Tethering lag

[bob s]

Can anyone tell me how much lag / latency you get and perceived frame rate (subjective of course) on a PC screen with tethering a camera?
I assume it depends largely on the camera. The 7D2 / 5DS have USB3 so these may produce the lowest lag and highest “frame rate”.
Also does the cameras setup effect the lag and frame rate? For example, would I see faster updates on the PC if I set the resolution to 1920 x 1280 vs 4320 x 2880.

Also when tethering, can the camera and PC menus be turnoff off so that you are left with just a live image of what the camera is seeing?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Tethering using Canon utilities is very good, not like the crippled Nikon tethering that is almost useless(One of the reasons I dumped my D800 and D300S).

However, it is not video. When you move a object (My 5D MK III has USB2), the motion is virtually real time, so you are able to position a object easily to focus on the point you wish.

I do not recall using the image full screen, I think that the controls are still shown. The purpose is to take a photo, so you need the shutter button and focus controls. I have a 24 in monitor which is wider than the 3:2 image output, so it can't fill the screen in any event without cropping some of the image.

There is a HDMI output if you want to display the image only, and it can show video, but you must use controls on the camera for adjustments, or a remote control.

 

[Ebrahim Saadawi]

USB 2: about 11-12 fps
USB 3 on 7Dii: about 20-22 (almost no lag)

The image size setting is irrelevant, it doesn't output full 4-5K, just 1080p in all modes.

Both USB 2 & 3 give sufficient speed for framing/focusing and you can control the camera through the PC


Want best video quality (uncompressed 4:2:2 signal at up to 30p) at fullscreen just to see what the camera is seeing? Use the HDMI output to any monitor/TV with an HDMI input. This is what we use in videography. No control over the camera settings from the monitor here, you only get that with USB + PC + Canon Utility setup at a cost of lag an reduced image quality.

 

[bob s]

Thanks very much for the feedback.

From the 7D mark II manual, it talks about being able to magnify a live view image on the camera LCD. Will this magnified view also be seen on the HDMI and or PC?.
The manual states “Normal view”, 1X, 5x and 10x. I assume Normal view the same as 1x?
Is this magnify mode working like a crop, displaying fewer pixels in order to make the center part of the image larger?

Is this Magnify mode/live view a common feature for Canon? The 7D mark II looks good for my needs but I am wondering if the 5DS may also have a similar function.

 

[privatebydesign]

Thanks very much for the feedback.

From the 7D mark II manual, it talks about being able to magnify a live view image on the camera LCD. Will this magnified view also be seen on the HDMI and or PC?.
The manual states “Normal view”, 1X, 5x and 10x. I assume Normal view the same as 1x?
Is this magnify mode working like a crop, displaying fewer pixels in order to make the center part of the image larger?

Is this Magnify mode/live view a common feature for Canon? The 7D mark II looks good for my needs but I am wondering if the 5DS may also have a similar function.

They all have the Live View zoom function.

Yes the magnify mode works like a crop, but it depends on your screen resolution how many pixels you see, don't forget, all DSLR's have considerably more pixels than your monitor so when you see the full view, 1x, you are not actually seeing all of them, just the full view of the lens.

 

[tcphoto]

After many years using DPP and EOS Utility with my 1Ds3, I have been playing with both LR5 and C1v8. I find that DDP is the fastest at 3 seconds and has the largest full screen preview. The others are around 5 seconds and I just don't care for the smaller previews. I shoot quite a bit on location and shoot tethered to a MBP and 27" Apple display, so my clients can review images. I would download their 30 day trials and see if you prefer someone else's application. At $300, I thought that Capture One would have been more flexible to configure.