CANON R7 Customised AUTO FOCUS SETUP for Bird & Wildlife Photography Best Results
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- čas přidán 6. 08. 2024
- In this tutorial I'll show you how I've set up my Canon R7 for both fast moving subjects (including birds in flight ) & also for stationery subjects. Some of the settings are preferential but most of them are objectively the best options to maximise hitrate when dealing with difficult wildlife subjects.
UPDATE*
With double back button auto focus the direct AF selection I assigned to the exposure lock * button doesn’t work as I intended, so I assigned AF & Metering Start to that button as well with sub settings such as eye detection, tracking, spot detection etc. disabled for more manual control. The other difference is that I changed it to AF point expansion zone instead of using all available AF points. Also remember once you assign AF & Metering, hit the info button for further customisation then also ensure the boxes are ticked once you’ve set the sub settings to either on/off.
Table of Contents:
0:00 Intro
0:28 Settings for Fast Moving Subjects
10:35 Settings for Stationery Subjects
12:24 Exposure Settings for Birds in Flight
13:02 Sample Shots
14:12 Outro
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Thank you for posting this ! I had previously watched 4 or 5 other videos on setting up the R7 for bird photography and the settings you show here are the first that have worked for me. Had almost given up on being able to use this camera effectively.
Hey Robert! Thanks a lot for watching & I’m glad that it has worked for you. In the pinned comment I’ve detailed the only change that I’ve made since. Cheers
Thank you for making this video and explaining why you locked certain settings in. Much appreciated!❤
Thank you David for watching. Glad you’ve found it useful. Have an awesome weekend:)
Peter, a great amount of information contained in this tutorial. I am sure people will find it most informative. Great images at the end. Well done👏👏👏🦅🦅🦅
Thanks Alex. I hope so:)
Hi Peter, Thank you for your excellent informative tutorial on how to set up R7, I will be trying this out in my garden later so, easy to follow... Thank you once again.. UK
Hi Lorina. Thanks a lot for your feedback. Also please check the pinned comment as I made some adjustments since that should help you get consistent results. All the best & have fun shooting! Cheers:)
Excellent explanation of settings! Helped me immensely, thanks Peter.
Thanks for your feedback! Cheers:)
Very Very useful video, Thank you Peter.
Thanks a lot Antara, much appreciated!
Nice tutorial Peter. A good video for R7 owners to check out. Easy to follow and understand. Enjoy your week mate 👍🙏
Thanks mate. You too!🙌
Hi Peter you are so good at these tutorials, thanks for sharing. Happy New Year to you :) ~ Anna
Thank you Anna! Have a great 2023 as well!🥳😊
Good stuff, Peter!
Cheers buddy!
Hello sir! Thanks for some catch up about this gadget! Wish that one day I can have that too so I will catch and take a good photos! Your gadget is quiet expensive but definitely useful.
Thanks Beyonce. Yes, it’s pricey but there are much more expensive flagship cameras out there :) Unfortunately that’s just the way it is. Thanks for dropping by. Have a great 2023!
Brilliant Peter 👏👏👏
I’m going to be getting this set up later in the year (if you use it then that’s it for me) and I’ll be coming back to this - so so detailed and helpful
Won’t be on here for a bit - but see you soon mate
That’s awesome mate. I think you’ll like it for sure & the quality is great in my opinion. Hope you’ve been well! Later buddy:)
@@peterviragphoto yes all fine mate. Lost a close relative so a lot of sorting to do for the next month. But will be back soon 👍
Oh I’m so sorry to hear mate. 🙌🙏 Stay strong!
@@peterviragphoto 🙏🙏🙏
Great and informative tutorial, Peter 😁 something to check out when I get into wildlife photography 😂 just came back from a trip that piqued my interest, haha! Let’s see. 😁
Really enjoyed the sample shots!
Thanks buddy. That’s great to hear!😊
Thanks a lot!
Nicee ❤️
Cheers🙏🐋
Hadir nyimak Bosque.... salam kompak selalu....
Thanks!
Great video! Would the “birds in flight” settings also work for sports like my son’s baseball games or an air show etc???
