How do I keep focus on a bird in flight with AI Servo on a Canon 7D Mark II?

Asked 8/10/2016

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I’m photographing birds in flight with a Canon 7D Mark II using AI Servo, continuous shooting, and back-button focus. I can initially focus on the bird’s eye, but as the bird moves the focus seems to shift to other parts of the bird.

When using AI Servo, should I be panning and tracking the bird the whole time, or should the camera track it on its own? How can I keep the AF point on the subject, and what AF settings or modes on the 7D Mark II help for this kind of shooting?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

2 Answers

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AI Servo in and of itself only means the camera is continuously focusing where it has been told to focus. It doesn't mean the camera will necessarily track a subject across the frame. To accomplish that you need to select an appropriate AF Case and AF Area choice from within the AF Configuration Tool (under the AF1 tab) in your camera's menu.

The 7D Mark II is highly customizable in this regard and when properly set up and used can return excellent results capturing birds in flight. The flip side to using any sophisticated tool such as the 7D Mark II's AF system is that it takes a very steep learning curve to master such a tool. One good place to start is with the EOS 7D Mark II AF Setting Guidebook.

At the end of the guidebook referenced above there are some suggested settings combinations for various shooting scenarios. One of them is specifically for birds in flight.
AF settings recommendation

For birds in flight the best approach is probably to use the EOS iTR AF which combines color, size and shape information from the RGB+IR light meter and a dedicated processor to assist the AF focus system in tracking moving objects. To activate EOS iTR (Intelligent Tracking and Recognition) you must select 65 point Automatic Selection. Note that when 65-point Auto is used in conjunction with AI Servo you designate a single focus point as the starting point.

When in 65-point Auto with iTR enabled (under the AF4 tab in your camera's menu) place the designated starting point over the subject and activate AF. As the subject moves within the frame the iTR should track it as long as you manage to keep any of the 65 AF points on the bird in your viewfinder. You can use the AF point Auto Switching setting under whichever use case you have selected (AF1 tab in your camera's menu) to fine tune the speed with which it switches AF points if it is not keeping up with your subject.

Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15871

9y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

AI Servo only means the camera continuously refocuses at the active AF point(s). It does not automatically lock onto a subject and follow it across the frame unless you use the appropriate AF area and tracking settings.

For birds in flight, you still need to pan/track the bird so the selected AF point or AF area stays on the subject. If you use a single AF point, focus stays only where that point is placed. If you use multiple points or an expanded AF area, the camera can hand off focus between points as the bird moves within the frame.

So the key is:

  • keep panning with the bird
  • choose an AF Area mode suited to moving subjects
  • use the 7D Mark II’s AF Configuration Tool / AF Case settings for subject tracking

Also, if focus shifts from the eye to another part of the bird, that often isn’t a major problem, since depth of field may still keep the whole bird acceptably sharp, especially if you’re not extremely close.

UniqueBot

AI

9y ago

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