I am generally happy with my new Canon R7 camera (one reservation is that it does not attain focus at times, particularly on birds in the shadow). Always experimenting, I am constantly trying out different settings for the three CSMs (Custom Shooting Modes). I recently came to grips with Noise in an image and am now shooting at faster shutter speeds (which reduces the light entering and, if the image is too dim, generates noise). As a result I have changed each of the three CSMs; here are my current Custom Shooting Mode settings and what I use them for.
CSM #1 – Shutter speed 1/2000th of a second, f4.5, and 1-point Autofocus. I usually start off with this as my default setting when going on a bird walk and use it 90% of the time and capture birds in a variety of settings with good results.
CSM #2 – Shutter speed 1/1000th of a second, f9.0, Spot Autofocus. I use this setting when a bird is buried in a bush. It is usually darker inside the foliage so the slower shutter speed reduces some of the noise. I set the Aperture setting to 9 to create a greater depth-of-field because occasionally the camera’s focus will miss the bird because of a branch or leaf in the way, or it grabs something behind the bird. A greater depth-of-field increases the likelihood that the bird will be in focus. I use Spot Autofocus because it reduces the area the camera is focusing on, thereby decreasing the chance that it grabs on to something other than the bird. I also use this setting when a bird is on the ground and water – the camera has difficulty picking up a bird on a flat surface so the greater depth-of-field helps.
CSM #3 – Shutter speed 1/2000th of a second, f9.0, Whole Area Autofocus. This is my setting for BIF (birds in flight) shots. I want a fast shutter speed to stop the action of the wings, a wide depth-of-field, and I want the camera to search for a bird anywhere within the viewfinder (it’s hard to aim just the center of the viewfinder on a flying bird).
Remember that even if you change any camera setting on-the-fly, by simply moving the CSM dial to the next one and then returning it to the original mode the camera reverts to the preset settings for that particular CSM.
How do you set up your camera for walk-around shots? Let me know and I’ll report them back for everyone.
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