Hey! Thanks a lot. Yes, it will work for sure, you’ll need to change subject detection to people and the rest of the settings should be ok. It’s always good to tweak them a little and see what works the best for certain subjects. Good luck & enjoy the rest of your week! Cheers
Hi Peter. Very helpful tutorial and it worked great for moving birds but I need guidance on how to actually USE the settings. If the camera is not focusing using the setting specified for nonmoving objects and with the newly designated autofocus depressed to focus the camera, do you then push the asterisk button only once or does it too need to be depressed continuously. Should I be seeing a new menu in the viewfinder with the asterisk depressed? Thanks. Scott
Hi Scott. I have changed those settings since for stationery subjects. See the pinned comment for more info as it didn’t work the way I had initially thought it would. Cheers.
Amazing video.
What settings you change to take pictures of jets and aircraft?
Thanks David. For aircraft you can lower the shutter speed as you won’t need e.g. 1/2000s and just use the in-built subject detection/tracking as well. It should definitely work.
@@peterviragphoto as in set it to vehicles?
@@David-qg8xd yes, I’d try that for sure. Let me know how you go. Cheers
Hi. Why do you turn off the digital is.? What is the reason.. I ask because I have the r7. But I also have lenses. That do not have is.. please advise... thx..
For some reason at times I noticed that it was wobbly working against the optical IS of the 100-400 Is II. If your lens doesn’t have IS leave it on for shooting static subjects. For BIF IS doesn’t result in higher hitrate. Cheers
@peterviragphoto thank you sir. For your quick and knowledgeable response.. sorry if the question sounded dumb.. just trying to understand.. I upgraded from the t5. Which is NOTHING like the r7. Lol.. again thank you for your time.
No worries mate. Happy to help. Have a great week!:)
I have an r7 with the 100-400mm 4.5-5.6 II lens, I shoot a lot of birds of prey in flight and I have a lot of difficulty focusing the bird when it flies in front of me to catch its prey. Given that these are not birds with erratic movements, should I keep the same parameters as you advise?
It should work for sure! Also check my pinned comment here for my updated settings ( well basically just one adjustment ). Good luck! Cheers
Is the Animal Eye AF tracking much superior to 1DX MK II or MK III on this camera?
I want to get the 1DX MK III (have a longing for DSLR) but am afraid that the focus system on the new R series for Animals and Eye AF is too much to miss out on.
Thank you
Hey mate. The Animal Eye AF is pretty decent for sure but I’d say the 1DX III would still be slightly better but if I were you I’d wait for the EOS R1, which is going to be a beast, a 1DX III /R3 on steroids. I’m still pretty happy with the R7, it’s quite good for birds in flight but the readout speed is relatively slow , so it can feel sluggish at times even when you compare it to the 1DX II, which I’ve been using for several years. Cheers
@@peterviragphoto Thank you - My thinking was more around picking up 1DX Mark III when the new cams come out due to price drop - but just wanted to know if it's significantly inferior in AF for birding or not .. this clears it up thank you!
Thank you for your video.
Question:
Animals in this camera includes Birds, Correct?
I am coming from Sony A7Riii where Animals are basically dogs and cats (as far as I understand). I read about Canon R8, it seems to have those two groups of animals separated: "animals and Birds".
Hi David. The deep learning algorithm they implemented in the R7 works with many animals but in particular very efficient in my opinion with birds and of course the eye detect is great with dogs, cats etc. I have been able to use eye detect with mich smaller animals too, e.g. dragonflies, wasps too albeit not perfect all the time. Haven’t read much about the R8 but assume it’s quite comparable. Cheers
@@peterviragphoto Thank you
Hey Peter I watched your video if you take 40 shots of birds in flight like taking a Hawk flight or shorebirds in flight , how many of those shots will lock on to the bird's eyes with the settings that you showed us how to do on your site , the reason I'm asking is my R7 has been into Canon 9 times that's right. 9 times for autofocusing issues with birds in flight , a good friend of mine has the Nikon z9 with the 180 to 600 Nikon lens and it is tax sharp every single time with focusing locked in on the bird's eyes .
I am just about done with Canon so tell me how your photos have turned out with the bird eye-tracking .
Hi there Gary. Thanks for dropping by & sorry to hear about your experience. In my opinion The R7’s eye tracking is pretty good and with the settings I use I’d say the keeper rate is over 90% in a range of scenarios, even higher with homogenous background. I’ve never had any AF issues with my Canon bodies. Prior to the R7 I was ( and still am from time to time ) using the 1DX II primarily and focusing with that one was more difficult than with the R7 but still had decent results. I’d give it a go with the settings I use ( also make sure you use my updated setting as well ( see pinned comment here ). Cheers.
