Timeline for Where can I find advice on using an advanced AF system for wildlife and bird photography?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
12 events
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| Feb 17, 2012 at 22:02 | comment | added | JamWheel | I tried back button focus but found that losing my thumb as a stabiliser for the back of the camera (as you need to release pressure from the button) caused me to increase camera shake. If you are set up to use AI Servo I can't see why you would want to turn the tracking off to take a photo though. | |
| Feb 15, 2012 at 22:48 | comment | added | chuqui | also, a great article on focus modes and customization on the 7d is here: jefflynchdev.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/… | |
| Feb 15, 2012 at 22:46 | comment | added | chuqui | another suggestion: get focus off of the shutter and onto another button (aka "back button focus"), so you can control focus separately from taking the picture. With a bit of practice it becomes second nature to push both buttons when you want tracking of a subject during the shot, but to get the focus locked in and then be able to turn off tracking makes a huge difference at times. see this piece on DPS for info on this, once you get some time working with back button focus, you'll never go back. bit.ly/wpodgl | |
| Feb 15, 2012 at 19:35 | vote | accept | jrista | ||
| Jan 22, 2012 at 18:07 | comment | added | jrista | Thanks! Thats what I needed to know. I think AF performance with AI Servo is fairly dependent upon the lens used as well. My 50/1.4 doesn't have very great AF as it doesn't have Ring USM. I have used that most of the time when experimenting with AI Servo, and the results were rather poor. With my L-series lenses, AI Servo performance is MUCH better. I think I have a firm grasp on how to use focus tracking and the AF features of the 7D now. Many thanks! | |
| Jan 22, 2012 at 17:57 | comment | added | JamWheel | Yes it will, it will track as best it can between shutter actuations, I believe it tries to predict the movement of the object based on it's speed etc. | |
| Jan 22, 2012 at 17:42 | comment | added | jrista | So, if you are taking a continuous sequence of shots of a subject moving diagonally towards or away from the camera, and are just holding the shutter button down...does that mean AI Servo will not maintain focus on the subject between each frame? | |
| Jan 22, 2012 at 8:57 | comment | added | JamWheel | You need to keep the shutter half pressed for it to continue focusing and then squeeze it to take shots when you want, releasing it to a half press for continued focusing afterwards | |
| Jan 21, 2012 at 23:16 | comment | added | jrista | I understand. I read a few things that said the 7D focused between each shot, and I guess I figured that was with any AF mode. I'll start practicing with AI Servo mode more. One of the things I've noticed with servo mode, and what kept me off it, was that it wouldn't always nail focus...sometimes it would activate AF and stop, very close to but not actually focused, and take the shot. I'm wondering if thats because of C.FnIII-2, I may have set it to take the shot when I pressed the shutter button, rather than when focus was guaranteed. | |
| Jan 21, 2012 at 21:58 | comment | added | JamWheel | Yes, you need AI Servo for tracking, you won't have much joy with one shot. Those are pretty much my tips for its usage above | |
| Jan 21, 2012 at 20:31 | comment | added | jrista | Thanks for the excellent tips! I'll experiment with those custom functions for servo mode. I haven't used servo mode much, and I've shot much more with one shot mode. Is servo mode required for the tracking to work? Are there any tips to using servo more properly? | |
| Jan 21, 2012 at 19:54 | history | answered | JamWheel | CC BY-SA 3.0 |