One of the biggest benefits of digital photography is being able to instantly see the images you capture using an on-camera screen. With today’s technology, we can even use these screens for live previews, additional information, and even touch screens for greater functionality. With the Canon 70D, we get all these benefits in a high resolution, swiveling touch screen LCD display with tons of options and functions to make photography easier. Here’s what we can do with the LCD Display on the Canon 70D:
Let’s first go over the options related to the LCD Monitor. These settings can be found on the fifth tab of the settings menu.
- Live View Shooting can be enabled to use the Monitor for a live preview of your shot.
- Choose which AF method is used during Live View shooting.
- Enable Continuous AF keep continuous focus on your subject.
- Touch Shutter lets you touch the screen during Live View to simulate a full shutter button press.
- Grid Display modes gives different grid options displayed on-screen. Check out our article Grid Display Modes on Canon 70D for more info.
- Aspect ratio lets you set the aspect ratio of the live display preview image and adds crop lines to images taken matching the set aspect ratio (for any aspect ratio other than 3:2).
- Exposure Simulation simulates the exposure of the shot to get an idea of what the captured image will look like with the camera’s current setting. This can be set to only show the simulation while pressing the depth-of-field preview button.
- On the next tab, Silent LV shooting has three options to choose from and affects how the servo operates while taking photos. Mode 1 reduces camera shake from the mirror moving by only lowering the mirror after the shutter button is released. Mode 1 can be used for continuous shooting. In Mode 2, only one photo is taken.
- Metering Timer changes how long the exposure meter (the bar on both LCD displays showing metering stops) is displayed.
There are two additional settings related to the LCD that can be found on the second wrench icon in the Settings Menu:
- LCD Brightness allows you to adjust the brightness of the LCD Monitor to better match your environment. Brighter settings are better for environments with more light to better see the monitor, and vise versa.
- LCD off/on Button can be set to Remains on, or Shutter button. When set to Remains on, the LCD Monitor will stay on when shooting, whereas when set to Shutter button, the LCD will turn off when the shutter button is pressed halfway.
Once your settings are configured to your liking, now it’s time to see how to use Live View shooting and what kind of info we can see with the LCD Monitor:
- Ensure Live View shooting is enabled in settings, then press the Start/Stop button on the back of the camera to turn on Live View. This is the same view seen through the viewfinder, with some added information.
- Pressing the INFO button will cycle through the various info screens that can be shown on the monitor. There are four views: image-only, basic settings, full settings, and full settings with live level.
- On any view with settings shown, any setting with a gray outline can be touched on the screen and adjusted.
- At the top right, touch the Q icon to open Quick Settings, Touch the magnifying glass to zoom the live preview, to the right of that is the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed buttons, and at the very bottom left is the button to enable Touch Shutter. When enabled, touching anywhere on the monitor will capture an image.
Check out our Canon 70D Tips & Tricks Roundup for more info!
