Canon EOS R5 / R6 Bird Photography Workflow Guide
Canon EOS R5 / R6 Bird Photography & Lightroom Guide
Improve Canon EOS R5 and R6 bird photography with practical camera settings, RF lens choices, autofocus techniques and a faster Lightroom Classic workflow.
Every minute spent on preparation before the shutter is pressed returns many minutes in Lightroom Classic. This essay sets out the camera, lens and file-handling decisions for the Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6 series (R5, R5 Mark II, R6, R6 Mark II and R6 Mark III) that matter most when photographing perched birds and birds in flight, and it links each decision to its consequence in the edit. The result is a single workflow, from the night before a shoot to the final archive, designed for effectiveness and efficiency.
- Frame rate is a culling decision. Every extra frame per second is an extra frame to review. Use the lowest rate that reliably captures the wing position you want, and keep the highest rates and pre-capture for unpredictable action.
- Aperture is a noise decision. An f/11 lens needs roughly four times the ISO of an f/5.6 lens for the same shutter speed, which moves work from the field into Denoise.
- Consistency saves edits. A fixed white balance, a synchronised clock and unique file numbering let one adjustment, one stack or one preset serve a whole sequence.
- Use Canon’s own bird AF settings as the baseline. Canon publishes separate recommendations for perched birds, large flying birds and small erratic birds. Adjust from there with field tests.
- Cull first, denoise second. Adobe advises applying Denoise before other tools, so run it only on the frames you have selected.
1. The workflow in one view
Photographers often treat post-processing as the place where a weak capture is repaired. A faster and more reliable approach is to treat the field and the edit as one connected process. Decisions made in the first two stages determine how many files arrive in Lightroom, how consistent they are and how much correction each one needs.
Sections 1 to 3 cover the workflow, the five camera bodies and the RF lenses. Sections 4 and 5 give the pre-shoot preparation and the capture settings. Section 6 covers capture habits, Section 7 carries the work into Lightroom Classic, and Section 8 links each field decision to its effect in the edit. Settings quoted from Canon’s EOS R5 Mark II AF Setting Guide are the baseline; menu names on other bodies are similar but should be confirmed on your own camera.
- 1Prepare
- 2Capture
- 3Ingest
- 4Cull
- 5Develop
- 6Export
- 7Archive
| Stage | Purpose | What it protects in Lightroom |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prepare | Firmware, cards, batteries, saved camera modes, metadata and clock set before leaving | Clean import, accurate stacks, copyright applied automatically |
| 2. Capture | Correct AF case, shutter speed, drive mode and exposure for the scene; disciplined bursts | Fewer, sharper, more consistent frames to review |
| 3. Ingest | Two copies, import preset, previews, auto-stack by capture time | Sequences grouped before the first look |
| 4. Cull | Selects only, with Assisted Culling as a first pass and manual checks at 100% | Time spent only on frames worth developing |
| 5. Develop | Denoise on selects, crop, global edits, masks, sync across sequences | One edit reused across many frames |
| 6. Export | Named presets for web, print and client delivery | No repeated settings and no missed metadata |
| 7. Archive | Backup, catalog backup, rejects removed, collections for published work | A catalog that stays fast and trustworthy |
2. The camera bodies
The R5 and R6 families share Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF system and in-body image stabilisation, but they differ in sensor resolution, electronic shutter speed, pre-capture and storage. Those differences decide how much cropping room you have, how many frames you will cull and how fast the electronic shutter is safe to use on fast wingbeats.
