How can I autofocus an EOS M for dark-background flash portraits when the live view goes dark?
Asked 1/25/2016
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2 answers
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I’m shooting portraits of my kids with two off-camera strobes and want the ambient light to go very dark, so I’m using a small aperture and camera settings that underexpose the scene. On my EOS M, this makes the live view/viewfinder very dark, and autofocus struggles. It’s also too dark to focus manually, and pre-focusing isn’t practical because the subjects won’t stay still. My gear is an EOS M, EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6, a Canon 550EX, and a Yongnuo YN-560. Is there a way to keep the camera bright enough to focus while still shooting with flash-dominated exposure?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
7
You need to disable exposure simulation.
The EOS M doesn't have a menu option for this but it is disabled with an ETTL flash or ETTL trigger in the hotshoe.
(actually any Canon "dedicated" flash will also communicate with the camera and disable Exp Sim)
You could also install Magic Lantern as it includes a menu option to disable Exp Sim.
Originally by user39427. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user39427
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. The issue is exposure simulation: the EOS M is previewing your very dark ambient exposure, so the live view dims and AF becomes difficult.
To fix it, disable exposure simulation. On the EOS M, there isn’t a normal menu setting for this, but mounting a Canon dedicated E-TTL flash or E-TTL-compatible trigger in the hot shoe will make the camera stop simulating the dark exposure, so the display stays bright enough for focusing. A Canon dedicated flash communicates with the camera and disables Exp Sim.
Another option mentioned is Magic Lantern, which adds a menu option to disable exposure simulation directly.
So the practical solution is to use a dedicated Canon-compatible flash/trigger on the camera while using your strobes for the actual lighting.
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