Steve Arlow
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R7 for bird photography and birds in flight (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter Evan Atkinson
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Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
It's a nightmare at times when a small bird is in a bush, for instance, but that's not confined to the R7, or even to Canon. My main subjects this morning turned out to be goldcrests left over from the weekend storm influx, and I missed focus on a hell of a lot of them as they darted about feeding on grubs, with the camera often finding a nice contrasty leaf that was closer to the camera than the bird rather than the bird itself.
Saying that, I still had a lot of photos where the camera did find the eye. I console myself that before the advent of mirrorless, on similar outings with similar subjects, but using my 7D II, I'd have been lucky to have a handful of photos more or less in focus (ie part of the bird), not literally dozens with the actual eye in focus, and none of them like these three.
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Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
'Probable' Siberian Lesser Whitethroat today in a sycamore. A very active bird in a very busy background. A lot of missed focus, when the camera found a leaf, but again, dozens of keepers, I'd say the focus missed on about a third of the shots. The shot taken between blue railings of the bird retrieving a dropped shieldbug baffled the autofocus, which wanted to fix on the fence, but a press of the other back button on spot focus sorted that problem out.
The blue blur across the bottom of the last photo is the gunwale of a fishing boat between me and the bird. The bird had perched briefly on the outboard motor before taking off for points north. The camera found the eye.
The bird was so active, I might have got about 5 shots with the 7D II, rather than the 104 I kept.
R7 + 100-500.
The blue blur across the bottom of the last photo is the gunwale of a fishing boat between me and the bird. The bird had perched briefly on the outboard motor before taking off for points north. The camera found the eye.
The bird was so active, I might have got about 5 shots with the 7D II, rather than the 104 I kept.
R7 + 100-500.
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Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
Horribly dull light yesterday. 100% thick overcast with the threat of rain to come soon and a wind off the sea that's been bringing migrants in all week on the east coast. I found this song thrush by accident as I was scanning the goldcrests in the hedge in the forlorn hope of a firecrest amongst them. The thrush was in deep shade inside the bush, with flat contrast, so not at all easy for the camera. 1000 sec, ISO5000.
When I got the bird in frame for this shot, it actually had its head turned away from the camera, and its eye wasn't visible. Rather than focus on the bird's outline, the eye detection focussed on the hawthorn berry in front of the back of the bird's neck. The good news is that I didn't have to refocus using the other back button set to spot focus. The instant the bird's head turned to profile and the eye became visible, the focus point immediately jumped to its eye.
When I got the bird in frame for this shot, it actually had its head turned away from the camera, and its eye wasn't visible. Rather than focus on the bird's outline, the eye detection focussed on the hawthorn berry in front of the back of the bird's neck. The good news is that I didn't have to refocus using the other back button set to spot focus. The instant the bird's head turned to profile and the eye became visible, the focus point immediately jumped to its eye.
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michael-ibk
Well-known member
I´ve been using the R7 with the 100-500 combo for half a year now. Before I used the 7DII with the 100-400II for years and was very happy with it. (It started to fall apart after hundreds of thousands of shots and being banged around a lot so I had to part from it.)
There are certainly many things I enjoy about the R7 (subject and eye tracking, easy customising, ability to crop a lot more than with the 7D). But I do have two major gripes.
One is the smallest focus point which just is not as small as the one in the 7D. From reading a bit here and in other places, it seems this is something I just have to accept. And to be fair, since I started using two AF buttons (one without tracking and one with), the keeper rate for "little bird in a lot of twigs" situations IS higher than with my old combo.
My main issue is Birds in Flights. This is something I really enjoy, and I was quite good at it with the 7D. See something coming, point up, and clickclickclick - mostly got it.
Now this does not work for me. When I see a bird coming with blue sky as background and I put the camera up I just see blue in the EVF even though I am on the bird. I have to focus on something (a tree, hill, mountain, something) at roughly comparably distance first. Only after doing that I do see my bird when pointing up again. Needless to say that approach does not really work when it´s a quick or surprising flyby. I used to get that kind of shots with the 7D, and now I miss a lot.