2.1 Comparison for bird photography
| R5 | R5 Mark II | R6 | R6 Mark II | R6 Mark III | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor | 45 MP | 45 MP stacked, back-illuminated | 20.1 MP | 24.2 MP | 32.5 MP |
| Electronic shutter | Up to 20 fps | Up to 30 fps (RAW) | Up to 20 fps | Up to 40 fps | Up to 40 fps |
| Mechanical shutter | Up to 12 fps | Up to 12 fps | Up to 12 fps | Up to 12 fps | Up to 12 fps |
| Pre-capture | Not offered | About 15 frames (0.5 s) | Not offered | About 0.5 s, within RAW Burst mode | 20 frames (about 0.5 s) |
| Readout speed | Slower than later bodies | About 6.3 ms | Slower than R6 Mark II | About 18 ms measured | About 13.2 ms |
| Bird detection | Yes (animal tracking) | Yes (Animals) | Animal detection (confirm on your firmware) | Yes (animals incl. birds) | Yes: songbirds to raptors, perched or in flight |
| In-body stabilisation | Up to 8 stops | Up to 8.5 stops | Up to 8 stops | Up to 8 stops | Up to 8.5 stops |
| Card slots | CFexpress B + SD | CFexpress B + SD | 2 x SD | 2 x SD | CFexpress B + SD |
| Eye Control AF | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Notes | High resolution for cropping | Best readout speed and cropping | Entry to R-series AF | 40 fps; 12-bit RAW at top speed | Large buffer (up to 150 RAW on CFexpress) |
Sources: Canon Europe (n.d.-a, n.d.-b, 2022); Canon U.S.A. (n.d.); Canon Rumors (n.d.); Chalmers (2026a); DPReview (n.d.); Wikipedia (n.d.-a, n.d.-b, n.d.-c). Figures for the original R5 and R6 are from manufacturer and encyclopedic sources and should be checked against your own firmware.
2.2 What the differences mean in the field and in Lightroom
- Resolution and cropping. The 45 MP R5 and R5 Mark II suit distant birds that occupy a small part of the frame, because heavy cropping leaves usable detail (Chalmers, 2026b). The cost is larger files, more storage and a heavier load on Denoise and exports.
- Speed and pre-capture. The R6 Mark II and R6 Mark III offer the fastest electronic shutter. The R6 Mark III buffers 20 frames before the full press and the R5 Mark II about 15, which helps with launches and landings that are hard to anticipate (Canon U.S.A., n.d.; Canon Rumors, n.d.). The original R5 and R6 do not offer pre-capture.
- Readout and rolling shutter. The electronic shutter reads the sensor line by line. A faster readout reduces wing distortion and banding under artificial light. The R5 Mark II reads out roughly twice as fast as the R6 Mark III (Canon Rumors, n.d.), and Canon states that the R6 Mark II reduced rolling shutter compared with the R6 (Canon Europe, 2022).
- RAW bit depth at top speed. DPReview (n.d.) reports that the R6 Mark II drops to 12-bit readout at 40 fps. Chalmers (2026a) reports a similar drop on the R6 Mark III and 14-bit RAW on the R5 Mark II in electronic shutter. Reduced bit depth matters mainly for shadow recovery, so use full bit depth modes when you expect heavy shadow lifting.
- Storage. Bodies with CFexpress sustain longer bursts. The R6 Mark III’s quoted buffer is up to 150 RAW frames on CFexpress (Canon Europe, n.d.-a). Dual SD bodies need fast UHS-II cards in both slots.
3. RF lenses for perched birds and birds in flight
The lens determines reach, the light reaching the sensor and how steady the camera is at the moment of exposure. It also sets the ISO you will shoot at, which is the ISO you will later denoise.
| Lens | Aperture | Weight | Stabiliser | Strengths | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM | f/5.6-8 | 635 g | Optical IS | Light and affordable; good for perched birds at closer range | Plastic build; no tripod ring; slow aperture at the long end |
| RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM | f/4.5-7.1 | 1370 g | Optical IS | Versatile all-rounder; sharp centre at full zoom; works with RF extenders | Expensive for a variable-aperture zoom |
| RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM | f/6.3-9 | 2060 g | 5.5 stops | 800 mm in a zoom; 0.8 m minimum focus; RF extenders compatible | f/9 at 800 mm demands more ISO; best with support |
| RF 600mm f/11 IS STM | f/11 fixed | 930 g | Built-in IS | Very light and affordable 600 mm | Needs high ISO in dull light; no extenders |
| RF 800mm f/11 IS STM | f/11 fixed | 1260 g | Built-in IS | Affordable 800 mm; AF works well at f/11 | High ISO for fast shutter speeds |
| RF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM | f/2.8 | About 2.9 kg | IS | Low-light and habitat work; fast AF | Professional price and weight |
| RF 600mm f/4L IS USM | f/4 | 3090 g | IS | Songbirds to shorebirds; weather resistant | Very high price |
| RF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM | f/5.6 | 3140 g | 4.5 stops with IBIS | Shy, distant birds; works with RF extenders | Over 3 kg; best on a support |
Sources: Amateur Photographer (n.d.); Canon Europe (n.d.-b, n.d.-c). Weights and specifications are as published and should be confirmed with the manufacturer before purchase.
