Canon 5D Mark IV - Settings For Wildlife Photography

Canon 5D Mark lV - Settings For Wildlife Photography
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[@cdhigh1]

Grant - I can't thank you enough for this very informative series. I just purchased a 5DSR and struggled with the AF system and this series was exactly what I needed to get up running! Keep the information coming!

[@StanHornagold]

Grant, I really appreciate the clarity and depth of your videos. I particularly like the fact that you highlight the situations in which you would use a particular setting. I shall try even harder to get those great shots on my next trip. Thanks again

[@basilbcf]

You have some of the best Photography videos on KZbin, Grant.

[@billverstelle8979]

Hi Grant, I'm a rank newbie with my new Canon Mk iv and your videos have helped me so much in getting to know my camera you explain things so well. Thanks

[@SafariSis]

Fantastic video! So very helpful, Grant. Thanks for being so kind and for being such a wonderful teacher.

[@grantatkinson8108]

:-)

[@swiftnick3]

As per Mr Holloway, so am I! Excellent video series. Thank you for sharing your expertise and thank you for the clarity of these videos.

[@lisafitzinger4741]

Great simple clear instructions. Thank you. I just ordered the mark iv so I can now set it up ASAP as I shoot birds and your settings are perfect for that.

[@grantatkinson8108]

Thanks for letting me know, appreciate it!

[@davet3530]

Another excellent video Grant. I always learn something from you and this one is no exception. As photographers we all have different ways of configuring the many options available on camera models such as this one. But by explaining the hows and whys for your individual choice you give us a route map to consider to get the most out of the camera for wildlife scenarios. Your results speak for themselves so I'm going to re-look at some of my own settings and consider changing them. Thanks Grant ! Dave

[@grantatkinson8108]

Thanks Dave, glad it was helpful. Time constraints make it feel a bit rushed when I make them..but at least it gives some idea

[@JohannTrojerTirol]

Thx for showing your set-up. Helped me a lot. Looking forward to the AF video

[@culturenomad]

This video is sick. Very relevant, no nonsense, and clear. thank you

[@oprdoc]

Thank you so much for taking the time to put this detailed tutorial together. I smashed the subscribe 👌🏼

[@johnrussell593]

Good video. Good explanations!!!! Nice to learn something instead of hearing a rant on a camera. I have a 6D and I was able to apply some of steps to my settings.

[@PianoSW]

Awesome Video Grant!! Thank you so much!! Very helpful!!

[@sbethelmedia]

This video is great and has greatly improved my shots

[@gwag24]

Thank you Grant. You’re videos have really helped me!

[@grantatkinson8108]

Glad they where helpful!

[@charlottamunkberg8282]

Thanks for a great tutorial and for taking your time to make it.

[@JuanFConde]

Super helpful information and was able to configure my 5D mk III using it.

[@kkdesignservices183]

What a knowledgeable man. Thanks for sharing your expertise!

[@grantatkinson8108]

Glad it was useful

[@avinashbenjamin1991]

That was fantastic illustration..Much useful..!

[@X_explorer]

Nice vid! I love looking earth, discover and relax...

[@ivanosrin2126]

Really useful practical advice - for all levels

[@ozozoz6]

Many thanks Grant > Really helpful for this end > Cheers

[@lindaleman1120]

this is a great tute to come back to again and again. Thank you!

[@grantatkinson8108]

Glad it was helpful!

[@stevenwaldstein2249]

Just found this and this is great. Have had a Mark IV for quite some time but just changing some of the setting to the ones you recommend make it behave much better for birds. Thank you,

[@grantatkinson8108]

Thanks for the feedback Steven !

[@rickmeadows686]

Dude! You are an excellent instructor.

[@joelwesterveltaia2196]

Thanks for a very helpful video.

[@frankdachardvanenschut9514]

Thanks Grant, really helpful

[@jimkeener3773]

Thank you. Clear, helpful information.

[@grantatkinson8108]

Glad it was useful!

[@nordic5490]

Top shelf, thanks.

[@uptownphotography]

Nice video Grant.