@@peterviragphoto Thank you for the reply Peter and by the way Peter I still use my 1DX have the original 1DX not the II or the III and I have some great birds in flight with that camera , the only thing is it doesn't have eye tracting for me that's a game changer .
Yes, the eye AF definitely helps and makes it that much easier to nail the focus but e.g. In certain lighting conditions having a redundant, manually selectable AF point is useful. That is why I still like using double back button AF. Cheers
Hi, I am trying to follow your tutorial but the camera will not let me turn on high speed continuous shooting if I choose mechanical shutter. It is only working with electronic shutter. I'm not sure what to do now.
Please disregard. I see that a different setting further into the menu needed to be changed to allow this combination to be selected.
@@nlafevre Hi Nicole. No worries. Also please read my pinned comment here as one setting wasn’t working as I had intended so that was changed.have fun shooting! Cheers
Peter, why do you turn in camera IS off? I shoot the R7 with the RF 100-500 and have both in camera and lens IS on without issue?
Hi Mark. I only use IS (3rd option) on the lens for BIF or not at all, for stationery subjects the standard IS on lens. IBIS I only use for some videos , the enhanced digital is pretty good for extra reach but with certain lenses I’ve noticed wobble effect. If it works for you the way you set it up, stick with it ( if it doesn’t affect AF performance ). Cheers
@@peterviragphoto That isn't how IBIS works. If you turn on IS on the lens, IBIS will always be on regardless. If you turn it off on the lens, IBIS will be off too. The only time this menu option is functional is when using a lens with no IS. You can then decide whether to use IBIS or not.
Hi Peter, I am using your advice to customize birds in flight and also birds that are perched. For me C1 is birds in flight when I switch to this on my camera a small m appears next to C1 so I assume I am shooting in manual? But when I switch to C2 for perched birds there is a small p next to C1 does this mean I am no longer shooting in manual, and if so is this the intent? Thanks for your help here!
Also, am hoping you do reply, if you do where will I see your response?
Hey Jan. You should set-up everything in manual mode then save it to the C1/C1/C3 buttons. Also I made an adjustment that will help you squeeze the best performance out of the R7 when shooting birds in flight. I explain it in the “pinned comment” of his video. Hopefully this helps.Cheers
Hopefully you’ll receive a notification:)
Am looking for the “pinned comment “ can’t find it, can you direct me to it?
READ THIS: with double back button auto focus the direct AF selection I assigned to the exposure lock * button doesn’t work as I intended, so I assigned AF & Metering Start to that button as well with sub settings such as eye detection, tracking, spot detection etc. disabled for more manual control. The other difference is that I changed it to AF point expansion zone instead of using all available AF points. Also remember once you assign AF & Metering, hit the info button for further customisation then also ensure the boxes are ticked once you’ve set the sub settings to either on/off! Hope these settings will help you achieve better results with the R7!😉🦅📸
Is there a way to transfer custom settings to another R7?
Hi there. Save/ load cam settings on card is the option, but I think it’s only available on the 1D series, R3 and such…. Will double check. Cheers
READ THIS: with double back button auto focus the direct AF selection I assigned to the exposure lock * button doesn’t work as I intended, so I assigned AF & Metering Start to that button as well with sub settings such as eye detection, tracking, spot detection etc. disabled for more manual control. The other difference is that I changed it to AF point expansion zone instead of using all available AF points. Also remember once you assign AF & Metering, hit the info button for further customisation then also ensure the boxes are ticked once you’ve set the sub settings to either on/off! Hope these settings will help you achieve better results with the R7!😉🦅📸
I guess I can change everything exactly like you did and save it to C3 since that custom setting is open free. Then that wont affect what I have on C1 and C2. I tried to leave manual how it came except for changing to double back button focus. I have C1 for birds, C2 for sports and C3 will now have your exact settings. I am hoping the C3 wont affect original manual settings in any way.? If I have better success on C3 with your settings, I will be a happy camper. Thanks
@@angelogarciajr5356 once you’ve saved it to C3 then you can always reset to default when in manual mode so definitely won’t affect it at all. Good luck mate!🙌👍🤞🤞🦅
I hope this fixes my cameras bird foot fetish 😭. I’ll go for the eye on like geese and it’s like “look at that leg”
LOL, hope so😜
Totally lost me! Should I just eliminate these custom settings since I don’t understand or will they be ok the way they are?
