General Full-Frame Do you use Fv?

[BasilFawlty]

I’ve seen a lot of discussions on other forums about Fv mode on Canon R-cameras. Some people seem to dismiss it as a gimmick and a “solution” in search of a problem. For the longest time, I pretty much ignored Fv mode, but recently have been playing with it and find it can be quite useful.

For general walking around town shooting, I tend to prefer Av mode, but I now have my C1 programmed for wild life, with triple back button focus, and Fv mode. I will admit that at first I thought it was kinda gimmicky, but have since come to realize it is really just a very convenient way to quickly change from Aperture priority to Shutter Priority, or ISO auto or ISO specific, or even full manual. Most of the time, I prefer Av mode, but when I’m shooting birds and wildlife at the Bosque, for example, I like to be able to quickly change modes without needing to remove my eye from the view finder. Yes, there are other ways to change modes, but the Fv mode really just makes for a faster, easier way to switch between modes to account for quickly changing scenarios. And a short press of the trash can will reset back to auto, whatever setting your have selected (Av, Tv, Ex Comp, ISO) while a longer press of the trash icon will reset all items back to auto.

It does take some getting used to, but once I figured it out, I’ve found it to be very useful in certain situations. Just curious if other use Fv mode and, if so, how do you use i t and in what situations?

 

[chipman]

I use it on my R7s for wildlife. Usually sits on EC for highlight control, but it's so easy to dial in more shutter speed or deeper DOF.
But then, I'm one of those crazy fools who actually like the way the R7 is designed.

 

[StevenAunan]

I use Fv as my standard setting in all situations because it lets me choose whatever mode I want on the fly, from full auto to full manual, without taking my eye from the viewfinder. Maybe it's my age (60+) and maybe it's because I learned on a full manual film camera many years ago, but I find that I easily get confused about what settings are available if I use the dial to switch from Av to Tv to M. And I get less confused when all four settings - shutter, aperture, exposure, and ISO - are always available. I've also customized the AF-ON button to toggle between One-Shot and Servo AF, the star * button toggles eye tracking, and the M-Fn button selects the AF point mode. If I create any other custom settings, I can never remember what they are once I get out in the field!

 

[Archibald]

For birds, I'm in M and usually shooting wide open with the R7 and 100-500L. I will spin the main dial to boost the shutter speed for BIFs, or lower it if the light is dim. Sometimes I will change the exposure compensation.

When I do macro, I use the 100L at f/11 or 13 and pretty well nothing changes except for the flash power.

I also do people photography with the R5, with a trigger to fire the flashes. I'm in M at f/8 and 100 ISO for all the shots.

Would there be a benefit to me using Fv?

 

[Bucolic Old Sir Henry]

I'm in Fv all the time, except for general birds settings, which I have on C1. For me it combines the best of all modes, and often ends up as manual + auto ISO. Wouldn't be without it...

 

[BasilFawlty]

I'm in Fv all the time, except for general birds settings, which I have on C1. For me it combines the best of all modes, and often ends up as manual + auto ISO. Wouldn't be without it...

I use in in certain circumstances, but the more I use it the more I like it. May end up just making it my default mode, since it's really like having all modes combined into one.

 

[pcassel]

Well, now I feel like a bit of a fool. I never noticed FV or just passed it by. I had idea what you guys were on about so looked it up in the manual.

I'm sold on FV now. Thanks all

 

[BasilFawlty]

Well, now I feel like a bit of a fool. I never noticed FV or just passed it by. I had idea what you guys were on about so looked it up in the manual.

I'm sold on FV now. Thanks all

Don't feel bad. As I stated in my OP, I ignored Fv for a long time. Now I find it extremely useful and may even start using it all the time and not just in special circumstances.

 

[StevenAunan]

I'm not a wildlife photographer, but this is one of the videos that sold me on using Fv.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

 

[Chris Summers]

I just shoot in the fully automatic A+ mode. So much easier.

 

[Japeg]

No. I can’t see the advantage over Manual + Auto ISO, and the limits on FV are frustrating. I wish Canon had given us another C mode (C4) instead.

 

[jcass]

My habits from years of use are based around Manual mode. I am used to the different dials to change shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. When in auto-ISO, I use the lens ring to change exposure compensation or I kick the ISO to a manual setting. It just wound up being more intuitive for me to know what dial changed which setting as opposed to keeping track of it while I was in Fv mode.

 

[Photofarmer]

I just shoot in the fully automatic A+ mode. So much easier.

black sheep of the RF forum family I too thought it was just a fancy M mode but use it all the time as well. M still used for storm photography though. Good topic by the way

 

[Only RF]

I tried it for a while but found it too slow. You have to move the cursor to what you want to adjust. It was as stepping stone from Av to M. With Auto ISO I shoot in M these days.

 

[RazzleH]

Don't feel bad. As I stated in my OP, I ignored Fv for a long time. Now I find it extremely useful and may even start using it all the time and not just in special circumstances.

Learning new tricks , if they enhance my old tricks, doesn't come easily for me, but perseverance and more reading drive my changes for new tech. FV is new to me and becoming used more often.

 

[TwoWheeler]

I just shoot in the fully automatic A+ mode. So much easier.

I always use “P” - for “perfect”.

 

[TwoWheeler]

I use Fv as the base for all three custom modes and I have the Mf-n button set to switch modes.

C1 is my General Porpoise/ Landscape, C2 is Critters and C3 is Macro. Fv is like all the modes rolled into one and I change the settings I need to change and let the others figure themselves out. Since I have all the other modes “disabled”, I can switch from one type of photography to the other, with no more than two button pushes. (Which is handy, since I am both neurotic and ADD).

You will probably brand me a Communist, but I use the lens ring for Aperture - since that’s usually my main concern- which means I don’t have to scroll through the choices, unless I want one of the other settings.

The only drawback I’ve found to using Fv is that it won’t allow you to set the minimum shutter speed to “reciprocal of focal length”

 

[Only RF]

Since day one my biggest curse was ISO. I'm shooting BIF and a bird lands on a branch and sometimes you have to be quick. I like to keep as much consistency as I can between my R6II and R7 so I use M and C1-3 for shutter speeds. M for static subjects and C1-3 for slow moving, faster and really fast. All other settings are the same. If I need to change something I go the green menus. This is the main thing I miss about my R5. You could map C1-3 to a button.

My R6II has something I wish my R7 had. You can map Subject To Detect to a button. I mapped the M-fn to that on my R6II which is very handy. I'm in Animals 90% of the time with the R7 so not too bad.

The R7 is missing a second QC dial so I mapped aperture to the lens ring which I don't like with my 100-500. However since I shoot pretty much wide open with that body it works out OK as well. I use the QC 2 dial for aperture on my R6II.

Both R6II and R7 = main dial for SS and QC1 for EC. R6II = QC2 for Aperture. R7 = lens ring for Aperture.

 

[VanDyck]

this is one of the videos that sold me on using Fv.

Duade's video was an eye opener for me, a long time Av shooter. Fv mode is now my new learning focus in the days ahead.

 

[Shona]

I'm not a wildlife photographer, but this is one of the videos that sold me on using Fv.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I’ve just watched this, really interesting, I hadn’t considered using Fv mode before, definitely going to give it a go now.