# Mirror lock or live view for stills ?



## bitm2007 (Mar 24, 2018)

I have been using the mirror lockup feature to reduce vibrations when shooting landscapes with my Canon 5D Mk IV, it has been suggested to me that triggering the cameras shutter when in live view mode would be a better option for stills. It would mean one less shutter press (via remote cord) per image, which would be an advantage when capturing landscapes with moving elements like waves. Are there any disadvantages in using this method other than obviously not being able to see through the viewfinder and increased battery usage ?


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## Valvebounce (Mar 24, 2018)

Hi bitm. 
I don’t actually see not being able to look through the viewfinder vs live view when doing landscapes as a disadvantage, to me it allows for the camera to be positioned at higher or lower vantage points that would make viewfinder use uncomfortable at the very least! As for battery use, I don’t know how live view would affect a day of landscape shooting, I can’t manage a day of that! 
As far as moving elements and one less press of the shutter button, unless you are trying to catch a breaking wave or similar, timing of a landscape seems pretty flexible! 

Cheers, Graham. 



bitm2007 said:


> I have been using the mirror lockup feature to reduce vibrations when shooting landscapes with my Canon 5D Mk IV, it has been suggested to me that triggering the cameras shutter when in live view mode would be a better option for stills. It would mean one less shutter press (via remote cord) per image, which would be an advantage when capturing landscapes with moving elements like waves. Are there any disadvantages in using this method other than obviously not being able to see through the viewfinder and increased battery usage ?


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 24, 2018)

I almost always use live view for tripod shots, for lots of reasons beyond eliminating the mirror vibration: the LCD level is easier to use, I can compose with a 10-stop ND mounted, TS-E metering is unaffected by lens movements, etc.


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## Sporgon (Mar 24, 2018)

Personal preference, but in LV you are probably using electronic first curtain, so when you take the shot there is only movement from the shutter closing, there is no physical opening. So theoretically that is better from the point of view of reducing vibrations to the very minimum.


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## lexaclarke (Mar 24, 2018)

Live view is definitely better if you would be using mirror lockup anyway. It means you'll get to see the _exact_ framing and exposure on top of having 0 vibration. The only reason to use mirror lockup but _not_ live view is if you have your back to the sun and there's too much glare on the screen to see it, or if you were shooting action where the screen might lag a little.... but there aren't going to be many times people shooting action would care about mirror lockup and obviously landscapes don't move enough for the lag to matter!


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## BillB (Mar 24, 2018)

On a tripod, I usually use Liveview and use remote control to trigger the shutter with a 2 sec delay. Might be overkill, but I feel better if I am not touching the camera when the shutter fires.


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## bitm2007 (Mar 24, 2018)

Thanks guy's. I will be shooting stills in live view from now on. I have been using it to focus and occasionally for compositional purposes when using a 10 stop filter for years, but it hadn't dawned on me that the mirror was locked up so there is no need to turn it off and use mirror lock when the camera is mounted on a tripod. Der.


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## Valvebounce (Mar 25, 2018)

Hi Lexa. 
Unless there has been communication between you external of this thread I think you are reading too much in to Sporgon’s replies. 
Also you should be aware that threads here regularly veer off topic and back on again just as a normal face to face chat over a beer will, if this worries you I would submit that Internet fora are not for you! 

Cheers, Graham. 



lexaclarke said:


> Your definition of "being nice" is extremely close to my definition of "being a creepy stalker weirdo harassing and trying to start fights and drag threads off-topic" so how about we agree to disagree and that whatever your intentions are, you need to reevaluate.


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## Frodo (Mar 25, 2018)

Does the 5DIV have the variable delay shutter that the 5Ds has? For my handheld landscape photos I have this set to a half second delay after the mirror goes. The delay is not a problem for non-action shots and apparently significantly reduces mirror shock (I have yet to test this).
On a tripod I invariably use mirror lockup with 2 second self-timer.


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## Sporgon (Mar 25, 2018)

Frodo said:


> Does the 5DIV have the variable delay shutter that the 5Ds has? For my handheld landscape photos I have this set to a half second delay after the mirror goes. The delay is not a problem for non-action shots and apparently significantly reduces mirror shock (I have yet to test this).
> On a tripod I invariably use mirror lockup with 2 second self-timer.



No 5DIV doesn't have this. Just 5Ds / sr.


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## lexaclarke (Mar 26, 2018)

Frodo said:


> Does the 5DIV have the variable delay shutter that the 5Ds has?


Sadly not. IIRC the 5D mark IV has the shortest shutter delay of any current Canon and they probably didn't want to put in anything which could complicate that. I hope to see the feature put into all bodies from now on. Hopefully Canon will listen if we make enough noise about it.



Valvebounce said:


> Hi Lexa.
> Unless there has been communication between you external of this thread I think you are reading too much in to Sporgon’s replies.


