Canon 80D Is This Normal?

[Formaleins]

Hi, hoping someone can help a new DSLR guy out with a couple of answers on the Canon 80D that I just cannot find any definitive information about. Tried half a dozen books I have on cameras and photography, the Canon manual and Google, no joy! So if there are any Canon owners out there maybe they can answer for me.

 

OK, when I put the camera into video mode to shoot movies, as soon as I press the record button the red light on the memory card begins flashing - It flashes faster depending upon which movie format I use, the higher the bit rate / quality, the faster the flash. Now this I can understand as it is obviously letting me know that it is accessing the memory card as it shoots the video. What I cannot understand is that when you look on the top (small) LCD panel, the shot counter is also flashing - I never noticed this before, but maybe it has been doing this all the time, I really just don't know for sure. It shows the picture count at 999 (I use a 64GB Card) so I presume that the count is my "Shots Remaining" capacity on the card. But why is it flashing?

 

Second question again is regarding video mode. In video mode you cannot access the viewfinder, all shooting information comes up as live view on the LED monitor. Do you know if the menu function should be disabled during this point? Basically, as I start the recording, the menu button does nothing, you cannot get into the menu screen or adjust anything "on the fly" so again is this normal?

 

Last question is regarding lenses. I got the 18-135 Zoom with the camera, and it is a very nice lens. However, I wanted another lens for basic video and some other general photography shots so I bought the Canon 50mm Prime (I believe it is known as the plastic fantastic) However, what I have found is when you take into account the crop on these cameras (1.6x) even when holding the camera at arms length, as in the YouTube Vlogger mode, I am unable to get my full face on the screen, it is too close up.

 

Do you think that if I bought the Canon 24mm prime that it would make enough difference to allow full face shots at about arms length? - I have pretty normal arms so they are not overly long, I just want to be able to do a kind of selfie frame, without the need for a selfie stick.

 

Any help would be very much appreciated!

 

Cheers.

 

It is a great camera by the way, I used Nikon a long time ago, when digital was first becoming popular and after spending over 1200 USD on the Nikon camera, it destroyed my faith by breaking down all the time, it was being repaired more than it was being used! Terrible piece of junk. Beautiful images, but totally unreliable, but now with this Canon my faith is being restored.

[FracturedRabbit]

I long since gave up on Canon; but would guess the following.

 

The shot counter is flashing because the shots remaining will change once you have completed the video (as the video will have reduced the available space on the card). So if you start with 999, there will be something less than that once the video is complete.

 

You have bought a DSLR, which means there is a mirror which has to be moved out of the way before the sensor can be accessed to shoot stills or video. If you shoot a still, you look through the viewfinder to compose, press the shutter button, the mirror lifts and the viewfinder is blanked out for a fraction of a second while the sensor records the shot, then the mirror comes down and you can see through the viewfinder again. When you shoot video, the mirror has to be lifted for the duration of the video, so you can't use the viewfinder and must rely on the rear screen. Unlikely that the menu would be available at this point, but maybe some items are available via other controls (e.g. aperture from a control dial). Read the manual. Next time, buy a mirrorless camera!

 

Whether or not the 24mm will focus at arms length will depend upon the minimum focal length of the lens. Check on Google and then compare with the length of your arm; or better, go to a shop and check. Or but a tripod, the 24mm will give a distorted view of your face.

[Formaleins]

3 hours ago, FracturedRabbit said:

I long since gave up on Canon; but would guess the following.

 

The shot counter is flashing because the shots remaining will change once you have completed the video (as the video will have reduced the available space on the card). So if you start with 999, there will be something less than that once the video is complete.

 

You have bought a DSLR, which means there is a mirror which has to be moved out of the way before the sensor can be accessed to shoot stills or video. If you shoot a still, you look through the viewfinder to compose, press the shutter button, the mirror lifts and the viewfinder is blanked out for a fraction of a second while the sensor records the shot, then the mirror comes down and you can see through the viewfinder again. When you shoot video, the mirror has to be lifted for the duration of the video, so you can't use the viewfinder and must rely on the rear screen. Unlikely that the menu would be available at this point, but maybe some items are available via other controls (e.g. aperture from a control dial). Read the manual. Next time, buy a mirrorless camera!

 

Whether or not the 24mm will focus at arms length will depend upon the minimum focal length of the lens. Check on Google and then compare with the length of your arm; or better, go to a shop and check. Or but a tripod, the 24mm will give a distorted view of your face.

Thanks a lot for your input, very useful and it all kind of makes sense. I 

Regarding the flashing counter / red light and menu items, I have read the main user manual (360 pages) at least twice, along with the basic manual and another half a dozen books that are all supposedly geared up for the Canon 80D - There is not one reference to my issues in any of them.

 

I liked the mirrorless, we had the Sony A6000 but it was terrible on batteries and at the time lens choices were poor. The A6500 seems overpriced to me at the moment and the A7R III are a little out of my budget. I wanted the DSLR as it is the closest type of camera to what I used before in my youthful days, old Canons and Nikons. I liked the Canon as it was much more reliable than my previous Nikon cameras, one of which spent more time in the repair shop than in my possession.

 

Anyway, thanks again, it all sort of stacks up to what I am discovering as I muddle along, hopefully getting older and wiser as the days pass.