The Canon 7D Mark II sports a high-end, complex autofocus system that can be fine-tuned for practically any situation. However, with larger birds in flight, you can also pan at much slower speeds such as 1/250, following the bird as it flies. I set mine to Standard and use the Standard camera profile in Lightroom for consistency. Lets go through each one by one: Shutter Release: AE Lock if you want to switch to back-button focusing /. The right shutter speed for a stationary hawk perched on a branch at sunset may be something like 1/200 second, but if it takes off, youll need closer to 1/2000 to avoid blur. Custom Controls this is one of the most important menus in the camera, as it allows customizing function button behavior. After you take an image, it will be shown on the rear LCD for 2 seconds. Lens AF stop button: AF stop controls the behavior of the lens AF stop button. It gives you access to the exposure triangle, exposure and flash exposure compensation, custom controls, picture styles, white balance + white balance shift, auto lighting optimizer, AF operation, metering mode, drive mode and image size / quality settings. What are the best AF settings for bird & wildlife photography with the Canon EOS 7d mark II? On your Amazon Fire: I recommend first downloading the free Adobe Reader app. I can think of a few possible reasons this might not be the case: 1. The funds I earn from these Cheat Cards help support my growing family (wife, three boys and a baby girl). Canon xs50 HS. Id like to have Single Point autofocus for perched birds (Bank A in my case) and Group autofocus for BIF (Bank B in my case). My ultimate goal is to help you take better photos. The mirror will lock up and you can proceed to cleaning the sensor. It is a simple procedure, but sometimes difficult too. Auto Lighting Optimizer: OFF ALO settings are only applicable to JPEG images and I usually keep them turned off. The Cheat Cards are organized into a single PDF file, which can be printed or viewed on many different devices. Learn how to setup your Canon EOS 7D for portraits, sports, landscapes, nature, animals and more. Once printed, each Cheat Card should be 4x3.5 inches (single-sided). Until I can post the photos, you can check this out and let me know what you think o. Nothing is as good of a demonstration as a few action photographs! For BIF, Ive set Photo Shooting Bank B with f8 & 1/3200 as a starting point. Image from Amazon. However, there are some situations where you can use true manual mode. My Cheat Cards tell you exactly which Settings and Modes to use with your Canon 7D for a variety of Subjects and Scenes! : Auto with the Auto setting, the camera will automatically adjust the shutter speed of the camera to the reciprocal rule appropriate for its APS-C sensor. AF point disp. Personally, I do not like the fact that I have to press a button to activate focus points, so I always use the multi-controller instead, as explained in detail below. On your Android Device: I recommend first downloading the free Adobe Reader app. Tracking sensitivity => how fast the AF system reacts to a new object entering the scene. Case 5: For erratic subjects moving quickly in any direction if a bird is perched and you are anticipating it to fly off. For example, if at 35mm focal length you are getting 1/50 shutter speed, moving to Auto(1) will speed up the shutter speed to 1/100. For more a more detailed comparison, I suggest consulting our article onRaw vs JPEG. I have, however, never mastered the myriad of its controls. This will enlarge the text and make it easier to read. Now Canons Auto ISO fully matches Nikons Auto ISO capabilities! The best shutter speed also depends somewhat on your focal length and how close you are to the bird. Query: Doesnt focal length come into play when deciding the shutter speed? But settings are the first step in bird photography and one of the most important. Most modern birding lenses are sharpest at or near wide open, and I would not want to lose sharpness not to mention the shallow depth of field I like by letting the camera stop down to something narrower like f/11. This works fine except that the autofocus area mode remains the same although Im successfully toggling between the banks. However, you should definitely be able to get tack sharp shots below 1/800 with Sonys OSS enabled on your Sony 200-600 lens. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); document.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); I have used these settings and my Safari photos came out great: THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing you knowledge! I guess that slutter speed as high as possible would recommendable, but what about Aperture and otter settings, what would recommend. The only downside to Manual Mode + Auto ISO is that if suddenly the light becomes too bright so that there is overexposure at base ISO, the camera has no way to compensate automatically. The ONE best help I received several years back was learning the exposure compensation table for subjects vs background. 