to someone, or perhaps to a few people if a limited series is created. For example, someone can buy copy two of a limited series of ten – just like a limited series of physical print artwork.

NFTs have been available to purchase since 2015, but they only really started gaining worldwide attention in 2021 when Pak’s ‘The Merge’ digital artwork sold for $91.8 million.

Now Canon has entered the marketplace, partnering with Immutable Image to release NFTs created from iconic photographs captured by ‘Canon Legends’. These internationally renowned photographers (below) are deemed to have made a profound impact within the photography industry and are bound to have a substantial role in the future of photography NFTs.

All purchasers will receive a randomly selected, unique NFT photograph from ‘The Legends Mint’. Purchases will not include copyright or commercial rights to the image itself. Instead, it will present a unique and limited edition NFT, much like the purchase of a traditional, limited-edition print from a gallery or directly from the artist.

“I have to admit that the notion of selling my work in limited editions or as one-of-a-kind art on a digital platform that offered no tangible hard-copy print was a bit foreign to me, but equally intriguing,” confessed Canon Legend Ryszard Horowitz. “I’ve always been attracted to new ways of creating and sharing my work, so I thought this was an interesting opportunity to explore.”

For more information, visit bit.ly/3TEGkBQ

Canon is top of the pops EOS M-series is ever popular

You might be asking yourself why Canon is pursuing its original mirrorless APS-C line – the EOS M-series – now that it has launched APS-C sensor cameras in the mirrorless R-series range. Well, statistics of the top-selling cameras in Japan in the first half of 2022, provided by market analyst BCN Retail, reveal exactly why. The EOS M50 Mark II kit is both the topselling model (in white) and the runner-up (in more traditional black), pushing the EOS RP kit into third place.

The EOS RP (released in 2019) is one of only two full-frame cameras in the top-ten best-sellers list – and the only Canon full-frame model. This means that the more recent (and you might think, more desirable) Canon mirrorless models, such as the EOS R5, R6 and R3, do not feature at all.

While it will be interesting to see how the EOS R7 and R10 models, which were released in the second half of this year, will impact on these figures, it illustrates that we must not be too blinkered when it comes to wondering why our favourite camera brand doggedly pursues lines we think have hit the buffers. Different parts of the world have different tastes, and what is popular in one country does not necessarily find favour in another. Canon knows this better than anyone.

Further product delays

Canon announces more supply issues

On 8 August 2022, Canon Japan released another notifi cation about product supply issues for both its lenses and cameras. This follows an announcement about supply issues earlier in the“Currently,year. we have received more orders than expected for each of the following products and due to the global supply of parts, delivery delays are occurring. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our customers and business partners. We apologise again for making our customers wait so long. We will continue to take measures for stable product supply, so that we can deliver products as soon as possible.”

The affected products are:

• EOS R3, EOS R5 C, EOS R7

• RF 400mm f2.8L IS USM lens

• RF 800mm f5.6L IS USM lens

• RF 1200mm f8L IS USM lens

• Multi-accessory Shoe Cover ER-SC2

• Multi-accessory Shoe Cover ER-SC1

Barbara Bordnick

Joyce Tenneson

Gregory Heisler

Melvin Sokolsky

Sam Abell Ryszard Horowitz

Walter Iooss, Jr.

Call it what you like – gimmick, probably. Or every geek’s must-have? Canon has teamed up with Japanese toy and merchandising company, Takara Tomy, to produce a couple of collectibles, which transform from a mini EOS R5 into a robot.

Takara Tomy has reproduced a detailed, albeit non-functioning, replica of the EOS R5, at 80% scale of the actual camera and with a detachable RF 24-105mm f4L lens. This mini camera can convert into one of two iconic Transformers figures: the Optimus Prime which comes with its own mini R5, or the Decepticon Reflector, which is accompanied by a miniature SLR – and both are able to brandish the lens cap as a shield.

Costing around £120 each, and certainly more of a collectable than a mere toy, pre-orders are being taken, but they will not be officially available until 25 February 2023. Wait as you might, these collectibles will not be readily available in the UK but, if you are so inclined, that will probably not prevent you from obtaining one.

