In bird photography, there are some commonly used camera settings that are a great starting point for almost any situation. #1 - Improved ISO capabilities in an APS-C camera. 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. 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. I'm contemplating buying either a used 7D, or a new 70D, with a primary use in wildlife photography & some filming (but filming not primary purpose). The 400/5.6 is super sharp wide open so no need to stop down - when you use auto ISO in Tv mode on the 7D the Camera will always return a aperture of f5.6 (very occasionally f6.3) which is ideal for bird photography. If you're not sure why you must choose AI Servo, please read this post. But settings are the first step in bird photography and one of the most important. When viewed on a mobile device, the Cheat Card fits to the dimensions of your phone or tablet. Swallows). But the Pv button is very convenient and usable for switching AF modes. File numbering: Continuous I want the camera to increment file numbers even if I change the memory card. I went ahead and changed mine to AE lock (hold) for situations when I need to lock and hold my exposure. If your shutter speed is risky, you will increase the probability of getting at least one sharp shot if you take a series of multiple photos in a row. However, if you have shaky hands, then the default Auto setting might not do justice to keep you away from camera shake. Hi Jason, Years ago I was in a hide next to a riverbank in the Amazonas. It is very capable for my needs. If the print shop needs approval for printing, you can refer them to this page. I recommend a starting value of 1/800 for slow-moving birds. I recently bought the Nikon 500 PF lens. Then go to 'File' -> 'Print' and a print, dialog box will pop up. So if your lens is sharp wide open, leave it wide open. First off, I mostly shoot in AI servo mode with the AF point . alessandro duesudue, Hi there, I have a 7D MkII and am having trouble taking true to life colour photos of certain coloured dogs. Try shooting your 7D at its M (8MP) or S (4.5MP) settings. 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. For C1 (sports/wildlife), I have Auto ISO turned on, Exposure mode set to Manual, Drive set to Continuous High, AF mode set to AI Servo, AF point selection set to Surround (8 points around the center). Image Quality: RAW I always recommend to shoot in RAW format. Focusing Screen: Eh-A default, only applicable if you are using an optional focusing screen. AE Lock button: AE lock you can change the behavior of the AE Lock (Asterisk) button as well. I use a Sony 200-600 5.6-6.3 and find any shot below 1/800 to be not as sharp. Anti-flicker shoot. A safe ISO is one that doesnt blow out any important highlight values. Lens technique or weight. : 0,0/0 dont mess with this unless you know what you are doing. Image review: 2 sec I leave this at 2 seconds. Keep sun behind you so there's plenty of light. I had a very short time to put a few frames in the new body and to run a first field test. Case 4 - birds that are accelerating and decelerating (eg. Here are my Nikon camera settings for bird photography: Camera Mode: Aperture Priority with aperture set to maximum aperture (wide open). 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. 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. The settings that you have recommended and the rationale for them appears to suit me down to the ground Thank you. I guess that slutter speed as high as possible would recommendable, but what about Aperture and otter settings, what would recommend. Also, birds on smaller branches just sway because the branch moves around. 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. WB Shift/Bkt. Any suggestions on how the Banks can be set-up so that autofocus area modes can change with the changing of the Banks? The mirror will lock up and you can proceed to cleaning the sensor. In other words, it is the best AF system available today! Picture Style: Standard does not matter for shooting RAW images. With some lenses, stopping down one stop can improve sharpness, but the latest supertelephoto primes are typically near or at their maximum sharpness wide open. Rudy. Tracking sensitivity => how fast the AF system reacts to a new object entering the scene. For Action Photography (Sports, Wildlife, Birds etc) 5. I have illustrated this post with some high-quality wildlife images taken with the EOS 80D by Brendon Jennings, of Kariega game reserve. : EOS iTR AF: ON leave this one ON. This was the best guide Ive ever read for any camera and I really needed some help with the 7d iithanks for this! The Canon 7D Mark II delivers the best in class image quality and is the best APS-C camera on the market today. The Cheat Cards are compatible with all iOS (iPhone/iPad), Android, Mac and PC devices. displays current camera firmware. The 6D range is Canon's least-expensive full-frame series. Yes, feel free to print the Cheat Cards at home or at a local print shop. 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. So, -1 is my recommendation here.2. If you are a JPEG shooter, leaving these on will reduce, Flash control: Only applies when you photograph with flash, External flash func. 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. If you upgrade your camera to a new model, I'm more than happy to also upgrade your cheat cards based on the sets you previously purchased. Use an aperture that's wide (but not too wide) 5. Perfect example is a bird taking off in your direction, going very fast from stopped to flying speed.3. If you notice blur in your images, you can move the slider under Auto to the right towards Faster with the top dial, which will use a twice faster shutter speed by default. I had no clue about which settings would be best for the moment. You should have the option to open the file using the Adobe Reader app, which will also save it for future reference. Ive contacted Canon and they feel there is nothing wrong! I love the Canon 7d. File name: IMG_ you can set how you want files to be named. Hi Jason, I have a question regarding shutter shock and long focal length. Some of them are very important and should not be messed with, while others make it easier to use the camera. Please keep in mind that the below information is provided as a guide for those that struggle with the camera. I have seen some instances of the 500PF producing results which were not as good as possible. If you have trouble opening the PDF on your Android device, go to your Applications and select the "My Files" app or use any file manager/explorer app. TOP 10 NEW AND EXCITING FEATURES FOR NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS. Quick Control Dial: Shutter Speed setting in M mode with the above change, you need to set this one to control the shutter speed. 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). This makes it the #1 choice for bird photographers. The Custom Controls are explained further down below. I set mine to Standard and use the Standard camera profile in Lightroom for consistency. What are the best AF settings for bird & wildlife photography with the Canon EOS 7d mark II? The Canon 100-400mm IS II is a recent update of the incredibly popular Canon 100-400mm IS I-both of which make for great bird photography lenses. Info button until shooting information is displayed on the LCD screen. In practice, as long as I have easy access to a dial to change the exposure compensation, I find Auto ISO to work well. Shutter speed: 1/4000s. This article has covered the most important settings for bird photography such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and metering modes. If you can view PDF files using an app or program, then you're good to go! 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. Some people like to change it to MENU for accessing the menu, but I dont mind pressing the Menu button to the left of the viewfinder. Case 4: For subjects that accelerate or decelerate quickly when camera to subject distance changes fast, such as a bird flying towards you. Can be set to Rating or Protect. Also for birds is it AI Focus or AI Servo ? 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. 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. Thank you all, and sorry I saw all these messages so late, BTW I checked the sites given, one is under maintenance (as stated), and the other one is in Italian (English version?). A RAW file holds all the data that your camera sensor captures. My absolute minimum settings on an average light day for BIF with either my 400mm f2.8 MK2 or 100-400MK2IS are as follows. A few casual shots with a lens completely unsuitable for birds got him hooked, and now wildlife photography is his biggest passion. 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