7D bird settings.

[Micktheexbiker]

Hi all, got the 7D straight out the box. Havnt got any time to do much this week as im as busy as hell. Anyway, for those with a 7D is there any base settings that will save me time reading the manual, practicing various settings to help with bird/sports tracking. Did a practice with my 1DS3 this weekend and got the technique down ok for that camera but is there a prefferred setting for the 7D? Those little critters move fast and im yet to try any real bird in flight photography. Did some top sports shots at a local motorcycle race but birds is the last technique i need to get used to. Practice practice practice.


Any help that will save me a little time is most appreciated as i have a few hours spare on Saturday and im off to a local wildlife reserve.


Just to busy!!!


Mick

[Brendan7]

Hey mick, congrats on your new 7D! I'll see if I can help you. I'll assume you're using an f/4 lens.


Birds in Flight (depends on weather) - 1/1000-1/2500, f/5.6-f/8.0, ISO 100-500. Use AI Servo. At these shutter speeds IS won't really help.


Motorsports - Mode 2 IS for panning, 1/1000 or more shutter speed to slow down action, 1/200 or so for panning shots.


Enjoy the wildlife reserve!


brendan

[Sheiky]

Brendan to get a clear view...you use Manual mode?? Also it might make sense to tell what type of metering you use etc.


I would have guessed that if I would use a semi-auto-mode like AV or TV that I would use spot-metering instead of matrix, but I'm just guessing!


Jan

[Brendan7]

Yep! I use Manual mode 100% of the time. And evaluative metering. Oh, and 19pt AF. Unless you're using a setup the 19pt AF is just superb for whatever you throw at it. Like Frigatebirds.

[Joel Eade]

Here's an article by Doug Brown on how to setup a 7D for BIF : http://www.deepgreenphotography.com/blog/?p=226


I would trust his advice, I've seen alot of his work and you can tell he knows what he's talkin' about!





Joel

[neuroanatomist]

Here are another couple of additional articles:


http://garyluhm.net/bio/tips_0310.html


http://ourwildamerica.com/?p=36

[Brendan7]

Whenever someone asks something birds, I always point them to Arthur Morris. Mick, check out his bulletin archives. They're entertaining, informative and a good read IMO.


brendan