DIGITAL SLR
ESSENTIALS
In this edition of Digital SLR Essentials we explain
all you need to know about epitomizing your lenses
CANONSCHOOL
80 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
ne of the reasons
that Canon’s EOS
system is so
popular is the vast
range of lenses available.
The ‘L’ series of optics offers
premium optical quality,
although there are plenty of
lenses that give outstanding
results despite not having a
red ring around the barrel.
Yet t here is a way to tap
into even more quality from
your lenses, regardless of their
cost: aberration correction.
This feature, available both
in-camera and in Canon’s
Digital Photo Professional
software, enables you to
ÀQHWXQHDVSHFWVRIDOHQV·V
performance and correct
optical problems inherent in
all lenses. Problems such as
the softening of diffraction
caused by small apertures, or
the darkening in the corners of
a picture. It can’t make a dufflens a stellar one, but it does
allow you squeeze the last
drop of performance from
your collection of glass.
Lens corrections are
software tweaks, which
means, like white balance and
noise reduction, their effects
are only applied to JPEGs. If
you shoot Raw, you’re able to
apply corrections when you
process your shots, whether
it’s in-camera or a computer.
<RXFDQÀQG\RXUFDPHUD·V
lens correction option in the
red section of your camera’s
shooting menu. Not all EOS
models feature the gamut of
corrections available. The
1300D, 2000D and 4000D
have a single ‘Peripheral
illumination correction’
option, for example, with all
other cameras having ‘Lens
aberration correction’ listed- select this and you open up a
sub menu of further options.
Compatible lenses
THESE corrections aren’t a one-size-fits-all fix, rather the effects are tailored to
different lenses. The data used to automatically apply corrections for each lens
are stored on the camera, but there may be an occasion where you attach a lens
that doesn’t have the data pre-loaded. If this happens connect your camera to a
computer and launch Canon’s EOS Utility. With this, you can check which lenses
have their data registered and register those that don’t. Some non-Canon
lenses are compatible with the auto lens aberration correction, but Canon
suggests disabling them, even if the camera says that correction data is ready.Options^
The^ number^ of^ correction^
options^ available^ varies^
across^ the^ EOS^ rangeFile format
Lens aberration correctionsare only (^) applied to JPEGs
Custom^ correction
s
Each^ lens^ in^ your^ collection
will^ need^ a^ different^ deg
ree^
of correction
Lens aberration corrections
Get the best from your Canon lenses with these digital fixes
O
MARCUS HAWKINS
PHOTO EXPERT
Marcus has been passionate about
photography for more than 25
years. A former editor of our sister
publicationDigital Camera, he has
written about photography and
cameras for a wide range of clients,
including Canon and Jessops, and
uses a Canon EOS 5 D Mk III.