LCECollectibletransformscameratoysopensinOxford27storesacrossEngland

Founded in the 1950s, London Camera Exchange is a popular, award-winning photo retailer. Since then, its reputation for top service, stocks and extensive product range has grown and grown.

There’s nothing quite like face-to-face advice and actually handling your next potential purchase and this is reflected by LCE opening a new store in the centre of Oxford in August. LCE now has 27 stores across England.

For information visit, www.lcegroup.co.uk

World Cup sponsor Canon supports sport

Rugby World Cup sponsor Canon is a Worldwide Partner for Rugby World Cup 2021, which will take place in New Zealand from 8 October to 12 November 2022 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament scheduled for 2021 has been postponed from 2021 to 2022.) Canon is also Official Supplier for Rugby World Cup 2023, which will take place in France from 8 September to 28 October 2023.

This latest agreement marks Canon’s involvement for the third consecutive Rugby World Cup, having previously sponsored Rugby World Cup 2015 in England, and Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. In addition, and for the first time, this new sponsorship establishes Canon as a Worldwide Partner of the women’s tournament, further supporting the advancement of gender equality in rugby.

As with other sporting competitions in the past, both in Japan and overseas, Canon will offer its full support, ranging from products and solutions – including cameras, lenses, video camcorders, network cameras and medical equipment. It will also provide behind-the-scenes support services to members of the press covering Rugby World Cups 2021 and 2023, including camera and lens maintenance services and product loans.

Pop-up photo advice

Most remote camera store

How far will you go for your art? Research carried out for Wex Photo Video found that 41% of Brits surveyed admitted to risking life and limb by clambering over safety barriers to get the perfect photo, and expected to get a good image when the location is beautiful.

To match the lengths we are willing to go to for our perfect picture, and to celebrate World Photography Day on 19 August, Wex Photo Video literally went the extra mile when it opened a pop-up store on the mountain of Moel Hebog in Snowdonia, Wales. Not only were Wex experts on hand to offer photo advice, but in case photographers forgot that vital piece of kit there was a selection of equipment available to buy. It was offi cially the UK’s most remote camera store.

With 60% of Brits investing in photography equipment over the past year, the photography retailer, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has recorded a 45% sales increase of pre-owned cameras.Formore information about Wex Photo Video’s products and services, visit: www.wexphotovideo.com

Getting cleaner and greener

Canon receives gold rating for sustainability

Canon has been awarded the Gold rating for its sustainability efforts by France-based international environmental organisation EcoVadis. The award places Canon within the top 5% of companies globally.

EcoVadis assesses various criteria across the four themes of Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. The 2022 survey evaluated over 90,000 companies from 200 industries spanning 160 countries, with the Canon Group receiving especially high marks in the areas of Environment and Sustainable Procurement. Canon has been working to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the product life cycle encompassing the supply chain, with the aim of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

TOMYTAKARA

The Perimeter

About Quintin

I’m a British architectural and landscape photographer. I originally trained as an architect and my interest in geometry and serenity informs all my photographic work.

I’m inspired by the serenity of elemental wilderness landscapes travelled on foot. I undertake multi-day walks alone, carrying a tent, which helps me discover unexpected features of the landscape. My photographic expeditions have taken me all around the world, but in more recent years my main area of interest has been the British landscape.

When not working on assignment for clients worldwide, I create photographic artworks which are available as signed prints.

What made you decide to walk around and photograph the entire coastline of Britain?

I felt really inspired. As a photographer, inspiration is the thing where, if you feel you’re struck by it, you don’t want to let it go. I felt really excited by all the intertwined layers of history and geography on the coast of Britain, which makes it hard to define. I felt stimulated by that ambiguity, and I wanted to see more of it and to understand what made this island what it is, because I’ve previously always found inspiration in 'exotic' places, like the Arctic, or deserts, or countries like Iran. This was me going back to my roots, trying to understand what home is after travelling in 70 countries.Thepractical inspiration came from previous photography projects based on walking the length of the rivers Thames and Severn from source to the sea. When I got to the coastal sections on these projects, I was excited by the diversity of what I was seeing. I felt this was the key to allow me to see Britain with fresh eyes, which had previously eluded me.

