Canon 1000D Settings For Bird Photography ?

[PhotographyGal]

Hello all,

I have owned the Canon 1000D for around two years now, and have started using Manual now as I get the hang of the settings and what each one does now.

I was just wondering if anyone had the camera and could give me a hand on the what the settings should be on:



Metering Mode: Evaluative Metering, Partial Metering or Center-Weighted Average ?
AF Mode: One Shot, AI Focus AF or AI Servo AF ?
AF Point Selection: Auto Select or Manual Selection ?

Also if it is a cloudy sky, should I put the white balance on cloudy or leave it on Auto?



Lastly, when capturing birds, what should be the priority

ISO, Shutter Speed or Aperture?



Any other tips you can give would be brilliant !

All help is greatly appriciated !



Thanks

Lauren

[ceremus]

I tend to prefer center weighted average for metering, but that almost comes down to personal taste.

When dealing with moving subjects, focus mode should typically be either Servo AF or AI Focus. That is unless you're focusing and recomposing, which you may prefer AI Focus or One Shot. Consult your manual if you're not sure what the differences are.

In my experience, most Canon's do pretty well with auto white balance unless they're under artificial light, but you should do some test shots or check in live view to make sure. You can always use custom white balance with a gray card or just a blank white piece of paper.

When shooting wildlife I use a telephoto lens, and my preference for that is to shoot in full manual mode. I want to select my aperture for optimal sharpness, although if there's not enough light then I'll need to lock it to wide open instead. Likewise I have to make sure my shutter speed is not too slow for the focal length I'm using, so that must be set manually as well. (remember the focal length to shutter speed rule of thumb)

If the light isn't changing drastically I'll lock the ISO down for the best exposure, but if it's partly cloudy and the light is changing constantly I'll probably set ISO to auto.

[RichardTaylor]

Re the white balance - Shoot RAW as it gives you more control when post processing.


Re general camera setting this tute may help.
Exposure 5: Putting it all together

[PhotographyGal]

Originally Posted by ceremus

I tend to prefer center weighted average for metering, but that almost comes down to personal taste.

When dealing with moving subjects, focus mode should typically be either Servo AF or AI Focus. That is unless you're focusing and recomposing, which you may prefer AI Focus or One Shot. Consult your manual if you're not sure what the differences are.

In my experience, most Canon's do pretty well with auto white balance unless they're under artificial light, but you should do some test shots or check in live view to make sure. You can always use custom white balance with a gray card or just a blank white piece of paper.

When shooting wildlife I use a telephoto lens, and my preference for that is to shoot in full manual mode. I want to select my aperture for optimal sharpness, although if there's not enough light then I'll need to lock it to wide open instead. Likewise I have to make sure my shutter speed is not too slow for the focal length I'm using, so that must be set manually as well. (remember the focal length to shutter speed rule of thumb)

If the light isn't changing drastically I'll lock the ISO down for the best exposure, but if it's partly cloudy and the light is changing constantly I'll probably set ISO to auto.

Thanks so much for the advice and info. will try it all out tomorrow

[ceremus]

Good luck!

[inkista]

Originally Posted by PhotographyGal

Metering Mode: Evaluative Metering, Partial Metering or Center-Weighted Average ?

I tend to use Center-Weighted, but then I also tend to compose with the bird in the center of the frame.

AF Mode: One Shot, AI Focus AF or AI Servo AF ?

One Shot or Servo.

AF Point Selection: Auto Select or Manual Selection ?

Depends if I'm after perched or flying birds. But most typically, Manual Selection, and sticking with the center AF point. But then, I shoot with a 50D, which has a joystick to help me pick the individual AF point I want quickly. With a dRebel, having to cycle through the points with a dial takes a bit longer.

Also if it is a cloudy sky, should I put the white balance on cloudy or leave it on Auto?

I use Auto and shoot RAW.

Lastly, when capturing birds, what should be the priority ISO, Shutter Speed or Aperture?

Shutter speed for me, because I'm shooting with a non-stabilized 400mm lens, so just to mitigate camera shake, I need to be above 1/500s, and for fast-moving birds in flight, I may need to be above 1/1000s to freeze action. I tend to start out with my iso around 400 on a sunny day, and 800 on a cloudy one, and then adjust as needed.

Any other tips you can give would be brilliant !

Bird photography is sometimes less about the photography than it is about the field craft. Learn to be a good birder. You'll never get decent bird photos without that basic skillset. Also, stressing your subjects is a bad idea. Learn to read bird body language and back off if you think you might be stressing them. Causing a bird to abandon a nest or food is not good for that bird's survival.

Also, back-button autofocus made a world of difference for me, and I wish I'd learned it sooner. YMMV, but it's worth looking into.

[Doug Sundseth]

For me, single-point AF works best. It reduces the chance that the AF will grab the edge of a cloud or a tree branch when I'm shooting.

[PhotographyGal]

Thanks to everyone who has given me advice and info.
I will try it all out today and let you know how I get on !