Chuck is the manager of the Camera Divison Technical Information Dept of Canon U.S.A., and has graciously participated in Rob Galbraith's D30 Forum. He has provided some extremely helpful information either not found anywhere else, or in places not readily or easily accessible. I am quoting the exact text of what he posted at Rob's site, along with a link to the original message thread in which they occurred:
2. Chuck's Advice on Minimizing Shutter Lag (Comprehensive)
3. Odd connection between Focus Mode and Metering Behavior
4. Further explanation on AE Lock and Metering Behavior
5. How to determine if your D30 is Underexposing
1. Error Messages: Click here for the original thread.
Err 09: SYSTEM
DESCRIPTION: This error occurs when the EOS D30's self-checking
system processing time has exceeded the specified limit. This
error can occur when several switches are pressed at the same
time.
REMEDIAL MEASURE: Because this error is caused by abnormal operation,
try releasing the error by turning the main power switch OFF and
then back ON. If this does not solve the problem, have the EOS
D30 examined by a qualified service technician.
ERR 22: CF
DRIVER
DESCRIPTION: This error occurs when image data cannot be written
to the CF card. This error can occur when the CF card is not fully
seated in the camera or if the D30 does not detect a card-ready
signal within a specified time limit or when the CF card is not
usable because it has been corrupted or physically damaged. It
can also occur when the camera's battery level is insufficient
to completely write the file to the CF card.
REMEDIAL MEASURE: Use the DC Coupler or recharge the battery first.
If the error continues to occur with sufficient power available
to the camera, check that the CF card is properly inserted. If
that's not the problem, then try replacing the CF card. If that
does not solve the problem, have the EOS D30 and one of the CF
cards that is causing the problem examined by a qualified service
technician.
ERR 23: NO
SPACE LEFT ON THE CF CARD
DESCRIPTION: This error occurs when the CF card's free space is
insufficient for the image file that has been created. For example,
when using a nearly full CF card, if a long exposure is made with
noise reduction shut off, the file size may become larger than
average, resulting in insufficient space to write the file.
REMEDIAL MEASURE: Use a CF card with sufficient free space. If
this does not solve the problem, have the EOS D30 examined by
a qualified service technician.
ERR 50: CF
FORMAT
DESCRIPTION: This error occurs when the CF card cannot be formatted
in the camera.
REMEDIAL MEASURE: Replace the CF card. If this does not solve
the problem, have the EOS D30 examined by a qualified service
technician.
ERR 51: PLAY
MODE
DESCRIPTION: This error occurs when the images stored on the CF
card cannot be played back in the camera.
REMEDIAL MEASURE: Replace the CF card. If this does not solve
the problem, have the EOS D30 examined by a qualified service
technician.
ERR 80: SHUTTER
DESCRIPTION: This error occurs in the following conditions.
1) When the EOS D30's self-check system detects that the shutter
has not been fully charged (ready to shoot).
2) When the EOS D30's self-check system detects that the shutter
operation sequence has not been completed correctly.
3) When the built-in flash cannot be recharged after the E-TTL
preflash but before the main exposure.
REMEDIAL MEASURE: Try clearing the error by turning the main power
switch OFF and then back ON. If this does not solve the problem,
have the EOS D30 examined by a qualified service technician.
ERR 81: MIRROR
DESCRIPTION: This error occurs in the following conditions.
1) When the EOS D30's shutter release is pressed to the halfway
position and the mirror-down status cannot be verified by the
EOS D30's self-checking system.
2) When mirror up/down status cannot be detected during shutter
release.
REMEDIAL MEASURE: Have the EOS D30 examined by a qualified service
technician.
ERR 82: STROBE
DESCRIPTION: This error occurs when the built-in flash cannot
be charged.
REMEDIAL MEASURE: Try clearing the error by turning the main power
switch OFF and then back ON. If this does not solve the problem,
have the EOS D30 examined by a qualified service technician.
