Dogman
Veteran
Digital cameras have so many features these days it's difficult to wade through them to get to the point you can actually take a picture. But some of these "useless" features may actually be quite useful to some of us on occasions.
Most of you probably already know this but, as an example, take the electronic shutter. Many of my Fuji cameras have this as an option. I've never thought much about it, mostly ignored it. But I've found it's a great asset at times. First of all, it's totally silent. That's outstanding when you're shooting in quiet surroundings or when you simply don't want to attract attention with a shutter click. I've also used it frequently when shooting in bright light yet I'm needing to minimize depth of field.
Has anyone else been surprised to find some of those useless features to be useful after all?
Most of you probably already know this but, as an example, take the electronic shutter. Many of my Fuji cameras have this as an option. I've never thought much about it, mostly ignored it. But I've found it's a great asset at times. First of all, it's totally silent. That's outstanding when you're shooting in quiet surroundings or when you simply don't want to attract attention with a shutter click. I've also used it frequently when shooting in bright light yet I'm needing to minimize depth of field.
Has anyone else been surprised to find some of those useless features to be useful after all?
DHK
-
Built in level in evf/lcd is quite useful. That’s about it though. I left digital (Fuji) becuase just too many options. “the paradox of choice”. I’m much happier with a manual camera - aperture and shutter is plenty to work with.
I loved the idea of electronic shutter- made me wonder why bother with the mechanical one?
The one digital I have left is a canon 5d with a 50mm lens. Screen is left off, very close to a film like experience (with autofocus and exposure)
I loved the idea of electronic shutter- made me wonder why bother with the mechanical one?
The one digital I have left is a canon 5d with a 50mm lens. Screen is left off, very close to a film like experience (with autofocus and exposure)
peterm1
Veteran
I tend to be stuck in my ways. I like to shoot single exposure, centre weighted average in RAW and using a single centre focus point. I do this because, with the exception of RAW of course, it is how I am used to shooting from my film days. Still, I occasionally shoot continuous focus, multiple shots to capture moving images in difficult shooting situations. However I still do not really trust multiple focus points as its difficult to be sure exactly what is being focused on as that decision is being made on the fly by the camera. This is more of a problem when shooting wide open - but that is how I tend to shoot so it is a bit of a no starter for me.
Huss
Veteran
Film digitizer mode in the d850. I first was really excited by the idea of it. then thought it was useless because it blew highlights and crushed blacks. now think its a great tool to preview film before scanning.
really surprised Nikon did not include it in their new Z series digicams.
really surprised Nikon did not include it in their new Z series digicams.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Oops, I'm not the most right here. I have Canon DSLRs and Leica digital M.
And most of the advanced cameras users I see are with DSLR.
Just reality check vs forums illusion, OP, sorry.
And most of the advanced cameras users I see are with DSLR.
Just reality check vs forums illusion, OP, sorry.
shawn
Veteran
Motion artifacts due to the way the sensor is not read out all at the same time. For example:
A sensor with a global shutter won't have these artifacts but they aren't common yet.
Mechanical shutters can also have motion artifacts too (even with film) but they tend to be much less obvious.
Shawn
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Many cameras have features that are useless to me because I don't happen to use things that way when I'm shooting. It's only when those things get in the way of what I want to do that I get annoyed with a camera. However, that doesn't mean they are useless to everyone.
I remember one thing on my Olympus E-5 that at first I thought was silly, but turned out to be exactly what I used most. It was a "two frame" bracketing option ... First exposure at the nominally rated exposure, a second exposure at either +0.7 or -0.7 EV (you could set it). At first I thought this was just silliness, but discovered that in most cases where I got the exposure slightly wrong, I was off the mark by just that 0.7EV, and it was much easier (with a large capacity card) to simply leave it on all the time and get two exposures to forestall the risk of missing a particular expression or moment. I was doing a lot of environmental portraiture at the time and this silly thing was a huge improvement for my work.
I'm not doing so much of that work these days, and certainly not for pay, so I no longer need that particular feature. There are dozens of others I never, or almost never, use ...
The only camera I own that has no features I don't use is my Leica M-D. This is because it really does only have a very minimal set of features to begin with.
