• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Canon 7D Mk II is announced and available for pre-order (1 Viewer)

I have tried auto iso on the 5D but it over exposes in bright conditions.
That's strange Dave, I have used nothing but auto ISO (for birds) for three or four years now on both the 7D and 5D3 and never had any such problems- must have taken 50,000 shots with it. Almost every shot in my Photostream and 500px galleries were taken with auto ISO.
 
Does anyone know if it has the built in HDR feature and if it's JPEG only like the 6D or can do full RAW like the 5DMKIII?
 
Dave, told you I'd feel stupid! I was thinking PhotoShop and so on, never occurred to me that it was Post Processing, I just think Processing.

Cheers

Phil

Never feel stupid for asking a question Phil.I don't.
My apologies for not making the effort to type it out in full.
 
Last edited:
That's strange Dave, I have used nothing but auto ISO (for birds) for three or four years now on both the 7D and 5D3 and never had any such problems- must have taken 50,000 shots with it. Almost every shot in my Photostream and 500px galleries were taken with auto ISO.

Were you using Manual settings though Roy?
 
From the results I have read about on the 7DMkii at high ISO I guess Auto ISO will come into its own in the UK with the ability to go far beyond 800, something I never did on the current 7D. Maybe it was my model but the noise was unacceptable to me even at that level. My 1DMkiii has better ISO performance. Problem for me now is the weight so rather than give up photography (a very real possibility until the NHS extract their finger) I think I am going to be forced to buy the new one. I have currently reverted back to my 40D. Interested in comments. I have never used Auto ISO but it looks a viable option and Roy's results are outstanding.

Phil
 
Were you using Manual settings though Roy?
No of course not Dave, auto ISO and manual mode are unusable on the 5D3 or 7D because you could not get any exposure compensation in that mode, you will always be shooting with the metering at Ev 0. In bird photography we are concerned about accurately exposing the bird, often at the expense of other parts of the image, to do this often requires some manual input in the way of Ev comp. If you just leave the Camera to do all the exposures without dialing in any Ev comp then you are bound to get exposure errors no matter what method you are using. It is the same as using manual mode and always setting the shutter speed so the metering needle is at zero - a complete waste of time if you want accurate exposures. Dialing in some Ev comp is essential for most shots in bird photography.

I think there is a general misconception about auto ISO:- with any Camera you have three variables that control the exposure, shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
In Av mode where you set the aperture and ISO it is the shutter speed that is the variable and controls the exposure -This is 'auto shutter speed' mode. You often need to dial-in Ev comp in this mode.

In Tv mode where you set the shutter speed and ISO it is the aperture which is the variable and controls the exposure - This is 'auto aperture' mode. You often need to dial-in Ev comp in this mode.

In auto ISO mode where you set either the shutter speed or aperture it is the ISO that controls the exposure. You often need to dial-in Ev comp in this mode.

So it follows that if you use Manual mode and auto ISO on a Camera that does not support Ev comp in this mode, then it is unusable if you want accurate exposures.

There is no reason whatsoever why auto ISO should should give you any different exposures than any other mode, the Cameras metering system is just the same no matter which of the variables it is setting. But it is still up to you to dial-in exposure comp as required.

There are however two things that anyone must be aware of when using auto ISO in either Av or Tv mode and that is that the Camera will always select either a wide open aperture (in Av mode) or in Tv mode a shutter speed of around focal length x crop factor of the Camera. If this is unsuitable for the shot you want then do not use auto ISO in these modes.

The optimum IMHO is to be able to control both Aperture and shutter speed yourself while the Camera automatically picks the suitable ISO but at the same time you need to be able to apply Ev comp. The only way to do this is to have a Camera that supports Ev comp in manual mode while using auto ISO, up to now the 1DX has been the only Canon Camera to be able to do this so the fact that the 7D2 has this facility is a massive plus for me.
 
Last edited:
From the results I have read about on the 7DMkii at high ISO I guess Auto ISO will come into its own in the UK with the ability to go far beyond 800, something I never did on the current 7D. Maybe it was my model but the noise was unacceptable to me even at that level. My 1DMkiii has better ISO performance. Problem for me now is the weight so rather than give up photography (a very real possibility until the NHS extract their finger) I think I am going to be forced to buy the new one. I have currently reverted back to my 40D. Interested in comments. I have never used Auto ISO but it looks a viable option and Roy's results are outstanding.

Phil
The one thing I would mention Phil is that on the 40D auto ISO as absolutely rubbish (I still have a 40D and would not dream of using auto ISO with it) - it was not until the original 7D came on the scene that Canon got auto ISO right.
 
Roy, thanks but hadn't even thought of trying it on the 40D. Just normal old exposure methods and try to remember where all the buttons and dials are after using the 1D for so long. Keep posting your experiences please. Very valuable and helpful.

Cheers

Phil
 
You summed up the options succinctly Roy.
Of course I knew you weren't using manual, my point was that if you do you tend to get over exposure when you use auto-iso in bright conditions. That said, better that than under exposure and more noise.
I want control over aperture and shutter speed and the only way to get it is through manual settings.I just don't even contemplate anything else for the type of photography that I tend to do and the type of images I want to capture.The ability to dial in some exposure compensation with auto-iso can be a major benefit in some situations but the more EV the more rapidly you shoot up the ISO. Depends on the ability of the camera body to produce acceptable images, whether the 7D2 will remains to be seen but hopefully it will be a big improvement on the 7D which as people have pointed out was the biggest flaw in that version.
 
