3 x CUSTOM SETTINGS FOR 7D

[weewillo]

Hi Team

Just a quick question.

Is there a way to change how long the rear menu is displayed on the 7d after you hit the 'Q' button.

If I don't touch any buttons, mine only stays on for about 8 seconds. Is this a default setting that can be changed or is it a fixed time setting

[Dr Croubie]

OK, I must admit that this thread got me interested, so I got to playing around with them a few weeks ago.
So now i've got my custom modes set to:

C3 - Bird Mode. Easiest to get to, turn the dial until it don't turn no more, you've got the least amount of time to get bird shots anyway.
- Tv, 1/400s, Auto ISO. The beauty of this is that as the light gets lower and lower, the ISO stays on 100 until the aperture is wide open, then the iso goes up to 3200, then the shutter starts reducing in speed. with the 70-300L set at 300mm, it rarely gets narrower than f/6.3, so it may as well be wide open anyway. Also, if a bird is sitting still, I can easily switch the speed down to 1/200s or 1/100s with my finger to bump the ISO down, or up to 1/1000s for a quick flying bird. The reason I don't use Av is because with fixed ISO the shutter-speed can be too slow, or with auto-iso it stays above 1/400s at 300mm, it ignores if the lens has IS or not, and it's quicker to change the speed in Tv than to change the ISO in Av. 5-point AF expansion, centre-weighted metering, review time off (because otherwise it can give a "busy" light if i pause in shooting for a second or two), auto-power-off only 1 minute, it comes back quick enough, AF at AI Servo.

C2 - Macro-mode, for when I'm hiking for birds and see a nice flower, still with 70-300L attached. Av, Iso400, f/9 (easily changeable, but a good starting point). Evaluative full-screen metering, i think it's on 9-point AF, review on and auto-power-off about 4 minutes (my 'normal' setting), maybe AF as AI Focus or one-shot, not sure.

C1 - HDR setting. The custom-mode refused to save that live-view was on, or i'd have saved it with live-view on. Av, Iso100, f/6.3 for landscapes (i think), evaluative metering, One-shot single-point focus if i forget to switch to MF. +/- 2EV bracket centred on -2/3EV, then i turn the thumb dial 2-clicks to centre on 0EV, then 2 more clicks to centre on +2/3EV, so I get a 9-shot HDR with 2/3EV spacing between each shot (a lot of times i throw out the brightest because the shutter ends up at 1s long or something stupid). I did have mirror-lockup and 2s/remote shutter, but the first few times I used it I got confused (as I always do when mirror-lockup is on and forget it is), I figure that if i'm going to use a tripod i'll set it up on purpose then (that may change).

Now, the only real times i *don't* use the c1-c3 is for using a flash, which is M, Iso100, 1/200s, f/2.8 or whatever depending on lens, and let the flash fill in the dark bits. (7D mk2, can we have 4 custom modes please?)

[Dr Croubie]

Is there a way to change how long the rear menu is displayed on the 7d after you hit the 'Q' button?

Not that I know, and I don't think so, I've never seen a menu item for it, but i'll check my manual later (if/when I find it).