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Archive 2012 · 7D settings suggestions

  
 
vigna
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · 7D settings suggestions


I need your 7D expert help in setting up Canon 7D to shoot an Indian classical dance event. Dance is performed over 2 hours in well lit auditorium and no flash is allowed. Dance involves lot sequence of arm and leg movements some time very fast. I thought Canon 7D will do the job with a 1.6X crop factor as an advantage for these events. In the past i have used 40D with good success and it is getting old now. i am getting a new 7D and I need your wise words to operate smoothly. Some of my dance shooting can be seen at the soma.smugmug.com

I thank you for your inputs.

vigna



Feb 19, 2012 at 09:11 PM
Jeff Nolten
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · 7D settings suggestions


This might help, course its for sports.
EOS 7D's custom functions explained

Edit: With the 7D and its AF you need to go through the AF related custom functions and set them appropriately for what you're trying to do. And then practice a bit. Here are some initial settings that I used (copied from an internet posting I found). Just use this as a starting point.

C.Fn III: Autofocus Drive
• 1 - AI Servo tracking Sensitivity: Set to -1
• 2 - AI Servo 1st/2nd img priority - Set to 0 - AF priority/Tracking Priority
• 3 - AI Servo Tracking Method - Set to 0 - Main Focus point priority (that way the camera focuses on what you want, not what it wants)
• 4 - Lens Drive when AF impossible - Set to 0
• 5 - AF Microadjustment - Set to 0
• 6 - AF area select mode - single point w/expansion selected and single point. Been shooting mostly on single point w/expansion for sports.
• 7 - AF Manual pt. selection pattern - Set to 1 (Continuous)
• 8 - VF display illumination - set to 1 (Enable)
• 9 - Display all AF points - Set to 0
• 10 - Focus Display in AI Servo/MF - Set to 0
• 11 - AF-assist beam firing - set to 2 (Enable to external flash only)
• 12 - Orientation linked AF point - Set to 0
• 13 - Mirror lockup - Set to 0 (Disable)



Feb 19, 2012 at 09:20 PM
vigna
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · 7D settings suggestions


Thanks Jeff.
That will be a good start to learn custom function settings.




Feb 19, 2012 at 10:27 PM
BrianO
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · 7D settings suggestions


vigna wrote:
...well lit auditorium and no flash is allowed. Dance involves lot sequence of arm and leg movements some time very fast.


The most important factors will be the same as with your 40D: a fast, sharp lens; proper use of shutter speed (slow to impart a sense of motion versus fast to freeze action); the lowest ISO setting that will allow proper exposure at the shutter speed and aperture you're using; etc.

I'm finding that the myriad details of all the functions on my 7D, compared to the few on my 20D, are sometimes getting in the way of my shooting, and so I tend to set things up as simply and basically as I can: no Auto Lighting Optimizer, no automatic focus-point selection, no Safety Shift, etc. This may differ from what works for others, but Manual mode with simple metering settings works for me.



Feb 19, 2012 at 11:36 PM
vigna
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · 7D settings suggestions


Thanks Brian. I used AV or manual mode with 640 ISO. When action begins I go wide open to get the shutter speed up to the max to freeze the action. Single focus point often center one to focus with continuous focusing mode. But D has custom mode capabilities and I assume it will be better use of the cameras capability as Jeff mentioned above. I was able to produce decent images from 20D and 40D combination by using fast prime lens 135mm f2.0, 85mm f1.8 and 35mm f1.4.
I have to workout particular combination these objectives with 7D and also 70-200mm 2.8 IS. Canon 40D with 85mm and 35mm has been very good and 20D with 135mm was good. I like to know more on the best objective combination for the Canon 7D out of above lenses.



Feb 20, 2012 at 02:19 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · 7D settings suggestions


Best advice I've had on the 7D (and this is for all times) is to set the DOF button for spot AF . This allows you to be in any AF mode (I use zone alot) and with the press of the DOF button you are instantly in spot AF .
Would possibly help the in the OP's situation if for instance the AF picked up on one of those flailing arms when you want to focus on a face.



Feb 20, 2012 at 03:06 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · 7D settings suggestions


Other good things to do :
Set up so that you can have different AF zones in landscape and portrait orientation before you start shooting.
Then you can set the zones or single points that you want to use in each orientation . Very handy.

If you don't already, shoot raw. Lr3 etc handle the raw files very well.




