Can a Canon 1200D display rule-of-thirds or golden-ratio composition guides?
Asked 12/16/2015
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I want to learn more about composition guides like the rule of thirds and the golden ratio. On my Canon 1200D, can I show a golden-ratio spiral or similar overlay on the screen? I’ve read about installing a plug-in such as Magic Lantern, but I’m not sure whether that works on this camera or if there’s another method.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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Note: My answer below suggests using Magic Lantern, but at the time of this writing that's not possible because the 1200D isn't among the models supported by Magic Lantern. There's a list of supported models on the main ML web page -- perhaps the 1200D will be listed there someday.
Is there a way to display golden ration together with rule of thirds on Canon?
No, the composition marks built into your camera don't include a golden ratio spiral or rectangle.
However, as you mention, there is software that you can install on your camera that makes it possible to display whatever guide lines you like. Magic Lantern is the tool you need to install on your camera, and then there's also a bit of work that you need to do in order to create the custom "crop marks" file that you want. Here are two web pages that describe the process, after you've installed Magic Lantern:
Custom Crop Marks from the Magic Lantern Firmware Wiki
Custom Crop Marks (Black or White) from Jamie Brightmore's blog
Installing Magic Lantern itself is pretty straightforward -- it's largely a matter of copying it onto a memory card and putting the card in your camera. Installation instructions are available on the Magic Lantern web site.
Originally by user4262. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4262
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The Canon 1200D does not offer a built-in golden-ratio spiral or rectangle overlay. Its standard composition aids are limited, so you can’t simply enable a golden-ratio guide in the camera menus.
A common workaround on some Canon DSLRs is Magic Lantern, which can add custom on-screen crop/composition marks, including guides you create yourself. However, based on the community answer provided, the 1200D was not supported by Magic Lantern at that time, so this is not a practical option for that camera unless support is later added.
So the short answer is: not natively, and not via Magic Lantern on the 1200D as described. Your alternatives are to practice the composition mentally, use external reference images, or compose later in post-processing with editing software overlays.
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