7dmk2 Learning Curve

Ok, so I have owned my 7dmk2 for a few months now plus a 16-35 f4L and a 70-200 2.8L. However, I haven't had a chance to use it much (hectic work schedule, family, etc.). I have taken a few pics with it, but haven't really looked into any advanced custom settings yet.

Having come from Nikon this has felt to me like I have had to learn a foreign language. I thought I would have figured it out by now, but I am nowhere near to understanding even 1/75th of this camera as of yet. I purchased a a book (Canon EOS 7D Mark II for Dummies), but I have found it to be almost useless.

I also attempted to read some tutorials on the Canon website, but despite having pretty graphics, the language and writing style was much like the instruction booklet that came with the camera.

Here is what I am having trouble grasping:

- AF "Cases". All I want is to set the AF to some sort of tracking where I can lock on to a player at a basketball game and have the focus remain on that player. Same with football.

- Simple method of AF point selection. With Nikon there is a round, quarter-sized selector button on the back of the camera. You move it around to select the AF point in your viewfinder. It is a simple, one thumb movement process. With my 7mdk2 I have to press the AF selector button, THEN fiddle with the little joystick-like knob on the back. It is a two step process. How do I set this camera to make it a one step process?

- Is there some better book out there that explains the functions/settings of the 7dmk2? I haven't had any luck on Amazon or other book stores.

I know I will figure it out in time, however, this time around the learning curve has taken much longer than I expected. Not sure if my difficulty adapting to and understanding this camera is a result of being used to shooting with Nikon for so many years added to the normal learning curve process of shooting with a new camera.

Everything Nikon can do backwards, they do. Thus it's a correct observation that if you've learned a Nikon, you have to re-learn a lot when you start using a Canon.

Continuous AF tracing is called AI servo AF on a Canon camera. Press AF button and rotate dial to switch between Servo AF and One Shot AF. Then you have a number of AF cases to fine tune continuous AF performance, but start with Case 1 in the default setting.

Among custom functions, there's a button configuration menu. Inside that, you go the the "joystick" setup and configure that to immediate AF point selection. Then you don't need to press any button first to move the AF point.

I don't know about any books. Canon's own user's manual explains every detail and is a good reference manual. Canon's own "application stories" explain for example the AF settings in a way that's more focused on "why" than "how". I find their language and style easy to comprehend, but your mileage may of course vary there.

For the above post I did not do a good job of quoting. Just read and I have posted answers to your questions.

As Anders said, watching Rudy Winston's videos is a pretty good intro to the capabilities of any Canon model; he does a decent job of giving you an overview of the AF capabilities, for example.

You WILL need to tweak the AF settings of any camera depending on how your style and subject matter differs from the "average" for which their cases are configured. Try case 1, for sure, until you have shot a few things and can go back and review the results. If it does what you need, you're done. The difference between cases is a set of 3 configurable parameters which affects how the AF system responds to moving subjects; knowing what you're shooting and seeing how the camera responds will guide you toward any changes necessary.

I shoot a lot of sports, mainly roller derby. I have found that the default single point AF matches the needs and my style best, though I have had some success with small zone. I need the "tracking sensitivity" set to minimum - that essentially tells the AF point not to be distracted if the point slips off the subject briefly. accel/decel set to the middle is a good compromise. And I don't mess with AF point switching since I usually do not have multiple points enabled - so it is not active. If I did, I would set it to minimum.

These settings do not match the recommended ones for similar sports, but they fit my style and I get the most keepers. Don't be afraid to make a radical change in order to see the effects. It's pretty easy to change them back. One caution: no matter what Canon says, the 7D mk II AF will tend to grab the background if its contrast is higher than the subject. Even in zone mode, where they repeatedly tell you focus is biased toward the closest subject, it's easy to get a lock on the background. Your best option is to use back-button control of the AF-ON and be certain you have the subject under your AF point before starting AF. Once it grabs the desired target, it will stick like glue. I find small zone and expansion modes to be really squirrelly, even with the sensitivities lowered. You may find entirely differently.

Ultimately, YOU will have to test any changes and try to understand the effects they have on YOUR style. All we can do is help educate you on the camera's abilities.

snegron wrote in post #18046390
Ok, so I have owned my 7dmk2 for a few months now plus a 16-35 f4L and a 7 L0-200 2.8L. However, I haven't had a chance to use it much (hectic work schedule, family, etc.). I have taken a few pics with it, but haven't really looked into any advanced custom settings yet.

Having come from Nikon this has felt to me like I have had to learn a foreign language. I thought I would have figured it out by now, but I am nowhere near to understanding even 1/75th of this camera as of yet. I purchased a a book (Canon EOS 7D Mark II for Dummies), but I have found it to be almost useless.

I also attempted to read some tutorials on the Canon website, but despite having pretty graphics, the language and writing style was much like the instruction booklet that came with the camera

Here is what I am having trouble grasping:

- AF "Cases". All I want is to set the AF to some sort of tracking where I can lock on to a player at a basketball game and have the focus remain on that player. Same with football.

- Simple method of AF point selection. With Nikon there is a round, quarter-sized selector button on the back of the camera. You move it around to select the AF point in your viewfinder. It is a simple, one thumb movement process. With my 7mdk2 I have to press the AF selector button, THEN fiddle with the little joystick-like knob on the back. It is a two step process. How do I set this camera to make it a one step process?

- Is there some better book out there that explains the functions/settings of the 7dmk2? I haven't had any luck on Amazon or other book stores.

I know I will figure it out in time, however, this time around the learning curve has taken much longer than I expected. Not sure if my difficulty adapting to and understanding this camera is a result of being used to shooting with Nikon for so many years added to the normal learning curve process of shooting with a new camera.

