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Author Topic: 1DsIII new user questions  (Read 1839 times)

Mark F

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1DsIII new user questions
« on: April 30, 2008, 06:27:12 pm »

Just got my 1Ds3 and have spent the last few hours going through the instruction manual. But there are things I do not understand and can't figure out. Has anyone written a manual that explains the manual?

In the meanwhile, if any of you current owners would answer a few questions it would be very much appreciated.

On my 1v, I can access all of the 45 focusing points. On the 1Ds3, no matter what I do I can only access 19 points. That leaves a lot of space between focusing points which is not good when trying to focus on a precise spot, say an animal's eye. How do I configure it so that I can access all 45 points? (I know that I can focus and then recompose, but that can be a pain if the tripod is locked tight).

Is there a way to set up the screen so that after each shot I see the histogram, full screen? All I've been able to do is to set it up so that the histogram is in the upper right  quadrant.  I'm more interested in checking my exposure than the composition.

I know I've read here and elsewhere that there is a way to set mirror lock as a personal function so that it is activated by pushing one button. But now that I want to do it I cannot figure out how or find the posts explaining how to do it.

Lastly, I assume that the firmware that came installed is outdated. Is the update a smooth no brainer or have there been problems.

Again, thanks very much.

Mark
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Geoff Wittig

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1DsIII new user questions
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2008, 09:30:35 pm »

Quote
Just got my 1Ds3 and have spent the last few hours going through the instruction manual. But there are things I do not understand and can't figure out. Has anyone written a manual that explains the manual?

In the meanwhile, if any of you current owners would answer a few questions it would be very much appreciated.

On my 1v, I can access all of the 45 focusing points. On the 1Ds3, no matter what I do I can only access 19 points. That leaves a lot of space between focusing points which is not good when trying to focus on a precise spot, say an animal's eye. How do I configure it so that I can access all 45 points? (I know that I can focus and then recompose, but that can be a pain if the tripod is locked tight).

Is there a way to set up the screen so that after each shot I see the histogram, full screen? All I've been able to do is to set it up so that the histogram is in the upper right  quadrant.  I'm more interested in checking my exposure than the composition.

I know I've read here and elsewhere that there is a way to set mirror lock as a personal function so that it is activated by pushing one button. But now that I want to do it I cannot figure out how or find the posts explaining how to do it.

Lastly, I assume that the firmware that came installed is outdated. Is the update a smooth no brainer or have there been problems.

Again, thanks very much.

Mark
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

1) Canon just today released new firmware, v. 1.1.2; my first instinct is to let other folks find out if it's a buggy release or not, but this new firmware apparently permits you to select the autofocus point using the intuitive joystick control, rather than scrolling around with the clumsy control wheel. I'll update tomorrow just for that. My camera came with firmware v. 1.0.6 installed, and this works just fine. Anything earlier you should update for sure.

2) RTFM!
Setting mirror lock-up on the user's "My menu" is pretty simple. Turn to page 181 of the manual and it walks you through it quicker than I could explain it. Page 182 explains how to make sure "My menu" comes up first when you hit the menu button, so mirror lock-up takes only two button presses.

3) You can only choose manually from among the 19 cross-type AF sensors, according to the manual. The best source of information on autofocus options is a Canon document available here:
[a href=\"http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=1186]http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?ac...&articleID=1186[/url]

4) I think you're out of luck on having only the histogram come up on the LCD display after taking a shot.
« Last Edit: April 30, 2008, 09:33:28 pm by Geoff Wittig »
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