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Canon 550D Live view brightness


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Hi all.

I recently aquired a Canon 550d and I dont know if I inadvertently did something to the settings but the live view screen doesnt seem so bright. I know I can adjust this in the camera settings, but nonetheless the image seems dimmer than I recall previously. this is true both for the camera LCD screen, and the image formed using EOS utilites.

The main problem is that whilst I can find a brightish star to align the system or to focus on, when I'm trying to centre my target I cant see any visible stars which allow me to fine tune the position.

the camera screen isnt so important cos I use the laptop screen. Does anyone know if theres any way to brighten this? I read somewhere that changing the ISO alter the screen image to reflect the effect - but this doesnt seem to be the case. Also I wouldnt want to alter the ISO just for this.... although I can change the ISO remotely so might work so long as I remember to chnge back after.

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On some of the newer models (and/or higher ranges) there is an "Exposure simulation" mode that you can turn on and off in Live View to get a brighter view. I've got a feeling though that the 550D is missing that feature.

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It seems that increasing the exposure setting beyond a certain point (maybe a second or so) no longer affects the liveview. Increasing the ISO level to maximum and opening the aperture can help but it can still be a struggle to spot many stars, depending on which lens I'm using. Sometimes I have to focus on a bright star elsewhere, move to my target and then use some ten second exposures to fine-tune my framing.

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OK thanks - my manual makes mention of the exposure simulation feature but doesnt seem to explain it at all. I'll check this at home later.

The odd thing is that I'm sure it used to be brighter and I read somewhere that someone noticed that attaching a lens and then removing it seemed to cause a shift in the brightness. I'm attached straight to scope and dont have any lenses so cant experiment. But I know it was recently tested with an attached lens and it seems to be less bright since then.

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 I know it was recently tested with an attached lens and it seems to be less bright since then.

if your comparing it to your lens and with no lens on your scope, it is going to be different, more then likely your aperture has changed from the lens to no lens....

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if your comparing it to your lens and with no lens on your scope, it is going to be different, more then likely your aperture has changed from the lens to no lens....

Possibly I didnt explain myself well. I mean the live view image isnt as bright as it used to be - with nothing knowingly changed. Same camera, same scope.

Exposure simulation is an odd feature - the PDF user guide refers to this in the screen icons section - it shows "EXP SIM" in one corner of the screen but not mentioned in the manual itself. My sceen however doesnt show that icon - maybe this only works with a lens attached. Reading around apparently you cant disable this feature - though I'm not sure I actually have it!!

One other obvious thought. My laptop brightness it turned to lowest setting for obvious reasons - I'll try turning it up just for framing.

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I have noticed this but only when i use my scope with the chipped T-Ring my camera seems to remember the previously used lens F-Ratio setting and not the one in the chipped adapter but it is ok when its adjusted back to its nominal setting.

Alan

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