01 December 2025

Aperture / Shutter Speed Testing in Variable Light

Aperture and shutter speed testing with Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

Bee in Flight : Birds in Flight Settings - Manual Mode
Bee in Flight : Birds in Flight Settings - Manual Mode

This morning's overcast condition, with partly son and partly light fog worked quite well for my aperture (and shutter speed) testing with the Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens. I spent most of the morning between apertures f/5.6 and 6.3 while toggling between 1/2500s - 1/3200s shutter speeds.

Cape Town Location
Diep River, Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Equipment
  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR camera body
  • Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens
  • SanDisk Extreme 120MB/s 64GB CF Card

Manual Mode / Aperture Priority Settings
  • Shutter Speed: 1/2500s - 1/3200s (Birds and Bee in Flight) Manual Mode
  • Shutter speed: 1/800s - 1/1000s (Wildflowers) Av Mode
  • Aperture: f/5.6 - 6.3
  • Focal length 400mm
  • Auto-ISO (ISO 100 - 500)
  • Continuous shooting mode (10 fps) / AI Servo
  • AI Servo / AF Mode Option (Wide Zone AF / Case 1)
  • Lens AF On / No IS / Handheld

Reed Cormorant in Flight : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Manual Mode
Reed Cormorant in Flight : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Manual Mode

Pied kingfisher in Flight : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Manual Mode
Pied Kingfisher in Flight : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Manual Mode

Yellow-billed Duck in Flight : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Manual Mode
Yellow-Billed Duck in Flight : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Manual Mode

African Darter in the water : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Manual Mode
African Darter in the water : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Manual Mode

Wildflower : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Av Mode f/5.6
Wildflower : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Av Mode f/5.6

Wildflower : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Av Mode f/5.6
Wildflower : Woodbridge Island, Milnerton - Av Mode f/5.6