G
I remember one thing on my Olympus E-5 that at first I thought was silly, but turned out to be exactly what I used most. It was a "two frame" bracketing option ... First exposure at the nominally rated exposure, a second exposure at either +0.7 or -0.7 EV (you could set it). At first I thought this was just silliness, but discovered that in most cases where I got the exposure slightly wrong, I was off the mark by just that 0.7EV, and it was much easier (with a large capacity card) to simply leave it on all the time and get two exposures to forestall the risk of missing a particular expression or moment. I was doing a lot of environmental portraiture at the time and this silly thing was a huge improvement for my work.
I'm not doing so much of that work these days, and certainly not for pay, so I no longer need that particular feature. There are dozens of others I never, or almost never, use ...
The only camera I own that has no features I don't use is my Leica M-D. This is because it really does only have a very minimal set of features to begin with.
G
farlymac
PF McFarland
I equate some of the lesser used features on my digital cameras to lenses that I use infrequently. Pain to haul them around, but when I need them, they are there. So I at least try to learn how to use these extra features for when I may find a use.
PF
PF
Contarama
Well-known
Built in level changed my photography...
michaelwj
----------------
The best bit is, unlike a quiver of lenses, an extra electronic feature weighs nothing and doesn’t require maintaining.
I don’t use most features, and unfortunately the few times when I could use them I either forget they exist or forget how to use them.
Huss
Veteran
That's one of the things that really bugged me about Leica.
The M240 had the level - which I used a lot. They inexplicably removed it from the M10. But added it back as a 'new' feature to the M10-P, for more money of course.
al1966
Feed Your Head
Far far too many buttons, may be it is just me but all my cameras have way too many buttons. There are a load of user programable function buttons that I never need, a lot could be done on a super menu of most used functions reducing the number of them. My old film cameras where not covered in the things and they worked very well.
willie_901
Veteran
Beware The Rolling Electronic Shutter
Beware The Rolling Electronic Shutter
Electronic shutters, ES, on all current digital cameras present a risk.
A rolling electronic shutter can cause artifacts (link).
One issue mentioned above is image skewing. The will be spatial artifacts when the rate subject motion is incompatible with the rolling shutter scan rate. Surprisingly, this can even happen with close-ups using wide-angle lenses.
The second issue is banding cause by the pulse-width modulation cycle used to control LED lighting. The LED modulation frequency and the ES shutter scan speeds are incompatible. This type of ES artifact can surface with any modulated light source, so fluorescent light cam also be problematic.
The problem is ES artifacts are very sensitive to motion and modulation rates, modulated light intensities and the angle between the sensor and the light. So they are often an unpleasant surprise. Changing ES speeds is not a simple solution because these affects are sensitive to several variables.
A less common rolling ES effect is possible for cameras with a electronic front-curtain shutter (link). A EFCS can reduce shutter vibration induced blurring. But oddly it can also affect rendering of out-of-focus regions (bokeh).
Beware The Rolling Electronic Shutter
Electronic shutters, ES, on all current digital cameras present a risk.
A rolling electronic shutter can cause artifacts (link).
One issue mentioned above is image skewing. The will be spatial artifacts when the rate subject motion is incompatible with the rolling shutter scan rate. Surprisingly, this can even happen with close-ups using wide-angle lenses.
The second issue is banding cause by the pulse-width modulation cycle used to control LED lighting. The LED modulation frequency and the ES shutter scan speeds are incompatible. This type of ES artifact can surface with any modulated light source, so fluorescent light cam also be problematic.
The problem is ES artifacts are very sensitive to motion and modulation rates, modulated light intensities and the angle between the sensor and the light. So they are often an unpleasant surprise. Changing ES speeds is not a simple solution because these affects are sensitive to several variables.
A less common rolling ES effect is possible for cameras with a electronic front-curtain shutter (link). A EFCS can reduce shutter vibration induced blurring. But oddly it can also affect rendering of out-of-focus regions (bokeh).
willie_901
Veteran
I like to use automatic exposure bursts in order to optimize exposure.
I typically make three exposures per shutter press using aperture bracketing. I mostly use 0, 1/3 and -1/3 stop steps. But in some lighting larger steps can be useful.
I use raw files. Data buffering is not a problem with newer cameras with fast storage cards.
