Canon EOS 350D settings help

[Ollie]

Hi all, I am about to show my lack of knowledge of camera settings in this post, but if you don't ask you don't learn, so here goes. I will add that this is the first DSLR I have owned previously being used to a Canon S2IS

All the questions relate to the 350D with a Sigma 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 APO DG lens and mostly being used at the maximum zoom for bird photography.

I am using the camera on Aperture priority mode on either F7.1 or F8.0 The camera has seven AF points and can be set to use automatic AF, ie all the AF points light red when focused or you can manually select just one AF point. Currently I have this set to a single centre AF point. Is this the best method?.

The camera also has three AF modes.One shot AF mode which according to the manual is suited for still objects, A1 Servo mode for moving objects and A1 Focus AF mode which switches automatically from One shot AF to A1 Servo mode if the subject starts moving. I am using one shot AF mode, is this the best for bird photos?.

Also I am currently using ISO 400. Am I correct in thinking that an ISO speed of 400 will give a slightly faster shutter speed than an ISO of 100 when used in Aperture value mode?. I know higher ISO speeds increase the camera's sensitivity to light but also tend to give a more grainy photo.

Sorry to have been so long winded, but I am flying in the dark a little with the DSLR and any help from anyone would be appreceated very much. I do use a tripod and/or a monopod recently purchased after good advice given here.

Thanks in advance. I probably won't be able to read any replies untill much later this evening as I have to go to work at lunch time.

Thanks
Ollie

[nightshade]

I have struggled with this on my nikon I use centre focus and 400 asa this enables a higher shutter speed
I think Helen uses up to 1600!if you look in the Gallery you may find the speeds recorded among the info

[carlj]

Ollie, generally you're aiming in the right direction. ISO 400 if light levels are low, give usuable shutter speeds. The apertures should give best sharpness at f8-11. Centre spot allows you to focus swiftly on your subject - the a1focus changing to servo should track subject if it moves.

Carl

[digi]

Originally Posted by Ollie

Hi all, I am about to show my lack of knowledge of camera settings in this post, but if you don't ask you don't learn, so here goes. I will add that this is the first DSLR I have owned previously being used to a Canon S2IS

All the questions relate to the 350D with a Sigma 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 APO DG lens and mostly being used at the maximum zoom for bird photography.

I am using the camera on Aperture priority mode on either F7.1 or F8.0 The camera has seven AF points and can be set to use automatic AF, ie all the AF points light red when focused or you can manually select just one AF point. Currently I have this set to a single centre AF point. Is this the best method?.

The camera also has three AF modes.One shot AF mode which according to the manual is suited for still objects, A1 Servo mode for moving objects and A1 Focus AF mode which switches automatically from One shot AF to A1 Servo mode if the subject starts moving. I am using one shot AF mode, is this the best for bird photos?.

Also I am currently using ISO 400. Am I correct in thinking that an ISO speed of 400 will give a slightly faster shutter speed than an ISO of 100 when used in Aperture value mode?. I know higher ISO speeds increase the camera's sensitivity to light but also tend to give a more grainy photo.

Sorry to have been so long winded, but I am flying in the dark a little with the DSLR and any help from anyone would be appreceated very much. I do use a tripod and/or a monopod recently purchased after good advice given here.

Thanks in advance. I probably won't be able to read any replies untill much later this evening as I have to go to work at lunch time.

Thanks
Ollie

The best 350d settings for bird photography is f8 if light permits.

Set centre focus on as you have done.

Set AI servo mode which will give you continuous focus.

[Ollie]

Thanks for the advice everyone, it's reasuring that I can log on here and ask this type of question without feeling foolish. Just got to find some obliging birds to try things out on.
Thanks
Ollie

[Hillwalker]

I generally find that manually focussing is the most reliable way - it's sod's law that AF will suddenly focus on the wrong thing just when you're about to capture that BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year shot....

[eeyore]

I would suggest that you use f5.6 for anything which is perching or relatively stationary, or flying at right angles to the shot, as this will lead to a nice blurring effect in the background. f8 is probably best for birds flying towards you were you will need more depth of field. I would advise you to use one shot AF for stationary shots, and switch to servo mode for flight shots. Canon AF is very good and will almost certainly beat manual focus for anything that is moving. For perching shots select an af point to put the point of focus on the subjects eyes, while for flight shots either select the centre point if the background is confused or select all for shots against plain backgrounds such as the sky. For more detailed advice you could do worse than check out Andy Rouse's "Digital SLR handbook", and/or Chris Gomersall's "photographing wild birds". Hope this is helpful.

[Kev Lewis]

Centre spot focus and AI Servo mode will, in most cases, give you the best focus response speed. I'm not sure if the 350D allows you to set it but I use a custom function that allows the AE lock button on the rear of my canera to be used to stop the AF working (some people set it so it starts the AF, personal preference I guess). This option allows me to focus on the eye, stop the focus, recompose and take the image.

Quoting aperture values is not in my opinion the right way to advise someone as they tend to use them without thinking about the situation. To increase depth of field increase the f-number to decrease depth of field decrease the number. For a static perched bird, think about the background; is it very distracting?, too bright/too dark?, twigs coming out the birds head etc etc. This will help you select the appropriate f-stop for the shot.

Rather than just set an iso value of 400, assess the aperture and the shutter speed you want to use and then use the lowest iso value you can. Good in-flight shots can be obtained from as slow as 1/15 second but typically you should be looking at at least 1/500 second, shooting with the aperture fairly open, again put the focus on the eye/head of the bird. Shooting against a sky will seriously fool the metering on the camera and you will need to compensate for the error by increasing the exposure by a stop or more.

All of the above is just guidance, ignore any or all of the advice IF you get the image you want