The Canon EOS 7D Mark II has stood the test of time. 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. setting: Disabled, works with external flash only, Expo.comp./AEB: 0 this is for setting exposure compensation or exposure bracketing. Try shooting your 7D at its M (8MP) or S (4.5MP) settings. I love this button, because it serves as a shortcut to get to the most important settings without having to dig through the many menu items. Format card used for formatting the inserted memory card. Shutter speed 1/640sec at f7.1, iso 1250. Multi-function button (M-Fn): AE lock (hold). . 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. The 400mm focal length is perfect for shooting large birds, or small birds in tame environments. 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. Slide the handle below to see a straight out-of-camera comparison. Number of bracketed shots: 3 shots depends on how you bracket. Show/hide in viewfinder: Everything turned off the viewfinder is already pretty cluttered with information, so I usually do not want to add more. This is a great feature for fast action, such as flying birds, although the benefit was somewhat mitigated by relatively small buffer capacity. It gives good starting points for a recommended shutter speed for focal lengths of about 500-600mm (full frame) and the bird taking up most of the composition: These values are typical, but not universal, and there is room for experimentation. Use an aperture that's wide (but not too wide) 5. Enter your email address to subscribe to the blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Videos like this take a lot of time to do so support. I had no clue about which settings would be best for the moment. Highlight tone priority: OFF unlike Auto Lighting Optimizer (ALO), Highlight tone priority does affect RAW data, since it actually underexposes an image to recover highlights. Bird photography is very unpredictable, and at times, you will need to squeeze every last drop out of your files. For still photographers, specifically those working with wildlife, this camera offers . You can use Auto ISO (then fine tune it with exposure compensation), or else choose it manually. The EOS 90D captures at 10 fps with 11 fps possible in Live View. As nobody that I know of can pan at the exact speed of a fast flying subject, it is good to have the focus somewhat locked on the head. Canon EOS 7D Mark II Auto Focus Guide - Basics of Bird in Flight Photography Camera settings Set to TV mode (shutter priority). Unless you shoot JPEG, instead of letting the camera underexpose images with HTP to keep highlight details, I would recommend to properly expose images and even slightly over-expose, then recover the data in post. This way, if I change a setting, it is only a temporary change. I recently bought the Nikon 500 PF lens. How To Setup A Canon Camera For Wildlife And Bird Photography | Step By Step Tutorial will help you get started. The 7D autofocus is still first class and that is one of the the most important features of a wildlife or bird photography body. For my wildlife photography needs, I set up my own 7Dmk2 autofocus to operate on the shutter release button. It also makes it easier to reduce noise if you were shooting in low light conditions very common in bird photography. 2. His career as a mathematician led him to move to Australia in 2016, where he started seeing colorful parrots. I typically always use auto ISO as well, and adjust the exposure compensation as needed. 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. This technique is known as . Click for larger view. These cases are basically six different combinations of three settings: Tracking sensitivity, Acceleration/deceleration tracking and AF point auto switching: Although these cases can be very useful in different situations, it is probably best to stick to Case 1 as the default setting. I have my dial set to Av (Aperture Priority Mode) 90% of the time, because the camera does a great job in giving me good exposures. 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. Yes, focal length matters. Tracking sensitivity => how fast the AF system reacts to a new object entering the scene. 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. Once you set appropriate settings for a given scenario, you can save them in these two modes. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. This was never an issue for me using standard DSLRs until I dove into extreme macro photography and 10x magnification. By zeroing in on a specific camera and lens combination, I can provide you with very detailed settings, which improves your odds of capturing a keeper. I set mine to Standard and use the Standard camera profile in Lightroom for consistency. / Decel. Magnificatn (apx): Actual size this allows me to see 100% crop when I press the magnification button when playing back images. As for Shutter Priority mode, I would not recommend it for bird photography even though it may be tempting. 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. On the other hand, with the latest mirrorless cameras, the autofocus systems have very intelligent tracking and can follow a subject across almost the entire frame, rather than a small portion in the center of the viewfinder. Bird Photography Tutorial 4: Camera Settings. Support our blog by following our links for your purchases. The original 7D uses 19 cross-type autofocus points, which is extremely useful when trying reach focus on an active bird. AF Microadjustment: Disable unless you want to specifically adjust. I use a Nikon D500 + Nikon 200mm-500mm. ISO setting you're comfortable with - 200 is good, but can go higher. Bracketing auto cancel: On if you turn bracketing on, the setting will not be permanent it will turn itself off when you turn off the camera. Press the SET button. ISO speed: Auto as explained earlier, I like to use the Auto ISO feature, since I do not have to worry about the exposure. The second DRIVE * AF button is used for setting different drive and autofocus modes. Canon EOS 7D Mark II. Naturally, this has some drawbacks such as a slower f-stop and the potential introduction of chromatic aberration. My Custom Settings put you in control, so that the subjects are bright and colorful. You should have the option to open the file using the Adobe Reader app, which will also save it for future reference. 