[@behnamahmadzadeh688]

Great thanks for your nice professional video

[@dariobarazapetta7685]

Muchísimas gracias por la explicación!!! Saludos desde Uruguay

[@XperiaVideosCR]

Interesting to see your settings on this camera. I will be getting mine soon but my style of shooting is making me wish to change a tad from what your settings show. Thanks anyways for showing your prefrences.

[@karlbrummel]

Thank you Grant. That helps me alot with my new camera :-)

[@PhilipHollowaychannel]

Great video, man thanks for making it. I use the 7d mk ii & 5d mk iv so Im glad I've found your channel.

[@grantatkinson8108]

Happy it was useful, both are great cameras and they make for a good combination

[@KingOfNewYorkHacks]

Philip Holloway what made you pick those two cameras to be your set up ?

[@PhilipHollowaychannel]

I photograph mainly dragonflies and motor sports, so I chose the 7d mkii (I also own the 7d as well) because of the crop factor on my lenses, fast frame rate and gps. I've always wanted a 5d but never felt they would be of use to me with my style of photography until the mkiv came out. The picture detail just blows my mind each time I see a shot from it, the frame grabs from the 4k video is allowing me to get shots that are beautiful, gps again, touch screen focus on video and on both of them the weather proofing lets me shoot without worrying about the weather. I hope this helps, you can see my photos on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/ph40/albums

[@jesalasbahamon]

Thank you for such a useful video, what a pity I did not know it before!

[@n22pdf]

Great vid many thanks :)

[@shoughton1968]

Really useful; thanks.

[@ttthai9837]

Thank you for showed it

[@philkelly9796]

Greater video for setting the camera. I have recently moved to the 7D MKii but have been a little frustrated with the level of noise when using in low light with moving subjects and ISO above 800. What ISO do you believe the 5d mk iviill deliver good quality images. Thanks

[@bainebikerx3170]

Nice tutorial!!

[@trevorhansen4943]

thank you so very much

[@joseluisvenegas9451]

LOVE IT

[@conquerorlong8749]

Thank u so so so much

[@shankernani3914]

thank you

[@askg4563]

Great video

[@jorisblokhuis6277]

Legend

[@joshkelley8102]

This video saved my butt totaly couldn't figure out how the guy i bought the camera boady from made it back focas only i thought he sold me a broken camera ......watched this video problem solved thanks a million man

[@panagiotisintakidis1021]

Best information's Canon 5D Mark IV - for your nice professional video - *** many respect.

[@ShabiGraphics72YaHussainYaAli]

Super

[@pabloeguia7733]

Great video and apreciated, would you reccomend your gimbal head? wich brand/model is it? Hi from Argentina, and happy new year!

[@grantatkinson8108]

Thanks Pablo, happy new year to you also. The gimbal head I would recommend, here are details: www.grantatkinson.com/blog/gimpro-gimbal-head-mk-2-review

[@erlandred5933]

Very helpful, and above all: distinct and accurat speech - very pedagogical!!

[@basilbcf]

Can I ask what is that Gimbale you are using?

[@ozozoz6]

Thanks Grant > Nice run-a-long ...

[@ramonvanbentum7844]

Make 1 for the 7d mark ii

[@geoffreypain5960]

In the red menu no5 in the AF method which one do you use top,middle or bottom.

[@grantatkinson8108]

Sorry Geoffrey, am just away in the field right now and will be able to answer properly when we return on 21 July..

[@sajibdey250]

Recently I purchase a second-hand Canon 5d mark iV. Unfortunately, when I work of camera menu system for twenty- or thirty-minutes battery drain quickly (at list 20%-30% battery loss) feeling very low overheating issue also in bottoms side on the camera body. Please help me what camera setting I should apply or I should change the camera. Please help me.

[@MrGflan]

Hi Grant!! Thanks for the video. I am so confused on what to do still. I have a 1D Mark IV that is showing its age. I was wondering what would be the best upgrade for this camera and my 600mm for birds in flight? Would the 5D mark IV be as good as the 1Dx Mark II or do you think the 7D Mark II would be good also? I like having some kind of crop factor so it’s a difficult decision. What do you think? Thanks.

[@Silli999]

I did and after a year using 5d4 I still find my previous pictures from 1dmkiv to be as good or even better straight out the camera. 5d4 requires editing, not good.

