Canon EOS 7D Mark II: Zone AF Manual Selection Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens - Birds In Flight AF Testing Woodbridge Island / Cape Town

Objective: Testing the Canon EOS 7D Mark II body / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens with AI Servo / Zone AF Manual Selection.

Autofocus: Zone AF Manual Selection

I've tried this a few times before, but this week I made an conscientious effort in giving the Zone AF Manual Selection more attention in terms of my Birds in Flight photography with this starling coming in for landing on a lamp post.

Over the last couple of months I've preferred the Canon EOS 7D Mark II's Large / Wide Zone AF Selection, but the Zone AF Manual Selection is a consideration for smaller / mid-size birds in flight. Please note that my AF interpretations / conclusions are based on my own experiences in a single birds in flight shooting environment - a specific AF selection may provide for different results in other environments (with other in-body settings). I have found that the Large / Wide Zone AF Selection to be effective for small birds in flight photography.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II : Zone AF Manual Selection 

Lightroom Post-Processing

All images processed in Adobe Lightroom 6. Converted from RAW to JPG. Lens profile correction. Minor colour correction. Some noise reduction

Cape Town Location

Milnerton Lagoon Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Equipment (Birds In Flight / Action Photography) 

• Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR camera body 
• Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens 
• Lexar Professional 800x / 120MB/s 32GB CF Card 

Manual Mode Settings 

• Shutter speed: 1/5000s 
• Aperture: f/6.3 
• Focal length 400mm 
• Auto-ISO (ISO 640) 
• Continuous shooting mode (10 fps) 
• AI Servo / AF Mode Option (Zone AF Manual Selection / Case 1) 
• Lens AF On / No IS / Handheld 

(Click to Enlarge)

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens (Zone AF Manual Selection - Starling in Flight) - Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens (Zone AF Manual Selection - Starling in Flight) - Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens (Zone AF Manual Selection - Starling in Flight) - Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens (Zone AF Manual Selection - Starling in Flight) - Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens (Zone AF Manual Selection - Starling in Flight) - Cape Town

Birds in Flight Photography Cape Town
Birds in flight Photography Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II - Birds in Flight Photo Gallery

Canon EOS 7D Mark II - Birds in Flight Photo Gallery

Canon EOS 7D Mark II Info / Manual Downloads

Canon EOS 7D Mark II Info / Manual Downloads

Macro Bee Photography - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

More busy bees, but this time with a true 1:1 Canon EF macro lens. Woodbridge Island / Milnerton Cape Town. Photos by Vernon Chalmers with Canon EOS 700D and Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens. Lens Aperture f/11 Auto ISO 1/125 / 1/125s & 180s shutter speeds. All photos handheld.

(Click to Enlarge / Slideshow)

Woodbridge Island Bee - Canon EOS / EF 100mm Macro lens

Woodbridge Island Bee - Canon EOS / EF 100mm Macro lens

Woodbridge Island Bee - Canon EOS / EF 100mm Macro lens

Canon EOS 70D / EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens - Macro Photos Cape Town>> 

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Vernon Chalmers Photography Private Training / Workshops Cape Town

• Canon EOS Autofocus / AI Servo Master Class Cape Town More
• Birds in Flight Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Canon Speedlite / Ring Lite Flash Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Macro / Close-Up Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Landscape / Long Exposure Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Digital Workflow / Lightroom Post-Processing Workshop Cape Town More

Tiny Butterfly with a Zoom Lens - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

This tiny Gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus) was captured close to Woodbridge Island with a Canon telephoto zoom lens. All photos by Vernon Chalmers with Canon EOS 6D / EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM lens (Av Mode / Handheld @ 300mm).

I would normally use a dedicated macro lens (Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM) for these close-up shots (for image quality and 1:1 magnification), but did not have it on any of my bodies at the time. A 70-300mm zoom lens (due to its long focal length) comes in handy most times.

 The quick moving / small butterfly will in anyway be quite challenging with a 60 or 100mm macro lens (mainly due to the limited focus distance of the macro lens versus the zoomed-in reach of the zoom lens). For bees captured with a macro lens go here Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens.

