I am interested in what BLP users of Canon's R series cameras, such as R5 and R3, use for autofocus settings for bird photography.

For example: optimal bird tracking settings, use of focus zones, use of Canon's autofocus 'cases', assignment of back buttons to set up different focus methods (eg one button for animal eye tracking, one for 'normal' autofocus).

Thanks
Simon

Hi Simon,
I'm away photographing landscapes rather than birds currently, so don't have my bird setup handy to check all the settings. If others haven't chipped in before I return I'll try to get back on it. I do recall finding the following video from Jan Wegener quite helpful on optimising the R5 settings:

Jan Wegener on R5 bird settings

Cheers,
David

Simon, I'm still new to the R5 so treat my input accordingly, although I have had a few good results. In summary my settings are:
AF operation: Servo AF
AF method: Face icon tracking
Subject to detect: Animals
Eye detection: enable
Continuous AF: disable
Case option: Case A (automatically adapt to subject movement) - I'm trialling this to see how well it works
One-shot AF release priority: set to Focus extreme
Lens drive when AF impossible: On (the lens will stop AF if it misses the first time so had to have this one on so it keeps searching)
Initial Servo AF point for face/eye detection: I'm still trying to work this one out as I find the options here aren't intuitive.

Hope that helps

Thanks. Glenn, as far as I can work out, one difference between the R5 and the R7 (and the R3 I think) is that there is no 'set initial servo' function as such. As far as I can work out, eye detection works with any of the autofocus options, once you select tracking. If you set the camera to Spot autofocus, it will use the spot as the guide for where you want to start the tracking, and go from there. Likewise single point, and expanded areas (7 and 9 point). You can also use a zone (which can be adjusted in size) and the camera will only look for eyes in the zone, but then once selected will track them across the whole frame including outside the zone. And with the wide area (whole sensor) zone it just looks for eyes across the whole frame and selects one (in groups of birds, I think it just selects the clearest as the preferred, but may also use distance measurement).

Hi again Simon,

Back from the wild landscapes universe so I'm reminding myself how I have the R5 set up for birds, based on several sources plus my own thoughts. It varies a bit from Glenn's. In use, for most shooting I use the custom settings C1, C2 and C3, and the 'base' AF setup in menu AF1 (which becomes customised in actual use) is as follows:

AF operation: Servo AF
AF method: 1 point AF (in C1), 4 point expansion (C2), 9 point expansion (C3)
Subject to detect: Animals
Eye detection: disable (this may seem strange, but see further below)
Continuous AF: disable

In addtion to the above, I have two back-button focus methods allocated on different buttons. The AF-ON button is set to activate whichever 'base' AF method applies depending on whether I have C1, C2 or C3 set. The * button is set to activate Eye Detection, and if pressed will immediately over-ride whatever other AF method is in use. So, I can get an initial lock on a bird by using back focus with the AF-ON button, then immediately switch to Eye Detection with the * button which is just to the right on the back of the camera.

All of C1, C2 and C3 are set to manual exposure. Controls are set as follows:
Shutter speed: the wheel behind the shutter button
ISO: The large back wheel around the SET button
Aperture: As this is the most seldom used, I have this set only to the Control Ring on the lens (or on the Control Ring Adaptor if that is being used with an EF lens).
The ring around the MODE button I have set to change the AF method, if a subject appears which requires a quick change in that.

I also have some differences in CASE settings between C1, C2 and C3 depending on their nominally intended uses:

C1 (perched or less active subjects):
Case 1 set, but with one step of left adustment on Tracking Sensitivity and Accel/decel tracking.
Nominal SS/ISO/aperture settings 1/1250, ISO 1250

C2 (general BIF)
Case 2 with default settings
Nominal SS/ISO/aperture settings 1/3200, ISO 2500

C3 (for suddenly appearing fast BIF subjects):
Case 3 with default settings
Nominal SS/ISO/aperture settings 1/3200, ISO 2500

I also have all three C1-C2-C3 set to instantly update if any setting within them is changed, hence customising on the fly depending on conditions on the day.

I think that's about it. I'm still in the process of getting used to this in practice, and it will no doubt evolve further. I can say that the R5 is a big step forward from the 5D!V I previously used for birds.

Cheers, David

David

Thanks for your very detailed response.

I think this type of approach would be way too complicated for me and I will be interested to see how you go with it. I would spend too much time worrying I was not in the best set of options/custom settings etc.

At the moment I am opting for a relatively simple set up - but due to poor weather and other commitments I haven't had much time to try it out yet. I figure I will be using eye autofocus a lot of the time, so I set up the main back autofocus button with eye tracking. The star button has been set up with 'ordinary' autofocus without tracking. As you note, this requires tracking to be turned off in the menu, so it's not 'always on'. Changing zones for the autofocus has been assigned to another button on top of the camera - I'm not sure if this is the optimal position, but its there for now. Servo is the default autofocus but I have set up the video button to toggle between servo and one shot autofocus, in case I need one-shot from time to time. This button is different from my 90D; in the 90D you have to hold down the button to change from servo to one shot (which is not convenient), whereas the R7 has a true toggle setting which switches between the two with each press. I've left the cases set to Auto.

I am sure I will fiddle with this some more. I have never really found the C custom settings useful.

Thanks
Simon