New Housings, etc at BOOT (20D, D2h/x, etc)

You're right...sorry about that James. CFn4=3 relegates all AF to * and there is no AF on shutter half-press...CFn4=2 is in fact the better option I think...

~Matt Segal

The * button is useful for wide-angle as well. It's useful in any case where you might want to take more than shot without re-acquiring focus (which is nearly all the time, for me).

I have emphasized to Subal that the * button is important for two years of shows, but it doesn't seem to be working.

Nearly everyone I know who gives the * button a chance (which means shooting with it until you are used to it) ends switching to its use almost exclusively. But not everyone does, so I suppose those people can still shoot with a Subal.

For the 1D series, I shoot with 2 focus buttons on the back: the focus point recall button, which can be set to always focus on a specific spot, and the * button, which I have set to focus on whatever focus point I've set. Normally, I hvae the recall button set to focus on the center and the * button set to focus on all 45 points, so I can use it quickly if I need to capture fast moving action.

For the DRebel, it's easier to use the electronic trigger/focus rather than physically pushing down on the shutter button. I think all the other Canon's work the same way. It is easy to seperate the focus and shutter controls. They are implemented as two seperate contact switches in the Aquatica housing. It would be easy to add another contact switch in parallel to the one controlling the focus. That control can be placed anywhere on the housing, and would give the focus lock fuction that most people use the * button for, and free up the * button for exposure lock.

Lots of real world shooting information on this thread. Hope some housing manufacturers read it!

Alex

Good stuff folks!

And Canon also. Glad to have new friends in the pond with added information.

Look forward to seeing more Canon related discussions like this in the future.

Well, while we are talkling Canon focus, which AF mode are we all using?

I've had most sucess with using 'One Shot' focus mode, centre point only active, using shutter release for AF lock and then shooting. The Ikelite despite not having a high tech electromechanical shuitter release actually is quite easy to use the shutter release with as you normally would (ie half press focus lock, full press to shoot).

With the '*' button focus method, I found that on close examination some of my turtles weren't as sharp as I'd like - because I'd focused first with the '*' button, and there had then been longer for the subject to move.

So I get less shots in a given time with the One shot/AF on shutter release method, and I miss some shots because I can't get focus lock. But the shots I do get are critically sharp, and so far I prefer this.

From Arnold Stepanek, the founder of Subal, regarding Star button function on the 20d housing:

The star botton is (thumb-)operated by the right positioned  black lever, the focus area selector by a directly working push button.

Aquatica is not utilizing their electronic shutter release on the 20d housing, and rather will use a more traditional mechanical shutter release. As the picture show, it will have a thumb lever for star button operation.

Ryan

Good to hear Ryan! I guess that sticker on the back that says "*" is deceiving.

Cheers

James

To get back to the D2x discussion a bit, Nikon Pro has posted a short article with some new information and some itty bitty samples:

http://www.nikonpro.com/d2x_revolution.php

Here's an interesting observation from the article, and one that I have heard other places:

"Five frames per second is standard operating procedure for the D2X, but the camera also offers a High Speed Cropped mode that jacks the speed up to eight frames per second at 6.8 megapixels and 2X angle of coverage.

On the job that means if you're shooting with, say, the new 200mm f/2G AF-S VR Nikkor on the D2X, the sensor is providing 1.5 magnification, the equivalent angle of view of a 300mm lens; switching to High Speed Cropped mode provides the equivalent angle of view of a 400mm view—at f/2 and eight frames a second! We expect the D2X and 200mm f/2G combo to be very popular with sports, wildlife and lifestyle shooters."

Basically what Nikon has done is made a competitor to the 1DsmkII but with the flip of a switch, it becomes a competitor to the 1DmkII - shooting ~7 megapixels with 8fps. Combine that with the 2x crop to get there and you have a good sports camera for folks using long lenses. I think it's a killer idea and I hope to see Canon copy it soon...:-)

Cheers

James

"Five frames per second is standard operating procedure for the D2X, but the camera also offers a High Speed Cropped mode that jacks the speed up to eight frames per second at 6.8 megapixels and 2X angle of coverage....

Marketing speak for cropping. Nicely done.

Marketing speak for cropping. Nicely done.

Expect that cropping after the event does not increase the frames per second or the burst length when shooting.

I can confidently predict that I will never use the cropped mode when I get mine. Well certainly not underwater.

Rabib Nikon enthusiasts are already predicting that the D3 will be Full Frame with a DX crop and a 2X crop mode!!

Alex

p.s. Has everyone seen Brad's pics of his 20D Subal housing. His production unit has the * button on the same leaver as the Subal 1D housing - not where it was on the prototype from Boot.

Marketing speak for cropping. Nicely done.

 

Expect that cropping after the event does not increase the frames per second or the burst length when shooting.

Is this new? Are there other cameras out there that will have increased frame rate and burst length if you select both digital zoom and reduced output resolution at the same time.

As far as I know Herb, its the only DSLR to implement this feature. There may be some other compacts out there that do it though. :?

I think Alex may have meant to say Except, instead of Expect.

In any case, I can't think of any DSLR that I have used that has this feature Herb. For most cameras in the past, when you selected a lower-than-maximum resolutioni, I think they take a full sized RAW file with every capture, then run it through the JPEG engine and spit out smaller files. Naturally that's slow. With the Kodak it was silly to set it for JPEG since it took exactly the same time to record a JPEG as it did to record a RAW+JPEG.

I wonder if the Nikon will be different.

Cheers

James

As far as I know Herb, its the only DSLR to implement this feature. There may be some other compacts out there that do it though. :?

That would make sense. It's probably not easy nor cheap to make a shutter that can click along at more than 5 frames per second. So, it is more than just a digital zoom and rearranging the bits.

The compacts probably does. The movie mode is a similar function.

My guess is that it operates a little differently to the digital zoom in compacts too (I understand most of them actually record the full image and crop it in camera). I wouldn't be surprised if the D2X only activates the centre of the chip (and therefore only some of its pixels) in order to achieive the cropping.

I agree that the movie mode in compacts is similar, except of course that there is no mechanical shutter involved there.

The sensor and electonics are modified to support high speed readout of the center portion of the crop only. That's how they get the high frame rate.