3.1 Aperture, ISO and the Denoise workload
For the same light and shutter speed, the ISO needed scales with the square of the f-number. The chart below takes ISO 800 at f/5.6 as a reference and shows the ISO each aperture would need. An f/11 lens needs about four times the ISO of an f/5.6 lens, which is two stops. This is simple arithmetic, not a lens test, but it shows why the choice of lens changes how much noise reduction your files will need.
3.2 Choosing a lens for the scene
| Scene | Good fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Perched birds at moderate distance | RF 100-500mm, RF 100-400mm, RF 200-800mm | Zoom range allows framing as the bird moves; slow shutter speeds are acceptable, so smaller apertures are less costly |
| Perched birds, shy or distant | RF 200-800mm, RF 600mm or 800mm f/11, RF 800mm f/5.6L | Reach reduces cropping and disturbance |
| Birds in flight, open sky | RF 100-500mm, RF 200-800mm | Zoom lets you reacquire a bird early at a shorter focal length |
| Birds in flight, low or fading light | RF 400mm f/2.8L, RF 600mm f/4L, RF 800mm f/5.6L | Wide apertures keep the ISO manageable at 1/2500 s and faster |
| Light, travel-friendly kit | RF 100-400mm, RF 600mm f/11 | Low weight, but plan for higher ISO and brighter conditions |
3.3 Lens controls to set before you leave
- Focus limiter. Restrict the range to your working distance so the lens does not hunt through close focus. If a close bird is badly defocused, pre-focus near its distance and restart AF (Camera Times, n.d.).
- Image stabiliser mode. Check the lens manual for the available modes. A panning mode suits steady horizontal flight, while an exposure-only mode can suit erratic movement. Test on your own lens and body.
- Extenders. The 100-500mm, 200-800mm and 800mm f/5.6L accept RF extenders. A 2x extender on the 200-800mm narrows the AF area and makes the aperture f/13 to f/18 (Canon Europe, n.d.-c). The f/11 primes do not take extenders.
- Zoom torque and function ring. Set zoom tension so the lens does not creep, and assign the function ring or buttons you actually use.
4. Pre-shoot preparation
The night before is the cheapest time to prevent problems. Many of the items below look like housekeeping, but each one removes a step from the edit.
| Preparation | What to do | Payoff in Lightroom |
|---|---|---|
| Firmware | Update body and lens firmware; confirm Animals detection is available | Current AF behaviour; fewer surprises in the field |
| Cards | Format both cards in the camera after backing up; carry spares | No leftover files; smooth, predictable import |
| Batteries | Charge two or more; pre-capture and long half-presses use extra power (Camera Times, n.d.) | No mid-session settings loss |
| Date, time and zone | Set to the second and the correct zone on every body | Accurate Auto-Stack by Capture Time; correct sorting across cameras |
| Copyright and author | Enter in the camera’s copyright information menu | Embedded in every file; a second safety net beside your import preset |
| File numbering | Set to Continuous | Unique filenames across sessions; no duplicate warnings |
| White balance | Choose a fixed preset for the session rather than Auto | One WB sync covers a whole sequence |
| Saved modes | Store settings in C1, C2 and C3 (Section 5.1) | Consistent files from different scenes |
| Settings backup | Save camera settings to the card | Fast recovery after a reset |
| Clean gear | Clean the sensor, lens elements and EVF eyecup; check the lens hood | Fewer dust spots to heal in Develop |
| Location and light | Check sun angle, wind and tide; plan where the sun falls on the bird (for example, coastal sites bring salt spray and wind) | Cleaner light means lower ISO and less noise reduction |
5. Camera settings by scenario
The tables in this section are starting points, not rules. The autofocus entries come directly from Canon’s EOS R5 Mark II AF Setting Guide (Canon Inc., n.d.-a, n.d.-b, n.d.-c). Exposure and drive entries combine Canon and independent guidance and are labelled as starting points.