There is a huge amount to learn about this camera, especially if you are not experienced with Canon EOS bodies. I have been a Canon shooter for years and I still felt compelled to read the entire 500+ page manual. The manual which comes with the camera is the short version. Here is a link to the full manual.

http://support-sg.canon-asia.com …nts/SG/EN/03016​61501.html

The camera is so feature rich, if you want to completely master this camera and be aware of all its features, the manual may be the only way. In addition, you will want to download the EOS 7D Mark II AF-Setting Guidebook. This 60 page manual will tell you all about the focus system and the shooting cases. Here's a link to the download page. The link to the PDF file is on the bottom left.

http://learn.usa.canon​.com …os7dmk2_afGuide​book.shtml

Hopefully I can re-levelset you on your expectations.

I have shot 1D3, 1D4, and 5D3 for sports, I learned all the different AF modes and cases and settings.

When I got my 7D2, I thought it would just mirror the 5D3 settings, however it took me about 2 NBA games to get it completely nailed down to what I wanted for following the players and not shooting off into the distance or onto another player.

There isn't just one "out of the box mode" that will get the job done. You might find that one of the default groups of settings (ie. cases) might work, or you might have to tweak one of the sliders. You might have to work on your first and second priority AF values. You may have to decide which AF mode you want to use, whether zone, expansion points around a selected AF point, etc.

The beauty of the system is that you can tailor it just for you, the downside is that you cannot take somebody else's settings and expect them to work perfectly for what you are shooting.

GregDunn wrote in post #18047023
...The difference between cases is a set of 3 configurable parameters which affects how the AF system responds to moving subjects; knowing what you're shooting and seeing how the camera responds will guide you toward any changes necessary.

...

This is a bit of an oversimplification, though. The difference in Cases is actually different algorithms being used to determine "how" AF acts. Just like you have to calculate things differently for getting a shuttle to space vs an airplane to London, the underlying math is different. The 3 sub-settings are just further tweaks to those cases.

The fact remains, you've gotta figure out which Case(s) work for the subjects and methods you shoot with. TS and I both use this camera, but he's shooting NBA players and I'm shooting birds; the setups we use are going to be wildly different, and even if we were shooting the same subjects, would likely vary significantly due to "how" each of us uses our camera.

It costs $9.99 but I learned a lot from this Kindle book and I haven't even read it all yet.

https://www.amazon.com …ii+experience+k​indle+book

Doc

I was going to mention the same book that Doc mentioned above....its a great book though quite lengthy.....

But as a convert from Nikon, it will walk you thoroughly through the camera and, eventually provide you with recommended settings to begin getting better pictures.

He's written several books along the way, and while not quite as easy to flip to specific situations as Dave Busch's Field Guides (he didn't do one for the Mk II), the book is quite comprehensive and complete.

A second book worth considering is Jeff Revell's "From Snapshots to Great Shots"....that series has quite a few fans among photographers....

https://www.amazon.com …ts/dp/013400945​2/ref=oosr

All the best in getting accustomed to your Canon!

Scotty B.

I have never used a 7D or the 7Dii but I did a little research just now. If you are interested Scott Kelby has a video course on learning the 7Dii.

Perhaps someone else can say how good his course is as there would be a cost of $19.99 per month (or $199.00 per year). You can get a few minutes sneak peak at the beginning of the course before deciding to go any further.

Snydremark wrote in post #18047165
This is a bit of an oversimplification, though. The difference in Cases is actually different algorithms being used to determine "how" AF acts. Just like you have to calculate things differently for getting a shuttle to space vs an airplane to London, the underlying math is different. The 3 sub-settings are just further tweaks to those cases.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere all six cases have the same algorithms, ie if you use the same 3 sub-settings for all cases they will be identical.

pentax1 wrote in post #18047775
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere all six cases have the same algorithms, ie if you use the same 3 sub-settings for all cases they will be identical.

Yes. There are no special algorithms. If you set Case 1 up like Case 6 they both function the same way. The tweaks in the Case number parameters just make it easier in the field and you don't need a notepad to remember everything.

Snydremark wrote in post #18047165
This is a bit of an oversimplification, though. The difference in Cases is actually different algorithms being used to determine "how" AF acts. Just like you have to calculate things differently for getting a shuttle to space vs an airplane to London, the underlying math is different. The 3 sub-settings are just further tweaks to those cases.

...

Not that this matters because I'll never own a 7DII, but can anyone second this? I swear I've seen comments/statements from either Chuck Westphal (sp?) or Rudy Winston claiming the exact opposite. The Cases are only combinations of the three sliders. If you set the sliders the same, you get the exact same results, no matter which case is selected. Effectively, the Cases mean nothing in and of themselves. It is the combination(s) of slider positions that determine AF performance. The Cases are just convenient storage locations for 'presets' for different situations. Be advised, I have found myself out in left field a lot recently.

EDIT:

OOPS! Here I am again. I should have read a few more posts. Apologies all around.

There is tons to learn to get a camera that powerful to react how you want it to. AF is a big deal and reading that 60 page manual linked above is a must if you want to take full advantage of moving subject AF. The long story short is the camera doesn't know what you want it's AF to do unless you tell it. Take the start of a marathon for example, enormous number of possible subjects. The camera doesn't know if you want it to train it's focus on the first runner you focus on and then follow that subject no matter where in the frame it moves, or if you want it to continually focus to the next runner that is in the center of your frame. Depending on your goals this is the two ends of the spectrum and without telling the camera which one you want, you are unlikely to get the result you intend.