[kristian]

after running my own photobooth setup recently using a G11 hooked up to a monitor and using a wireless remote trigger on a 2 second timer, i think i'm going to use DSLR remote pro for a more elegant solution and return the G11 for something else.

so right now i have some considerations and questions. first off, choice of camera. i want to use the live view functionality in DSLR Remote Pro so in the photobooth setup, people can see themselves and line themselves up in the computer monitor. i keep hearing that a rebel XSi or T1i offers a higher resolution image for live view monitoring than like a G10. can anyone explain how much of a difference this makes? does anyone know the approximate live view resolution that each outputs?


next question: does DSLR remote Pro or PS remote allow live view monitoring and Face Tracking autofocus? i know the G10 has face tracking autofocus and the rebel T1i can also face track AF in live view (the rebel XSi cannot), but is it possible to do it with the T1i and G10 while hooked up with Live View monitoring via DSLR remote pro or PS remote? if not, what AF methods would work just as well for a high-key photobooth setup running that software?


lastly, my goal is to have the photobooth be automated so guests can do everything on their own. in my first test, i had a G11 hooked up to a basic TV monitor so guests could frame themselves and then a wireless remote set to a 2 second timer so all they had to do was stand anywhere and push the button on the remote. it worked pretty well. the same remote will also work on any of the rebels. will a remote like this work alongside a rebel running DSLR remote pro or will there be issues? i really like the countdown functionality in DSLR remote pro, but i'm worried i may lose that with such a remote. is that right?

has anyone else found any good remote solutions?

thanks for the help!

kristian

[Chris Breeze]

The live view from a Rebel XSi/450D is 848x560 pixels and the Rebel T1i/500D is 929x616 pixels.

You can't use facetracking AF and it's best to avoid AF altogether because if the camera fails to achieve AF lock it won't take a picture. It's much better to pre-focus to the correct distance and use a small enough aperture (e.g. f/8) to ensure you have good depth of field.

The sequence needs to be triggered from the PC so that you get the various screens, countdown text etc. The StealthSwitch is a good robust switch to use to trigger the sequence or if you want a wireless remote you could use something like the Kensington wireless presenter.

You may find this series of articles on photobooth shooting useful: http://www.breezesys.com/articles/photobooth.htm

[kristian]

thanks chris! that's a big help. yeah, i had thought originally about just doing manual focus, but to be honest, the face tracking AF worked so accurately that i gave it a shot. my only concern with having it on manual focus was that it might get bumped at some point and might cause a problem, but i should probably just not worry about it.

thanks again!

[Chris Breeze]

With a Canon DSLR you can set a custom function which moves AF activation from the shutter release to the assist button. If you select this you can leave the lens set to AF and it is much harder to knock it out of focus. You can also focus from the PC in live view (the standard Ctrl+L live view, not the fullscreen photobooth one).

[peaceman]

I am considering a rebel xsi for my photobooth set up. Are any of you using separate flash units? This is going to be necessary. And one more thing so are you using any type of auto focus? I realized from above that the face tracking shouldnt be used.
Thanks!

[alexsiskahn]

I am considering a rebel xsi for my photobooth set up. Are any of you using separate flash units?

yes, the lighting is better

This is going to be necessary.YOU CAN USE THE BUILT IN FLASH, BUT IT IS NOT AS PRETTY LIGHTING

And one more thing so are you using any type of auto focus? NO JUST TAPE THE FOCUS RING DOWN.