A feature that I love to have from long ago from CANON.
This is a very useful function for wildlife Photographer.
But for the first time, CANON put this special function into a R7 in a special way.
When I having the Pre-production unit, I am wonder
1. how it work (AF is like other system ? focus only happen on first moment when half press the shutter button)
2. how do we extract ! just from the camera ? why put everything into single file 3. pre record how long ? and now we know it is 0.5s and why ? enough for us ? 4. can we extract all the file within the single RAW Burst file ?
NO … why I am not answering all the question but this sharing is simply show why/when we need this function, how we shoot, how we extract …
I put everything how’s it work into a video..
or another sample while capture this bird with my guests and birder Alex
base on video below
1. the bird is standing a while before further action
2. CANON R7 Raw burst enable and half press shutter button when the bird standing before further action
3. press the shutter after see the bird jump (at the video below flag moment)
4. As the video show at frame 10 (16 frames before I press the shutter button pictures)
Most of the camera nowaday, giving animal eye detection, tracking but limited the AF mode where mostly by either a “zone” or Full screen (mean if we want Bird eye detect, we either limit ourselves either using “dedicated zone/zone size” or “full sensor screen”
*** have a look at the youtube sharing
But Why do I like the AF mode by using different area? single point sometime is very useful when obstacle is infront of subject.
CANON R7 with 32.5-megapixel ASP-C CMOS sensor, such a high megapixel camera always give good details to subject. here is a sharing page for sample full size pictures for your reference
This test mainly concentrate on AF tracking (on subject – bird). Even I dont have enough chance to shoot many AF tracking and this is not my normal testing AF condition. Where I normally test AF, AF tracking with “un-plan” flying subject. Where I do not have any idea where the bird flying from-to and just use camera reaction to lock focus and track to capture the pictures.
This is a “pre-known” the bird will flying toward us or left/right.
i. lock focus the Bird eye
ii. AI Servo
iii. tracking enable
From the series pictures show, the bird is focus in every frame and also can see the tree is out of focus slowly at last few frame where the bird flying away from the tree. This show the bird tracking is working perfectly
few months ago my friend introduce to me “DxO PureRaw 2” for very good noise reduction. I am bit busy last few months and finally I have time download to check out ISO performance of Fujifilm XH2-S , CANON R7 which both APS-C sensor which most the users concern on ISO performance. But we know when smaller sensor normally has more noise with bigger sensor camera (with same megapixel). Too bad both camera raw files are not supported by the DxO PureRaw 2. But I decide to make a simple test with CANON R5 & A1
I am glad been given a chance to use the new CANON mirrorless camera R7 with RF600mm F4 for 3 days.
When I have the camera with such period, I know I can’t try everything I want to try but for another successor after R5/6/3 think most of the people will have same believe and doubt as me
1. AF should be as good as the R5/6/3
2. such high megapixel, how’s the ISO performance
3. Image Stabilizer – as think this is one good camera for bird watchers who normally shoot handheld
– should have more time to try with RF100-500, RF100-400, EF 100-400, EF400 F5.6 etc
4. video quality, overheat concern
5. buffer as only SD card supported
6. Video AF
7. Battery life
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For me, I am concentrate on few above which I “worry” about
AF
ISO performance
Image Stabilizer (which affect the Image quality – ISO)
Battery life
Video Quality (after recent so many good video hybrid camera)
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Here is my 3days real field experience for above mentioned concerns
update 20220618
4. Image Stabilizer
– this is one most important criteria for most of Bird Photographer as in many cases we do require to handheld to shoot with smaller lens and most of this situations when we inside forest which also having lowlight.
– if the IS efficiency is high, mean we can get higher success rate picture with lower shutter speed .
– I am using R7 with CANON RF 100-500mm which also 160-800mm (35mm equivalent) and I tested all with 500mm (800mm 35mm equivalent). without any tripod, monopod just handheld with various shutter speed and 10-50 shots (average)
– due to work nature, I am capturing still and video handheld 90%. So IS always one of my very important criteria to choose my “working birding equipment”
– another quick test how’s the IS for video with CANON R7
– one of the amazing battery life mirrorless camera so far
– 3 days in the row, shooting from 7am – 2-3pm without power off the camera
~1200 pictures
~10-30 video (4k)
ALL 3 days still have >50% battery remain
2. AF
– without any doubt or different, the AF capability to find subject eye (bird eye) simply awesome. AS GOOD AS R3, R5 and R6 for bird eye detect, I dont have enough time for flying tracking (only very quick tried)
– the best part is this camera use R3 AF method e.g. when use ZONE or single point in R5/6 the eye detect cannot be use. So most of us use method of either
a. let’s the camera find the bird eye in full screen – some of us just don’t trust the camera. So dont border of using this method but for me this is very fast and 90% trusted method
b. use one button for single point focus than AD-ON (any other button) eye detect
– this is a much slower way of AF which require single point to point to the bird than need press a button to have eye detect than follow by shutter button for picture capture !!!!!!! not only slow with so many button pressing more camera shake created
– now, we can use single button set to single point, zone, full screen as long as the point, zone or camera found the bird. The “eye” will be focus and track
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3. ISO performance
with such high megapxiel 32.5 MP, think everyone most worry is the ISO management.
here are some pictures sharing
series of picture (full size) 800-10000 (sorry for accidentally deleted ISO400 pictures and due to environment here we seldom use anything lower than ISO800
I also make a simple Topaz Denoise (default auto) to have a look with minimum post processing result.