5.1 Three saved modes
Use the custom shooting modes so that a single dial turn recalls an entire configuration.
| Mode | Scene | Core idea |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | Perched birds | Flexible Zone or 1-point AF, Case Auto 0 or -1, lower frame rate, shutter speed 1/800 to 1/1600 s |
| C2 | Birds in flight, open sky | Flexible Zone or Whole area AF, Case Auto 0, electronic shutter 15 to 20 fps, about 1/2500 s |
| C3 | Small, erratic or cluttered flight | Case Auto +1 (or Case M), faster shutter 1/3200 to 1/4000 s, pre-capture available |
5.2 Autofocus: Canon’s bird recommendations
| Setting | Perched birds | Large birds in flight | Small or diving birds in flight |
|---|---|---|---|
| AF operation | Servo AF | Servo AF | Servo AF |
| AF area | Flexible Zone AF or 1-point AF; use 1-point where branches and leaves intrude | Flexible Zone AF or 1-point AF; 1-point for take-offs behind obstructions | Flexible Zone AF or Whole area |
| Orientation-linked AF point | Separated AF points | Separated AF points | Separated AF points |
| Whole area tracking Servo AF | On | On | On |
| Subject to detect | Animals | Animals | Animals |
| Eye detection | Auto | Auto | Auto |
| Servo AF characteristics | Case Auto | Case Auto | Case Auto |
| Case Auto characteristics | 0, or -1 (locked on) if the bird is partly hidden | 0 | +1 (Responsive); if focus still lags, Case M with Tracking sensitivity and Accel./decel. at +2 |
| Servo 1st image priority | Equal priority | Equal priority | Equal priority, or Release priority for the fastest start |
| Lens electronic MF | Enable (actual size) | Enable (actual size) | Enable (actual size) |
Source: Canon Inc. (n.d.-a, n.d.-b, n.d.-c). Menu names are for the EOS R5 Mark II; confirm the equivalents on other bodies.
5.3 Other photographers’ tracking setups
Independent practitioners often start from Canon’s recommendation and then tune tracking. Treat these as starting points to test, not replacements. Chalmers (2025) uses Servo AF with the AF-ON button, Whole Area AF with subject tracking, Animals detection with eye detection, Case 2 with Tracking sensitivity at -2 and Accel./decel. at +1, and Release priority. The reasoning is that a lower tracking sensitivity keeps focus on the bird and resists switching to background distractions. An R5 practitioner at Oceanlight (n.d.) also uses Case 2 with sensitivity at its lowest and acceleration at its highest, an expanded AF area with eye tracking, and eye tracking on the AF-ON button.
5.4 Back-button focus and fallback buttons
- Put Servo AF and subject detection on AF-ON and start AF a few moments before the shutter. The first frames may be soft while focus locks, then stay sharp (Oceanlight, n.d.; Camera Times, n.d.).
- Assign a second button to switch to spot or 1-point AF. If the camera loses the bird, you can re-acquire it manually (Canon Europe, n.d.-b).
- Place the starting point on the breast or head and let tracking move to the eye once the bird is recognisable (Camera Times, n.d.).
- Leave Action Priority off. Canon’s examples for it are team sports, and it is not a bird feature (Camera Times, n.d.; Canon Inc., n.d.-d).
