Printable View
For those that own this body, just wondering what settings you prefer for birds in flight. I've been using Case 5 with a -2, 1, 1 - but seems every blog I read there's a different opinion.
Thanks for any input. I'm still getting the hang of it and realized I didn't turn to "on" an AF setting in the menu too; now that I did it seems to be working a bit better.
Paul
Case 5 is probably where most people should start, combined with single-point expanded AF point selection.
That said, experts will differ, depending on how they shoot. After hundreds of thousands of shots, I've gotten very good at raising the lens (I shoot hand held) and putting the point right on the bird. I'm also good at bumping the AF only when the expanded AF point is on the bird. I've trained myself to work with the camera set to a very responsive case, but it took lots and lots of practice. If you're not able to raise the camera and have a 500/700/1000mm rig right on the bird, then you need to start with a less responsive setup, like Case 5. An expert could have a totally different setup than me, assuming their shooting methodology is different.
Shooting against a clear, blue sky, it hardly matters which mode your in, so long as you don't activate AF until you've got the bird under the AF points. You have the luxury of using more AF points, given there's enough DOF to get both a wing and an eye in focus. Using a ton of points, the camera's likely to grab a wing and you won't have critical focus on the eye. Pixel-peeping is encouraged. Shoot a lot (files are close to free) and then pick the very, very best based on wing position, eye light and critical focus on the eye. (I check eye focus at 100%, sometimes more).
Practice on gulls or some bird in your area that's easy to find. Shoot, shoot, shoot and try to get hundreds of practice shots each time your go out. When you start getting a high percentage of keepers, then play around with the AF Cases. They make a big difference, but until you've developed some skills, it'll be hard to tell what's causing missed shots.
I love this camera ,, the Canon 7D Mk ii is the best thing since sliced bread ,, it has taken me nearly seven months to get anywhere close to getting good shots in manual mode , but now it is coming together,, ( I hope ) I use the new Mk ii 100-400 L lens and again this is gods gift to the wildlife photographer ,, .use case one ,,then move to case four , then make your own case . get the points to move fast on its target , use AV for a short while ,,watching your auto setting what the camera is giveing you ,in WB, and speed and ISO ,, then remember them with practice, move then to full AUTO ,, and keep your ISO 400 ups wards ,, your aperture fast and on the higher side , your F stop 7.5 and above , i use 9 a lot ,, but really it just depends on the day ,, I shoot in the rain and on grey days (set on cloudy day ) ,,with high ISO and every thing else turned up one to two clicks, every day is different ,, but in my vied ,, never be put off my the days weather ,, just shot and see ,and keep experimenting.
Charlie ,,
Charlie, the 100-400/MkII is so good that you really don't need those stopped-down apertures. My method is to use ISO 800 as my starting point, at f/8 and 1/2500-sec. If it's too bright for that, I go to 1/3200-sec. If it's still too bright and I've got a white subject, drop ISO to 400. If it's still to bright, then I go to f/11. Going the other way, if it's too dark, I start dropping SS. At 1/1250-sec., I start opening the aperture. At 1/1000-sec. (for birds 1/500-sec. for mammals) I raise ISO to 1600, next 3200 and call it a night after I need to go above ISO 6400.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles Robinson
The fact that you're worrying with WB makes me think that you're not shooting Raw. It sounds like you're ready to take that step and gain DR and control over your output. Av and Auto modes can work when the sun is behind you and the subject is against a mid-tone BG, BUT for BIF you need to move to manual, even with the sun behind you. With a cloudy sky, the bird might be backed by trees and brush, or clear sky, or white clouds or dark grey clouds, all in the same scene. You can only expose the bird correctly in all these scenarios in Manual mode. The meter in the 7D MkII is a little hard to see off to the right, but don't be afraid to take a test shot and chimp. Constantly be thinking about your exposure, particularly when the sun is going behind clouds and then clearing back out.
Also, with Raw conversion, be sure to use Digital Lens Optimization to correct for geometric distortion, chromatic aberration, vignetting, etc., automatically at every focal length and every aperture. Digital Photo Professional has DLO. LR has modules that you can load in, as does DxO Optics Pro. DLO is a significant step towards getting the most out of your camera/lens combo.