Tell us about the planning involved and your schedule?

In retrospect, I guess with any kind of big project like this you can’t think about it too much because

Above left Tyne Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, New Year’s Eve, 2019. EOS 5DS R, EF 70-300mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM lens at 70mm, 1/1250 second at f11, ISO 3200.

Above right The north shore of Knoydart by Loch Hourn looking towards Kinlochourn, Scotland. EOS 5DS R, EF 70-300mm f4.55.6L IS USM lens at 100mm, 1/640 second at f13, ISO 1600.

Project kit bag

EOS 6D

EOS 5DS R EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM

EF 24-70mm f4L IS USM

EF 70-300mm f4-5.6L

Quintin Lake achieved a phenomenal feat by walking the entire coastline of Britain, photographing the landscape as it unfolded before him.

IS Air Gitzo tripod Design Capture Clip

there are so many problems and difficulties. I think there was a two-week period between having the idea and starting. I thought, in a way, the stakes are quite low; if it doesn’t work, I can just

Afterstop.a few months of the journey I settled on an average of 15 miles each day. This distance allowed good progress, but gave me the time and mental energy to do about three hours’ photography each day. I walked in sections up to eight weeks at a time, starting and ending at a transit hub. This meant every day I planned to walk, I had to walk, no matter how bad the weather. With an average of 20kg on my back, including a tent, food, fuel and batteries, I could be self-sufficient for up to five days at a time. Every fifth day I stayed in a hostel or bed and breakfast, so I could clean up and charge my camera and electronics. I sustained this rhythm for five years throughout all the seasons as it

Above Mr Hughes of Knockencule Farm on the way to feed his cows. The Rhins, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. EOS 5DS R, EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM lens at 27mm, 1/1000 second at f9, ISO 1250.

The Perimeter – quick facts

Where did you start?

St Paul’s Cathedral, London, on 17 April 2015

Where did you finish?

St Paul’s Cathedral, London, on 15 Sept 2020

How long did it take to complete 454 days

Average miles each day 16

Most miles in a single day 28

Miles in total 6,835

Average no. of images taken in a day 450

Total no. of images 179,222

Days taken to edit the images 400 so far, the process is still ongoing.

Number of images in the final cut I produce about 20 images per day, so I anticipate a total of about 10,000 when I have completed the edit.

RF 15-30mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM

ULTRA-WIDE, ULTRA-LIGHT ZOOM LENS FOR EOS R SYSTEM

Ideal for enthusiasts, this is the first nonL-series lens of this type in the RF range. It’s equipped with image stabilisation for steadied shots and fast, near-silent autofocus. Switch to manual focus and gain half life-size magnification for detailed close-ups.

Canon already has two ultra-wide-angle zoom lenses native to the RF mount: the RF 14-35mm f4L IS USM and RF 15-35mm f2.8L IS USM. Since they are both L-series lenses, the introduction of the RF 15-30mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM lens offers a lightweight and versatile option if you’re looking for a good ultrawide-angle zoom lens to expand your kit.

The dynamic look achievable at 15mm means you can capture broad landscapes and creative images with impact, while at 30mm you’ve got

a focal length that’s useful for street and everyday photography, easily allowing for natural-looking compositions with good balance between the subject and the surrounding context.

The RF 15-30mm has another trick up its sleeve. With autofocus the lens can achieve a modest 0.16x magnification at 30mm; switch to manual focus (MF) mode and its close-up abilities increase to as much as 0.52x at 15mm, though you’ll need to work very close to your subject to achieve this. As the lens also features image stabilisation with a 5.5-stop benefit, you’ve also got more freedom to shoot closeups handheld without worrying about the effects of camera shake.

The RF 15-30mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM lens has only two switches: one for Focus/ Control and one for IS. However, there’s no AF/MF switch. In order to access the extra magnification on this lens, you need to change between manual and autofocus via the AF menu, Focus mode feature (above, EOS R5 screen) or, if using with the EOS R7 and R10, via the new AF/MF switch on the camera body.