If you follow the steps in the video then you should be good to go but I suggest you assign manual Auto Focus control to the exposure lock ( * button ) just like I explained in the pinned comment. You need to become familiar with the menu system. It can look complicated at first but it is actually quite intuitive.
Why set the IS to off? Isn't that a major feature?
Hi David. IS is virtually negated when shooting at high shutter speeds. It’s still useful when initially acquiring your subject through the viewfinder, but for in flight shots for example it doesn’t do much & sometimes even affects performance. It’s not a hard set rule and whichever works for you and yields the best results, just stick with it. I’ve done several tests shoots with and w/o IS and the results were comparable tbh. One definite advantage is draining less battery power, especially with large tele primes.Cheers
I have to quit watching these. I get different advice on settings that totally messes me up. I wish photographers could give out the best settings available period. I have settings advised all different. This is one good way to screw up a camera to never work correctly again. wow
Hi Angelo. One thing you need to remember is that with double back button AF the automatic settings with tracking, eye AF work in most scenarios but as a secondary option I recommend using a manual smaller zone which I normally assign to the * Auto Exposure lock button where I disable every sub setting such as tracking, spot detection, eye detection etc. I had been using similar settings with my 1DX series for years and these have worked well for me. I haven’t watched other photographers videos about this topic as I like to do a lot of testing in the field and figure out what works best for me so can’t comment on that. The basic principles should apply to BIF on canon mirrorless bodies though but the button layout can vary obviously with additional customized buttons but I like to keep it simple. For stationery subjects the one shot AF is a better option as the focus is more precise, especially in difficult lighting. Cheers
@@peterviragphoto I am glad this works for you. It is different from what other R7 experts have shared. Subject tracking is on for you, others say turn off? wth? When you change things one way, then change things again and have a mixture of changes, things can go haywire. I just need one person or a group that has agreed what settings are the best and make mine the same. Right now I cant even get sharp photos with my R7. Now I guess I will need to do the factory default and start over. I have my af-on button what the shutter button was and my asterisk is eye focus. Everyone says use Raw. I find that my camera can process the photos on jpg way better than I can with raw. I am not very good in post with Raw since I use corel paintshop pro. I ruin raw photos lol There are lots of situations different for every photographer. Thx
I agree that it can be confusing and frustrating based on your experience. Sometimes buffering can be an issue when using high framerate. If jpeg works for you then stick to that and you can always change down the track to compressed raw which has about 40% smaller size than uncompressed with negligible loss of data. The SD card’s trf speed can also bottleneck this, thatswhy I use the highest available for this body ( UHS-II ).
Re the settings, when you use back button AF make sure that you set the shutter to only metering and the AF-on to metering and AF start then if you hit the info button you can further customise it but as I said the deep learning algorithm/ eye detection & tracking does a pretty good job in most cases. I meant to ask you what lens you’re using as AF speed can definitely be affected by that too. I’d like to help:)
@@peterviragphoto Thanks. I am using the RF 100-500. Sometimes after eye focus the eye is sharp, but the lower part of the bird is soft. Sometimes the eye focus locks on and the eye is soft? I have never been able to get sharp shots on birds in flight> ISO 800 F8 1/3200 on a sunny day. I am feeling I might have to send this set up back if I cant get it to be better. My old 7D2 with the 100-400 runs cirles around this R7 set up. Thx again
Those exposure settings are perfectly fine and should work. Do you have image stabilisation disabled on the lens? That can slow down AF performance and at higher shutter speeds doesn’t have much effect if at all. Do you have a focus limiter on the RF 100-500? If yes, you can also set it accordingly, that might boost AF performance a little. If you find the body a bit laggy ( e.g. noticeable blackout of the EVF during a 15fps burst , that’s unfortunately normal compared to an optical viewfinder ( this frustrated me at times too ) you csn akways use electronic shutter but with the risk of rolling shutter issues as a trade-off. With EYE AF sometimes it’s gonna be off but should work quite well. I was just testing it again on some rainbow lorikeets in our garden the other day, just uploading that video. When you say that in pictures where the eye is sharp but the rest of the bird’s body looks soft how far were you from your subject? This can be a depth of field issue too. Unfortunately I’ve never used the RF 100-500, but maybe the issue is with the lens? Also disabling exposure simulation can speed up AF apparently. I hope you’ll be able to find a solution mate, don’t give up just yet. I know it can be annoying but I’m sure you’ll get it sorted!