Canon R7 BIF with the R7

[Archibald]

I have never been that good of a BIF shooter, but I'm getting some frustrating behavior with the R7. I'm curious what you folks use as settings on the R7 and how well it works for you. Is this a useful thing to discuss here, or has it already been covered in the forum?

Below is a successful shot taken this morning, of a Canada Goose hybrid.

• Canon EOS R7
• RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
• 500.0 mm
• ƒ/7.1
• 1/1600 sec
• ISO 400

 

[Only RF]

With my settings, the R7 finds a subject and puts a broken white square around it without me pressing any buttons. To me that is previewing the focus target. It does that with Preview AF disabled or enabled.

Around it or on the eye? Mine is always on the eye.

 

[Archibald]

Yes, it goes to the eye. On/around. It squares the circle.

(I'm just testing this on photos now instead of real birds.)

 

[Only RF]

Yes, it goes to the eye. On/around. It squares the circle.

(I'm just testing this on photos now instead of real birds.)

That works too. So does the TV when testing Eye Focus as my wife runs away from me when I try to test on her. Many, many years ago I took a shot of her and sent it to her family before she approved it. Looked fine to me. The mistakes we make.

Seems to be working correctly. I find it very handy. It also tells me if the camera is going to focus on the subject/eye. If not it prompts me to use a BBF.

 

[Only RF]

Hey Archibald. A perfect example and a picture is worth a thousand words. I was looking for something else and found this. Jan's mapping approach is different than mine but the results are the same. I have left AF on the shutter for Eye Detect and the AF-ON and * for the overrides. I like to also use Zone AF which mapped to the * button. My base AF is Single Point AF (not Spot) and is mapped to the AF-ON. I use Spot AF for other reasons.

Between minutes 9:30 and 10:30. At minute 10:15 he didn't even need to be near the bird and it focused. At minute 10:20 he physically moves the camera so the Spot Focus lands on the bird. Notice it is on the body, not the head. Then when he goes back into Eye Detect it snaps in. Sometimes I think people think you have put the AF point on the head when you do that but it just needs to be on the body. Let the camera do its job.

I've even used Zone AF doing that and it worked great. Depends on how how much junk is around the subject.

Canon R7 | The SETTINGS You NEED To KNOW | Fix Most AF troubles!

The Canon R7 is a great little camera with a few issues. Set up the right way it can still shine in the field! SET UP GUIDES | Z8, R3, R5, R6 II, R7 & MORE ?...

www.youtube.com

 

[Archibald]

Hey Archibald. A perfect example and a picture is worth a thousand words. I was looking for something else and found this. Jan's mapping approach is different than mine but the results are the same. I have left AF on the shutter for Eye Detect and the AF-ON and * for the overrides. I like to also use Zone AF which mapped to the * button. My base AF is Single Point AF (not Spot) and is mapped to the AF-ON. I use Spot AF for other reasons.

Between minutes 9:30 and 10:30. At minute 10:15 he didn't even need to be near the bird and it focused. At minute 10:20 he physically moves the camera so the Spot Focus lands on the bird. Notice it is on the body, not the head. Then when he goes back into Eye Detect it snaps in. Sometimes I think people think you have put the AF point on the head when you do that but it just needs to be on the body. Let the camera do its job.

I've even used Zone AF doing that and it worked great. Depends on how how much junk is around the subject.

Canon R7 | The SETTINGS You NEED To KNOW | Fix Most AF troubles!

The Canon R7 is a great little camera with a few issues. Set up the right way it can still shine in the field! SET UP GUIDES | Z8, R3, R5, R6 II, R7 & MORE ?...

www.youtube.com

Thanks, will have a look. But it is youtube!, and a long one!! I better still have a look when I can. (Don't want to make noise now.)

 

[ctitanic]

Long story short - great focus system tied to an underpowered processor. This can be overcome by shooting fewer FPS, but the FPS is why we got the camera.

Exactly. Shoot less shots and you will get better results. Who needs 30 fps! We used to shoot 5 fps, then 10, after that 15 now we are at 30 and we think that it's not enough!

 

[Only RF]

Thanks, will have a look. But it is youtube!, and a long one!! I better still have a look when I can. (Don't want to make noise now.)

NP. Just in case you just need to watch that one minute when you have time or are even interested. While social media is flooded with disinformation I’ve leaned a lot from reputable people. I don’t always agree with a few of Jan’s (or others) AF options but he has some good info.

 

[Only RF]

Exactly. Shoot less shots and you will get better results. Who needs 30 fps! We used to shoot 5 fps, then 10, after that 15 now we are at 30 and we think that it's not enough!

Yes that is one part. I used H with ES instead of H+ from day 1 simply because I didn’t feel like culling hundreds of extra files. So I never noticed anything. If my livelihood depended on photography then I’d likely have the R3 and cull through all those files to get the ones that will sell. Comes with the territory.

Part 2 is how to make your camera do what you want it to do as quickly and as easily as possible when it is not cooperating. How to fine tune it to your shooting style. I never worry about why AF failed, I just take over and get it back on track.

 

[TonyB]

Ron @ Whistling Wings Photography is one of the better bird in flight photographers and Central Florida tour operators. I’ve been with him on Blue Cypress Lake shooting osprey and owls and he really knows his stuff, and he knows Canon cameras. He’s the person that introduced me to the R5 and I haven’t looked back.

Ron has a YouTube channel. Maybe checking out some of his videos will help with getting the settings. Here a few of his R7 videos but he has more on AF settings on the Canon R3, R5 and R7

Canon R3, R5, R7 and More-The What, When, and Why for Spot, Zone, and Eye Detection Autofocus

Canon Spot, Zone, and Eye Detection autofocus is discussed with regards to bird and wildlife photography using the Canon R3 and Canon R5. Specifically, I de...

youtu.be

Canon EOS R7 Setup for Bird Photography

In this video I go over my Canon EOS R7 setup for bird and birds in flight photography. I go through each of the menus in detail and show how I set up the c...

youtu.be

Canon R7 Initial Impressions by a Bird Photographer

Initial impressions of the Canon EOS R7 for bird and birds in flight photography. I go over two critical settings that make a huge difference in the perform...

youtu.be

 

[Only RF]

Ron has good videos. I think I’ve seen them all. I emailed him to ask a question about the R5 a few years ago and he replied. I didn’t expect that. Nice fellow