40D Bird Photography Setup?

I am awaiting delivery of a 40D but since I am upgrading from a 350d I assume that a lot of stuff is going to be different, therefore I was wondering if anyone could tell me what are the best settings to use?

Thanks for any info

Sorry if this has been discussed before but I did a search and couldn't find anything.

Hello,
The best settings are dependent on your own personal shooting style. However, I'd be happy to tell you how I set up my 40D/50D for wildlife.
I shoot manual, raw (only), high speed frame rate (6+ fps), AF - AI Servo, AF on af button only, shutter release (no af), sRGB, Standard Picture Style w/no sharpening (modified from predetermined settings), no noise-reduction, base iso (100).

As with any camera, you'll need to play with it and figure out what works for you and your subjects.
cheers,
bruce

A couple of other selections I use: Highlight Alert enabled; CF2 long exposure noise reduction Auto.

I'm not a bird shooter but do occasionally use the 40D with the 400/5.6 for birds in flight. Considering that this camera's AF system is not designed for that kind of shooting, the results are better than expected.

Like Owlseye, I set the camera to high speed continuous which gives a 17 frame burst at 6 fps when shooting RAW. Make sure you have a CF card that transfers fast with the 40D so the buffer empties quick and you can continue shooting. There are tables that show which cards work the fastest with that camera; I don't have links but am sure if you google it you will find that information. I use 4 GB SanDisks with a 30MBs transfer rate.

Setting a picture style and sRGB is not needed when shooting RAW; doesn't have adverse effects either, though. Same goes for highlight alert (you won't have time for checking) and the long exposure noise reduction, unless you want to shoot the birds with a sloooow shutter speed for smooth wing movement.

I do highly recommend the Canon 400/5.6 for this type of shooting (and so does about everybody else I know). This lens will still be in your arsenal long after you have upgraded from the 40D to a camera that is meant for shooting birds.

I did the same upgrade last year. You'll have a lot of fun with the 40D, it's a fine camera. Your needs may be quite different to mine, but I found the custom settings on the mode dial really useful. Usually I shoot in Av mode with autofocus off for the shutter button. I use the * button set up on the back for focus. I have C1 set up for bracketed exposures for panoramas (f8, AEB 2 stops, iso 200, -1 stop compensation, high speed shooting, one shot, AF start off and one AF point active), C2 for BIF (f5.6, iso 400, +.75 stop compensation, high speed shooting, AI focus, autofocus switched on for the shutter button and all AF points active), and C3 for mirror lockup and live view. So if I am shooting a landscape and hear birds calling, it takes a second or two to switch to C2 and be ready as they approach. The "My menu" is also a big improvement.
David

The 40D will definitely be a more enjoyable experience than the 350D XT. I did use the 350D for a bit. The 40D is much better and a joy to use. Get an extended warranty if you can although some credit cards will tack on another year anyway.

For bird photography I'd recommend at least an 8GB card with the 40D. Especially if you are using the 6fps option and the RAW file size is larger than on the 350D. Get 2 if you can as they can fill up sooner than you expect. I recently purchased a 16Gb card after I got the "Card Full" message on a few shoots. I use Sandisk Extreme 4.

I also enable Live View so it's active with just one press of a button. Do use the peripheral AF points as they are much more accurate/reliable than the ones on the 350D XT.

Thank you all for the tips, just a few questions, what is Highlight Alert? Are the Custom dials a setting where you can choose exactly what you want? Any other custom settings that are useful?

Thanks again

Highlight alert simply gives you blinking highlights on the LCD - it lets you know when you have blown something out but if you are shooting in RAW this will give you a false readout of when things are actually blown out in the RAW file unless you set your active picture style contrast to -2.

Thanks a lot for all of the help, has proved useful when messing around with it today. Is the custom function that stops the lens hunting when it can't find focus handy to have enabled?

E.J. Peiker wrote:Highlight alert simply gives you blinking highlights on the LCD - it lets you know when you have blown something out but if you are shooting in RAW this will give you a false readout of when things are actually blown out in the RAW file unless you set your active picture style contrast to -2.

E.J. could you elaborate on this please? I have been using highlight alert and shooting RAW for years on the 1DMK2 as well as the 40D. This is the first I have heard of this. It explains why I get blown highlights when I don't expect them? I have just set my 40D (which I keep on Faithful) to -2 contrast. This should give me more accurate indication of blown highlights?

Thanks.

Ed we have talked about this dozens of times in many threads - you must have missed it. The LCD display is generated off of an embedded JPEG (it would take too long to do a fully rendered RAW conversion before displaying the photo) so a downsized JPEG is embedded in the RAW file at the time of capture and this JPEG is what is then sent to the rear LCD. The JPEG will take on whatever characteristics that the picture styles are set to. So unless you modify the active picture style to simulate the lower contrast RAW file, you will get blinkies even when there is headroom in the RAW file. Or if you adjust your exposure not to get blinkies, you are leaving dynamic range on the table and unnecessarily lessening the exposure and thereby blocking up shadows more.
Yes setting the contrast to -2 and saturation to 0 will give you a more accurate representation of the RAW file. Basically you are trying to simulate the RAW file. However, Neutral is a better selection generally than faithful because neutral tries to replicate the Gretag Macbeth color standard (well sort of anyway)

Thanks E.J. Yes, I must have missed this. I really appreciate your patience in answering this question again.

Liam: wrote:Thanks a lot for all of the help, has proved useful when messing around with it today. Is the custom function that stops the lens hunting when it can't find focus handy to have enabled?

Liam, I find that function very useful on my 1D2. I lost too many shots on the 20D because I briefly went off the bird, or something went in between, and the AF started racking in and out.

Maybe I'm just dense, but I can't get my head around the custom settings options; I've read both the user's manual and the magic lantern guide, and I still have a mental block; can anyone point me to an easy to understand on-line resource that explains these?

Which custom function specifically are you having trouble with ? I assume you are shooting a Canon 40D ?

Not the custom functions per se, but the "camera user setting."