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Series 1
RAW – JPEG (direct from Adobe camera RAW no noise reduction)
My personal view, for such a high megapixel APS-C camera as expected it provided so much details and with noise when ISO increase.
Based on the simple noise reduction (one click) the picture image quality seem well balance with details+noise at ~ISO3200. Extra post processing should able to produce more clean picture.
I am glad to be chosen to test this new Fujifilm new Camera and lens for actual field test here (Tropical forest) which also included Borneo – (Sepilok, Danum Valley, Kinabatangan River) for ~2months.
*** all pictures and videos captured with Fujifilm X-H2s pre-Production unit
For pass 2 months, I putting the system into various enviromennts
1. Tropical forest – real dark, complex environment
2. mangrove – hot and open area
3. river cruise – mainly shoot from shaky boat handheld
4. beach, mudflat – open hot area
As I am not able to open the RAW file and some firmware limitation, I am shooting mostly JPEG. So I am concentrate my testing on
1. New Autofocus system
– animal (bird) eye detection
– AF tracking
2. Size, Weight & Image Stabilizer
– as the system just weight 2.4 KG for 900mm (35 mm equivalent) so this is a good handheld system. So good IS is require.
3. Image Quality
– only based on JPEG
– New lens Focal length and new camera
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Size, Weight & Image Stabilizer
The new system just weight 2.4KG which allow us to shoot 150-600mm (225-900mm 35mm equivalent) which is one best available
sample of 225mm vs 900mm
– you can see how far we can reach with the 900mm
– most of the pictures and videos captured handheld. This system allow me have >50% success rate 1/125 at 900mm which is my recommended minimum shutter speed for handheld.
900mm225mm
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New Autofocus system
For the Auto-focus, I think this is a huge upgrade compare previous X series. The Animal Detection just simple amazing
– refer 0:40:00″ – 1:48:00″ of the Video for how the Bird eye detect and focus in various situation
1:49:00 – 2:17:00 for how the eye detect work in lowlight (night time with torch)
And for AF tracking, please refer “1:50:00 – 2:18:00” for how the fast flying woodswallow flying tracking performance
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Image Quality
not able to open any RAW file so all captured in JPEG, picture with crop, denoise (Topaz) (if you want to have a look at the without denoise feel free drop me an message)
lets have a look at the picture and click to view larger size
1.
Handheld on Boat ISO800 F8.0 1/120 420.3 mm
2.
Handheld ISO3200 F6.4 1/70 264.7 mm Denoise Topaz
3.
Tripod ISO1000 F8.0 1/25 600 mm Denoise Topaz
4.
Tripod ISO1250 F7.1 1/20 351.8 mm Denoise Topaz
5.
Handheld ISO1250 F8.0 1/140 600 mm
6.
Handheld ISO200 F7.1 1/320 377.7 mm Topaz Denoise
7.
Handheld ISO800 F8.0 1/125 600 mm Topaz Denoise
8.
Handheld ISO800 F8.0 1/1500 520.2 mm Topaz Denoise
9.
Handheld ISO3200 F8.0 1/800 451.3 mm Topaz Denoise
10.
Tripod
ISO2000
F7.1
1/8
391.4 mm
Topaz Denoise
Some videos captured with this setup
1.
2.
3.
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I will slowly update other experience of this setup on new post, if I have chance to test on the production system.
Stay tune
Overall my experience on this new setup on Wildlife Photography, this combo is very light and have long reach. even the aperture is small but we always can not shooting at maximum focal length so we can have slight bigger aperture. eg. shooting at 400mm (600mm 35mm equivalent) with F7.1
with the lens and In-Body-Stabilizer, it allow me capture 900mm at 1/125s with high success rate. (>50%). Anything lower, I would suggest to use tripod (as mentioned I am using pre-production camera the actual camera may different)
The AF is fast and accurate (on bird eye), it may not best in market but it is very good and accurate even at low-light & complex environment.
Tracking is good as long as non complex background, the track is give very good success rate too.
Weather resistant, I am shooting at various environment … raining, humid tropical forest and under hot sun beach etc
This is one of main reason of why R6 is so powerful for Wildlife Photography.
*** I will slowly update here with various testing environment
I am purely using
1. full screen AF “Tracking”
2. Servo AF – AUTO
3. Animals detect
4. Eye detection
5. Continuous AF
6. I can’t use my viewfinder while I am using Atomos Ninja so the movement may not smooth like my normal tracking and sometime I just can;t locate the
bird fast without viewfinder
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– another sample of how fast the Full sensor eye detection AF from CANON EOS R6
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LOW LIGHT AF – ANIMAL Detection, Eye Detection
– a very lucky night outing nearby my house area, just hope for some nightjar but hear this owl calling and manage to locate it and did some Low Light AF with screen recorded
– 非常幸运的晚上，在家附近以为找只夜鹰展示R6的晚上对焦能力。竟然遇到这猫头鹰。
看看，R6对焦能力。在这么暗的情况。也轻易找到动物+眼。
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AF TRACKING
1. this is simply one out of many test going to share … how the AF work on Bird in flight (moderate) .
用Atomos Ninja 錄佳能 R6 的取景器。希望讓更多朋友看看，它的對焦能力。
– can see how is the AF lock and track the heron even it accelerate and change direction but the R6 just continuous focus and track