ERR 83: POP
UP
DESCRIPTION: This error occurs when the built-in flash's pop-up
operation cannot be detected even after the pop-up operations
have been repeated three times.
REMEDIAL MEASURE: Try clearing the error by turning the main power
switch OFF and then back ON. If this does not solve the problem,
have the EOS D30 examined by a qualified service technician. (NOTE:
The EOS D30 can be used with an EX-series Speedlite and/or with
an electronic flash connected through the PC socket even when
the built-in flash is unavailable.)
ERR 84: LENS
COMMMUNICATION
DESCRIPTION: This error occurs in the following conditions.
1) When electronic communication with the lens cannot be established,
after the EOS D30 is powered ON or when the shutter button is
pressed halfway.
2) When the lens diaphragm cannot be controlled during shutter
release.
REMEDIAL MEASURE: Clean the electronic contacts on the lens with
a clean, soft, dry cloth and check the mount interface switch
on the body's lens mount for dirt or other damage. If this does
not solve the problem, try another Canon EF lens or have the EOS
D30 examined by a qualified service technician.
2. Chuck's Extensive Discussion on Minimizing Shutter Lag: Click here for original thread.
Maybe I can shed some light on some of the issues that seem to be concerning everyone. Let's take a look at some specific D30 camera settings and see how they should be selected to minimize shutter release time lag.
1. Auto Power Off: This is a menu setting on the back LCD. The Auto Power Off feature is designed to conserve battery power, but it's adjustable to allow for various shooting requirements. The default is 1 minute, but there are optional settings for 2, 4, 8, 15, amd 30 minutes plus Off. If the D30 powers down due to inactivity beyond the specified time limit, it will take approximately 7 or 8 seconds for the camera to wake up and be ready to shoot, even though the main switch is On. For the type of work that most of you seem to be doing, I would suggest setting a longer interval than the default. Try 8 or 15 minutes instead of 1, or Off if you're using the D30 as a remote. This will exhaust your battery more quickly than normal, so be sure to keep a fully charged spare or two around until you get comfortable with the difference in battery life.
2. Automatic Focusing Point Selection: When the camera is set for automatic focusing point selection (all 3 points active) the D30 selects a focusing point for you. This setting behaves differently depending on whether you've selected One-Shot AF or AI Servo AF. When One-Shot AF is combined with automatic focusing point selection, the D30 evaluates all 3 focusing points simultaneously and picks the closest readable subject. When AI Servo AF is combined with automatic focusing point selection, the D30 wants you to tell it which subject you are interested in tracking, so *at first* it shuts off the outer sensors and waits until you point the center focusing point at a readable subject. Once the camera has 'acquired' the subject, all 3 focusing points are activated and the AF system will track subject movement not only towards or away from the camera but also left to right or vice versa across the picture area covered by the 3 focusing points.
3. Manual Focusing Point Selection: When the D30 is set for Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority or Manual exposure, you have the option of selecting individual focusing points manually. This is done by pressing the focusing point selector button and turning the main input dial next to the shutter button. The selected focusing point is indicated on the top LCD panel. Selecting focusing points manually will maximize D30 AF performance, because the camera does not have to evaluate all 3 points. Moreover, the central focusing point on the D30 is a cross-type whereas the outer focusing points are single-axis. This means that the central focusing point recognizes a greater variety of subject contrasts. Therefore, for maximum AF performance with the D30, we are talking a manually selected central focusing point.
4. AF Modes: There are 2 choices, One-Shot or AI Servo. One-Shot is for stationary subjects; it will not track a moving subject and normally it will not allow you to release the shutter until the focus is locked. AI Servo tracks subject movement as long as AF system is operating. When the D30 is set for AI Servo, the shutter can be released for a single exposure or for the first exposure of a continuous sequence at any time whether the subject is in focus or not. In a continuous sequence, the camera's AF system controls shutter release timing for all exposures after the first one, and will engage predictive AF if subject movement is deemed predictable. We'll come back to the selection of AF modes after we discuss Custom Function 2 settings.
