AF point display during focus: All (constant) I prefer seeing all focus points, not just the selected one in the viewfinder. Bird Photography Tutorial 4: Camera Settings. Canon EOS 7D Mark II / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens Start by shooting with the default settings to check camera and lens behaviour. To help guide our readers through these features and menus, we decided to share the settings our team has been using on the camera during the past 3 months while testing the camera. pattern: Stops at AF area edges I do not like when AF points automatically move over to the other side when I am close to the edge. Getting them right can make a big difference to your bird photographs and can make producing them much easier. Before going into the 7D IIs camera menu, lets first get started on the exterior controls. Until I can post the photos, you can check this out and let me know what you think o. I had no clue about which settings would be best for the moment. Some photographers actually shoot in aperture priority mode for almost all their bird photography for this reason. Consider using -0.3EV Exposure Value compensation as your default setting; but with a white tern set against dark blue sea you might require -1.3EV or even -1.7EV. Some people prefer to have the AE lock button serve as the AF-ON button. Manual Mode Settings. The original 6D had an excellent full-frame sensor and was known as a strong low light performer. It is best that you explore your camera and learn about each setting as much as you can in order to take advantage of all the available features and customizations! Try shooting your 7D at its M (8MP) or S (4.5MP) settings. If you just want to know the settings without the reasons, you can jump . This is an attempt at a very tight closeup around the bird's head while being in flight. Umm lol settings advice? Lens aberration correction: I disable all corrections, because they only apply to JPEG images. That plus using bursts should get you some great shots. You'll also receive a follow up email with a download link for future reference. : Focus priority do not allow the camera to fire if the focus is not achieved in One Shot mode. tracking => The higher setting is best as it will be more sensitive to subjects that stop and start quickly. Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life, based out of Denver, Colorado. My ultimate goal is to help you take better photos. Right up to this minute, the camera remains a favorite among bird photographers, and with good . Who should take this course This course is for any one who uses a Canon 7D Mark II camera. I also find it ergonomically more comfortable sometimes for low-angle shots (like birds on the ground or in the water) to press the shutter button to focus rather than using a button on the rear of the camera. Would you recommend spot metering as a norm? After you take an image, it will be shown on the rear LCD for 2 seconds. Canon 7D Mark II Specifications Sensor: 20.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor, 4.1m pixel size Sensor Size: 22.4 x 15.0mm Resolution: 5472 x 3648 Native ISO Sensitivity: 100-16,000 Boost High ISO Sensitivity: 25,600-51,200 Sensor Cleaning System: Yes Image Processor: Dual DIGIC 6 Autofocus System: 65-point all cross-type AF system with EV -3 sensitivity But there is another way to engage autofocus, commonly called "back-button AF." It involves pressing the <AF-ON> button on the rear of the camera with the right thumb. Very useful, something that should have been the default! I usually reply back within a hour or two during normal business hours (8am to 5pm CST, Monday through Friday). For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. This photograph was created with an overcast weather during one of my Florida Spoonbill tours. You raise your camera, unsure of what settings to use. And this is why Accel. #2 - So many autofocus points! In some situations, I might push my maximum limit to 6400. Lets go through the camera Menu settings now. This is the best article to guide getting started with the Canon 7D ii . The Canon 7D Mark II sports a high-end, complex autofocus system that can be fine-tuned for practically any situation. You want to have this one not being very reactive to new subjects entering the frame. I'm a hobbyist bird photographer and I recently went birding in the Himalayan foothills in India, to a town called Sattal. C3 - cluttered or 'dirty' background. That being said, you should not be experiencing effects that look like shutter shock with most of your images. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Videos like this take a lot of time to do so support. All the pictures on this blog post were . What are the best AF settings for bird & wildlife photography with the Canon EOS 7d mark II? While this particular configuration has been working great for our needs (mostly based on wildlife and landscape photography), it does not mean that it is the only way to properly setup and configure the camera. Quick Control Dial: Shutter Speed setting in M mode with the above change, you need to set this one to control the shutter speed. Posted on 2010/03/01 by Gary Luhm. I prefer the top dial to change aperture and the rear dial to change the shutter speed. Imagine that youre on a beautiful beach and you see an unusual bird fly towards you. The top of the camera, however, has a number of dual function buttons that make it easy and convenient to switch between different camera modes and settings. 3. Lens AF stop button: AF stop controls the behavior of the lens AF stop button. In most modern cameras, it makes little difference to the end result if you underexpose your images by a stop (or even multiple stops) and correct the exposure in post, compared to using a higher ISO in the first place. Tracking sensitivity => how fast the AF system reacts to a new object entering the scene. I wanted it for its fast frame rate and advanced focusing for shooting wildlife. The Canon EOS 7D Mark II has stood the test of time. If any of the three variables above shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are set automatically by the camera, you will be relying heavily on the cameras metering system to determine the proper exposure. This one came from the side and the quick, but not too abrupt change of focus point from the AF auto PT switching setting at +1 was useful here. Even if youre setting all three values manually, the meter will still appear in the viewfinder to tell you whether the camera estimates you are over, under, or properly exposed. Query: Doesnt focal length come into play when deciding the shutter speed? As explained eariler, I use the M-Fn button to hold exposure. When you get back home, you realize the shots are blurry and overexposed and worse, the pictures have just enough detail to identify the bird as a Far Eastern Curlew, a species youve been trying to photograph for years. Shoot in RAW format for the highest-quality photos. Custom White Balance unless you want to set custom white balance