(Click To Enlarge / Slideshow)

Canon EOS 6D / Woodbridge Island Cape Town

Canon EOS 6D / Woodbridge Island Cape Town

Canon EOS 6D / Woodbridge Island Cape Town

Canon EOS 6D / Woodbridge Island Cape Town

Vernon Chalmers Photography Private Training / Workshops Cape Town

• Canon EOS Autofocus / AI Servo Master Class Cape Town More
• Birds in Flight Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Canon Speedlite / Ring Lite Flash Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Macro / Close-Up Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Landscape / Long Exposure Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Digital Workflow / Lightroom Post-Processing Workshop Cape Town More

Sunset over Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Woodbridge Island Sunset with Canon EOS 700D DSLR Camera : From Arnhem Milnerton Cape Town

Objective: Demonstrating application of long sunset exposures with the Canon SX40 HS compact and Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T5i DSLR camera with EF-S 18-135mm IS STM lens (without lens filters) over Woodbridge Island Milnerton. 

Note: All photos on Manfrotto tripod in Av mode. DSLR images captured in RAW (conversion via Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4). With no other editing / correction except for Canon EF-S lens profile correction. Canon Powershot SX40 HS image captured in JPG.

 Canon Camera Equipment

• Canon PowerShot SX40 HS compact camera
• Canon EOS 700D SLR camera body
• Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens
• Manfrotto Compact tripod

Av Mode - Aperture Priority Settings

• f/22 / ISO 100 / Shutter: .30 - 1/15s
• Autofocus / Manual focus
• RAW / JPG conversion (lens profile correction only)
• PowerShot SX40 HS: f/5.8 / ISO 100 / 15 seconds

(Click to enlarge / Slide Show)

Canon PowerShot SX40 HS : Cape Town

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens : Cape Town

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens : Cape Town

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens : Cape Town

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens : Cape Town

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Vernon Chalmers Photography Private Training / Workshops Cape Town

• Canon EOS Autofocus / AI Servo Master Class Cape Town More
• Birds in Flight Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Canon Speedlite / Ring Lite Flash Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Macro / Close-Up Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Landscape / Long Exposure Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Digital Workflow / Lightroom Post-Processing Workshop Cape Town More

Canon EOS 7D Mark II Field Testing - Cape Town

Here are a few of the first photographs taken with the relatively new Canon EOS 7D Mark II semi-professional DSLR body and Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens combination.

I will be doing some testing and experimentation with this combination and various other Canon consumer and professional lenses over the next week or so (original tests shoots were done during 2015).

Canon EOS 7D Mark II Impressions / Test Shoots
Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens
First Impressions / Test Shoots Cape Town

(Click To Enlarge)

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Woodbridge Island Milnerton Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Woodbridge Island Milnerton Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Woodbridge Island Milnerton

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Woodbridge Island Milnerton Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Woodbridge Island Milnerton Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Woodbridge Island Milnerton Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II - Birds in Flight Photo Gallery
Canon EOS 7D Mark II - Birds in Flight Photo Gallery

Bee in Flight Close-Up Photography Cape Town

Canon EOS 70D / 70-300mm Zoom Lens

Buzzing in for a soft landing..... bee with a zoom lens

In final preparation for our full day Macro / Close-Up Photography Workshop at Intaka Island Century City, Cape Town on Saturday I've tested the Canon EF25 II extension tube paired with the Canon EOS 70D and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM zoom lens.

Adding the Canon EF25 II Extension Tube
An extension tube tube mounts between camera body and lens and effectively decrease the minimum focus distance (MFD) / and increase the magnification between subject and lens. The extension tube also provides for a shallower depth of field (giving each image more background blur than the lens without the extension tube) - and the subject would be much further away ito the MFD of the particular zoom lens used (as its not a macro lens). I find this setup more versatile than my macro lens at times. The Canon extension tubes, the EF25 II and EF12 II, are compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses. 

More Bees in Flight Cape Town Photography
More Bees in Flight Cape Town Photography

Note: Photos are handheld in Manual Mode. Slight processing Photoshop Lightroom 6. 