5. Custom Function 2 Settings: This CF allows the photographer to execute AF Start, AF Lock, AE lock, and shutter release independently if desired. There are 4 optional settings as follows:
CF2-0: This is the default setting, in which AF is started by pressing the shutter button halfway, and AE lock can be engaged by pressing the AE lock button (marked with an asterisk) on the back of the camera (when the D30 is set for an AE mode). When the D30 is set for One-Shot AF and CF2-0, there can be and usually is a short delay between pressing the shutter button and releasing the shutter. During this time, the camera evaluates AF data and drives the lens to the calculated distance setting before unlocking the shutter release. When the D30 is set for AI Servo and CF2-0, there is no such delay. However, if you want the subject to be sharply focused, you'll need to keep the hutter button pressed halfway until the AF system finds the subject and starts tracking it.
CF2-1: With this setting, AF is started or stopped by pressing or releasing the AE lock button. The shutter can be released at any time, no matter whether the subject is sharply focused or not. When the D30 is set to an AE mode, shutter speed and aperture settings are locked the instant the shutter button is pressed halfway. When the D30 is set for manual exposure, the shutter speed and aperture are controlled ahead of time by the photographer. CF2-1 is useful for a great variety of shooting requirements, and it is particularly useful for sports because it allows you to shoot at any moment regardless of the focusing mode you've selected.
CF2-2: In this setting, as with CF2-0, AF starts when the shutter button is pressed halfway. However, the AE lock button now functions as an AF lock instead. This setting is sometimes preferable in AI Servo when your main subject is temporarily blocked by another subject. It's especially handy with USM lenses that permit full-time manual focus if you're the type of photographer who like to tweak the focus manually while the lens is set for AF.
CF2-3: This setting is almost the same as CF2-1, except that the exposure meter continues to function when the shutter button is pressed halfway. This is a relatively new option that first appeared on the EOS 3, and it does a better job of ensuring exposure accuracy in changing light.
When minimizing shutter release time lag is your objective, consider using CF2-1 or CF2-3 together with a manually selected central focusing point. Also, consider AI Servo instead of One-Shot AF.
6. Drive Mode: There are 3 drive modes on the D30: single, continuous or self-timer. These are changed by pressing the DRIVE button and turning the main input dial. Nothing unexpected here, but the choice of drive mode can affect the D30's shutter release timing because of the file size vs. buffer memory vs. write speed issues. Stay tuned...
7. Buffer Memory: This is the feature that allows the D30 to shoot a continuous burst. It holds the image data in RAM until it can be written to the CF card. It can also have an effect on shutter release timing. The D30 has a 32MB buffer. Read on...
8. File Sizes: The D30 has 5 resolution/compression settings. These settings affect image quality, but they also affect the size of the file that is written to the CF card. Approximate stored file sizes are as follows:
RAW: 3.4MB
Large/Fine JPEG: 1.2MB
Large/Normal JPEG: 700KB
Small/Fine JPEG: 700KB
Small/Normal JPEG: 420KB
The stored file sizes are approximate because of the effect that subject contrast and digital noise have on the JPEG and RAW compression algorithms. Generally speaking, finer detail and higher ISO settings increase stored file size at any given resolution.
A secondary issue here is the sequencing of determining the stored file size. The important thing to know is that JPEG compresion and RAW file encoding are executed in hardware via a custom-designed DSP chip in the D30 *prior* to being transferred to the buffer. This means that the file size is already reduced as much as it's going to be.
8. Write Speeds: This is a function of individual CF card types. Rob Galbraith has covered this topic in detail elsewhere on this site, so I won't repeat it here. The bottom line is that (up to a point) the combination of file size and write speed determines how long it will take to clear the D30's buffer memory after a continuous sequence. "Up to a point" means that once the buffer is full, it takes the same amount of time to totally clear it regardless of how many images are in the buffer. It takes about 24 seconds to clear 32MB of buffer memory at a write speed of approximately 1.3MB per second. Some CF cards are slower than others, so your mileage may vary.