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. Camera settings alone wont guarantee a good bird photo, and you still need to capture a good subject with an interesting composition and skilled post-processing. 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). Canon 7D is the best non-professional Canon body for bird photography, it has highly customisable AF system, fast frame rate (8fps) and good image quality. How can you avoid this disaster? No one really needs 18MP. Raw makes it easier to change white balance in post-processing. Auto ISO range: 100-3200 now this setting is particularly useful when shooting in Auto ISO mode. Otherwise, a bird flying in between you and your target might trigger the AF to switch and you would lose focus on your target. In other words, it is the best AF system available today! Under the 'Page Sizing & Handling' area, click the 'Multiple' button and select 6 pages per sheet. Keep the center focus point on the bird and press the focus button to acquire and maintain focus. The AE Lock button is used to lock the exposure, which can be useful for keeping the exposure consistent between shots or when using the above-mentioned focus and recompose technique. White balance: AWB Just like ALO, white balance setting also does not matter, as you can adjust it later in post-processing. Finally, I can get exposure pretty close following these methods, but in unusual situations, I always err on the side of caution. However, unfortunately you cant switch between custom banks very quickly. Hi Jason, I have a question regarding shutter shock and long focal length. Once the download page appears, click the download button and wait for the cheat cards to open. The shutter is rated at 200,000 cycles (versus 150,000 with the original 7D), which means more bang for your buck. It came on the scene in the fall of 2014, at first blush eons ago in digital R&D time. I prefer the camera to write the orientation to images, but not actually rotate them when displaying. Here is how to do it on your Canon 7D Mk2. The Cheat Cards are organized into a single PDF file, which can be printed or viewed on many different devices. Multi-controller: AF point direct selection another very important setting for me. When toggling between different autofocus (AF) modes, you will see the following choices: Again, since I used this camera mostly for action photography, I kept my setting at AI Servo. Its quite simple once you get a hand on it, logical. For example, if the exposure is too bright and the camera is also maxed out at 1/4000 shutter speed, with this setting turned on the camera will stop down the aperture to balance out the exposure. With the 400/5.6 and 7D just use Tv mode and auto ISO. But in the opposite direction, you also want to use the longest shutter speed possible because there is never enough light! The issues I have are: Black dog with brown eyes The eyes end up being far to light than true life colour of the subject Fawn dog with a smutty black mask The camera picks up on the fawn within the black mask and exaggerates it Longer coated dogs Makes the coat look shorter as it seems to pick up on the light behind. AF pt auto switching => speed at which the AF system changes from one point to another when having AF point expansion activated. The method goes like this: set the shutter to the slowest that works for controlling blur, e.g. The above is a quick summary, but if you are looking for detailed information on autofocus modes, see my DSLR autofocus modes article. It comes at no extra cost to you and it helps keeping this photography blog lively! Note that their was some motion blur 1/2000 sec was not enough to fully freeze the movement. : Shows battery level and life. As for aperture, I pretty much always set the lens to as wide open as I can, especially for darker situations. by a mile. 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. When viewed on a mobile device, the Cheat Card fits to the dimensions of your phone or tablet. 7D AF settings for wildlife 8 posts, 1 page 1 ed57gmc Goldmember 1,357 posts Gallery: 3 photos Likes: 209 Joined Mar 2011 Location: Hughson CA More info Jul 26, 2012 12:07 | #1 I just got a 7D! Back-button autofocus refers to assigning the back AF button, usually labeled AF-On, to initiate autofocus, and (usually) disabling autofocus from the half-press of the shutter button. Image review: 2 sec I leave this at 2 seconds. It is very capable for my needs. 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. Auto Mode exposes for the brightest parts of the scene, leaving subjects dark and dreary. After you take an image, it will be shown on the rear LCD for 2 seconds. The below autofocus settings are provided as a guidance to what worked well for me when photographing birds, so your mileage might vary. Digital SLR cameras have a bewildering array of settings. 3. If you want to preserve the battery life, you can turn this off as well. The Cheat Cards eliminate any guesswork and provide a simple step-by-step recipe that puts you in the best position to take a beautiful photo. For those with poor eyesight, I recommend rotating your device to the horizontal orientation. 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. My ultimate goal is to help you take better photos. This is particularly useful when doing long exposure photography and when working with neutral density filters. Good question. 