Live View image brightness

[JamesF]

I was trying to use Live View to get focused on the moon last night but found that the image displayed was completely blown out with no detail at all showing. In the end I had to do the best I could using a combination of shooting an image and displaying it in APT and looking through the viewfinder.

Is there a trick I'm missing here, or is that "just the way it is"?

James

[JamesF]

Had the same problem focusing on the sun yesterday, come to think of it.

James

[swag72]

What shutter speed did you have dialled in for focusing? If you have the camera in manual and just keep lowering the shutter speed, can't that make it so that you can see the moon? I'm sure I used to do that if the moon was bright.

[JamesF]

Thanks Sara.

For the moon I was using exposures of 1/320 seconds, which produced what appeared to be about right when I took a frame, but Live View was completely overexposed. Do you think I need to reduce it further to get Live View working and the push it back up for actually taking the images to stack? For the sun I was using 1/1000 and had the same problem.

James

[swag72]

Do you think I need to reduce it further to get Live View working and the push it back up for actually taking the images to stack?

I'm sure that works James - Someone will probably be along soon and tell me I'm talking rubbish and that shutter speed in live view makes no difference. It does in my Canon's for daytime photography, so I see no reason why it wouldn't be the same for the moon.

[JamesF]

If it stays clear here then I'll try to give it a go later this morning then. See if it works for the sun. Unfortunately looking at sat24 there appears to be a stonking great sheet of cloud heading in at speed from the north west

James

[allcart]

Are you using AF mode James? The settings you choose seem to have little effect on the live view screen. If shooting manual, try setting exposure simulation to 'enable' This live view mode seems to change the screen brightness according to what settings you choose.

[JamesF]

This is full manual mode. I have the camera on the back of my 127 Mak. Can't find anything labelled "exposure simulation" though. Is it possible that it doesn't exist on the 450D?

James

[The Sailor]

James, when I have this problem I have to turn it right down so that it actually dissapears off the screen, problem then is focus, so bring it back up a notch or two to just been able to see it to focus and then wind it down, snap and check, trial and error I'm afraid. Great thing about digital is you can delete instead of using valueable rolls of film .

Jim

[JamesF]

What exactly are you turning right down there, Jim? Exposure time?

James

[The Sailor]

My apologies James, yes .

Jim

[jgs001]

I just adjust the shutter speed so I can get a reaonable view on the liveview display, and ignore any meter readings.. Get focused then adjust the shutter speed to suit. I'm normally using my 80ED with a 2x TC so f/15. (which ought to be a similar ratio to your Mak).

[allcart]

Sorry James , not sure about the 450D. I'd have to read a manual.

[Hugechris]

I had the same issue on Thursday with my 1100d, this does have an exposure simulation mode. If this happens I check the post shot histograms on the camera an adjust the ISO down and the shutter time down until the peak intensities are less than 2/3 max.

This seems to do the trick, I would imagine the 450d has the exposure simulation mode as one of the live view display options.

Else even at 90% of maximum the blooming (which looks like an internal scatter on the sensor) will wash out the image.

[Yoddha]

The LiveView can be tuned by the Exposure and ISO settings in the camera tab after you start LiveView. APT by default use the settings that gives most sensitivity in order to get better results for deep sky. To disable this option uncheck "LV Automation" in setting dialog - this will keep what you have set for ISO and Exp.

Don't forget to enable LV automation when you shoot deep sky

[JamesF]

Thanks for the explanation. Oddly enough I've just discovered those features largely by accident as I've been sitting outside trying different things whilst attempting to image the sun this afternoon. Now I'm hoping there'll be enough clear sky to have another try at the moon tonight.

James

[northcanadian]

Interesting topic. I find my liveview kind of bright also on my Pentax K20 dslr. When enlarging on liveview it seems a bit of a chore

to focus. I am wondering if the camera could be hooked up to a laptop to allow a much larger liveview image?

Cheers

Roger