Just to clarify, I´m not talking about getting the camera to focus when I see my bird in the EVF. Works excellently then, and I´m happy enough with the results. But far too often, I just cannot find the bird.
This is my most important problem with the R7, and to be honest I´m quite puzzled this has not come up in the discussion so far. Is this just me? Am I doing something wrong? Something wrong with my camera?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
There are certainly many things I enjoy about the R7 (subject and eye tracking, easy customising, ability to crop a lot more than with the 7D). But I do have two major gripes.
One is the smallest focus point which just is not as small as the one in the 7D. From reading a bit here and in other places, it seems this is something I just have to accept. And to be fair, since I started using two AF buttons (one without tracking and one with), the keeper rate for "little bird in a lot of twigs" situations IS higher than with my old combo.
My main issue is Birds in Flights. This is something I really enjoy, and I was quite good at it with the 7D. See something coming, point up, and clickclickclick - mostly got it.
Now this does not work for me. When I see a bird coming with blue sky as background and I put the camera up I just see blue in the EVF even though I am on the bird. I have to focus on something (a tree, hill, mountain, something) at roughly comparably distance first. Only after doing that I do see my bird when pointing up again. Needless to say that approach does not really work when it´s a quick or surprising flyby. I used to get that kind of shots with the 7D, and now I miss a lot.
Just to clarify, I´m not talking about getting the camera to focus when I see my bird in the EVF. Works excellently then, and I´m happy enough with the results. But far too often, I just cannot find the bird.
This is my most important problem with the R7, and to be honest I´m quite puzzled this has not come up in the discussion so far. Is this just me? Am I doing something wrong? Something wrong with my camera?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Mendobirder
Well-known member
I'd love to see more discussion about this. I'm still using a 7D (MkI) with the 100-400 and agree that the ability to instantly power on and find a bird in flight is critical, but much of the time I fail to get really sharp images. Am considering the upgrade to R7 or even R5 but am concerned about the EVF slowing down that process. I do a fair bit of pelagic seabirding and getting the birds in the frame as they zip past a pitching boat is enough of a challenge with the SLR... how much harder will it be with the R series?
Frank van Drogen
Not so important
The R5 has an electronic view finder refresh rate of 120 fps, not really an issue. More lag comes from the default power saving option, but this can be overridden in the settins.
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
Post removed - I've taken the video down while I make a few slight additions. Apologies.
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Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
My video taken with the R7 plus RF 100-500 at 4k quality when I was at Tarifa on the Strait of Gibraltar for the autumn raptor migration in September.
This is actually Part 2 (of a two part story), and it doesn't show raptors. The raptors are on Part 1 that I finished a few days ago for anyone who is interested. I didn't post it at the time, because the nature of the subject meant that I was recording (hand held) in difficult conditions of strong winds that bounced the subjects and also the camera around as I was trying to follow them through, giving results that tend to be jerky. I held back until this one was ready, because I thought it was more representative of the equipment's capabilities.
This chapter is mainly shots of waders that are involved in post-breeding migration. I posted the first cut of it last night, but had a change of heart overnight and pulled it, so that I could add a few minutes of local passerines at the end.
All shots hand-held with the R7, apart from the two opening stills of landscapes, taken with the R5. Most were taken using my car as a hide, but the knot, dunlin, crabs and tern were taken from a folding picnic chair that was slowly sinking into the sandy mud of the estuary.
Videoing was very much an afterthought. I was there for the stills, but occasionally I'd flick the top switch on the R7 to 'Video' and get a few seconds of action.
EDIT: Little Stint, Common Sandpiper, Fiddler Crab and maybe one or two others were taken with the 1.4X converter attached.
Enjoy.
This is actually Part 2 (of a two part story), and it doesn't show raptors. The raptors are on Part 1 that I finished a few days ago for anyone who is interested. I didn't post it at the time, because the nature of the subject meant that I was recording (hand held) in difficult conditions of strong winds that bounced the subjects and also the camera around as I was trying to follow them through, giving results that tend to be jerky. I held back until this one was ready, because I thought it was more representative of the equipment's capabilities.
This chapter is mainly shots of waders that are involved in post-breeding migration. I posted the first cut of it last night, but had a change of heart overnight and pulled it, so that I could add a few minutes of local passerines at the end.