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. If you just want to know the settings without the reasons, you can jump . I mentioned that I was mainly considering the 500-600mm range. I use custom noise reduction techniques in post-processing, and I feel much safer knowing I have the best starting point in a Raw rather than JPEG file. I went ahead and changed mine to AE lock (hold) for situations when I need to lock and hold my exposure. Viewfinder level: Show cool feature, allows seeing level right inside the viewfinder. all the way to ISO 16,000. : 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. Bird & wildlife photography have specific AF setting needs and I am going to walk you through what I personally use . 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 Allows the camera to automatically change your set shutter speed, aperture, or ISO. But settings are the first step in bird photography and one of the most important. 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 is how my camera looks when I do that because I have already microadjusted my lens.. Accel./decel. So much to keep track of and Safety Shift can help ensure accurate exposure. If you email me over the weekend, I will get back to you first thing Monday morning. : 0,0/0 dont mess with this unless you know what you are doing. The ONE best help I received several years back was learning the exposure compensation table for subjects vs background. AF point disp. It includes dual DIGIC processors which deliver continuous shooting of over 1,000 JPEG images and 31 RAW photos. In practice, as long as I have easy access to a dial to change the exposure compensation, I find Auto ISO to work well. WB Shift/Bkt. But don't be fooled. 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. Even with a properly-exposed shot, I still like to manipulate tone curves to bring out the subtle gradations on the subject itself, and this is where Raw shines. If you keep the default setting (OFF), you will not be able to make quick adjustments to focus points by using the multi-controller on the back. MORRIS will respond more accurately to this point. 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. [CDATA[ The Canon 7d Mark II shoots at up to 10 frames per second. 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. The Canon 7D Mark II is a popular camera forsports and wildlife photography, but it also comes with a complex and often confusing menu system for photographers. Matrix/evaluative metering is usually the most advanced and hands-off metering system on a camera, but I tend to prefer the predictability of spot and center-weighted for my bird photography. The new AF system of the Canon 7d mark II is inherited from the Canon EOS 5d mark III and the Canon EOS 1DX. You'll also receive a follow up email with a download link for future reference. Custom Controls this is one of the most important menus in the camera, as it allows customizing function button behavior. All Birds in Flight delegates are invited to join the Bird in Flight Photography Facebook Support group for posting images, discussion and questions. 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. I love the Canon 7d. Since Ive found that I can get tack sharp images in extreme macro only by using ultra short flash light because of shutter shock (my camera has no electronic shutter), I wonder if you have ecperienced any limitations in this regard using very long lenses. Some of them are very important and should not be messed with, while others make it easier to use the camera. Download the PDF to your Amazon Fire. Your article shed a breath of fresh air and a simple approach. The factory-default setting on cameras enables focusing by pressing the shutter button halfway. Lets go through each one of them, one by one. Image Quality: RAW I always recommend to shoot in RAW format. Case 5: For erratic subjects moving quickly in any direction if a bird is perched and you are anticipating it to fly off. Setup and Tips For Canon EOS / EOS R Birds in Flight Photography, Yellow-Billed Duck in Flight - Canon EOS 7D Mark II / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens, Mastering Canon Birds in Flight Photography, Quick Setup used for Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens, Little Egret in Flight - Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Prime Lens, Red-Knobbed Coot - Woodbridge Island Milnerton, Cape Town, Grey Heron in Flight - Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Prime Lens, More Birds in Flight Photography Information, Birds in Flight Photography Cape Town : Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Greater Flamingos Woodbridge Island - Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Prime Lens, Canon Photography Training Woodbridge Island | Kirstenbosch | Intaka Island Cape Town, Understanding the Canon Autofocus (AF) Systems, Effect of Low Light in Birds in Flight Photography, Birds in Flight Photography Cape Town Support, Continuous Shooting Mode up to 10fps (depending on EOS body), No IS (lens used does not use IS, but not an issue at 1/3200s), Lexar Professional 32GB 800x / 120MB/s CF Card, SanDisk Extreme PRO 32GB 95MB/s SD memory Card, SanDisk Extreme PLUS 32GB 80MB/s SD memory Card. I'm a hobbyist bird photographer and I recently went birding in the Himalayan foothills in India, to a town called Sattal. It is a neat feature that I wish all other cameras had! Given that the optimal shutter speed can vary wildly in bird photography, you need to be in a camera mode that allows you to control shutter speed. So Evaluative is better for birding ? I set mine to only remember the focus point. At one point a large group of small parrots arrive for eating clay of the riverbank. Newer mirrorless cameras often have animal eye AF modes that actually do work for birds, so I suggest experimenting with those. Step 2 - set the camera to continuous shooting mode Images at 100mm are dynamic, however my best bird photos tend to be between 200-250. Canon xs50 HS. Good question. I prefer to let the camera continue to search. 