Canon Cameras

Canon EOS 40D: Can the live view be turned off? What are the benefits and drawbacks of live view?

In one way it attracts me because I've had so many lately that "looked better in the viewfinder than in print". But my concerns are as follows: When handheld wouldn't it tend to create more camera movement than if it were held against your face? Wouldn't it burn up your batteries fast ?

Public Comments

1. As with any live view in a digital camera, it does eat up alot of battery. I'd recommend turning it off, your better off using your eye to find your subject. Good luck.
2. You are right. Shooting at "arms length", will cause camera movement. The other is the Canon cannot auto-focus when in the Live View mode. Nikon's can auto-focus in two Live View modes, hand held and tripod. The only way this feature becomes an advantage for me is when I have it attached to a telescope or microscope. And yes it uses a ton of battery energy. That is why I keep the image review feature turned off.
3. Just my 2 pesos, but I'd say waving a camera around at arm's length is indeed the easiest way to get blurry shots. (Just wait for the new onslaught of "I bought this really expensive camera and it won't take a clear shot" questions.) And yep it'll eat batteries. (Just wait for the new onslaught of...etc.) HTH V2K1
4. I have live view on the D300 and I have used it a few times. The ONLY place it makes sense to me is for a shot when the camera is mounted on a tripod and you just can't get to the viewfinder easily. This could be a macro shot, too. It's not a toy and it's not "training wheels." There are times when you just might want to use your camera like a view camera - checking the composition carefully and all that. You really do not want to be using live view the way people use it on a point and shoot camera for the very reasons you mentioned yourself. Just because I know you are in the market, I'll post my 30D vs. 40D list: Canon 30D vs. 40D Just reading down the specs... The 40D is $300 more in price (at B&H), but you get: - 10 MP instead of 8 MP. I'd vote for that. You will have more flexibility in cropping and enlarging. - Digic II instead of Digic II. I've seen the difference in their P&S and it's a valid upgrade. - A little faster continuous mode. - A little bigger LCD. - A little more metering range. - Dust reduction with a vibrating sensor. - Additional info in viewfinder. - Live view available on the LCD, which is usually not needed with an SLR, but could be helpful for tripod use - especially macro shots. There's a side-by-side list on this page. http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canoneos40d/ Personally, I think it's well worth the extra money. If you can find one...