[@sbold1243]

Excellent video, very clear and informative. Regarding the initial adjustments in the first tab made for shooting in RAW, I have my settings set to RAW + JPEG (fine) and dual pixel raw enabled - would you skip those RAW specific adjustments until after Dual Pixel Raw (~2:18) and move onto the next or still adjust some of them? Your advice would be much appreciated. 😊

[@grantatkinson8108]

I never managed to see a tangible difference with Dual Pixel Raw but maybe i never had the right scenario. I would still do any of those adjustments that I turned off afterwards if they where still required?

[@bnova7719]

Hi Grant, I am new to the 5D4 world and have come across your videos. You had done an excellent job explaining about the AF setting that everybody can easily understand. Thank you for your effort. I am curious about one setting in your video that I thought originally was an issue. At 11:46 of the video of the Select AF Area selec. mode setting, I saw that Single-point AF (Manual selection), the second icon from the left does not have a rectangle around it with a checked mark but you cannot choose it. I had M setting on mine and tried different lenses but with still cannot choose this option. I originally thought that it was because was currently have this setting but I confirmed it was not what I had set up. When I use the AF area selection button, all these options are available. Can you or somebody here with 5D4 explain why this is the case please ? Thanks. Bruce

[@grantatkinson8108]

Hi B Nova, if I am understanding you correctly all that happens is that the Single Point AF option cannot be removed from the 7 focus group options, it is the camera default option. So even if you try to uncheck the box that sits beside it in the menu, you find that is isnt possible to do that. All the other focus group options, Spot AF, AF Expanded, AF Zone and AF Automatic 61 points can all be unchecked if you dont use them often

[@bnova7719]

Hi Grant, Yes that makes sense if it is a default setting that I would not be able to make change to. Thanks for clarifying it.

[@Halunlimited]

Grant, very interesting video. Thank you for posting. I just got my new 5DMark iv and am wondering what are the implications/consequences if I change my settings for wildlife (as here, if I'm shooting wildlife or racing) and then shoot a day of landscapes or a day of wedding photography? What, if anything, might it make worse? I am shooting RAW exclusively so I assume the buffering saving "OFF" settings is a good idea in any case. Some of the detailed 5Div settings are so highly customized that they are a total unexpected serendipitous surprise. I.e., your Magnification setting to "Actual size from selected point" is a nice convenience and time saver. I appreciate any cautions you may advise with regards to how your settings might not be appropriate for landscapes or people/wedding photos. Thank you. I "liked" and subscribed. Hal

[@grantatkinson8108]

Perhaps switching back to One Shot Focus if you where interested in mostly static subject matter would be important. That would override any of the Ai Servo setup adjustments that I make anyway I believe.

[@Halunlimited]

Very good thank you. I'll leave it optimized for wildlife, try it out, and readjust accordingly. Glad the 5Div is working out for you, so that I can gain the benefit of your experience with it as I start working with it.

[@ericlyttle7990]

Hi Grant, I shoot a 7Dii and you've taught me a ton, so thanks. However, I haven't made the jump to raw yet, since I still have much to learn about post-production. So I'm wondering, all those settings you initially turn off for JPEG, I probably want on. I'd love to hear which ones you think are useful for shooting JPEG (and which ones aren't) and why. Thank you.

[@grantatkinson8108]

For shooting JPEG, if you have a lens that can benefit from the lens corrections that are possible, and if that lens is in the database of lenses in the camera, then you should go into the Red Menu SHOOT 1 and press SET whilst highlighting the menu option "Lens aberration correction" . That will bring up three options, Peripheral illumination - known as vignetting, Chromatic aberration and Distortion. I would enable all three of them if your images are suffering from all three of those issues. Not all lenses suffer from all three. Red Menu SHOOT 2 and highlight the the menu option "Auto Lighting Optimizer". Turn it on, to any one of three strengths, if you want the shadows in your JPEG images to be lightened automatically. Red Menu SHOOT 3 highlight the menu option "Long Exp noise reduction" and press SET. Choose between Auto and Enable if you want the camera to apply noise reduction to exposures longer than 1 second. Red Menu SHOOT 3 highlight the menu option "High ISO speed NR" and press SET. Then you can choose from three strengths of noise reduction. The highest strength - HIGH - will smooth away fine details quite strongly as well as image noise. Red Menu SHOOT 3 highlight the menu option "Highlight tone priority" and press SET. Choosing Enable will mean the camera automatically underexposes overly bright parts of your image. So a little bit like an automatic highlight recovery in editing. Having this set to Enable might interfere with Auto Iso setup and it might conflict with Auto Lighting Optimizer but i did not set my camera to all three to check it again, just from memory. Red Menua SHOOT 4 highlight the menu option "Anti-flicker shoot" and press SET. Changing it to Enable will improve the consistency between frames of JPEG images taken when certain types of artificial light are the main light source. It may slow down continuous shooting. Hope that helps Grant