All shots hand-held with the R7, apart from the two opening stills of landscapes, taken with the R5. Most were taken using my car as a hide, but the knot, dunlin, crabs and tern were taken from a folding picnic chair that was slowly sinking into the sandy mud of the estuary.
Videoing was very much an afterthought. I was there for the stills, but occasionally I'd flick the top switch on the R7 to 'Video' and get a few seconds of action.
EDIT: Little Stint, Common Sandpiper, Fiddler Crab and maybe one or two others were taken with the 1.4X converter attached.
Enjoy.
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Mikbul
Mikbul
Have you tried sighting down the lens first instead of looking in the viewfinder? Are you sure you're on the bird or is the EVF lagging? Practice on everyday birds at home?
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
Have you set the focus limiter on the lens to give it less work to do? It's much better set at 3m to infinity, rather than 'Full'. Most birds are beyond 3m anyway, and the focus motor has to travel much further at short distances than it does at longer range, making it more likely that focus will be missed against a sky. If you've already done that, it's good practice in any case to set the focus distance when you start your walkabout to something like 30 or 40m by focussing on another object, then if a bird does happen to appear suddenly in the sky, the camera has less hunting to do.
Roy C
Occasional bird snapper
I find the R7 + 100-500 a very good combo for birds in flight (attached shot taken with this combo).
With my 800/11 lens it can be difficult to find the bird in the viewfinder and when you do it is sometimes difficult to keep it inside the smaller AF area - when you do the R7 latches on OK.
I also use the focus limiter most all of the time with the 100-500 (I hardly ever get closer than 15-20 metres let alone 3 metres
With my 800/11 lens it can be difficult to find the bird in the viewfinder and when you do it is sometimes difficult to keep it inside the smaller AF area - when you do the R7 latches on OK.
I also use the focus limiter most all of the time with the 100-500 (I hardly ever get closer than 15-20 metres let alone 3 metres
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Hi all... can you please let me know what cards you are using in your R7?
I was looking to buy a pair of SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-1 200mbs 128gb but was wondering if these will be up to the job.
The UHS-2 300mbs would be much better I imagine but the price is a little high for a pair.
I was looking to buy a pair of SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-1 200mbs 128gb but was wondering if these will be up to the job.
The UHS-2 300mbs would be much better I imagine but the price is a little high for a pair.
Steve Arlow
Well-known member
I have 2 Lexar 256GB 270MB/s in my R7. The faster the card the better the write speed, especially if going to use the video function. The 200MB/s Sandisk cards you mention will do the job though
Steve Arlow
Well-known member
Thanks very much, Steve... I thought about the possibility of buying 1 fast card like yours and a slightly slower card to transfer the shots over to whilst still in the camera thus keeping the fast card available again once full, will have to see how easy that is to do.
mike nesbitt
Well-known member
My first outing with the R7 which I purchased this week produced some images which were very pleasing indeed but the keeper rate was pretty poor.
It's almost certainly me and I'm quite perplexed at the moment.
I've read quite a bit about slow readout, rolling shutter, af not keeping up, shuttershock etc but was fairly sure that I'd got all bases covered. Alas, out of 125 images taken at least 60 were just awful, the attached screenshots show the difference in consecutive images within a burst, you often see slight differences but these were just not good at all.
I was shooting EFCS or mechanical with SS that should have been adequate. I was on a firmware which was one release out of date, whether that is significant or not, I'll find out. The conditions were not the best but should have been ok.
More testing required. Also attached is one of the keepers.
Thanks.
It's almost certainly me and I'm quite perplexed at the moment.
I've read quite a bit about slow readout, rolling shutter, af not keeping up, shuttershock etc but was fairly sure that I'd got all bases covered. Alas, out of 125 images taken at least 60 were just awful, the attached screenshots show the difference in consecutive images within a burst, you often see slight differences but these were just not good at all.
I was shooting EFCS or mechanical with SS that should have been adequate. I was on a firmware which was one release out of date, whether that is significant or not, I'll find out. The conditions were not the best but should have been ok.
More testing required. Also attached is one of the keepers.
Thanks.