Location: Woodbridge Island / Cape Town

Canon Body / Extension Tube / Lens

• Canon EOS 70D DSLR Camera Body
• Canon EF25 II Extention Tube
• Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens

Manual Mode Settings

• Aperture f/8
• ISO 1000
• Shutter speed: 1/1000s
• Autofocus body / lens
• AI Servo:  Multi-Shot (7 fps)

(Click to Enlarge / Slideshow)

Bee in Flight : Canon EOS 70D / 70-300mm Zoom Lens / Extension Tube

Bee Landing : Canon EOS 70D / 70-300mm Zoom Lens / Extension Tube

Bee Landing : Canon EOS 70D / 70-300mm Zoom Lens / Extension Tube 

Vernon Chalmers Photography Workshops Cape Town
Vernon Chalmers Photography Private Training / Workshops Cape Town

• Canon EOS Autofocus / AI Servo Master Class More
• Birds in Flight Photography Workshop More
• Canon Speedlite / Ring Lite Flash Photography Workshop More
• Macro / Close-Up Photography Workshop More
• Landscape / Long Exposure Photography Workshop More
• Digital Workflow / Lightroom Post-Processing Workshop More

For Vernon Chalmers Photography Workshops / Private Tutoring Cape Town visit Photography Workshops

International Photography Awards / Competitions

International / Global Photography Awards and Competitions 2017
Listed websites may still have competitions overlapping between 2016 and 2017. This listing features some of the most well-known International companies / magazines / newspapers / NGO's / websites offering photography awards and competitions around the world.

Latest News: International Photography Competitions

Canon announces entry acceptance schedule for New Cosmos of Photography 2017 Competition
Canon announces entry acceptance schedule for New Cosmos of Photography 2017 Competition
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International Photography Competitions

Africa Geographic
Photographer of the Year

Australian Geographic
Nature Photographer of the Year

Canon
New Cosmos of Photography 2017 Competition

All For Photography
International Photography Competitions

British Journal of Photography (BJP)
Photography Competitions

Canon World Press Photo
World Press Photo Contest

Communication Arts
Photography Competitions

Emerging Photographer
Photography Competition

Epson International Pano Awards
Photography Competition

Fine Art Photography Awards
Fine Art Photography Awards

Hamdan International Photography Award
Photography Competition

International Color Awards
International Color Awards

International Fine Art Photography Awards
International Fine Art Photography Awards

International Photography Awards (IPA)
International Photography Awards

Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards
Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards

Life Framer
Photography Competitions

The Lucie Awards
Lucie Annual Awards

The Zebra Awards
Black and White Photographer of the Year

Mobile Photography Awards
Mobile Photography Awards

Monochrome Awards
International Black & White Photography Contest

Moscow International Photo Awards (MIFA)
Moscow International Foto Awards

National Geographic Traveller
Photography Competition 2017

Shell / National Geographic Your Shot
Your Shot Photo Contests

Nature's Best Photography
Photography Competitions

Neutral Density Awards
ND Photography Awards

Nikon Photo Contest
Nikon Photo Contest

Nikon Small World
Photomicrography Competition

Olympus
Global Open Photo Contest

Opportunities for Africans
Smart Villages Photography competition

Ozone Zone International Photo Competition
International Photo Competition - Photo Salon

Professional Photographers of America (PPA)
International Photography Competitions

PPAC 
International Photo Awards

Photo.Com Awards
International Photography Contest

Proify International Awards
Annual International Photography Awards 

Renaissance Photography Prize
Renaissance Photography Awards

Shoot The Frame
Monthly International Photography Awards

Siena International Photo Awards
Photography Competitions

Sony World Photography Awards
Sony World Photography Awards

South Africa Photography Competitions
South Africa Photography Competitions

Syngenta Photography Award
Syngenta Photography Award

The Pulitzer Prizes
Feature Photography

World Press Photo
The World Press Photo Contest

World Photography Organization
Photography Competitions

ZEISS Photography Award
ZEISS Photography Award

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Vernon Chalmers Photography Workshops Cape Town 2017

• Canon EOS Autofocus / AI Servo Master Class Cape Town More
• Birds in Flight Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Canon Speedlite / Ring Lite Flash Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Macro / Close-Up Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Landscape / Long Exposure Photography Workshop Cape Town More
• Digital Workflow / Lightroom Post-Processing Workshop Cape Town More

Fireworks V&A Waterfront Cape Town South Africa : Canon EOS 6D / 70-300mm Lens