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.
After use the powerful R3, which it is almost not missing to find a bird when the bird within the sensor. (we dont use AF point to focus to the bird but let’s the camera to find the bird/bird eye and lock focus than track). Glad that I am able to get R5/R6 for more test on this entry level of full frame camera.
I am trying to sharing different kind of environment to lets the Camera find the bird itself and this may keep update later.
Condition 1 : Bird with contrast again Backgroung
– CANON EOS R6, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– M mode, Auto ISO, F5.6 (biggest aperture), 1/200
– Handheld
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R5/6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
THE FOCUS almost immediate lock on the bird head/eye and track.
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Condition 2 : closer Bird with lesser contrast again Background
– CANON EOS R6, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– M mode, Auto ISO, F5.6 (biggest aperture), 1/200
– Handheld
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R5/6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
THE FOCUS almost immediate lock on the bird head/eye and track.
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Condition 3 :further Bird with lesser contrast again Background
– CANON EOS R6, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– M mode, Auto ISO, F5.6 (biggest aperture), 1/200
– Handheld
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R5/6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
THE FOCUS require a bit time to look for a bird but very quick to get the bird focus locked and track on the head and eye
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Condition 4 : small bird low contrast over the similar and messy Background
– CANON EOS R6, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– M mode, Auto ISO, F5.6 (biggest aperture), 1/200
– Handheld
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R5/6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
THE FOCUS almost not possible to find the bird (trying to moving the camera at various position of the sensor). What we need to do just move the focus ring so the focus area near the bird than very soon it will be get the Bird/Bird eye focus and track.
R3 can easily use eye-Control AF to resolve this or I found R3 capable to find the even at this kind of environment.
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Condition 4 : very small bird with contrast
– CANON EOS R5, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– M mode, Auto ISO, F5.6 (biggest aperture), 1/200
– Handheld
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R5/6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
THE FOCUS almost not possible to find the bird (trying to moving the camera at various position of the sensor). What we need to do just move the focus ring so the focus area near the bird than very soon it will be get the Bird/Bird eye focus and track.
Spend another morning for test one of the most difficult photograph objects, swift and swallow.
*** I will updating all the swift AF test here.
There are some setting that I change for this fast moving object which I think it may affect the performance
CANON R3, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, EF 1.4x TC III
AF area (whole sensor)
AFC, eye-control AF off
Drive mode: H (15fps) and H+ (30fps)
AI Servo (AF-C)
cRAW and use DPP straight convert to JPEG and resize.
No CROP
Len set to >10m which anything near than 10m will not be focus
no feeding, no fix location/direction for the bird. Everything here just a bird flying and I just point my Len direction and lets the camera lock the focus (on bird) and track by following the flying direction
few test, trying to show
i. near object
ii. far object
iii. flying at same Background (Green, sky)
iv. flying cross various background
– can see below, the birds will flying crossing sky, water surface, green etc
I am glad to given a chance to have a unit CANON EOS R3 to have a series of test on Birds/Nature Photography.
As for other camera, I plan to have series of tests which related to Tropical forest birds Photographer concerns eg. ISO performance, AF performance, Raw files dynamics range etc.
After days of basic understanding the camera (actually it is like a upgraded version of my old CANON EOS 1dxm2). I will try share other view of the camera later in other posts, here lets share one of the major concern : AF performance.
For this test, I am using
CANON EOS R3
CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2
CANON 1.4x TC III
No feeding, No nesting and no idea what bird flying to/from which directions. Just base on what you see and trying the Camera capability to focus and capture.
Setting
AF area (whole sensor)
AFC, eye-control AF off
Drive mode: H (15fps)
AI Servo (AF-C)
RAW and use DPP straight convert to JPEG and resize.
I am glad to given a chance to have a unit CANON EOS R3 to have a series of test on Birds/Nature Photography.
As for other camera, I plan to have series of tests which related to Tropical forest birds Photographer concerns eg. ISO performance, AF performance, Raw files dynamics range etc.
After days of basic understanding the camera (actually it is like a upgraded version of my old CANON EOS 1dxm2). I will try share other view of the camera later in other posts, here lets share one of the major concern : AF performance.
For this test, I am using
CANON EOS R3
CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2
CANON 1.4x TC III
Handheld inside car
No feeding, No nesting and no idea what bird flying to/from which directions. Just base on what you see and trying the Camera capability to focus and capture.
Setting
AF area (whole sensor)
AFC, eye-control AF off
Drive mode: H (15fps)
AI Servo (AF-C)
RAW and use DPP straight convert to JPEG and resize.
All of sudden a White-throated Kingfisher flying infront of us, with immediate response I just point the Len toward the bird and lets the camera lock focus on the bird and track … capture the images in ~3-4s
most of the species are winter visitors to Malaysia. Small and active birds, look-alike, and sometimes difficult to ID without pictures taken and call recording.
– in North Borneo (KNP, Crocker Range etc) both Yellowish and this Gray-light greenish exist
– 小而活跃。通常在海拔800米以上
– 黑头。翅膀没纹。在北婆罗洲（沙巴）有黄 或 这灰-浅绿 两种。
201603, KNP, Sabah, Malaysia
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2. Yellow-browed Warbler, 黄眉柳莺, 黃眉柳鶯, Phylloscopus inornatus, キマユムシクイ, CEKUP-DAUN KECIL BIASA
– Small, active warbler with greenish upperparts, white underparts, distinct pale yellowish eyebrow, and distinct pale wingbars (upper wingbar short and less distinct) *Ebird
– Dull, relatively unmarked olive-brown warbler with a prominent yellowish-white eyestripe, faint wingbars, and pale whitish underparts. Visually inseparable from Japanese and Kamchatka Leaf Warblers; listen for song, an electric chattery trill. Also gives a metallic two-noted call and a short harsh buzz. Breeds in shrubby areas, often near water, throughout the Eurasian taiga. Breeding range extends to Alaska, where it is the only leaf warbler. Winters in lowland and foothill forest, forest edge, and gardens, primarily in Southeast Asia. (Ebird)
+Tracking