Feb 20, 2012 at 03:13 AM
BrianO
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · 7D settings suggestions


Ian.Dobinson wrote:
Best advice I've had on the 7D (and this is for all times) is to set the DOF button for spot AF . This allows you to be in any AF mode (I use zone alot) and with the press of the DOF button you are instantly in spot AF.


I like that idea. I never use DOF Preview; Live View works better whan I want to see the DOF, so I might as well assign the button to something more useful.



Feb 20, 2012 at 04:15 AM
DLP
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · 7D settings suggestions


Turn Zone AF and auto AF point selection OFF. That's the single best improvement I've found on the 7D. Set this in CFn 3.6. This way you scroll between Single point, spot and expansion.
If you set the DOF button for spot AF just remember that it works very well with spot metering. Here's a link that may help the OP. (see page 7)

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/technical/eos_7D_custom_functions_explained.do



Feb 20, 2012 at 10:37 AM
Gochugogi
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · 7D settings suggestions


Spot AF and Zone are my fav AF modes. Realize Auto AF selection does not work like the same mode on the 40D: while in auto select mode, move the joystick and select an AF point. Thus you are instantly in single point mode. The 7D requires a couple additional steps to get from auto AF selection mode to single point: press a Button on the back to activate AF modes and press the M-Fn button on the top repeatedly to cycle through the AF modes to single point mode. So I never use auto AF selection mode as it's too hard to get out of. Canon's method of selecting AF modes is too slow. You can also do it on the quick control screen if you have time to drop the camera from your eye.

Like Ian, I have Spot AF assigned to the DOF button and find the instant availability extremely useful.



Feb 20, 2012 at 01:22 PM
M Lucca
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · 7D settings suggestions


Assigning the DoF button to switch b/t One-Shot and AI Servo AF is great for PJ work.


Feb 20, 2012 at 03:00 PM
RobDickinson
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · 7D settings suggestions


I use back button AF-on and AI Servo all the time.


Feb 20, 2012 at 03:08 PM
Pixel Perfect
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · 7D settings suggestions


BrianO wrote:
I like that idea. I never use DOF Preview; Live View works better whan I want to see the DOF, so I might as well assign the button to something more useful.


On the 7D you can basically have 3 separate AF settings: I use * button for say centre point, AF-ON button for an off-centre point/zone, DOF button to change centre point from normal to spot AF.



Feb 20, 2012 at 08:27 PM
vigna
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · 7D settings suggestions


Thanks Ian.
I usually shoot RAW and use spot metering mode with my 40D. Always used one single AF point and AF servo with these events.
One question to you is can I assign specific single AF point for landscape and portrait with 7D?



Feb 20, 2012 at 10:02 PM
dwweiche
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · 7D settings suggestions


vigna wrote:
Thanks Ian.
I usually shoot RAW and use spot metering mode with my 40D. Always used one single AF point and AF servo with these events.
One question to you is can I assign specific single AF point for landscape and portrait with 7D?


Yes. CFn III-12, page 214.



Feb 20, 2012 at 10:39 PM
BrianO
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · 7D settings suggestions


vigna wrote:
...can I assign specific single AF point for landscape and portrait with 7D?


As dwweiche said, yes. I'm mainly a portraitist, so I have my 7D set to spot AF with the spot above the center point as my initial focus point. That way I can focus on the eyes without too much recomposing afterward. When I flip from landscape orientation to portrait orientation the AF point moves.

(Interestingly, it only moves if I flip the camera counter-clockwise. In the rare event that I flip it the other way -- to get the pop-up flash on the right side of the frame, for example -- the AF point doesn't move.)



Feb 21, 2012 at 12:35 AM
RobDickinson
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · 7D settings suggestions


If you have rotation dependant focus points it keeps separate settings for rotated left and right, even remembers the focus point type.


Feb 21, 2012 at 12:42 AM
BrianO
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · 7D settings suggestions


RobDickinson wrote:
If you have rotation dependant focus points it keeps separate settings for rotated left and right...


It does? [Sigh.] Back to the books I shall go.

Much as I love digital photography in general and my new 7D in particular, sometimes I long for my Kodak Instamatic.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Kodak_Instamatic_104.jpg/800px-Kodak_Instamatic_104.jpg

Life seemed much simpler when I was 12.



Feb 21, 2012 at 12:48 AM





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