This is literally like the third time he's done this in the space of about one week alone.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 26, 2018)

lexaclarke said:


> This is literally like the third time he's done this in the space of about one week alone.



Someone with >3500 posts (and an average of 1.2 posts per hour online) has replied to you in three threads in a week, and that's harassment?

With respect, get a grip. As they say, if you can't take the heat*, stay out of the kitchen. 

*In this case, 'heat' is like a couple of degrees north of room temperature.


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## RGF (Mar 26, 2018)

lexaclarke said:


> Frodo said:
> 
> 
> > Does the 5DIV have the variable delay shutter that the 5Ds has?
> ...



What is IIRC?


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## RGF (Mar 26, 2018)

I tend to compose landscapes, at least initially using the OV. I will go to LV for the final shot. Even then I will often use a 2 second delay unless I am concerned about the breeze blowing the grass (or something like that). One nice I have found is the bracketing, I can set the 2 second delay and get all my shots fired off at once.


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## Quarkcharmed (Mar 26, 2018)

On my 5DMkIV, I have a dedicated custom setup (C2 in my case) for landscapes. It's set to mirror lockup and 2 second delay, however normally I use LV + exposure simulation for landscapes, also with a 2 second delay (10 seconds if windy). LV + exposure simulation work fine with filters, sometimes I can even focus with a 10-stop ND. OV doesn't work well with ND filters obviously.

In order to check the camera is stable on a tripod, I use magnification in LV. Tiniest jitter will be visible at max magnification.

In some cases I use WiFi + remote shooting, it eliminates any man-made shaking completely.

Also it's easier to preview the scene and composition in LV, you can remove all information and have a clear preview in LV, you can even set the aspect ratio to say 1:1 and preview your composition in 1:1 (if you're having 1:1 aspect in mind for the scene).

So OV doesn't work for me in landscapes at all, however I use OV whenever the camera is *not* on a tripod.


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## Quarkcharmed (Mar 26, 2018)

Quarkcharmed said:


> In some cases I use WiFi + remote shooting, it eliminates any man-made shaking completely.



Quoting myself... A few days ago I was shooting from a riverbank at a small backwater lagoon and there was a very tiny island maybe 1 metre from the shore, basically just a hillock in the water. I jumped on it and there was a nice view, so I set the camera up on a tripod. I took a couple of shots with ~5 sec exposure and they were all blurry. I couldn't understand why until I set max magnification in Live View. Apparently, the ground was very wobbly and unstable, so the camera would move as I was breathing! I only got a sharp shot after I set it to wifi-remote shooting and jumped back to the shore leaving the camera alone on the hillock.


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## Valvebounce (Mar 26, 2018)

Hi RGF. 
IIRC If I Recall Correctly. 
I do wish people using these abbreviations would take a second to realise that they are ‘talking’ to people from many nations, not all of which speak English as a native language. 

Cheers, Graham. 



RGF said:


> What is IIRC?


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## Valvebounce (Mar 26, 2018)

Hi Quark. 
Yes, I t can be quite alarming how ‘flexible’ a firm surface can be. 
I do some voluntary work at a Hide which overlooks a peat mead, when we were doing some ditch clearing with a mini excavator you could get ‘seasick’ from the waves passing underfoot every time the excavator made a movement even when stood 50 feet away, most unnerving until you get used to it! 

Cheers, Graham. 



Quarkcharmed said:


> Quarkcharmed said:
> 
> 
> > In some cases I use WiFi + remote shooting, it eliminates any man-made shaking completely.
> ...


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## RGF (Mar 27, 2018)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi RGF.
> IIRC If I Recall Correctly.
> I do wish people using these abbreviations would take a second to realise that they are ‘talking’ to people from many nations, not all of which speak English as a native language.
> 
> ...



Sorry I thought it was a photo term. If I knew it was computer slang, I would have looked it up.


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## Valvebounce (Mar 28, 2018)

Hi RGF. 
And therein lies the problem, if you had known it was computer slang you probably wouldn’t have needed to look it up, you would have already known what it meant. ;D

Cheers, Graham. 



RGF said:


> Sorry I thought it was a photo term. If I knew it was computer slang, I would have looked it up.


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## scottkinfw (Mar 28, 2018)

bitm2007 said:


> I have been using the mirror lockup feature to reduce vibrations when shooting landscapes with my Canon 5D Mk IV, it has been suggested to me that triggering the cameras shutter when in live view mode would be a better option for stills. It would mean one less shutter press (via remote cord) per image, which would be an advantage when capturing landscapes with moving elements like waves. Are there any disadvantages in using this method other than obviously not being able to see through the viewfinder and increased battery usage ?




With live view, you never get a "blackout" where you can't see the subject.

sek


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