Autofocus most likely limitations, my camera or lens? (Or me!)

benjilafouine wrote:

Ad12 wrote:

benjilafouine wrote:

Have you tried single AF point? I’m not a BIF specialist as some other people here but I do a lot of birding and CDMazoff, one of our kingpins around here told me to stick with single AF point.

I have no experience with your tamron lens but BIF require fast lens.

I’m using the original 7D from 2009 and it’s doing a good job except for ISO noise at 1600 and over but for the rest, it works fine. I stick to the single AF point 99% of the time along with the AI servo function. Basically I created a custom function at 1/1600, f5.6, AI servo, and Auto ISO. In some occasions I will slow speed to 1/1000 and/or aperture at f5.6 or 6.3 (my lens combo is limited at f5.6) but I always stick to these values. I also have a second setup with automatic exposure compensation at 1/3 and it often helps.

I’m not sure I could follow them with a single point at the speeds and size of them! I can give it a try. My camera has no custom function buttons on the top or anything and not many buttons so it’s tough to set that stuff up. Good advice though thank you

I looked at the specs of the t7i and some videos online and technically, it has what it takes to shoot birds in flight. However, I could not find any custom shooting mode buttons. As per the Canon website, the t7i seems to be targeting beginners as it has a lot of creative buttons instead (something a pro will never use). Someone already wrote in this thread I think that the t7i was a beginner camera.

That being said, you camera is as capable as mine to take birds in flight as per specs (maybe even better!) but since it is lacking custom mode buttons it can get very painful programming it each time you turn it on.

However, there is still the Manual Mode that pretty much remembers your settings when you turn the camera ON/OFF. Your camera has it. If you could make a good setup in the Manual Mode and use Auto-ISO setting I think you could get very decent birds in flight shots with your t7i. Of course, you would be better off with a 80D, 90D or 7DII. I am keeping my original 7D because I am waiting to see what will happen with that line of cameras. Hopefully there will be a successor for the 7DII, mirror or mirrorless that would enable me to keep using my EF mount as successfully as I do now.

Good luck!

Hello, thanks for the reply. Indeed, it has the same bones as the 80d, sensor/af etc, just no customisation of tracking or custom buttons. So I cannot tell it to be more or less sensitive or tell it the subject type for example. I have got some great shots before. Seems therefore I can either get a better body for maybe more keeper, just simply shoot more.

I used to shoot in TV mode at 1/1250, but lately i shoot in manual with 1/1600s, auto ISO, and between f8/10 DoF/light depending. For the puffins i added more DoF as I’ve had issues having a wing in focus and nothing else before at f6.3. Obviously for stationary things where I’m more confident with DoF and when lights low I open up the aperture and drop the shutter a tad. This sensor produces great results at ISO3200 really good, and with a tad of Lightroom i think ISO6400 is great too.

It is for sure the bodies for Canon that will become old and none replaceable. The lenses can always be adapted to R or M mount I think.