Optical distortions are more evident at wider angles, so the RF 15-30mm lens features an aspherical element which, along with in-camera lens aberration correction functions, work to minimise them. Two UD (ultra-low dispersion) elements effectively correct chromatic aberration, which usually manifests as colour fringing.

The autofocus is driven by a lead-screw type stepping motor (STM), which moves the focus smoothly and silently – perfect for video. The compact size of the lens contributes to a small, light setup – great for vlogging and filming snippets of your everyday life. And as the lens weighs only 390g it complements the portability of the mirrorless EOS R system.

Comparison of key features

Angle-of-view 25’ to 61° 20’ to 43° 30’ to 71° magnification at 15mm / 0.16x at 30mm (AF) at 15mm (MF) distance information no actuator STM switch on lens stabiliser optical 5.5-stop IBIS 7-stop (max. diameter x x 88.4mm

Pricing and availability

The RF 15-30mm STM late 2022 with an RRP of £669.99/

CANON

COMPACT WIDE-ANGLE LENS THAT’S PRIMED FOR CLOSE-UPS

It is equipped with optical image stabilisation (IS) that offers a 5-stop benefit. Moreover, the optical IS and in-body IS of relevant cameras (EOS R3, R5, R6 and R7) combine to offer an enhanced benefit of up to 6.5 stops.

The RF 24mm lens is very similar in build to the RF 35mm f1.8 Macro IS STM lens – see table, right. The key differences are the addition of a UD (ultra-low dispersion) glass element to accompany the one aspherical element, plus a wider angle-of-view thanks to the shorter focal length which will make your images appear very different.

The art of flatlays

Connie Chan has made a name for herself in the world of product photography and content creation. Websites and social feeds rely on attention-grabbing visuals to convey a carefully curated message in an instant, so here Connie shows you how to wow at the first click.

Flatlays made a big splash on social media in the early days of Instagram and they’ve been a staple in product and lifestyle photography ever since. A classic flatlay is just what the name describes; objects are placed on a flat surface and shot from above with the camera parallel to the shoot surface. The strength in a flatlay relies heavily on strong composition with an emphasis on the shapes in the image. A popular variation on the classic flatlay is changing the camera’s shoot angle to roughly 45°.

It’s easy to see why flatlays became so prevalent on social media. There’s no need for expensive backgrounds or distant locations to shoot a flatlay. A simple background and a relatively small amount of space is all you need.

Equipment

I shoot most of my flatlays using my EOS 5D Mark III with an EF 24-70mm f2.8L II USM lens. The ideal focal length is about 50mm. Shooting at a wider focal length creates unflattering distortions that distract from the straightforward feel of a flatlay; shooting longer is impractical because of how high you will need to raise your camera above the shoot surface.

If you can raise your camera high enough, shooting a flatlay on a tabletop surface will make styling the shot much easier on your back. But if this is a challenge, laying your flatlay on the floor may be a better way to go.

When shooting a flatlay at a 45° angle, I change the focal length to 70mm or switch to the EF 85mm f1.8 USM lens to compress my composition.

Tripod

Using a tripod is recommended, but not absolutely necessary. Hand-holding your camera in position can strain your back though, especially if you’re hoping to get that perfect bird’s eye view that makes a flatlay feel slick. With your camera on a tripod, it’s easier to spend time making tiny adjustments to the details in your composition.

If your camera is also tethered to a computer or mobile device, you’ll save yourself the hassle of climbing up and down a stepladder if your camera needs to be high up.

They’re easy to shoot at home or in a small studio, making this style accessible for enthusiasts and professionals of any level of experience.

Getting started

Before starting your flatlay shoot, the first question to ask yourself is always ‘What’s the purpose of this flatlay?’. A strong reason to shoot a flatlay is that it’s an excellent way to show the relationship between a product and a lifestyle or feeling. Think of the hero product of your image and work out what it is you’re trying to say about it. Is it bold, bright and fun? Is it part of a trend or a dependable staple? Who is the audience you’re speaking to? Answering these questions help form the foundation of your flatlay photo shoot.