When you are shooting multiple continuous sequences with the D30, you need to pay attention to the condition of the buffer memory in order to achieve maximum control over shutter release timing. Assuming that you've done everything else we've recommended so far (Proper setting of Auto Power Off, focusing point selection mode, AF mode, drive mode, and C.Fn. 2-1 or 2-3), the next most important thing is your control of the shutter button itself.
If you plan to shoot a second continuous sequence while the buffer memory is either partially or totally full, and you want to reduce or minimize the shutter release time lag, be sure to keep your finger partially depressed on the shutter button after the end of the first continuous sequence. If you remove your finger from the shutter button, the D30 will give priority to data transfer over shutter release, and you may have to wait until the buffer is almost fully cleared before you can resume shooting.
Keeping your finger halfway pressed on the button doesn't stop the D30 from writing to the CF card, but it will allow the shutter to be released as soon as there is enough space in the buffer to store an image.
9. Viewfinder data display timer: As a power conservation measure, the D30's viewfinder data display is programmed to extinguish 4 seconds after the last camera control has been touched. This setting cannot be adjusted by the photographer.
However, it is not necessarily true that you have to keep the display illuminated in order to achieve minimum release time lag. The 0.5 second delay after the viewfinder display goes out that Guv'nor mentions above will only occur if the D30 is set for One-Shot AF and C.Fn 2-0 or 2-2. There is no such delay when the camera is set for C.Fn 2-1 or 2-3 unless One-Shot AF is on *and* the AE lock button is pressed at the same time as the shutter button.
The significance of this is as follows: Assuming the typical sports shooting settings (manually selected focusing point, C.Fn 2-1 or 2-3, AI Servo AF, Continuous Drive, Auto Power Off on a reasonable setting), it is unnecessary to keep the viewfinder display constantly illuminated. Instead, all you need to do is anticipate your shooting sequence by pressing the shutter button halfway down for a second or so before the first exposure. Try it and see what you think.
Alternatively, consider the camera set up as outlined above, but with the drive mode set to Single instead of Continuous. In this case, you need to allow at least 2 or 3 seconds between shots when the image quality is set to Large/Fine or RAW in order to clear the buffer, even though it is not full. If you find that you need to shoot more frequently than once every 2 or 3 seconds, you'll be better off to switch to Continuous mode instead. There is enough control in the shutter button to allow single shots in continuous mode as long as you're paying attention to your finger movement.
You'll probably find that the D30 autofocuses best when the central focusing point is manually selected rather than letting the camera select a focusing point automatically. As mentioned above, this allows the D30 to concentrate its focus detection efforts on just 1 sensor instead of all 3.
The outer focusing points have the same precision as the central one, but they are single-axis. When the D30 is held horizontally, the outer focusing points are aligned vertically. This means they can recognize horizontal contrast in the subject, like the horizon line between earth and sky in a landscape. When the D30 is held vertically, the outer focusing points are aligned horizontally. If we're photographing a landscape scene, it will be difficult for these same outer focusing points to recognize the horizon line because it's more or less parallel to their alignment instead of being at right angles to it like it was when the camera was held horizontally. The central cross-type sensor gets around this problem by having horizontal and vertical contrast detection at the same time.
If you find that your D30 is having difficulty locking on to the desired subject, take a look at the subject contrast to see if that's the problem. If it is, you might be able to solve the problem simply by switching the camera from horizontal to vertical or vice versa and refocusing. Also, look for the edge between the subject and the background rather than zeroing in completely on the subject alone.
3. Odd Connection Between Focus Mode and Metering Behavior: Click here for original thread.
Yes, there's a difference in E-TTL's flash metering pattern when the focus mode switch on the lens is set for M (or MF with some lenses) rather than AF. I described what the difference is.
