Online 7D Setup Guide

[Doug Brown]

I wanted to let you all know that I just authored a setup guide for the Canon 7D. It can be found here on Greg Basco's web blog. I hope you'll find it helpful! There are a number of very good articles on other aspects of photography there as well.

[Dave Blinder]

Great effort Doug, thanks for sharing.

[Christopher C.M. Cooke]

Thanks Doug, just what the Doctor ordered and a great site as well.

[Aravind Krishnaswamy]

Nice writeup. You said that you aren't aware of any downsides of HTP. The major downside becomes apparent when you realize what the camera is doing with HTP. When HTP turned on, the camera will underexpose the image and for JPEG will then apply a modified tone curve that preserves highlight detail. For RAW files, the data that is captured in the RAW remains underexposed. In DPP, the same highlight preserving tone curve gets applied. In Lightroom or ACR however, the exposure is automatically boosted behind the scenes to compensate. What this means is that if you leave HTP on, you will get more noise in your shadows. I would highly recommend people shut HTP off (unless they are shooting JPEG or video) and if preserving highlight detail is important to you, underexpose on purpose using EC.

[Doug Brown]

Thanks for the info Aravind. I'll do a bit of research and update the setting guide as needed.

[Doug Brown]

The guide is now updated. Thanks again!

[Mike Tracy]

What this means is that if you leave HTP on, you will get more noise in your shadows. I would highly recommend people shut HTP off (unless they are shooting JPEG or video) and if preserving highlight detail is important to you, underexpose on purpose using EC.

Hopefully not straying too far OT but would your advice also apply to the MKIII and hypothetically to the soon to be released MKIV ?

Thanks Doug for taking your time for the write up. I keep wavering on whether to add the 7D.

[Aravind Krishnaswamy]

Hopefully not straying too far OT but would your advice also apply to the MKIII and hypothetically to the soon to be released MKIV ?

Thanks Doug for taking your time for the write up. I keep wavering on whether to add the 7D.

Yep, the same thing applies to the 40D, 1D3, 1Ds3 and 1D4. As far as I know the way that HTP works is the same with all of these cameras.

[arash_hazeghi]

Yep, the same thing applies to the 40D, 1D3, 1Ds3 and 1D4. As far as I know the way that HTP works is the same with all of these cameras.

True, HTP should be OFF on any EOS camera :)

[henry simpson]

As a newbie to the 7D, these tips will help, thanks!

[Mark Theriot]

:D
Fantastic Doug! Thanks!

Mark

[Marc Schoenholz]

Doug,

Thanks for sharing this information.

Marc

[Doug Brown]

Just added a little more info on AF modes.

[Ed Cordes]

Thanks for the great tutorial. It is a big help to a lot of us.

[Greg Basco]

Just wanted to add my thanks for posting this on my blog, Doug. Great to see that it's been helpful to so many folks.

Cheers,
Greg Basco

[Jay Gould]

Just added a little more info on AF modes.

Mate, the 7D setup is fantastic! Being the copycat that I am - never did believe in reinventing the wheel - I have adopted all of your settings to use during our upcoming trip to Antarctica on the 29th and hopefully when we go to Costa Rica with YOU in 2011 (if we don't go to China to shoot the Pandas in the same timeframe).

You keep adding tidbits to the setup; is there any way to id the Doug Brown revisions?

[Cheryl Slechta]

Doug, a HUGE THANK YOU! I just bought the 7D and hadn't been happy with my images and I set up using
your tutorial and I'm happy now!!! ( I haven't set up the buttons functions yet - crawling before I walk:))

[Greg Basco]

Hi, Jay. I don't believe that there is a way to automatically ID the revisions in the post. I think that Doug will be posting back to this thread if he adds or modifies anything so that's probably the best way to keep up.

By the way, I've heard panda photography in China is really boring; you should come to Costa Rica ;)

Cheers,
Greg Basco

[Jay Gould]

Hi, Jay.

By the way, I've heard panda photography in China is really boring; you should come to Costa Rica ;)

Cheers,
Greg Basco

ROTFL

:D:D

[Christopher C.M. Cooke]

By the way, I've heard panda photography in China is really boring; you should come to Costa Rica ;)

I think Greg is right and you wont need fast lenses for Pandas.:)

[philperry]

Thanks very much for all your work Doug. I will surely get out my 7Ds and go through all my settings again. Then I will just need to re-read the manual again .........

[James Alexander]

Doug-
Thank you so much! I was floundering before reading your article has clarified many issues.
Jim

[Doug Brown]

Glad you found it helpful Jim!

[Giovanni Frescura]

Thanks
but there are a lot discussion about setting option in Ctrl IV
Have anyone notice about ?
Thanks
Giovanni

[Morkel Erasmus]

just unpacked my new 7D today Doug, and your tutorial for setup has helped me prepare for my trip this coming week to the Madikwe Game Reserve! thanks :)