[@ericlyttle7990]

@@grantatkinson8108 Amazing. Thank you for sharing your knowledge so generously.

[@ericlyttle7990]

@@grantatkinson8108 Here's what's great about your videos; all of these camera adjustments and settings are a give and take. Everyone else says, "set this here, set that there, here's why it's great." But no one explains the downside -- the compromise -- of each adjustment. For me, I don't want to just copy someone else's settings. I want to know the plusses AND the minuses of each adjustment so that I can learn and decide if it's right for me and my particular skill set and situation. You often take the time to explain that, and I greatly appreciate it.

[@grantatkinson8108]

@@ericlyttle7990 there are opposing requirements :-). Many viewers only manage enough time to view short videos, not long ones. So there is always a time constraint for me to consider when trying to explain the do's, don'ts and why-nots in the video. When it comes to my camera set-up is only well-tested for my kind of subjects, and when it comes to autofocus, I don't even have 'one setting first choice" because I have different subjects, against different backgrounds, sometimes on the same outing. But one of my main aims with the videos, whether they are to do with autofocus or general set-up has always been to try explain a function so that the viewer is better equipped to start experimenting or making educated changes to their own camera setup, with their own subjects and shooting conditions. But the cameras remain complex devices, not always straightforward or easy to master but so rewarding when you get it working the way you want :-).

[@KeithLuke]

Grant, what is the make and model number of the gimbal head mount that appears in so many of your videos?

[@grantatkinson8108]

Thanks for asking, it is made by Gimpro, and they just have one gimbal model, which is now version 2. www.gimprogear.com/

[@KeithLuke]

Thank you - it looks very professional. I think I will pick one up for both birding and shooting surfers.

[@grantatkinson8108]

Hi Keith, it is constructed of high grade aluminium, and all the main swivel part run on stainless roller bearings, so it is about the toughest gimbal i ever used :-)

[@athenageorgiou]

I have really enjoyed your videos. I have a 7dii and for the last year I have had the 5div as well. The buffer on the 5div fills up so quickly and then I miss shots. Is this a problem for you and others? Only very annoying thing about the camera for me. Is there any way I can change this? Thanks.

[@grantatkinson8108]

Hi Athena, if you shoot raw only and process the images yourself afterward on your computer, and using any raw processing program aside from the Canon DPP program, then you can turn off all the jpeg-enhancing, in-camera processing steps that run each time you take shot. They run even if you are shooting raw but have not turned them off, and are carried out for the small jpeg image that ends up on the back screen after each shot. Noise reduction in all forms, all image quality adjustments like Chromatic Aberration, Peripheral Illumination correction, also Highlight Tone priority, and Auto Lighting Optimizer all need to be switched off to get the most performance in terms of continuous shooting from the 5dmk4. I also shoot with a 160mb/sec CF card in place as that clears faster than the SD drive, even though only by a little.

[@athenageorgiou]

Thank you so much for your quick response Grant. I do have all these turned off and have the same CF card. I may have to resign myself to a buffer that just struggles. I do use DPP. (?)

[@grantatkinson8108]

Hi Athena, the only reason I mentioned DPP is because it can pick up the edits that are tagged along for the raw files to do with NR, Chromatic aberattion etc and then apply them automatically...but of course keeping them all on will have a negative impact on the buffer. Only other thing I forgot to mention is that I limit my shooting to raw images only and no jpg, as once you do that it really slows down.

[@athenageorgiou]

Got it. Thanks Grant. You have a very clear way of explaining things. Fantastic. Unfortunately I am doing everything that you have mentioned. I suppose it is the price to pay for such big files.