1. If you're not sure, please don't hesitate to email me at support@cameratips.com. So if your lens is sharp wide open, leave it wide open. Even better, I'm available to answer any questions you might have along the way. When using a crop-sensor camera such as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, 300mm is surprisingly sufficient. : EOS iTR AF: ON leave this one ON. Multi-function button (M-Fn): AE lock (hold). 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. Record/play: 1 you can select which card to start recording images first. Canon EOS 70D Manual Mode Settings Shutter speed: 1/12000 - 1/3200s Aperture: f/5.6 - 8 ISO 250-800 Focal length 400mm No Image Stabilization Autofocus mode (Centre Point or Zone AF) Continuous shooting mode / AI Servo (up to 7 fps) Handheld Cape Town Birds In Flight Photography Location Milnerton Lagoon Woodbridge Island, Cape Town If the print shop needs approval for printing, you can refer them to this page. I knew at some point they would get spooked and take off in various directions. No one really needs 18MP. The only setting I do change is in Playback Menu 2 Image jump with rotary dial. At one point a large group of small parrots arrive for eating clay of the riverbank. A camera is only a tool, a simple device geared to capture light, but it is the person holding the camera that controls what light the camera records. All the pictures on this blog post were . AF status in viewfinder: Show in field of view shows AF in the field of view when autofocus is active. I recommend starting out with these safe values, but also experimenting, especially with common species of birds that you see all the time. I am not comfortable with noise above ISO 3200 on the 7D Mark II, so I keep the maximum range limited to ISO 3200. 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. ISO (Auto-ISO 640 - 1250) Focal length 400mm. ISO Settings: 100-6400 (13 increments), expandable to 12,800 Continuous Firing Mode: 8 fps Recording Format: JPEG, 14-bit RAW Metering: 63-zone evaluative, 9.4% partial, 2.3% spot, CW Power Source: SLB-1674 rechargeable lithium-ion battery Estimated Street Price: $1,699 Contact: Canon USA, (800) OK-CANON, www.usa.canon.com Best Lenses for Busy City Bird Photography. I understand this is an old thread, but want to reply anyway, http://www.deepgreenphotography.com/2009/12/setting-up-your-new-canon-7d/. This will allow you to print multiple cards per sheet at the correct size. The Canon EOS R6 Mark II is a high-performing, mid-priced camera body that delivers outstanding full-frame image quality at medium-high resolution. My Custom Settings put you in control, so that the subjects are bright and colorful. 2. by a mile. Here are my Nikon camera settings for bird photography: Camera Mode: Aperture Priority with aperture set to maximum aperture (wide open). I have now been using my 7D Mk 2 for 6 years with varying degrees of success. Manual Selection: Single Point AF - Any of the 19 AF points can be selected when shooting in Program (P), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av) or Manual (M . If you want to understand and use the camera to it's fullest potential, then this is the . 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! Professional Canon Camera and Photography Training Intaka Island, Woodbridge Island, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town | Lightroom | Photography Gift Vouchers, For most of of the Birds in Flight Photography posts on this website I add the Canon EOS AF / AI Servo Settings and minimum exposure EXIF Data (ISO / Aperture / Shutter Speed). DOF preview button: Depth-of-field preview I dont particularly use this button, so I leave it at its default setting. The second DRIVE * AF button is used for setting different drive and autofocus modes. Camera firmware ver. Auto cleaning: Enable the camera will shake off dust when turned on or off. Digital SLR cameras have a bewildering array of settings. Hi Jason, I have a question regarding shutter shock and long focal length. As for Shutter Priority mode, I would not recommend it for bird photography even though it may be tempting. If you don't already have Adobe Reader, you can download it for free here. setting: Disabled, works with external flash only, Expo.comp./AEB: 0 this is for setting exposure compensation or exposure bracketing. For moving subjects against a dirty or cluttered background, then the settings change again. The