How to setup the Canon 6D II for better servo AF performance.

When I got my Canon 6D II I didn’t change much about how the AF worked initially. Later, I decided to try some different AF settings in the custom function menus to see if I could improve the servo tracking performance of the camera for my uses which is mostly shooting people. What I have found is that some of the settings seem to just make the camera track worse despite what it seems should happen based on the description of the settings. After some experimentation here are my settings that I think work the best to enable solid tracking of people for most situations.

C.Fn II Autofocus

Option 1: Tracking Sensitivity

Set it to “Locked on”

Option 2: Accel./decel. Tracking

Set it to “0”

Option 3: AF pt auto switching

Set it to “0”

Option 4: AI Servo 1^st image priority

Set it to “Release”

Option 5: AI Servo 2^nd image priority

Set it to “Focus”

Option 11: Initial AFpt, [] AI Servo AF

Set it to “1”

Option 11 is only valid for Phase Detect AF. Before starting to Servo AF simply align the visible AF point with your intended target, such as a person’s face. This is a good way to ensure you get good tracking on your subject.

You can change the starting AF point using the rear AF point selection button:

Did these tips help you? Do you have any tips of your own? Let us know in the comments below!