5.5 Exposure, drive and capture starting points
| Setting | Perched birds | Birds in flight | Why it matters later |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shooting mode | Manual with Auto ISO and exposure compensation | Manual with Auto ISO and exposure compensation | Fixed shutter and aperture keep sequences consistent |
| Shutter speed | 1/800 to 1/1600 s (1/400 s only for still songbirds with stabilisation) | About 1/2500 s; 1/1600 s for large gliding birds; 1/3200 to 1/4000 s for small, erratic birds | Sharper wings and heads mean fewer rejects |
| Aperture | Widest useful aperture; close one stop when body and tail both need to be sharp | Widest useful working aperture for the lens | Keeps ISO low and Denoise light |
| ISO | Auto ISO with a ceiling set by your own Denoise tolerance test | Auto ISO with a ceiling set by the same test | Predictable noise; one Denoise setting |
| Drive and shutter | Single or low-speed burst; silent electronic shutter if the bird is easily disturbed | Electronic shutter at 15 to 20 fps for predictable flight; 30 or 40 fps only for brief, decisive action; mechanical or electronic first curtain (12 fps) if rolling shutter or banding appears | Fewer frames to cull |
| Pre-capture | Off | On only for launches you cannot predict; release the half-press afterwards | Avoids hundreds of unwanted frames |
| Exposure compensation | Adjust for white or dark plumage | Adjust for sky brightness and for white birds on dark water | Protects highlight detail; shadow recovery is easier than blown plumage |
| Image review | Off during bursts | Off during bursts | Preserves speed and reduces EVF lag (Camera Times, n.d.) |
Sources: Camera Times (n.d.); Canon Europe (n.d.-b); Oceanlight (n.d.). Perched-bird shutter speeds are practical starting points that combine the Canon Europe songbird example (1/400 s) with the need to freeze head movement.
5.6 File format, cards and in-camera processing
- RAW or C-RAW. C-RAW roughly halves file size and about doubles the buffer in one practitioner’s test, with no visible quality loss (Oceanlight, n.d.). Lightroom Classic reads Canon raw files, but Adobe’s Enhance help page does not name C-RAW explicitly. Test Denoise on a C-RAW file from your own camera before committing to it for critical work.
- Avoid HEIF as a capture format if you plan to use Denoise. Adobe (n.d.-a) states that HEIF is not supported by Denoise, Raw Details or Super Resolution.
- Dual cards. Record RAW to both cards on important shoots as a live backup. If speed matters more, use the fast card for RAW and the second slot for overflow.
- White balance. RAW stores white balance only as metadata, so it can be changed later. A fixed preset still saves time, because Auto White Balance can vary between frames in a sequence and break a single sync.
- Picture Style, Highlight Tone Priority and Auto Lighting Optimizer. These mainly affect the EVF preview and JPEGs. A neutral Picture Style gives a more conservative histogram, and leaving the other two off avoids side effects on ISO and metadata.
- Lens corrections. Leave the in-camera correction options on and use the RF lens profile in Lightroom (Section 7).
- Anti-flicker. Use it only under artificial light. It can reduce the frame rate (Camera Times, n.d.).
6. Capture discipline: shooting for the edit
Once the camera is configured, small habits in the field change the cull more than any setting.
- Frame rate sets the review workload. The chart below uses simple arithmetic: 100 bursts of 1.5 seconds each.
- Start the half-press late and release early. Pre-capture and long half-presses fill the card and drain the battery (Camera Times, n.d.).
- Keep the pan smooth before, during and after the burst. Follow through rather than stopping at the shutter click (Camera Times, n.d.).
- Match the AF area to the background. A broad area suits a clean sky; use a smaller area against foliage, waves or crowds.
- Mark sequences. Take a deliberate slate frame, for example your hand over the lens, at the start of a new species or location. It makes sequence boundaries obvious when culling.
- Keep a short field log. Species, location, time and light notes make keywording faster than recalling later.
7. The Lightroom Classic workflow
The following sequence turns the field decisions into a fast and repeatable edit. It builds on the Lightroom Masking Guide, which explains the individual masking tools in detail.
7.1 Ingest
- Copy files from the card with a card reader and keep a second copy on another drive before formatting the card.
- Use an import preset: Copy, rename with a template such as date, location and sequence number, put files in date subfolders, apply a metadata template with your copyright and contact details, and add base keywords.
- Apply a light Develop preset on import: the RF lens profile, chromatic aberration removal and your standard profile. Leave noise reduction at zero until Denoise runs on selected frames.
- Choose a fast preview option so you can start culling while previews build.
- Select the sequence and use Photo > Stacking > Auto-Stack by Capture Time so each burst collapses into one stack. This relies on the accurate clock you set in Section 4.
7.2 Cull in three passes
- Assisted Culling as a first pass. Adobe’s feature scores subject focus, eye focus and eye state, flags weak frames and groups similar images (Adobe, n.d.-b). Adobe’s help page describes the eye criteria in terms of people, so test it on a bird sequence and rely mainly on subject focus for birds.