There is a picture from the 7D II at ISO 12800 at this link.

Obviously a little noisy, but if you look at the other images in the series, it looks pretty good by ISO 3200.

Mike
 
The ability to dial in some exposure compensation with auto-iso can be a major benefit in some situations but the more EV the more rapidly you shoot up the ISO
Not necessarily true Dave, a minus Ev comp will result in lower ISO's. Dialing-in some Ev comp (be it + or -) is very often necessary for bird photography not matter what method you are using - it is still needed whether you use Av, Tv, or Manual mode with or without auto ISO. All you are trying to do is to correctly expose the bird and in this respect the ISO you will be using will be exactly the same given the same aperture and shutter speed. Using auto ISO does not change the amount of available light one iota.

With due respect Dave I do not think you are understanding what I am trying to say, maybe I am not explaining it very well. I will give the following example in an attempt to clarify things:-
Lets say you are shooting at 1/640 sec and f5.6 and you set an ISO of 400.
Now if you use 1/640 sec and f5.6 but this time you use auto ISO instead of setting it yourself you will find that the Camera will set an ISO of 400 and the exposures will be identical, it is impossible for the exposure to be any lighter or any darker as the camera is using the same metering system.


If you use manual mode (without Auto ISO) you are controlling the amount of Ev comp needed to correctly expose the bird by changing either the shutter speed,aperture or ISO - in this mode unless the metering gauge is at zero then you have applied some Ev comp.
I say once more that using auto ISO at a given aperture and shutter speed will result in precisely the same ISO as any other method and the exposure will also be identical. It cannot possible make the image brighter or darker.

BTW Dave when you use Manual mode how do you ensure the bird is correctly exposed, surely you do not just set things (ISO, shutter speed or aperture) so that the exposure meter is at zero do you?

Using manual mode without Ev Comp, if you want to use a certain shutter speed and aperture then the only way to control the exposure is to keep change the ISO.

When I use manual mode I control the exposure chiefly by changing the shutter speed - if the shutter speed drops below the minimum I require then I will have to change the ISO (manually), this method is fine if you are in a steady light situation but where the light is likely to change a lot (maybe a bird is going in and out of bushes) then it can be a pain - to this end using auto ISO is a real benefit BUT you need to be able to apply some Ev comp to correctly expose the bird.

Weather anyone uses Auto ISO or not is completely up to the individual and that's fair enough but to suggest that auto ISO can somehow change the exposure is completely wrong.

Anyway this stuff has deviated from the main thrust of the thread which is debating the up and coming 7D2 so I will leave it there on this one.
 
I've got a 7D and am thinking of getting the Mk II. However I am a low tech user and a birder first. I almost always use Av mode (to max the shutter speeed) and use ISO 400. I never use anything except the central focal point - in fact I dodn't know how to change it. I've got no real interest in all the techy stuff most photographers get off on. ;) So whether its 32, 64 or 1000 focal points is of no interest to me.

So in summary, is there any reason for me to upgrade or is it just more stuff that I won't use or understand?

cheers, alan.
 
Bigger sensor so a distant record shot can be cropped would be a bonus for you for a start.Better iso capability so for instance in fading light you see a siberian blue robin & need a higher shutter speed to eliminate a blurred image.That's just 2 examples.

Cheers.

Steve.
 
Bigger sensor so a distant record shot can be cropped would be a bonus for you for a start.Better iso capability so for instance in fading light you see a siberian blue robin & need a higher shutter speed to eliminate a blurred image.That's just 2 examples.

Cheers.

Steve.

Steve

Thanks, I'd picked up the better ISO capability but not the cropping - I do a lot of heavy cropping of record shots so great. Not many uncropped blue tit photos in my gallery!

cheers alan
 
Bigger sensor so a distant record shot can be cropped would be a bonus for you for a start.Better iso capability so for instance in fading light you see a siberian blue robin & need a higher shutter speed to eliminate a blurred image.That's just 2 examples.

Cheers.

Steve.
The sensor is no bigger on the 7D2 Steve is it?
 
The 7D2 should be a noticeable improvement all round on the original, ISO capability, AF, speed, overall IQ etc. The sensor however will remain the same size - with a couple more MP.
 
I've got a 7D and am thinking of getting the Mk II. However I am a low tech user and a birder first. I almost always use Av mode (to max the shutter speeed) and use ISO 400. I never use anything except the central focal point - in fact I dodn't know how to change it. I've got no real interest in all the techy stuff most photographers get off on. ;) So whether its 32, 64 or 1000 focal points is of no interest to me.

So in summary, is there any reason for me to upgrade or is it just more stuff that I won't use or understand?

cheers, alan.
The only difference for you are the two main differences that interest most all folk and that is better AF performance (even if you only use the center point) and better high ISO noise performance. Whether these are enough for you to upgrade only you can decide.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 7 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top