Below is my set-up for shooting the image (right). When using window light, make sure your set is at about the same level as the window. Here, the light is coming through a glazed door, so I’m able to place my flatlay on the floor. Depending on the height of your window, shooting your flatlay on a table might offer the best light. White boards are a simple and effective way to brighten the shadows. There are two white boards in this set-up: one placed at the top of the frame and a second board on the right just out of frame. EOS 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens, 1/25 second at f4, ISO 200.

Custom controls

How much do you customise your camera? Just a few tweaks here and there, or do you go for complete personalisation? Custom controls, which are available on enthusiast and advanced cameras (see table, right), allow you to customise your camera, designating functions to other buttons, thereby creating short cuts, or just making your life easier. Custom controls were first introduced in 2012 on the EOS-1D X and 5D Mark III (although some options were available before then, they were set via individual Custom Functions). The Custom control settings are simply a way of combining all your customisations into a single place where they can be easily accessed.

Most cameras feature a dedicated customisation menu, but on some the Custom controls can only be accessed via the Custom Function menu. Alternatively, they can be accessed via a dedicated button on the black Quick Control screen.

Since their introduction, the number of available Custom controls has mushroomed, particularly on the more advanced models. When introduced on the EOS 5D Mark III, there were 10 controls which could be customised with 25 different options. On the EOS R3, this has increased to 14 buttons with 82 options.

Most buttons that can be customised fall easily to hand, as can be seen here on the back of the EOS R, allowing you to change set functions very quickly.

The table shows the number of buttons and customisations for still image shooting. The R-series models also have customisations for shooting video (usually fewer buttons and customisations available than for still images).

EOS 14

Using Custom controls

Depending on your camera, you can set Custom controls from one of two places:

• Custom Function menu On all models that have the feature, you can set Custom controls via the Custom Function menu. Here, there is a Custom control or Customise buttons option, depending on the model.

• Quick Control screen On some models you can also set Custom controls via the black Quick Control screen. On DSLR models this is brought up by pressing the ‘Q’ button on the rear of the camera, or it can be made to display all the time using the INFO button.

On mirrorless models the rear screen is often used for viewing the subject, so by default the ‘Q’ button brings up superimposed controls which offer no option to access the Custom controls. You can bring up the black Quick Control screen by repeatedly pressing the INFO button to show different variations of the shooting INFO display.

If you use a mirrorless model and you prefer to have the viewing screen visible on the rear of the camera, you will probably access the Custom controls from the Custom Function menu.

On R-series models, when accessing Custom controls via the black Quick Control screen a submenu allows you to choose whether to ‘Customise buttons’ or ‘Customise dials’.

Whichever method you choose to access the Custom controls options, the setting screens look similar. The main difference is that R-series models have separate options for setting still shooting and video shooting Custom controls, while DSLR and M-series models have only a single set of controls which operate both when shooting stills and video.

Practical tips

• When using Custom controls it is important to look carefully at the screen as a number of prompts indicate the options available to you and sometimes you can access additional controls via the prompts shown on screen.

• Watch out for a scroll bar down the right hand side. This indicates that there are more functions available than appear on the initial settings screen. All you need to do is scroll down further to access these.

• The choice of which button to designate to a function may simply be a personal choice. However, Custom controls allow controls to be moved around into positions which may be easier for you to access or press. The SET button is commonly used, being a little larger and more pronounced than other buttons; it can also be pressed with either hand, whereas the top controls are not so easy to access.

How to set

The setting procedure varies from one model to another.

1 To access Custom controls navigate to the Custom Functions menu. If you just have the one Custom Functions menu, select Operation/Others.

Alternatively, you can access Custom controls via the black Quick Control screen (selected models only). Press the icon (circled) to go to the main setting screen.

2 Scroll through the Custom Functions options until you reach Custom controls.

Some models have the Custom Functions laid out in this way (above). Some also allow you to customise both the buttons and the dials on your camera. Select which of these you want, then press SET.

3 On DSLR and M-series cameras all of the customisable controls are shown on a single screen. Highlight the control that you want to customise. Press SET. As you scroll down, the schematic diagram of the camera indicates the button that you are customising.

