Why does Canon Live View get brighter when flash is enabled, and how can I capture that look without flash?
Asked 3/6/2018
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On some Canon cameras, Live View becomes much brighter as soon as the built-in flash is popped up or an external flash is attached. In a dark scene this makes composition easier, but if I then block the flash or don’t want flash in the final image, the recorded photo comes out much darker than the preview. What is the camera doing here? Is that bright Live View image actually being captured somewhere, and how can I get a final photo that matches what I saw on screen without using flash?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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That image is bright because it is boosted electronically. You don't really want to have that image, as it's extremely noisy. It only looks (somewhat) ok on the camera's LCD because you can't really judge image quality on that tiny screen.
But if you want to create an image like that, turn up ISO and aperture to maximum and select a sufficient shutter speed.
Addendum: in addition to the usual photography parameters mentioned above, it's likely that the camera also digitally increases brightness of the picture for LCD display. You can't recreate that in-camera, but in post processing with any image editor on a computer. This will, again, considerably increase noise and, in case of JPEG captures, make horrible compression artefacts visible which were formerly hidden in the shadows.
Originally by user32110. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user32110
8y ago
0
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The bright Live View image is not a full-resolution photo waiting in a buffer. It’s a live video preview from the sensor, and the camera is electronically boosting it for display. When flash is enabled, the camera may also assume extra light will be present and brighten the preview accordingly. That preview can look fine on the LCD, but the equivalent actual exposure would usually be very noisy.
So: no, you generally can’t save that exact bright preview as-is in camera.
To get a similar result without flash, increase actual exposure instead: use a wider aperture, higher ISO, and/or slower shutter speed as needed. You can also brighten the image later in post-processing, though that will reveal more noise and possibly JPEG artifacts.
For judging exposure, don’t rely on the boosted preview. Use Live View without deploying flash, and check the exposure meter and histogram. If your camera has Exposure Simulation, review that setting as well. A test shot plus exposure compensation can also help dial it in.
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