Custom Function for Birds in Flight

[BobinPeterboro]

Hello everyone in tinterwebnet land.
I'm wondering if I should use one of the custom function buttons on my 50D as a quick way to set up the camera for photographing birds in flight. You know the situation, you're out on a walk with your camera taking landscape pictures and a buzzard flies up from in front of you when you disturb it. You're nice and close, but you have maybe 3 or 4 seconds to get the shot. Well at present when that happens, I'm still faffing about with shutter speed or aperture as the bird disappears into the distance.:bang:

If you think it would be a good idea, what settings do you think would be best to give the best chance of a correctly focused and exposed shot.
Thank you in anticipation of all your help.
Bob: thankyou:

 

[mark_farrell]

+1 I've three of these 'C' settings on my 5D2 I never use - would be good to put them to good use! Just a pity it won't change the lens too...

 

[desantnik]

Have a look at the settings you can set with those custom banks... I don't think you can set things like the mode (AV/TV), metering mode and the ISO - just things like picture profile, jpeg/raw etc

 

[Canon Bob]

Have a look at the settings you can set with those custom banks... I don't think you can set things like the mode (AV/TV), metering mode and the ISO - just things like picture profile, jpeg/raw etc

Nope, they will store settings such as exposure mode, metering mode, Iso, drive and pretty much all CFn's with the exception of micro adjust values.

Bob

 

[BobinPeterboro]

So, are there any of you good bird photographers out there prepared to advise me on the settings I should put into my custom function button to give me the best chance of grabbing those surprise bird shots?

 

[Canon Bob]

My starting point (C1) FWIW is;

AV
Iso 800
f/8
AIservo
Slow AF tracking
High frame rate (although I normally switch back to One Shot)
Centre weighted metering
AWB

Any or all of the above can be adjusted to suite the conditions but it works for me.

Bob

 

[BobinPeterboro]

Thank you Bob that was exactly the information I was looking for.

I'm not sure what slow af tracking is though.
Bob

 

[Canon Bob]

I'm not sure what slow af tracking is though.
Bob

Ooops, sorry, that's an extra selection in the 1Dsrs bodies.

Bob

 

[Dave450]

Ooops, sorry, that's an extra selection in the 1Dsrs bodies.

Bob

And 7D

 

[BobinPeterboro]

Stamps his little feet and shouts "Want One