During post-production I keep the image with the desired level of highlight retention and delete the others. When possible, I intentionally overexpose unimportant highlight regions to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio for shadow regions.
With raw files, setting and forgetting ISO can be a useful simplification for ISO invariant cameras. You just use the camera's native ISO parameter setting and set the shutter time and aperture as desired. In cases where the rendered image appears too dark, the image brightness is optimized in post production. Because the camera noise level is essentially independent (within ~1/3 stop) of ISO, there is no disadvantage to brightness in post-production instead of in-camera via the ISO parameter setting.
I typically make three exposures per shutter press using aperture bracketing. I mostly use 0, 1/3 and -1/3 stop steps. But in some lighting larger steps can be useful.
I use raw files. Data buffering is not a problem with newer cameras with fast storage cards.
During post-production I keep the image with the desired level of highlight retention and delete the others. When possible, I intentionally overexpose unimportant highlight regions to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio for shadow regions.
With raw files, setting and forgetting ISO can be a useful simplification for ISO invariant cameras. You just use the camera's native ISO parameter setting and set the shutter time and aperture as desired. In cases where the rendered image appears too dark, the image brightness is optimized in post production. Because the camera noise level is essentially independent (within ~1/3 stop) of ISO, there is no disadvantage to brightness in post-production instead of in-camera via the ISO parameter setting.
Archlich
Well-known
Good thing is to have choices.
The most sad thing is you have to pay extra, often dearly, to have the choices taken away from you.
The most sad thing is you have to pay extra, often dearly, to have the choices taken away from you.
ptpdprinter
Veteran
I view menu selections as unused instead of useless. I like having a choice, even if I rarely avail myself of it.
markjwyatt
Well-known
The Fujifilm XT-2 has a choice of electronic or mechanical shutters. I use teh electronic shutter for copy work. It eliminates all vibration, and there is no risk of artifacts with a static object. I usually set a 2 second delay, switch to electronic shutter, and just push the button and stand back (no need even for a cable release).
For most photography I use the mechanical shutter.
airfrogusmc
Veteran
For me any automation is useless. I like a dial to set ISO. Another to set shutter speed and an aperture on the lens. That's really all I need on a camera.
Bill Clark
Veteran
I run my digital SLR cameras just like my old film cameras. Mostly in manual. When not in manual then I usually use tv time value.
My iPhone and iPad I use in auto mode. They work just fine for me.
Whatever I use, it’s still the basics that work for me. They are:
Posing
Lighting
Composition
Simple.
Smiles.
One important feature I didn’t understand at my beginning of using digital and turned out to be a great tool I use is the histogram. Much more accurate of a tool to see if I have proper exposure.
My iPhone and iPad I use in auto mode. They work just fine for me.
Whatever I use, it’s still the basics that work for me. They are:
Posing
Lighting
Composition
Simple.
Smiles.
One important feature I didn’t understand at my beginning of using digital and turned out to be a great tool I use is the histogram. Much more accurate of a tool to see if I have proper exposure.
Archiver
Veteran
Electronic shutter - I use this on every camera that has it unless artificial lighting causes strobing in the image. It saves the mechanical shutter from wear and tear and allows super fast shutter speeds, not to mention being silent.
Electronic level - apart from framing lines, this feature makes it super easy to maintain flat horizons.
Audio recorder - older Canons like the G10 had this feature, as well as the Casio Z750, Pentax Espio something, and the Sigma DP1 and DP2. Audio recorders in smartphones make this unnecessary, but it's a handy feature if you want to record a snippet of music from the radio, buskers, concerts, important meetings, lectures, etc.
Scene modes - since I started processing my images and shooting raw, I don't bother with scene modes any more, but they were handy for things like sunsets.
Electronic level - apart from framing lines, this feature makes it super easy to maintain flat horizons.
Audio recorder - older Canons like the G10 had this feature, as well as the Casio Z750, Pentax Espio something, and the Sigma DP1 and DP2. Audio recorders in smartphones make this unnecessary, but it's a handy feature if you want to record a snippet of music from the radio, buskers, concerts, important meetings, lectures, etc.
Scene modes - since I started processing my images and shooting raw, I don't bother with scene modes any more, but they were handy for things like sunsets.