When to use AI Servo focus

  Image: 5D Mk III, EF 70-200 f/4L IS, 200mm at f/4, 1/500 sec.

Image: 5D Mk III, EF 70-200 f/4L IS, 200mm at f/4, 1/640 sec.

Image: 5D Mk III, EF 70-200 f/4L IS, 75mm at f/4, 1/800 sec.

I love to photograph Ducky, she is an energetic fast moving subject that loves to please,
so I set my camera up special for her ; ), its the same as if I was doing a sporting event or shooting wildlife in Yellowstone.

AI servo mode was made for moving subjects; in aperture priority, focus set to AI servo, drive set to high speed, ISO 100 and with my EF 70-200f/4L IS lens set to wide open at f/4, where I know its very sharp and has the depth of field to cover her eyes to ears, that also allows for a fast shutter speed on a sunny day, if its over cast I may use auto ISO, but if its sunny its ISO 100. I also aim for a minimum shutter speed of 1/125 sec, so a lot of the time I'm in auto ISO.

Zoomed in I use pretty much the center focus point for this type of shoot and keep it trained on her eyes at all times, zooming out as she moves towards me, refocus shoot, repeat, its pretty simple really and the auto focus of the 5D Mk III does the rest.

In menu settings: Case 6 (for subjects that change speed and move erratically), first image priority, manual AF point selection.

One thing about the 5D Mk III is, its auto focus is incredibly accurate and fast, with a little practice, it becomes second nature.

Ross

Images In Light

Motion Stills

 1/80 at f/2.8, ISO 1600

 1/60 at f/2.8, ISO 2000

Using a still image to imply motion, a similar technique to shooting prop driven airplanes can be used to show the motion of an animal or person running, it takes a steady hand to shoot when moving in a car in low light, mine? not so steady : )

A low shutter speed of  around 1/60 of a second is about right to show Ducky's legs as blurred while keeping her head relatively sharp, auto ISO with a f/2.8 lens in low light worked out quite nicely for this series.

Ross 

Images In Light

First Impressions, Canon ef 24-70 f/2.8L II

Ducky, 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f/2.8L II at f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO 1250, natural light.

One of the reasons I wanted this new lens was for portrait work and Ducky was my first victim.

This is amazing resolution for ISO 1250, exactly what I was looking for in a lens

The hype about the new version II appears to be true, I will soon test it out in on some Utah landscapes and give it a real test, but so far I love it, I will probably be shooting with this one for years to come.

Ross 

Images In Light