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Canon EOS Utility 3 – an update of the Canon EOS Utility 2 software for controlling Canon cameras remotely via PC or Mac

Canon has come out with another treat for its customers: the new Canon EOS Utility 3 software. This latest version of Canon’s free application, which can be used to control cameras remotely via PC or Mac, is designed for the new range of Canon cameras and some selected older models. For all other older Canon cameras, the tried and tested Canon EOS Utility 2 software, which is regularly updated, will continue to be available.

If you are the proud owner of a new Canon camera (e.g. z.B. EOS 5D Mark III, EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EOS 6D, Canon EOS 6D II, Canon EOS 5DS, EOS 5DS R, EOS 1DX, EOS 7D II, EOS 80D, EOS 800D, EOS M50,..., etc.), all you need to do is enter the camera’s serial number on the Canon download page. Once that’s done, you can start using Canon Utility 3. The procedure is similar to that for Canon EOS Utility 2.

For the specialised applications in microscopy/macroscopy, using a remote control software is particularly important. The camera is attached to a microscope and is therefore often located high above the user. Operating the camera via a PC or Mac is very convenient and ergonomic in such cases. The Live View image is displayed directly on the computer monitor and can be controlled in full resolution. This makes it possible to precisely adjust the focus using the zoom function. The shutter release is triggered remotely with a button. Excellent results can thus be obtained quickly and easily. The software is included in the purchase price of any Canon camera and can be downloaded from the Canon website, as can the regular updates. With the EOS Utility, Canon is offering a fantastic additional service for its customers. Nikon offers a comparable software, which, however, has to be purchased separately and costs around € 140.

We downloaded version 3.2.20.0. Other versions may be slightly different.

Here, we can see the remote Live View window. The available control settings for features such as ISO, image quality, exposure values and image format are the same as with the Canon EOS Utility 2 software. In the Live View window there is a button for activating the magnification function, offering a zoom factor of 1x, 6x or 16x. This feature is very important and useful for focussing the image.

The HDR (High Dynamic Range) can also be adjusted without difficulty.

An excellent function for achieving more dynamic range is the selection of exposure values (EV).

This makes it possible to set the desired image quality.

The overlay option is another convenient feature, which allows any object (e.g. a ruler) to be placed over the image. The grid option can be used to place gridlines over the image.

In the “Remote Shooting” submenu, various features can be set, for example automatic image rotation, the start of Live View and ensuring that the camera display remains turned on when Canon EOS Utility 3 is used.

The “Destination Folder” tab can be used to define where the images should be stored on the PC. As the entire file path is entered, a memory card for the camera is no longer needed.

korr. 28.02.2019