Canon 7D Mark II Setup Guide with Recommended Settings

In conjunction with my camera guide for the new Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 7D Mark II Experience, I have created a Canon 7D Mark II Setup Guide – a comprehensive spreadsheet with recommended settings for the applicable Menus, Custom Function settings, plus some shooting and exposure settings. It has complete and separate camera setup recommendations for different types of shooting, including:

General / Travel / Street
Landscape / Architecture
Action / Sports
Moving Wildlife / Birds
Studio / Portraits
Concert / Performance

Here is a detail of just a small part of the Setup Guide spreadsheet:

Canon-7D-MarkII-setup-guide-02
Canon 7D Mark II Experience, Setup Guide Spreadsheet – a detail of the spreadsheet

 

Excel Version – The direct link to the Excel spreadsheet is:

http://docs.fullstopbooks.com/forms/Canon_7D_Mark_II_Experience-Setup_Guide.xls

alternate link:

http://www.dojoklo.com/Full_Stop/forms/Canon_7D_Mark_II_Experience-Setup_Guide.xls

To print the guide, you may wish to print it across several pages and then tape them together, so that the data is legible:

First, be sure to set the print area, to avoid all the blank pages. Do this by manually selecting all the cells with data in them (drag the cursor from cell A1 to G185 and they will all appear blue.) Then access the menu for File > Print Area > Set Print Area.

Then go to File > Print Preview and select the Setup button,

Then set the page for “Landscape” and “Fit To” 2 pages wide by 3 pages tall. Alternately, you can set for “Adjust to 60% Normal Size.”

Either of those options should result in 6 pages to be printed (as long as you have set the print area first).

Be sure to check the preview to see that the data will print at a reasonable size, and that there are only 6 or so pages that will print.

PDF Version – You can download a PDF version below, which is divided into 2 pages, and can be perhaps more easily navigated on a tablet or phone with some panning and zooming. However for printing it may prove to be too tiny, and you may wish to print the XLS version instead.

http://www.dojoklo.com/Full_Stop/forms/Canon_7D_Mark_II_Experience-Setup_Guide.pdf

Canon 7D Mark II book manual guide setup how to tips tricks spreadsheet menu custom function setting

In the past I have resisted requests for these types of quick-start “cheat sheets,” because I prefer that readers of my Full Stop camera guides read through all of the Menu and Custom Settings options, and determine which settings suit their shooting situations and preferences. This is one of the best ways to really learn the ins-and-outs of one’s new camera, so I still encourage you to do so. But I can appreciate the value and the handy reference features of this type of recommendation guide.

Please know that I am in no way an experienced expert in all of the different photography categories I have included, so take the advice of dedicated Bird or Concert photographers, for example, above mine if it differs! And for further information, explanations, justifications, and caveats for the settings I specify, please have a look at my clear and comprehensive guide Canon 7D Mark II Experience.

Canon 7D Mark II book manual guide setup tips tricks spreadsheet menu custom function setting

Version History
v1.0 – First version released – 2015-12-23

Use this Setup Guide in conjunction with Canon 7D Mark II Experience:

Canon 7D Mark II Experience book manual guide master how to tips tricks learn use setup quick start setting recommend menu custom function

If you have purchased my Canon 7D Mark II Experience e-book guide, be sure to sign up on the updates page, so that I can inform you of any updates made to the guide or to this spreadsheet, and well be able to provide you with a free updated guide, should there be any major updates or corrections.

If you have found this blog helpful and plan to purchase a Canon 7D Mark II or some lenses or accessories for it, please consider using my affiliate links for Amazon or for B and H, found at the left side of this page. Your price will be the same, but they will give me a small referral fee – thanks! And please feel free to spread the word if this blog has been helpful.

5 thoughts on “Canon 7D Mark II Setup Guide with Recommended Settings”

  1. I recently purchased my 7d mk 2 and now your experience ebook to help guide me through what appears to be many permutations, well at least anyway from my canon 550d. I’m really very excited! Please can you advise me though on the link that you posted, where at the back of your book, from Canon USA,I can view the ‘informative AF setting guide’. I downloaded and tried opening in iBooks on my iPad. This however is PDF password protected! I am particularly interested in this as I am still confused on this subject! Any advice on how I can gain the password would be much appreciated. Thank you. Back to your excellent ebook now for the next few hours. Or more!

  2. Thank you for the comprehensive book about the Canon 7D markII..please add me to your updated articles about this camera..your experience and easily understandable writing skills are awesome! I want to know also the best lenses to use with this camera..preferably low end $$$ L Lenses and such..
    Thank you!

    Christina

    1. Hello, Thank you for your kind feedback! Please feel free to share your review of the guide on Amazon, where I offer the Kindle version – thanks!
      http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Mark-Experience-Photography-Operation-ebook/dp/B00R58CF7G

      You can sign up for updates on the guide at this page:
      http://blog.dojoklo.com/ebooks/sign-up-for-full-stop-e-book-updates/

      And you can learn more about lenses with some of these articles:
      http://blog.dojoklo.com/lenses/

      You can never go wrong with any from the L series trinity – choose the focal lengths you most work with:
      70-200mm IS (either f/2.8 or the cheaper f/4)
      24-70mm (there are a few versions of this, f/2.8 both new and old, and f/4 with IS)
      16-35mm f/2.8 (a new MkIII version of this is coming soon, so perhaps then you can pick up a MkII version for cheaper)

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