AF speed adjustment on 7D

We all have heard that keeping the AF speed adjustment set on slow is recommended for birds in flight but how about general photography? What are the benfits and negatives of various adjustments?

You can not adjust AF speed. You can only adjust AI Servo tracking sensitivity. Is that what you mean? You don't use AI Servo in general photography. It is only used for tracking fast moving subjects, whose focus distance is changing rapidly.

Sorry, that is what I meant, but sometimes I do use servo in general photography. I just womdered what I would gain or lose by setting this adjustment at different speeds. The manual seems overly basic on this adjustment

I use AI Servo when shooting my kid's hockey games. I think your choice of sensitivity would depend a lot on which focus points you are using, and the type subject or subjects you are shooting. I tried changing the tracking sensitivity but went back to default because I still haven't really decided which AF area works best for tracking hockey players.

I haven't fully tested it yet. However, for shooting sports, I decided to try slowing it down one setting (goes two each way). I did notice a difference from the factory center setting. My thought process was that slower sensitivity (not making as quick an adjustment) actually enhanced my ability to stay on that moving target because it was less likely to shift to another target if I lost the target for split second, same as if a bird in flight passed behind a tree. Downside? I don't know. I suppose if the target is moving directly toward or away from me, that there is potential for a slightly less sharp photograph.

Does that help?

Thanks for your response. I am pretty much where you are at regarding this adjustment. For now I will stay at the default setting.

When I know I'll be changing subjects a lot I usually have my sensitivity up the max.

GW2 wrote in post #9335517
I suppose if the target is moving directly toward or away from me, that there is potential for a slightly less sharp photograph.

No, there is not. The naming of this setting isn't too clever.

AI Servo II AF is about two things:

1. Keep focus on the tracked subject.
   
2. Decide when and where to re-acquire focus, once tracking failed.

• If you use one point, it's obvious.
  
• If you use one point with expansion, it's the center point (the selected one).
  
• When using all points with automatic selection, it's the one you've chosen as the starting point.
  
• If you use zone AF, it's the currently tracking point(s).

I leve mine set to slow for all subjects mostly BIF shots as its easy to refocus onto something else by just pumping the shutter .
Rob.