7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

[Trevoreast]

7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment. This is one area of the 7D settings I've left well alone.
Obviously if it yeilds a real advantage I want to use it.

Who has the 'low down' on this, and more importantly can explain in practical terms - plain English ?

I have read the Canon doucumentation, but would like to hear/see some real life experiences.
What specific settings work best with what subjects ?

Thanks in advance

Trev

[Neilly]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

Hi Trevor,

Plain simple English - set it to medium slow. That's what I have mine set to for motor sport & aviation. On the higher settings I found I got quite a few more soft focus pictures than I thought I should - the higher the setting, the more soft focus pictures I got.

TTFN,
Neil

[Trevoreast]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

I found I got quite a few more soft focus pictures than I thought I should - the higher the setting, the more soft focus pictures I got

Thanks Neil, canon say in their literature there is a significant trade off using the higher settings.

Plain simple English - set it to medium slow. That's what I have mine set to for motor sport & aviation

I know what you shoot and post here, if you say meduim slow works best, that's very useful, thanks.
Out of interest, what foccusing method do you use together with this adjustment ?


Trev

[F.S.P.]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

I also have my 7 D set the same in A1 Servo Tracking Speed adjustment same as Neilly.

[F.S.P.]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

Trev did you see Bexman`s thread in sports action football photo`s he posted his CF III focus setup .
This may help it is in plain English.

[briansquibb]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

I have left mine on the default, middle setting. I tried it one click faster - but that was one step too far

[Neilly]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

Hi Trevor,

These are my settings.

C.FnIII
1. Middle slow
3. 1 Continuous AF Tracking Priority
6. Enable all AF modes

These are the only changes from the default settings. I thought there were a lot more changes that I'd made. I'd forgotten how simple the 7D is compared to the 1D iv and that's not being 'nasty' to the 7D. I love both cameras!

One thing I am going to experiment with, after reading the article in the latest EOS Mag, is the AE/AF lock - that looks interesting & worth a play around with.

TTFN,
Neil

TTFN,
Neil

[briansquibb]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

I also have expansion point

[colin C]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

I also use medium slow, though on a 1D MKIV.

The faster settings are too sensitive and change at the blink of an eye.

Colin

[Neilly]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

My 1D iv's the same, too

TTFN,
Neil

[Trevoreast]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

Thanks very much to one and all, for all the help on this.

I've just went and looked at bexmans post I will look at it in detail tomorrow.

For me its only very occasionally I snap things or people at high speed, but I'd like to get the best performance the camera can give, even on those rare occasions.

Most I come up against is people walking briskly towards me - would there be any benefit in tweaking it one notch faster in this circumstance ??
It seems to work OK with the out of the box settings
Would I have to come out AI servo into one- shot if a walking subject stopped ?

Has anyone got experience of non sport high speed, what I've just said in the above paragraph?

Trev

[Neilly]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

Trevor,

I leave both cameras set ups the same for all photography. That also means I leave them set to AI Servo. They're both set up for action shots but I don't think I'd change anything unless I was going to specilise in something else & even then it would maybe only a bit of fine tuning.

TTFN,
Neil

[foursome]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

When you first press the focusing button (on the Mk.4 anyway) the sensitivity is at full speed no matter what setting you have set. This is supposed to catch your subject quickly and if you have say -1 set it should be less likely to jump to the background or anything else that comes into the frame.

[Oggie]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

I did post this earlier, but it seems to have disappeared.

I think the name of this function can be misleading. Certainly when I first saw it, I assumed it controled the speed of the AF mechanism. This is not the case. What it actually controls is the time which has to elapse after the AF looses lock on before it looks for something else to lock on to. Clicky

For the record I use medium/slow on both the 1Dmkiv and the 7D

[DaveCurley]

Re: 7D AI Servo Tracking speed adjustment

Hi guys, reading this thread I wonder if what is being suggested may help me, Taking shots of Owls in flight the AF locks on great on the focus point on bird on a side shot but as soon as the bird faces me AF goes off and hunts. Is there a way of having a simple shot by shot operation of locking the focus at the point I want take the shot then release the lock without having to mess with the butons on lens ?
Before you ask I am a typical bloke cant get to grips with instruction book I have to play but I am frightened that I will cock the settings up.

I woud be grateful for advice