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| CTRL+F will activate computer-controlled Autofocus in Live View Shooting with the Canon EOS 40D and DSLR Remote Pro. Once focus was achieved, it was a simple matter of taking some test shots for depth of field and exposure and recomposing until we got it just right. Click photo for more images. |
Just hours after we went to press with our Hands On article on the Canon EOS 40D, Chris Breeze of Breeze Systems announced the latest version of DSLR Remote Pro (Version 1.5) (street: $95), which brings remote-controlled Autofocus with the Canon EOS 40D to your computer monitor, provided that your computer is running Windows.
Breeze's DSLR Remote Pro provides remote capture functionalities for most Canon EOS cameras, and adds Live View capture with Autofocus when tethered to the 40D or Canon EOS D Mark III.
By simply clicking CTRL+F, DSLR Remote Pro runs a series of contrast algorithms, twitches the lens focus motor and runs the algorithms again until focus is achieved. It's not lightning-fast, but it works. It took a few seconds to find focus on our high-angle floral macro piece; however, it was a lot easier than trying to climb atop a stepstool and dodge a lightstand and tripod legs as we recomposed to make sure our angle, lighting, and background were all perfect. Throw in overlay grids and flashing overexposure highlights, and DSLR Remote Pro becomes a very powerful addition to the studio photographer's toolkit.
Trust us -- it's slow! You won't be able to use Autofocus to track a basketball player approaching the net for a slam-dunk; however, you will be able to tweak your focus on the hoop itself.
If computer-controlled focusing was the only feature on DSLR Remote Pro, that would probably be enough for many photographers. But it doesn't stop there.
• It can bracket up to 15 shots, changing either aperture or shutter speed -- which will make many High Dynamic Range (HDR) photographers happy.
• It can be used to capture Time-lapse sequences.
• It can "Onion Skin" (fade back for overlaying and alignment purposes) a previous image for DSLR-based stop-action animation sequences or panoramic stitching.
• It can append IPTC data during capture for quick cataloging.
• There's a focus-adjust functionality currently in the works that will allow for photo-merged, extreme depth of field via Helicon Focus or CombineZM.
• All these functions, asides from Live View focusing, will work with any current EOS camera, by the way!
It's a bare-bones interface, not nearly as slick in graphical interfaces as the very capable EOS Utility, but this is certainly a case where function is fashion. We'd rather have the basic Windows skin with serious programming power than a pretty package minus functionality any day.
In either case, tethering your Canon EOS 40D to your computer for Live View photography adds a very cool dimension to your creative toolkit. Whether you use the included EOS Utility or trade up for the extras that DSLR Remote Pro offers is up to you. We just recommend you explore the potential of Live View as soon as possible!
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