To summarize and hopefully clarify further, ambient metering and flash metering are carried out independently in E-TTL. The metering patterns that are used for each type of exposure measurement (i.e., ambient metering and flash metering) vary according to the position of the focus mode switch on the lens. Here's a description that might make it even clearer:
EOS D30 METERING PATTERNS DURING E-TTL AUTOFLASH
When the Lens
Focus Mode Switch is set to AF:
Ambient & Flash Metering are done in the D30's Evaluative
metering pattern, reading the entire sensor with emphasis on the
area surrounding the active focusing point.
When the Lens
Focus Mode Switch is set to M:
Flash Metering is averaged across the entire sensor area. Ambient
metering is done in the D30's Evaluative metering pattern as if
the center focusing point had been selected. This is true regardless
of the ambient metering pattern selected by the user.
4. Further explanation on AE Lock and Metering Behavior: Click here for original thread.
What you've noticed is intentional on Canon's part, and the EOS D30 is consistent with other high-end 35mm EOS cameras like the EOS-1 series and the EOS 3 in this regard. However, there's more to the situation than you've shown. It goes like this:
AE lock upon focus
completion
Evaluative CW Avg. and Partial
---------- -------------------
One-Shot AF Yes No
AI Servo AF No No
The logic behind this has to do with the design of the metering patterns. Evaluative metering is based on the assumption that the main subject is at the position identified by the autofocusing system, whereas the other patterns are not.
By locking the meter reading (in AE modes) when evaluative is combined with One-shot AF, the camera ensures that the reading it's using is based on the subject that's in focus upon AF completion. The combined focus/exposure lock allows the photographer to hold both settings if there's any need to recompose prior to exposure. When evaluative is combined with AI Servo AF on the other hand, it's assumed that the photographer is photographing a moving subject and is attempting to use the AF system to keep it in focus. Since the subject is assumed to be positioned at the active focusing point at all times in this situation, it makes more sense to allow the metering system to provide continually updated readings until the instant before the mirror goes up to begin the exposure sequence. This becomes particularly valuable in continuous shooting sequences if the lighting conditions are changing from shot to shot.
Center-weighted average and partial metering patterns do not lock the exposure automatically in AE modes upon AF completion in AI Servo for the same reason as evaluative. Because these metering patterns are not linked to the focusing point, it is up to the photographer to decide if they are appropriate for the shot.
The use of Center-weighted or partial metering in One-Shot AF is also up to the photographer. The D30 already provides 2 ways of locking the exposure values in this situation: the photographer can force AE lock with the AE lock button or use manual exposure, so the system is designed to allow continual metering as a third alternative, simply by selecting an AE mode and pressing the shutter button.
5. How to determine if your D30 is Underexposing: Click here for the original thread.
If you're really interested in making an accurate exposure test with a gray card as opposed to a gray scale, here are a few pointers:
1. Use the D30's partial metering pattern. This will yield an unbiased meter reading, with no possibility of automatic exposure compensation that can sometimes take place whe the camera is set for evaluative metering.
2. Make sure that the predominant light source is either above or behind the camera position. DO NOT shoot towards the light.
3. Angle the gray card such that it is getting even lighting, but avoid the possibility of bright reflections. These might occur if you angled the card directly towards the sun.
4. Make sure that the gray card fills the partial metering circle shown in the viewfinder, but do not fill the entire picture area with it. This will give you the chance to see how the exposure is affecting other elements in the scene.
5. For testing purposes, shoot at, under and over the camera's recommended exposure level. The D30's AEB function is very useful for this purpose.
6. To minimize lens variables such as evenness of illumination from the center to the corners of the image, shoot at a mid-range aperture like f/8 and vary your exposure with shutter speeds.
Since accurate exposure is what you're after with this test, it makes more sense to analyze the images in Photoshop. In this case, set up Photoshop's Info palette (using 'Palette options...') to display grayscale values as either the first color readout or second color readout. Then position the cursor over the gray card in the image. The K value should be approximately 55%, +/- 5%.