first solution is to recognize whats happening and use a faster shutter speed. Viewfinder level: Show cool feature, allows seeing level right inside the viewfinder. I put this one to 1 as I want to stay focused for quick lateral moves, but not to the max to avoid loosing focus on the head towards focus to the wing while panning with a flying subject. But having extensively used the Canon 7D and 7DMk2 for birds using the 100-400 Mk2, and BIF using the same, focus acquisition will be quicker (about the same with an X-H1, quicker with an X-H2, and MORRIS can tell you about the blazing speed of the X-H2S). JavaScript is disabled. The shutter is rated at 200,000 cycles (versus 150,000 with the original 7D), which means more bang for your buck. If birds are eating, I would put them in the category of Walking or slowly moving birds that I put in the chart and go with a safe value like 1/800 or if theyre really quickly doing things, 1/1250. setting is pushed to the maximum sensitivity at +2 . 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. AF area selection method: M-Fn button the M-Fn button that I previously programmed to AE Lock can be used in combination with the focus AF Area Mode button to toggle between different AF area modes. Equipment (Birds In Flight / Action Photography) Canon EOS 6D DSLR camera body. 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. Go to the AF menu, fifth item as shown, and scroll the highlight down to the bottom. I would not bother with setting exposure compensation through the menu, since you can do it much quicker with the large rotary dial on the back of the camera. Beep: Disable leave this disabled, since the camera will beep every time focus is achieved, which is annoying. The funds I earn from these Cheat Cards go directly to supporting my growing family (wife, three young boys and a baby girl). Now this is a killer feature and something that I wish every camera had. Print or save to your phone. It is very capable for my needs. On the other hand, if the bird has feathers waving in the wind, you will have to use a much faster shutter speed to get a razor-sharp look. 1. Safety shift: OFF used when the camera maxes out in Aperture Priority (Av) or Shutter Priority (Tv) modes. Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life, based out of Denver, Colorado. The settings that you have recommended and the rationale for them appears to suit me down to the ground Thank you. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); document.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Why did you remove my long and well written input on the subject? To the top right of the camera, you can find three buttons: AF-ON, AE Lock (Asterisk) and AF Area Mode. Few cameras in the history of digital photography have withstood the evolutionary pressure of market dynamics as has Canon's 7D Mark II. On some cameras, you can even get the best of both worlds by programming the AF-On button to focus in a different mode as half-pressing the shutter button, making it very quick to switch autofocus modes. You are using an out of date browser. Then double click on the PDF file to open it in Adobe Reader. No matter how rushed you are, you should be able to capture good, sharp images of birds. Brendon uses his 80D as a second body in the field. The Canon 7D Mark II has a number of buttons on the back of the camera that also serve particular needs. Chances are, you will also need to switch between a couple different modes from time to time, so it is worthwhile to program a few buttons near your right hand to do this. I also use Auto ISO and AF-C all the time. The original 7D uses 19 cross-type autofocus points, which is extremely useful when trying reach focus on an active bird. Seriously! Up to now, my only Canon's have been FF, first a 5D classic, and for the last year, a 6D. Dust Delete Data this is used for removing dust in images if you have dust particles on the image sensor. The interpretation and application of the listed variables are not necessarily always going to provide for extraordinary results in every situation, but after quite a few years as a Birds in Flight photographer the following criteria are some of the most important factors / decisions (for ensuring great looking in-flight images). Once birds start moving, you need to use a faster shutter speed. The other solution is quickly switching to aperture priority mode and setting your widest aperture, at which point the camera will set base ISO and a good shutter speed. Some species do not do well around the 1/400 speed. Auto power off: 1 min I leave it at 1 minute to turn off the camera when it is not in use. Thank you very much for sharing this! 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