with a gray card, skip this setting. I had mine set to three different scenarios one for sports/wildlife, one for landscapes and one for people. Interval timer: Disable built-in intervalometer for shooting timelapse sequences. This is a great feature for fast action, such as flying birds, although the benefit was somewhat mitigated by relatively small buffer capacity. Once it's installed, open up the email with the download link. The Canon 7D Mark II has a very simple and uncluttered front, with a single programmable button that is by default used for exposure preview. Nothing is as good of a demonstration as a few action photographs! . ISO speed setting increments: 1/3 stop same here for ISO. By fixing a safe ISO value, you can avoid the camera metering somewhat randomly. Nasims article on Autofocus Modes can introduce you to some of the different options if you arent already familiar. The reason why this can be worthwhile is that some birds have very small spots of bright feathers, and the camera may suggest different exposures based on which direction the bird faces, when youd rather the exposure settings remain constant. Thank you!!! site appears to be on maintenance mode at present,no doubt normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.Actually it is an excellent site and should be even better when completed. all the way to ISO 16,000. I set mine to Standard and use the Standard camera profile in Lightroom for consistency. But in the opposite direction, you also want to use the longest shutter speed possible because there is never enough light! It is a simple procedure, but sometimes difficult too. Many DSLRs are normally limited to 30 second exposures anything longer requires a remote camera shutter release accessory that has the capability to hold exposure for longer than 30 seconds. noise reduction: OFF I leave this off, but you might want to turn it on if you are planning to shoot very long exposures such as when doing astrophotography. There is an extra button called M-Fn on the top of the camera right next to the top dial. Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens. The new AF system of the Canon 7d mark II is inherited from the Canon EOS 5d mark III and the Canon EOS 1DX. When you press this button once, the top LCD will display SEL [ ], which allows switching between different focus points in the viewfinder, or switching to dynamic focusing / automatic selection (with all focus points activated). With this enabled, I can quickly choose between different AF areas by pushing the lever down. 65 in all. Also, birds on smaller branches just sway because the branch moves around. The only setting I do change is in Playback Menu 2 Image jump with rotary dial. Long exp. Canon EOS R6 Mark II. This makes it the #1 choice for bird photographers. If you can view PDF files using an app or program, then you're good to go! If you're not sure why you must choose AI Servo, please read this post. With the correct ancillary settings, which we will come to in a minute, this option allows the brainy AF system of the 7D MkII to track your bird between AF points as it wobbles about in the viewfinder whilst you strain to keep up with its 30mph passage. Yes, I offer a buy two get one free deal. The EOS 90D captures at 10 fps with 11 fps possible in Live View. First off, I mostly shoot in AI servo mode with the AF point expansion points (8 surrounding points). I can see what I am doing wrong. Once you set appropriate settings for a given scenario, you can save them in these two modes. Picture Style: Standard does not matter for shooting RAW images. But the Pv button is very convenient and usable for switching AF modes. Canon 7D: AI Servo Set-up for BIF (Bird in Flight) _ 03/2010. If you like Camera Tips and would like to support me, I encourage you to direct your family and friends to this page so they can purchase the Cheat Cards for themselves. For AF, I would just use something that prioritizes closeness like Group AF or single spot, or use bird eye AF if your camera has it and it works well. Lens technique or weight. So what's the difference between Auto Mode and my Custom Settings? If you have the Live View switch on the back of the camera to Movie mode (red camera), instead of the above Live View menus you will see two movie menus instead of Live View. A listing of various supporting documents I have used for creating my Birds in Flight Photography Workshops and Training programmes. My hope for the 7D was that I finally had a camera that could nail a high percentage of BIF shots, images . For those with poor eyesight, I recommend rotating your device to the horizontal orientation. Canon EOS-1D X + 150-600mm @ 600mm, ISO 1600, 1/2000, f/7.1. Not only will you get to keep the set you originally purchased, but I'm happy to offer continued support with any questions you might have regarding your camera or taking pictures in a certain situation. Auto cleaning: Enable the camera will shake off dust when turned on or off. I guess that slutter speed as high as possible would recommendable, but what about Aperture and otter settings, what would recommend. As for Shutter Priority mode, I would not recommend it for bird photography even though it may be tempting. So when you shoot in RAW, you're utilizing the sensor's complete capacity. Speed & Autofocus. But don't be fooled. Regardless of what metering mode you use, I also suggest having exposure compensation very easily accessible so that you can adjust exposure quickly (though it only affects your exposure one or more of shutter speed, aperture, or ISO is set automatically by the camera). When you going through the drive modes, you will see the following options: The next button is used to dial Flash Exposure Compensation and change ISO. The Canon 7D Mark II is still one of the best cameras for action photography, shooting at 10 frames per second. Some people have reported that the problem gets better after a firmware update, so you might want to try that if youre in this situation. This article has covered the most important settings for bird photography such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and metering modes. There never seems to be enough light to use the fast shutter speeds I need, so I think its helpful to shoot with my aperture wide open whenever possible. The EOS R5's autofocus system is quite advanced and contains a wide array of niche features like animal eye autofocus and adjustable parameters relating to autofocus behavior. It is a very good illustration of an AF system that can keep focus with quickly accelerating or decelerating subjects. Then go to 'File' -> 'Print' and a print, dialog box will pop up. Lexar Sandisk 95MB/s 32GB SD Card. To save space on my memory card, I will often turn it off if Im not photographing birds in flight. It is very capable for my needs. I recommend a starting value of 1/800 for slow-moving birds. The settings are specific to the Canon 7D and select Canon lenses (see available lens combos below). 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