1DX New Quick Custom Function Shooting Mode

[Richard Lane]

I found a nice quick setting adjustment for the 1DX that I would like to share!

Lets say you're shooting a stationary subject and then you want to quickly change your shooting mode and settings for a moving target. I have my M-Fn2 button set to switch between One Shot and AI Servo, but lets say that you want to quickly change all of your settings for a Bird in Flight Burst, without switching to a Custom Shooting mode, which has a few extra button presses.

Take a look at C.Fn5 Operation Menu, choose Custom Controls, then scroll down to AE Lock* Button, press Set scroll down to the "Camera Icon" and press "Info Button." Now you should be in Register/recall shooting functions and choose the settings that you want.

After you've finished with your selections, it's a bit confusing and it looks like you have to press Register Current Settings for these new settings to take affect, however, that button refers to the settings that are already currently set in the camera and not to the new registered choices that you have just selected above. So, just press menu when you're done

My settings are:

Shooting Mode: Manual
Shutter Speed: 1/1250sec
Aperture: 5.6
ISO Speed: Auto
Metering Mode: Evaluative
White Balance: AWB
AF area Selection mode: Manual Select Zone AF (a quick press of the Multi-cont brings you back to center)
Tracking Sensitivity: 0
Accel./decel.tracking: +1
AF pt. switching: +2
Servo 1st img priority: Equal
Servo 2nd img priority: Equal
AF start postion: Manually selected AF point
AF operation: ON

Some people may also like full 61Pt. AF area selection, but I have found that it can still miss smaller birds in flight, even in a clear sky but I'm still experimenting with the settings.

These Registered settings may be recalled from; P, AV, M,TV, and Bulb believe it or not, as well as from C1, C2, or C3 as far as I can tell.

Two settings that I noticed it doesn't have is for AI Servo and High Speed Continuous, which I'm always in when I'm shooting action. So also be aware that if you have One Shot and Single shooting selected in AF Drive mode, then you won't get a tracking burst, you'll just get one shot. If this ever happens by accident then obviously just keep pressing the shutter button while holding in the AE* lock button, if the action continues, then you may need to press AE* to re-lock focus as your subject distance changes. Personally, I would like to see AF Mode and Drive Mode added to these Custom Recall Settings. Don't worry, I'm making a list that I will send to Canon!

I also have ISO Safety Shift on by default so I don't blow out the sky when I'm using a fixed ISO, but when shooting in Manual, Auto ISO in Custom Controls above should also alleviate that problem!

Once you're done, and then you press the AE LOCK* Button you will be switched into your new settings as long as you continue to hold in the AE button*. The AE button also Auto-focuses so you just have to press AE* and shoot with the shutter button. I use AF-On for my default Auto-Focusing and not the shutter button, but even if you use the Shutter button to focus, once you press the AE* lock to recall your new shooting settings, the AE* button will also lock Auto-focus so that you won't re-focus on your subject when you press the shutter button to shoot.

Once you release the AE Lock* button you will be returned to your previous camera settings. I think it's great if you're shooting a stationary bird in AV mode and then all of a sudden a BIF or Big Foot comes along, and you have to quickly change your settings.

I hope the 5DIII has this feature too, hopefully someone can check and let us know!

Rich

 

[nikkito]

thanks for your info. i'm gonna try it later

 

[Loswr]

The M.Fn button option I like! I would rather keep AE Lock as its intended function. But, I can live without the VF level I currently have assigned to M.Fn. With multiple C# settings enabled, it seems that it will cycle through them in order, then back. So, from Av it would go C1 -> C2 -> C3 -> Av.

Thanks, Rich!

 

[Richard Lane]

Well.., thank you gentleman!

Yes, you're right it does seem to cycle around the custom shooting modes when you have more than one custom shooting mode enabled, which may be convenient for some. It seems that if you start in C1, then it will only cycle around C1, C2, C3 if you start in M (or Av or TV) and then press M-fn then the custom modes will cycle M (or AV or TV), C1, C2, C3.

For me, I'll shoot in M, AV or TV, and then I'll set C1 for the quick action setting, and then set C2 for portrait and C3 for Tripod, and since I won't need to change those settings quickly, then I'll just restrict C2 and C3, especially since I don't do portraits and I hardly ever use a tripod.

To summarize for others:

The AE* lock Custom Register/recall function can utilize AF area selection mode, while "C1" via M-fn doesn't allow AF area selection mode.

AE* has to be held in to use and then when released it returns to previous settings.

"C1" M-fn can control AF Mode and Drive Mode, while the AE* Register/recall shooting functions can not.

"C1" M-fn button doesn't have to be held in to use. Press again to cycle through to previous settings.

At least now we can play around with these new settings and see what works best for us.

 

[victorwol]

Thanks! Very helpful, I'm still trying to understand that beast

 

[Jan van Holten]

Since 4 days I ám lucky to own a 1DX. Have not done really much with it, but so far looks like a good improvement according to my 1D4.
I was hoping for a quick custom function to change from ONE SHOT AF to AI-SERVO mode. What I don't like is that I have to hold the button. Often you have to choose an AF-point depending from what directing the moving subject is coming from, or you select all the time the AF sensor in the middle. And, depending of the background you have to set an compensation ( sky as background ) Is should be working easier in my opinion if you just one's have to push a button to make that switch. If the subject is gone you can go back to the one shot AF by pushing the same button again. With a steady subject you often have more time to change your settings. I don't like the grip if you have to hold the button all the time in the heat of the ''battle''. I agree wich the two missing settings for action photography ( AI-SERVO and High speed continuous ) although I standard select continuous shooting.

 

[Richard Lane]

Hi Jan,

Did you also understand that you could have your quick custom (C1) function shooting Mode set to the M-fn button found in the custom controls menu (setting 'C")?

You could also use the AE-lock (* button) for another quick change setting.

I also like to move around the AF points for the best composition, I hardly ever use the center point.

Rich

 

[Jan van Holten]

Hello Richard,

I've tried that first, but then also you have to hold the button. To photograph BIF is hard working and it should be of help if you don't have to think all the time '' do I push the button hard enough''?. Moving around with autofocuspoints is what I do all the time.
Another point what I noticed, when you shoot with the 180 mm macro, you're limited in the numbers of auto-focuspoints. Often I use manual focus, but sometimes AF can be used. That was the fact with the Mark4, but there is always something to complain ( F-8 autofocus !!!!!)
A positive notice, iso 640 on the Mark4 is now something like iso 2000. And that is one of the reasons I bought this camera. And with some noise reduction it looks very clean and small details are still present.
With this camera the next '' big spend'' will only be when they impove the dynamic range significant.

Greetings from Holland, Europe

 

[ForumMuppet]

A feature find this helpful is worth the revival for those of us new to the 1D X world...

One thing I would add here is that the AE* custom setting recall feature is one that you can setup for all different standard shooting modes. What I mean by this is that you can setup different recall settings when you are in M than are set when you are in C1 vs C2 vs C3, etc. So that gives you up to 8 different custom recall options. Of course this is not something you could switch to quickly having to remember what all 8 are and what option you have programmed in your current mode. But one use I found to be very cool about this is, that you can setup shooting setups that compliment each other. For instance, if I have C1 setup for fast motorsports I can set AE* to be panning motorsports. So with a simple press of a button I can go from C1-Manual to Tv 1/125 + auto ISO for a few panning bursts and then back to C1-Manual for more speed shooting. This is something I wish existed on the 7D or 5D3.

Very cool!