- Compare within stacks. Open each stack in Survey or Compare view (N or C), zoom to 100% on the eye and head and choose the best wing position and background. Flag the winner as a Pick (P) and others as Rejected (X).
- Star rating on picks only. Rate the survivors. Filter to picks and move on. Delete rejected photos from the catalog once you are confident.
7.3 Develop
Work in this order to avoid redoing steps.
| Step | Action | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Run Denoise on the selected frames only | Adobe advises applying Denoise before other tools, including AI masks, because it can change their results (Adobe, n.d.-a). It runs in the background |
| 2 | Crop and straighten | A tighter frame means smaller masks and faster edits |
| 3 | Global edit: exposure, white balance, highlights and shadows | Sets the base for the whole sequence |
| 4 | Masks: Subject, Background, Sky and a small eye mask | See the Lightroom Masking Guide for the full mask set |
| 5 | Sharpening and final noise balance | Judge at 100% after masks are in place |
| 6 | Auto Sync or copy settings to the rest of the sequence | Consistent exposure and a fixed white balance make one edit reusable |
| 7 | Save a preset for the light type, such as overcast perched or clear-sky flight | Next time starts at step 3 with most of the work done |
7.4 Export and archive
- Create named export presets: Web (sRGB, long edge about 2048 px, moderate quality), Blog, Print and Client. Embed copyright and strip location data if you publish near nests or sensitive sites.
- Add exported and published images to a collection so they are easy to find.
- Back up the catalog and photos using the 3-2-1 approach: three copies, two media types and one off-site.
- Remove rejected frames and keep the catalog lean so that Lightroom stays responsive.
8. Linking field decisions to the edit
This table summarises the cause-and-effect chain that justifies the preparation in Sections 4 and 5.
| Field decision | Effect in Lightroom Classic |
|---|---|
| Lower frame rate where possible | Fewer frames per stack; faster culling and smaller catalog |
| Pre-capture only for unpredictable launches | Fewer wasted frames from long half-presses |
| Wider aperture or a faster lens | Lower ISO; less aggressive Denoise; cleaner shadows |
| Auto ISO ceiling set by a Denoise test | Predictable noise; one Denoise decision per sequence |
| Fixed white balance | One sync covers a whole sequence |
| Clock synchronised, continuous file numbering | Accurate Auto-Stack; no duplicate filenames |
| Copyright and author in the camera | Metadata present even without a template |
| Higher shutter speed for flight | Fewer soft wings and heads in the cull |
| Correct AF area for the background | Fewer frames with a sharp background and soft bird |
| Slate frames and a field log | Faster sequence identification and keywording |
8.1 Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Background sharp, bird soft | AF area too large or starting point on the background | Use a smaller starting area; release AF, move the point to the bird and reacquire (Camera Times, n.d.) |
| Feathers smeared | Shutter speed too slow or panning uneven | Raise the shutter speed; smooth the pan |
| Frame rate lower than expected | Shutter speed too slow, flicker reduction on, weak battery or demanding AF | Check each; confirm the lens supports the top continuous speed |
| Pre-capture unavailable | Mechanical shutter selected, insufficient free card space, low battery | Switch to electronic shutter; free card space; charge the battery |
| Banding or distorted wings | Electronic shutter with artificial light or very fast wing beats | Switch to mechanical or electronic first curtain; check immediately |
| Focus lags on a sudden move | Tracking too conservative for the bird | Case Auto +1; then Case M with tracking and acceleration at +2 (Canon Inc., n.d.-c) |
| Focus pulled by branches | Whole area tracking in clutter | Use 1-point AF and Case Auto -1 (Canon Inc., n.d.-a) |
| Heavy noise in Lightroom | High ISO from a slow lens or slow shutter | Open the aperture, use a faster lens, or accept the Denoise cost |