[@grantatkinson8108]

Yes Athena, the big files are the reason. Not sure what your subject matter is nor how long you have been shooting it, but the only tactic I know of is to time your bursts of shooting to what one believes are the most critical moments...but of course there is a risk of missing something...

[@wubutewomegstu8698]

aii cinimatografer is tbaset of 5d camera all vdio and photo widlfe siting

[@basilbcf]

Just out of curiously, I'm wondering why you don't seem to set up your custom controls for Back Button Focus, which seems to be all the rage?

[@grantatkinson8108]

I appreciate what BBF can do, but for my purposes where my left hand is supporting a tele lens most of the time, my right hand has enough to do just gripping the camera firmly. I find it easier to reach the AF joystick and place my AF point where i need it whilst shooting than keep the rear AF -on button depressed for long action sequences....

[@basilbcf]

@@grantatkinson8108 Ah - that makes sense. Thanks

[@georgemontfort8559]

Can anyone suggested me whether Canon mark 6d mark 2 is ok for bird photography

[@grantatkinson8108]

The 6D Mk 2 is capable as an all-rounder and that includes bird photography. I have described broadly my experience using the 6D Mk2 for wildlife here: www.grantatkinson.com/blog/6d-mark-ii-5d-mark-iv-7d-mark-ii-or-80d-which-mid-range-canon-dslr-for-wildlife-photography

[@askg4563]

Just pick up 5D Mark IV

[@19Neon94]

Now i´m a proffesional wildlife photographer

[@basilbcf]

Grant - do you have any idea of how much difference, in reality, it makes in battery life, etc., when you turn off all those "jpg processes"? What you say makes sense, but in practice how much difference does it really make?

[@grantatkinson8108]

I don't think it makes a big difference to battery life, perhaps a couple of percent at a guess, but turning them off does free up some processor capacity on the 5D Mark 4 which can impact the buffer and continuous shooting performance. For the wildlife photography that I do, the 5D Mark 4 buffer is just sufficient but there are certain scenarios when it was limiting, therefore i take every tiny bit of improvement i can get, :-)

[@basilbcf]

@@grantatkinson8108 Thank you, sir, for the quick reply. That does make sense! I just bought a 5D Mark IV and appreciate your excellent videos!

[@askg4563]

What size is the lens on the 5D

[@07wrxtr1]

400F4 DO II

[@joshkelley8102]

Take me on a photo safari

[@ramonbentim7305]

Will it be a upgrade if i go from my 7d mark ii to this onr

[@grantatkinson8108]

For sure, in terms of image quality, with less noise specially at high iso and more resolution for print. Also autofocus, touchscreen and some custom controls. Negatives are the slightly smaller buffer shooting time and slower continuous speed. I did try compare those characteristics that i mostly care about in a detailed comparison here:www.grantatkinson.com/blog/6d-mark-ii-5d-mark-iv-7d-mark-ii-or-80d-which-mid-range-canon-dslr-for-wildlife-photography

[@ramonbentim7305]

@@grantatkinson8108 i watched the video. I want to combinate it with the 100-400 ii but will i be allowed to photograph birds in flight en kingfishers?

[@grantatkinson8108]

@@ramonbentim7305 if you are photographing small birds a lot then the 7D Mark 2 still gets you more pixels on the bird, so if you are cropping the 5D Mark 4 image then you will lose the image quality advantage. For sure 7fps is not as good as 10 fps for fast flight action. Alternative could be the new Canon R5. Maybe a Nikon D500 and Nikkor 200-500 VR lens might be a better option? Or with the Nikkon PF 500mm fixed lens?

[@ramonbentim7305]

@@grantatkinson8108 and what do u think about the old canon 1d X?

[@grantatkinson8108]

@@ramonbentim7305 it is very good for fast action photography and some of my very best action shots are taken with the 1DX. I still have and use one specially for action. My concern would just be with 18 megapixels on a full frame sensor you get excellent image quality even today but with a 100-400mm lens but it is usually very hard to get close enough to small birds unless they are extremely approachable. You won't be able to make up much of the resolution with cropping with the 1DX. For birds with mine I mostly use a 500mm lens and I mostly still have to crop.