EOS R-series models have separate options for stills and video operation (each circled), so make sure you select the button in the relevant column. Scroll down to view the entire list of controls available. As you scroll, the schematic diagram of the camera indicates the position of the button you are customising.

4 For some controls you may find there are only a few customisation options available: for example, there are only three options for the shutter button (above). Choose your customisation. Press SET. The pale blue icon indicates the currently set option; the orange box indicates the currently selected setting.

For other controls you may have to scroll through several screens to see all of the setting options available. For example, the Movie shooting button on the EOS R5 has a total of 45 options. The scroll bar (circled) indicates further options.

Creative blur

An alternative to capturing a pin-sharp subject is to use a slow shutter speed to produce some image blur. This creative technique can impart a feeling of movement in your still image.

When photographing in cities there is always traffic around, which doesn’t present a very interesting foreground. Using a slower shutter speed can introduce some motion blur, resulting in a more creative image. It is easier to achieve motion blur when the traffic is flowing freely. EOS R5, RF 16mm f2.8 STM lens at 16mm, 0.4 second at f11, ISO 100.

Using motion blur as a creative tool

While we might aspire to the latest cameras and lenses with the highest resolution and sharpest optics, it may sound perverse to say that there are also times when the inclusion of a little blur in an image can be a good thing.

Motion blur is caused when the subject moves during a relatively long exposure while the camera is held still. When we talk about motion blur, we’re not talking unintentional image softness caused by camera shake, we’re talking about carefully considered shutter speeds to produce exactly the right amount of subject blur – enough to impart a sense of movement, but without resulting in indecipherable chaos.

When shooting images with an element of motion blur, you usually need to shoot with your camera mounted on a tripod; the long shutter speeds that are required are generally too slow for you to safely handhold your camera (see right). However, over recent years image stabilisation has improved to such a degree that a tripod is not always necessary, particularly if you are using the latest R-series cameras and lenses.

Holding steady

An image with a touch of motion blur caused by a relatively slow shutter speed should not be confused with softness across the entire image caused by camera shake. One is deemed acceptable – indeed often a positive attribute – while the other is not.

If you are shooting with your camera handheld it will move slightly when you press the shutter button to take an exposure. If the camera moves significantly during the exposure it causes image blur across the entire image – which you don’t want. To ensure that the effects of camera shake do not degrade your images you must shoot at a fast enough shutter speed. But how do you know what that is? The general rule of thumb is to use a shutter speed that is at least as fast as the reciprocal of the lens focal length you are using. So, for example, if you are using a 70-300mm lens at a focal length of 180mm, you need to set a shutter speed of at least 1/180 second.

But that’s just a guide. Depending on how steady you are able to handhold your camera, and whether your lens and/or camera has image stabilisation (IS/IBIS) you can set a slower shutter speed (see page 53). Experiment by shooting the same stationary subject at different shutter speeds, then compare the results to see at which point the image becomes unacceptably soft.

Subject suitability for motion blur

When introducing blur into images using slow shutter speeds, waterfalls are a common subject.

However, other good subjects are people or crowds, and the movement of traffic can also produce some interesting effects.

Other subjects might not be interesting enough to hold attention when their movement is frozen by a fast shutter speed, but using a slower shutter speed to introduce some motion blur on key components of the image can bring it to life.

Some motion blur nicely illustrates the beam engine in use. Interior subjects lend themselves to this technique because the prevailing low light levels mean you can often achieve the slow shutter speeds necessary without having to use a neutral density (ND) filter – see page 48 . EOS R5, RF 24-240mm f4-6.3 IS USM lens at 24mm, 1/8 second at f6.3, ISO 2000.

While wildlife images tend to be taken at shutter speeds that are fast enough to freeze the subject movement, there are opportunities to experiment with slower shutter speeds, such as when birds are bathing. Shutter speeds between 1/250 to 1/30 second can work well. EOS-1D Mark II, EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM lens at 400mm, 1/60 second at f11, ISO 200.

BAILEYNINA

BAILEYNINA

Instant MF

Strange as it may seem, there might be times when you do not want to use your camera’s brilliant autofocus capability. While you can set the lens to manual focus, some cameras and lenses also have a feature that allows you to manually focus instantly when the lens is still set to autofocus.

