Assistance required please. (1 Viewer)

Hi all, after having saved since it was first announced I've just bought a 1DX but having got to the 'bus pass' stage of my life I struggle with a lot of the technology available today. I've gone through the basic set up routine but would appreciate some assistance with the finer points of this magnificent piece of kit.

Can anybody school me through some of the focus options, or your own personal preferences, and how to achieve them. My main interests are wildlife, birds in particular, family photos, mainly grandkids.

I'm not unused to Canon DSLR's but this is certainly complex for my aging grey cells, any help, simply laid out please, would be greatly welcomed.

Many thanks John.

Youtube is a good place to look.
Normally a lot of videos on how to set up and take pictures.

Shove it into AF case 5 and forget about it!
Well that is, perhaps, over simplifying things a bit - but it works for me. I shoot mainly wildlife with some landscapes.
For what it's worth I use Back Button focus (suits me after some practice!), Servo AF in case 5, Focus priority on the first 2 frames, High frame rate is set to 10 fps and low 6 fps, Auto ISO, Manual mode with the main dial controlling shutter speed and the rear dial aperture, exposure compensation is via the SET button and the main dial. There may be a couple of other settings I have forgotten about! I mainly use partial or center weighted metering but do, occasionally use evaluative metering.
What this lot boils down to is that my 1DX is now FAR simpler to use than a basic compact point and shoot whilst still giving me full control! I rarely use single shot AF as it does not hunt in servo mode so there is no need to change. I don't normally bother changing anything (except shutter speed and aperture) for landscapes unless I am using a tripod when I will use the 2 second timer on the shutter release or when I am using my pinhole lens.
Give some/all of the above a try and see if they work for you - they have certainly made my life MUCH simpler and more importantly give me better results.

Hi John,

Thanks for the info, quite a lot there for me to try, I am slowly getting to grips with it but, like everything else new, it takes some time. I very rarely use Manual unless I use flash, I tend to use AV most of the time, I suppose what I need to do really is get out and use it lots, hopefully in the not too distant future I shall be able to. Once again thanks for the info, much appreciated.

John.

I know we men don't do it but perhaps a good read of the instruction book is a handy place to start! I find that there is very little difference between the 1DX and previous recent Canon bodies, the 1D just give a few extra options and buttons to play with.
The one thing I got caught out on was the shut down timer which was set to "disable". Consequently the battery was running flat at an alarming speed. It's the first option on the 2nd page of the spanner menu..the yellow ones. Set it to 1 minute.
Otherwise I am much like Jon's settings but I do use the Q button to change settings for things like EV when using auto ISO and have a preference for Evaluative metering

ternaround said:

Hi John,

Thanks for the info, quite a lot there for me to try, I am slowly getting to grips with it but, like everything else new, it takes some time. I very rarely use Manual unless I use flash, I tend to use AV most of the time, I suppose what I need to do really is get out and use it lots, hopefully in the not too distant future I shall be able to. Once again thanks for the info, much appreciated.

John.

Click to expand...

I always used to use AV on my previous camera bodies but I find Manual far easier to use with the introduction of Auto ISO (with such a wide usable range) and the ability to use exposure compensation in manual mode with auto iso. Naturally all these things can be done with other cameras in AV/TV mode but the setup I use allows much quicker adjustment on the fly which is VERY handy for wildlife photography.
As to the metering modes? One thing that you will quickly find is that the metering on the 1DX is superb so just use the matrix that best suits your needs/subject.
Dave is quite right the manual can be a great help (so I am told) - I found it a bit scary so I just set it up in a way that looked good to me, later revised it slightly and have been delighted ever since!
Happy snapping!

Thanks for all the tips, I'm slowly getting more used to it but not really had the chance to really get to grips with it for the main reason for purchasing it ( wildlife ) but the more I handle it beforehand the more things will fall into place when I use it in the field.

Thanks again, it's good to know there are people out there who are willing to share their experiences.

John.