1Dx Surfing Settings

Shooting some surfing tomorrow with a 1Dx and a 100-400. If anyone has any autofocus setting suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Never shot surfing before, but I'd imagine servo would be a good place to start..

Maybe Servo Case 6 / center +4?

I use single center focus point and my shutter speed is around 1/800, f/8, ISO100. I guess it really depends on your lighting situation. Here are some examples and you can look at what my settings were. http://www.flickr.com …3/sets/72157623​403179764/

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

Check out the surf thread - and post some shots afterward!

With my lowly 60D/200 2.8 w/2xTC combo I shoot almost religiously at f5.6 - 1/1600 - 400 iso - AI servo - center point - high speed burst

I'd imagine using your rig you'd be safe with these settings with a much higher keeper rate

rockygarcia wrote in post #15414962
Shooting some surfing tomorrow with a 1Dx and a 100-400. If anyone has any autofocus setting suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

depends on the lighting but I start at f6.3, 1/2000 iso 400 AI servo

I imagine he was talking specifically about the AF settings on the 1Dx which have far more options than any other body canon offers (for example, 6 different and configurable types of AI Servo). I'd be interested to hear what 1Dx owners usually use in this situation. I don't own one myself, just used it for a couple of days.

The case 6 suggestion was due to the idea of lateral surfer movement and well as irregular direction changes.. I'm wondering though if a case that deals with irregular acceleration might be better suited. I think that might be case 4 (which also allows for single point, where 5/6 do not..)? Might also depend on how many other surfers are in the same area..

Very curious to hear what you ended up using!

Start with autofocus case 1, servo focus, focus point +8 surrounding aux points. This is a great all-around setting and a great place to start for someone new to the X.

If there are a lot of surfers in the area and they are getting in the way of focusing on the target, then you can move to autofocus case 6. That will create an extremely responsive 1D X. If you lose aim on the target, the camera will pick up the background but the camera will re-acquire your target once you get the focus point back on the intended surfer.

The best setting for you may depend on the conditions. Start with case 1 and adjust from there.

Andrushka wrote in post #15415268
Check out the surf thread - and post some shots afterward!

With my lowly 60D/200 2.8 w/2xTC combo I shoot almost religiously at f5.6 - 1/1600 - 400 iso - AI servo - center point - high speed burst

I'd imagine using your rig you'd be safe with these settings with a much higher keeper rate

Thanks for the info., I entered these into C3 and will let you know how they come out. Your surfing pics are excellent.

FYI - I'm in your neck of the woods today, will be shooting in San Clemente. Unfortunately it will, be at 1pm and the lighting will be a bit harsh.

BrandonSi wrote in post #15415891
I imagine he was talking specifically about the AF settings on the 1Dx which have far more options than any other body canon offers (for example, 6 different and configurable types of AI Servo). I'd be interested to hear what 1Dx owners usually use in this situation. I don't own one myself, just used it for a couple of days.

The case 6 suggestion was due to the idea of lateral surfer movement and well as irregular direction changes.. I'm wondering though if a case that deals with irregular acceleration might be better suited. I think that might be case 4 (which also allows for single point, where 5/6 do not..)? Might also depend on how many other surfers are in the same area..

Very curious to hear what you ended up using!

Brandon - Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Yes, the autofocus cases are one of the settings I was asking about (guess I was a bit vague). My initial best guess was indeed case 4, but would love to hear if thats what any experienced surf photographers use.

Was also wondering about using center point vs. expanded 5 vs 9 points.

Saint728 wrote in post #15415091
I use single center focus point and my shutter speed is around 1/800, f/8, ISO100. I guess it really depends on your lighting situation. Here are some examples and you can look at what my settings were. http://www.flickr.com …3/sets/72157623​403179764/

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

Thanks Patrick - Your surfing pics are well exposed (and the ladies are "exposed" nicely as well):

Was wondering if the 800 shutter speed will be fast enough if I'm able to get closer to the subject?

Surfers aren't hard to track IMHO. So basic case 1 should be a good point to start with. I will keep ss either super high or low (for that dreamy effect).

rockygarcia wrote in post #15416805
FYI - I'm in your neck of the woods today, will be shooting in San Clemente. Unfortunately it will, be at 1pm and the lighting will be a bit harsh.

Oh nice!! I used to live in San Clemente (best little town ever!) I still surf and shoot down there on the right swell - I was enjoying the above average surf in Newport this morning

So how'd the pics turn out? Which particular beach were you at?
1pm is definitely pretty tough for light...

Andrushka wrote in post #15417707
Oh nice!! I used to live in San Clemente (best little town ever!) I still surf and shoot down there on the right swell - I was enjoying the above average surf in Newport this morning

So how'd the pics turn out? Which particular beach were you at?
1pm is definitely pretty tough for light...

Today we were at the pier (north side). Surfing conditions were pretty crappy. We're going to try about a quarter mile south of the pier in the morning tomorrow. My niece is a competition surfer and wants me to get some pics for her. Unfortunately I'm only in town for a week and there are no competitions, so were just trying o find some decent waves.

You want T-Street - looking south from the pier you see an overpass over the train tracks - this is the spot - the second break straight out from the overpass hits big and close to shore

Its busy on any given day, lots of local shredders, probably crazy this weekend, but you work with what you have right?? haha

Your niece should know the spot if she is local. If not take El Camino Real to Barcelona St. head straight to the water. You can park in the neighborhood and avoid the meters

EDIT: The surf report is pretty lame for South OC - North OC is getting the swell right now - you might talk to your niece about heading up to 56th St. in Newport Beach, about 30 minutes north of San Clemente - assuming she is a short boarder - if she is long boarding head to the north side of the Newport Pier

http://solspot.com …-street-jetty-surf-report

Andrushka wrote in post #15418880
You want T-Street - looking south from the pier you see an overpass over the train tracks - this is the spot - the second break straight out from the overpass hits big and close to shore

Its busy on any given day, lots of local shredders, probably crazy this weekend, but you work with what you have right?? haha

Your niece should know the spot if she is local. If not take El Camino Real to Barcelona St. head straight to the water. You can park in the neighborhood and avoid the meters

EDIT: The surf report is pretty lame for South OC - North OC is getting the swell right now - you might talk to your niece about heading up to 56th St. in Newport Beach, about 30 minutes north of San Clemente - assuming she is a short boarder - if she is long boarding head to the north side of the Newport Pier

http://solspot.com …-street-jetty-surf-report

Well we hit T street, she is a local and knew exactly where it was. It wasn't too terribly crowded but the waves were mediocre. Managed to get a few decent shots; however it was overcast and I had to crank the ISO up to 6400 at times. I like to shoot in manual which was challenging with the sun peeking in and out from the clouds. When I get back to my PC in Texas I'll post a few of the keepers.


Thanks for all of the help!