Your camera’s autofocus system works superbly most of the time. It quickly and effectively snaps to focus on the main subject.

Autofocus (AF) works extremely well when there is a clean line-of-sight from the camera to your subject. You simply need to choose the focusing area or method that works best for your subject – this will vary according to whether the subject is static or moving.

Occasionally, though, the camera can struggle to focus precisely on the subject – or on the part of the subject – that you want. This can be because of a variety of reasons, such as:

• when you want to focus on a subject in the mid-ground rather than the foreground

• when your subject is partly obscured, for example by branches or leaves

• when shooting in low light

• when photographing a low contrast subject or in low contrast lighting

• when shooting through bars at a zoo (camera may focus on the bars rather than the animal)

• shooting close-up or macro subjects – the

camera can sometimes struggle to focus initially, or it might not focus on the specific part of the subject that you want to be pin-sharp.

The solution

EOS 5D Mark III, EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM lens, 1/30 second at f2.8, ISO 400. focus options

Most of the time, simply reducing the AF area or AF method to 1-point AF or Spot AF will enable the camera to autofocus. But there may be times when even assisting your camera in this way will not result in it focusing on your intended subject. In these instances it can be easier to use manual focus using the switch on the lens barrel.

Switching the lens from autofocus to manual focus is simple enough, but it can be inconvenient if you want to use autofocus again for the next shot. Constantly switching from autofocus to manual focus and back again can be a bit tiresome.

For this reason, some cameras and lenses have a full-time manual focus function, which allows you to instantly override the autofocus. The function is available on both DSLR and mirrorless models, though it has different names and methods of setting, plus a variety of options.

Manual focus is useful during macro work when your camera might not autofocus on the part of the subject you want pin-sharp.

The AF/MF switch (circled) can be used to set the lens to manual focus, but it can be tiresome if you want to switch frequently between AF and MF.

The tiger (main image) was photographed through the bars of its enclosure (inset). Using full-time manual focus (FTMF) lets you override the camera and ensure focus is on the animal, not the bars.

BIRKBYROBERT

Camera Connect

Ask the EOS experts

Shooting action

QWhen I shoot action on my EOS R6, the image in the viewfinder looks very blurred when I am tracking the subject with my camera. Is there any way to improve the quality of what I am seeing?

James Owen

Nina says: First, check the viewfinder display performance setting in the red shoot menu. In order to conserve power, this is set to ‘Power saving’ by default. This is fine for photographing static subjects, but for fast-moving subjects, changing it to the ‘Smooth’ setting gives a better display, but will consume about 35% more battery power. The ‘Smooth’ option is available in any drive mode except for those that enforce the ‘High speed display’ option.

Check the firmware your camera is using. With firmware versions 1.2.0 onwards, the viewfinder display has been modified to use a black frame when the image his been taken, mimicking the display of a DSLR model. This is a significant improvement.

The ‘High speed display’ option improves the refresh rate and gives a better view of fastmoving subjects as they do not blur so much when panning with the camera. ‘High speed display’ is turned off by default, but can be enabled from the red shoot menu. It works only when the camera is set to high speed continuous drive, and when using shutter speeds faster than 1/30 second and apertures larger than f11. If the option is greyed out, highlighting it and pressing the SET button will bring up the reason for this.

The improved viewfinder display of the latest R-series cameras (EOS R5, R6, R7 and R10) means the ‘High speed display’ is a less useful option on these cameras.

Help for poor eyesight

Q

My sight is poor due to macular degeneration and I find it very difficult to see the image through the viewfinder or on the LCD screen of my EOS camera. Can you suggest a solution? Niall O’Leary

Robert says: It might help to have a larger view of the image captured by the camera. This is possible using the free Camera Connect app to link compatible cameras wirelessly to an iPad or Android tablet.

The app can be used as an alternative to a simple remote trigger, plus it allows you to adjust a variety of camera settings and to view the images and video files from your camera. Read more at: remotes/camera-connect-app.htmleos-magazine.com/articles/

Custom mode changes

1 To improve the viewfinder display when shooting fast-moving subjects, navigate to Disp. performance in the red shoot menu. Select Smooth and press SET.