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. : EOS iTR AF: ON leave this one ON. It is suitable for action shooting. Until I can post the photos, you can check this out and let me know what you think o. Also for birds is it AI Focus or AI Servo ? This tutorial describes the best settings to use, and why. Once it's installed, open up the email with the download link. The body of the Canon 7D Mark II is made out of a rugged magnesium alloy material. setting is pushed to the maximum sensitivity at +2 . It is a very good illustration of an AF system that can keep focus with quickly accelerating or decelerating subjects. For BIF use 9 point, for static birds use single point (centre). Canon offers six pre-sets cases for you to choose from, and while they are quite alright on their own, I have my own special recipe: As you may see above, there are three dimensions one my play with when fine-tuning the Canon 7d mark II AF settings: 1. You can determine this ISO value by photographing the brightest birds at the beginning of the shooting session and finding an ISO that doesnt overexpose them. I personally favor Manual mode when photographing birds to keep my shutter speed the same, while letting the camera control ISO via Auto ISO. The 6D range is Canon's least-expensive full-frame series. I have illustrated this post with some high-quality wildlife images taken with the EOS 80D by Brendon Jennings, of Kariega game reserve. Dial direction during Tv/Av: Normal I leave this at normal, but if you want to flip the direction of dials, you can set it to Reverse direction. Info button until shooting information is displayed on the LCD screen. Get out of auto and get control of your camera using tried-and-true recipes. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Believe me, some birds that seem to be static really are not due to breathing or other small movements. AI Servo 2nd image priority: Equal Priority once focus is locked and the camera is already shooting and actively tracking the subject, I want to give equal priority to focusing and releasing. The reason is that in brighter light, if you forget to change your shutter speed, the camera can stop down the aperture too much. Assign your custom shooting mode to one of the three options: C1, C2, or C3. But the Pv button is very convenient and usable for switching AF modes. Lens aberration correction: I disable all corrections, because they only apply to JPEG images. Orientation linked AF point: Separate AF pts: Pt only I love this feature, as it will remember what focus point I set when shooting vertical vs horizontal images. link just above the checkout button and enter the coupon code: B2G1FREE. Picture Style: Standard does not matter for shooting RAW images. Aperture: f/6.3. Yes, I offer a buy two get one free deal. It has a 1.6 crop factor for closer bird photos, 65 autofocus points (all cross type), and Dual Digic 6 processors for faster image processing. I never use this feature, since I prefer cleaning the camera sensor instead. in viewfinder: When monochrome set, When WB is corrected, When one-touch img qual set, When NR is set shows an exclamation mark in the viewfinder if these conditions are met. ISO speed setting increments: 1/3 stop same here for ISO. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it. Just fold it down the middle, glue or double-stick tape the blank side together and then laminate it. - Birds In Flight: wings position - Birds In Flight: wind direction - Blur Techniques - Sony Alpha 1 Settings For Bird Photography - Canon EOS 1dX mark ii AF settings - Canon EOS 7d mark ii . Personally, I am a fan of the Auto ISO setting, as it automatically selects the right ISO for me depending on the brightness of the scene. Histogram disp: Brightness if you want to see a histogram for each color channel, pick RGB. My Cheat Cards tell you exactly which Settings and Modes to use with your Canon 7D for a variety of Subjects and Scenes! Thanks for sharing! This setting also comes in handy with slower-moving subjects like a shorebird running down the beach or a flitting songbird. Easy to follow, step-by-step cheat sheets show you exactly which modes and autofocus settings to use with your 7D. The only serious limitation is the lack of point metering linked to AF point. This mode is useful for action shots, especially birds in flight. Lens AF stop button: AF stop controls the behavior of the lens AF stop button. You can also use the Fn1 button, but I find it much harder to reach than the Pv button so I dont use it as much. AE Lock button: AE lock you can change the behavior of the AE Lock (Asterisk) button as well. This is an attempt at a very tight closeup around the bird's head while being in flight. We consider the Canon EOS 7D to be one of the best choices for bird photography, largely because of the impressive 8-frames per second continuous shooting. Nasims article on Autofocus Modes can introduce you to some of the different options if you arent already familiar. The playback menu 3 has some important settings that I often use: Custom Functions menu is used to fine tune the many parameters of the camera. If you look at your images at 100%, you'll see that the lower resolution shots are sharper pixel-by-pixel! Sadly, the shooting bank cant store the AF settings. 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 am also a birder and such shots are very useful even though Id prefer that no one ever see them :). The Canon 7D Mark II has a built-in mode to set a specific timer in bulb mode, so you do not need any remote shutter release to be able to shoot for longer than 30 seconds. Learn how to setup your Canon EOS 7D for portraits, sports, landscapes, nature, animals and more. Any suggestions on how the Banks can be set-up so that autofocus area modes can change with the changing of the Banks? You are using an out of date browser. Quick Control Dial: Shutter Speed setting in M mode with the above change, you need to set this one to control the shutter speed. Lets go through the camera Menu settings now. Once again, you will need to rotate the rear dial to switch between different drive modes, while the top rotary dial is used to switch between autofocus modes.