| Too many files to cull | High frame rate and long bursts | Lower the rate; shorten bursts; stack by capture time |
9. Checklists
9.1 Night before
- Camera and lens firmware current; Animals detection available
- Cards formatted in camera after backup; spares packed
- Batteries charged; at least one spare
- Date, time and zone set on every body; File numbering set to Continuous
- Copyright and author information entered
- C1 (perched), C2 (flight, open sky) and C3 (flight, small or cluttered) saved
- Fixed white balance chosen; settings backed up to the card
- Lens focus limiter and stabiliser mode reviewed; lens hood fitted
- Sun angle, wind and tide checked; route planned
9.2 At the location
- Test shot: check exposure, white balance and banding
- Confirm shutter speed for the subject (perched, large flight, small flight)
- AF-ON set; fallback button assigned; Action Priority off
- Frame rate chosen for the subject; pre-capture off unless needed
- Image review off during bursts
- Slate frame at the start of each new species or location
- Field log started
9.3 After the shoot
- Two copies made before cards are formatted
- Import preset applied: Copy, rename, date folders, metadata, Develop preset
- Auto-Stack by Capture Time run
- Assisted Culling pass, then Survey or Compare at 100%
- Picks and ratings set; rejects removed when sure
- Denoise run on selects only, before other edits
- Edit, mask and sync across sequences; preset saved
- Export presets run; collection updated; catalog backed up
10. Verify on your own gear
- Which firmware version introduced bird eye detection on the original R5 and R6, and how it behaves on your body.
- Whether Lightroom’s Denoise runs on C-RAW files from your camera. Adobe’s help page does not name CR3 or C-RAW explicitly.
- The reported 12-bit RAW readout on the R6 Mark III at its highest electronic shutter rate (reported by Chalmers, 2026a).
- Whether Assisted Culling’s eye criteria apply to birds. Adobe’s page describes them in terms of people.
- Menu names and locations on the R5, R6, R6 Mark II and R6 Mark III. The AF values in Section 5.2 are for the R5 Mark II.
- Whether Lightroom reads in-camera star ratings from your files. Test with a small card first.
References
Adobe. (n.d.-a). Improve image quality using Enhance. Adobe Lightroom Classic Help.
Adobe. (n.d.-b). Assisted Culling. Adobe Lightroom Classic Help.
Amateur Photographer. (n.d.). Best Canon RF lenses for wildlife photography.
Camera Times. (n.d.). Canon EOS R5 Mark II for bird photography: Tracking, pre-capture and birds-in-flight technique.
Canon Europe. (n.d.-a). Canon EOS R6 Mark III.
Canon Europe. (n.d.-b). Best kit for bird photography.
Canon Europe. (n.d.-c). Canon RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM: Specifications.
Canon Europe. (2022, November). Never compromise your creativity: Master stills and motion with the high-speed EOS R6 Mark II.
Canon Inc. (n.d.-a). AF Setting Guide: EOS R5 Mark II. 6-32 Animals: Birds (Perched birds).
Canon Inc. (n.d.-b). AF Setting Guide: EOS R5 Mark II. 6-33 Animals: Birds (Large flying birds).
Canon Inc. (n.d.-c). AF Setting Guide: EOS R5 Mark II. 6-34 Animals: Birds (Small birds flying or diving into water).
Canon Inc. (n.d.-d). AF Setting Guide: EOS R5 Mark II. 4-4 Usage examples and recommended settings by scene.
Canon Rumors. (n.d.). Canon EOS R6 Mark III vs. Canon EOS R5 Mark II.
Canon U.S.A. (n.d.). The Canon EOS R6 Mark III: A new sweet spot for stills photographers.
Chalmers, V. (2025, September). Canon EOS R5 Mark II AF settings for birds in flight. Vernon Chalmers Photography.
Chalmers, V. (2026a, February). Canon EOS R6 Mark III vs. R5 Mark II pre-capture. Vernon Chalmers Photography.
Chalmers, V. (2026b, September). Canon EOS R6 Mark III vs R5 Mark II: Which do you need? Vernon Chalmers Photography.R6 Mark II review. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from
Oceanlight. (n.d.). Canon R5 autofocus settings for birds in flight.
Wikipedia. (n.d.-a). Canon EOS R6.
Wikipedia. (n.d.-b). Canon EOS R6 Mark II.
Wikipedia. (n.d.-c). Canon EOS R6 Mark III