QWhen I change the autofocus area on my EOS 5D Mark IV, it stays set all the time the camera is turned on. However, if I turn the camera off and back on again it reverts to the previous setting. What is happening, and how can I prevent it? David Gamble

2 You can set ‘High speed display’ when shooting fast-moving subjects. Highlight and press SET.

3 The option requires specific camera settings and it will be greyed out if they are not being used.

4 With the greyed-out command highlighted, press SET to bring up the reason why you cannot set the option.

Nina says: It sounds like you are using a custom shooting mode. When shooting in any of the custom shooting modes (C1, C2, C3), if you make any changes to the settings, the default is for the camera to revert to the original settings when it is turned off, or if the card or battery is removed. Any setting that you have changed will remain until you do one of these things. However, when the camera is powered up again it will revert to your original custom mode settings. However, in the custom shooting mode settings (in the yellow set up menu) you can set ‘Auto update’. This is disabled by default, but when enabled, if you make changes to the custom shooting mode settings it automatically saves the new settings. These settings are retained even when the camera is turned off, battery changed or card changed. The danger of keeping ‘Auto update’ enabled is that if you make lots of changes while you are shooting other types of subjects, you can easily undo your original custom mode settings because the camera saves every change you make.

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We take a look at the current topics of discussion on the EOS magazine forum

If you’ve ever thought about shooting a panorama, but decided against it because you didn’t think it would stitch together very well, then think again.

John Liddle entitled his recent post ‘I did not expect this to work’, but the general consensus on the forum was that his panorama worked very well. John describes how he shot the individual images:

“Towards the end of the family do for my grand-nephew’s christening, I swept the camera round the assembled masses with a view to seeing if a panorama shot could be made. I took five shots, but when I looked at them and noted the considerable differences in some people’s positioning between the shots, I was not at all confident of an acceptable result.”

However, the final result was well received by other forum members:

“Good work, John, and always worth trying,” affirmed ColytonJohn. “I do a lot of panos as it’s far more convenient to use the 24-105mm that is seemingly welded to the body and stitch, rather than carry my (excellent) 16-35mm. Some panos, though, can have hilarious results with people who have moved sufficiently to appear twice.

El Sid adds, “It surprising how well Panorama Stitcher can work. Where I find it has problems is with wide-angle lens settings and panoramas where one end is much closer than the other.” Panorama Stitcher (www.panoramastitcher.com) is an automatic panorama stitching application for Mac.

This is supported by ColytonJohn who replied:

“Yes, wide-angles can lead to distortions, but Photoshop’s ‘Merger to Panorama’ ability

John Liddle used Lightroom Classic software to stitch five images snapped at a family gathering. Despite people moving freely and changing positions during the sequence, the software did an excellent job. EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 40mm f2.8 STM lens.

has some options that serve to reduce or even eliminate it.” It was felt that photo stitching software has improved enormously over recent years. John used Lightroom Classic software to combine his images. It Illustrates that when it comes to digital photography, it is always worth experimenting.Inaseparate

thread, Epicuros asked for advice using Panoramic Factory photo stitching software,

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“I recently took six portrait photos with my EOS 5D Mark IV and assigned Panoramic Factory software to stitch them. I got a response that the images are not the same size. I checked them and they were within +/-3 pixels. I corrected the sizes in millimetres to be the same, but the sizes in pixels remained unchanged. The software still refuses to accept them. I have made many panoramas, but this is the first time I have such an issue. Any idea of how this occurred and whether there is a way to correct pixel counts?”

DrJon replied that while he had used Panoramic Factory successfully for some time, he recommends Microsoft’s Image Compositing Editor (which is free to download), as do other forum members. Meanwhile Frederick praises Affinity Photo ( https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/ photo) as an easier to use and cheaper alternative to Photoshop.

Epicuros has resolved his problem. When converting and then saving from RAW to TIFF or JPEG in Digital Photo Professional (DPP), there is a choice of final file sizes. It seems that processing in DPP can introduce changes in image size.

LIDDLEJOHN