Shoot with 2nd or 3rd finger?

[Daniel Harrison]

Well I finally received my 1D mk II. Wow, perfect camera.

Anyway I was wondering, with the FEL button being where it is, who shoots with their 3rd finger on the shutter and their second on the FEL button? I am sure this would be a more efficent way to shoot once our 3rd finger got used to it,

So who does it, and who likes the idea??

 

[Daniel Harrison]

what? you are all boring and shoot only with your second finger

 

[Mike Spinak]

Sometimes I switch fingers that I trigger with, to give my arthritic fingers a rest. I never use the FEL button.

Mike

 

[Don Lashier]

I always shoot with index finger. I don't use FEL button either - no use for it as I shoot manual exposure.

- DL

 

[Daniel Harrison]

that's interesting, none of you use FEL. for flash work I would use it alot, and you can use it as an exposure lock as well. If you were using the * for focussing it would become very handy, as a exposure lock.

Thanks for your replies!

 

[Don Lashier]

that's interesting, none of you use FEL. for flash work I would use it alot, and you can use it as an exposure lock as well. If you were using the * for focussing it would become very handy, as a exposure lock.

There are a lot of folks who use FEL for focus lock - they just haven't responded here yet.

You've got a point about flash. Even with manual exposure separate FEL is useful, but for what I typically shoot (very WA room interiors with full DOF), locking the focus where I want to lock the flash is usually not a problem so I don't usually bother, and even if I do it's not an action scene so just shift my index finger back and forth.

- DL

 

[Don Cohen]

I will use FEL to get more accurate fill-flash when shooting birds. Often the background is dark and far away, and regular ETTL2 calculations will cause the subject to overexpose. In that setting I'll use FEL on the subject (typically with FEC down -1 2/3 or so for fill, or nearer 0 if I'm using flash as Main), and the accuracy is much better.

When I first got into DSLR's several years back, I thought about training my fingers to do something along the lines of what you suggest here (e.g. to turn the knob to adjust EV Compensation when shooting in Av, or FEL), but never really gave it enough effort to make it work. But I would imagine it could be done, and the advantage would be there.

 

[Alan T. Price]

the usefulness of what you suggest depends greatly on the size of the hand and the way the camera is held. I'd sooner use just my index finger for those buttons and dial at the top right of the camera.

I use my middle finger to activate the depth of field preview button simply because it has the necessary reach.

 

[Daniel Harrison]

Yes I understand that one could use just their index finger, but It always gets lost trying to find the FEL button in vertical. Horizontal is easy, but on the vertical grip it is placed further back and it is hard to find. I am going to practice and see if it is any better using both fingers. I have fairly large hands so I don't need the third finger to use as a grip.

I will have to look up FEL as a focus lock, how does that work?

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

For the kind of shooting where you have time for FEL, taking a shot and adjusting exposure based on the histogram is more accurate. Can't say I ever even thought of using it on my 1Ds.

 

[Chuck Westfall(Canon USA)]

Hi, Daniel:

If you like to use FEL on your EOS-1D Mark II, you might want to try Custom Function 11-3. Here is a brief description of it from "Camera Handling & Maximum Image Quality."

http://photoworkshop.com/canon/EOS_Digital.pdf

>>C.Fn 11-3 reverses the functions of the focusing point selector button and the FEL
button. In this mode, the FEL button initiates focusing point selection mode, and the
main and quick control dials scroll the focusing points horizontally and vertically,
respectively. The focusing point selector button initiates the FEL preflash. With or
without flash, C.Fn 11-3 allows ambient exposure compensation to be adjusted with
the Quick Control dial during photography. C.Fn 11-3 is popular with photographers
who use FEL extensively.<<

Hope this helps!

Best Regards,

Chuck Westfall
Director/Media & Customer Relationship
Camera Marketing Group/Canon U.S.A., Inc.

 

[Daniel Harrison]

Thanks Chuck,
That could be really useful!