Canon R5 R5 Focusing Issues (primarily with bald eagles)

[NancyMac]

Hi All,

I'm using an R5 with a 100-500mm lens. I feel like my lens is slow with autofocus tracking of birds in flight.

I'm using manual settings w/ my shutter speed at 1:3200 or maybe a little less, aperture 7.1,-8.0, and iso as needed.
Settings to animal, SERVO, high speed continuous exposure +, and using the back button focus button.

Should the focus be set to Expand Auto Focus Around or the face focus plus tracking??
Do I need to adjust the sensitivity AF pt select away from zero (purple screen) or do I need to change something in initial servo AF pt??

I'm super frustrated. I never had any issues with my 7D.
I feel like I'm just missing a setting or something within my camera???
Also, I have IS off, because a lot of my pics are taking from a boat.

I am mostly shooting wildlife...
Thank you very much for your assistance. I used to be 9/10 with the only issue being my exposure (under), but now I can see my adjusts as I tweak things in camera, and my issue is solely the focusing...

Nancy

 

[NancyMac]

My guess is that's because IS is turned off with the physical switch on your lens, since as you said, it didn't work out well in your situation.
If it's off on the lens, it's off in the camera as well, and the setting will be hidden. I think. Don't have the camera with me right now to double check.

good thought!! I changed the IS to on and it still doesn't show up on Camera (red) tab 7....annoying.

 

[Kwazy]

IS to on and it still doesn't show up on Camera

Ok, I should've known this since this is kinda what brought me to this forum as well.

The manual on page 238* reads:
"[IS mode] and [Still photo IS] are not displayed when an IS-equipped lens is attached"

In other words, the only thing you have to worry about is the physical switch on the lens.
Hope this helps.

*R6 manual. R5 manual might have it on a different page.

 

[Dave Williams]

Hi Jake,
Per group suggestion I have shutter set to 1 point AF (seems like a very small spot to be lucky enough to line up with a breaching whale or fast flying bird) and then the back focus to eyeAF (2nd row - 4th from the left)

With choosing one point from my shutter tho it disables eye detection in AF section 1.

Ugh!!

It's meant to be just that a single point when you use the shutter button You have to press the AF-on button to get eye detect. You don't have to press the shutter button too unless you want to take a shot. The shutter button doesn't over ride the back button which continues to track.

The single point isn't effective on it's own unless you get it on the eye because it can't move unless you move it....... or use a bigger focus point zone the the AF point moves as the camera tells it.


Try both and see how it works...find a dog or cat to practice on...or even a stuffed toy. Works for me!

Hi. I’m replying on my cell so can’t see where you wrote to turn IS on in my camera
On red settings (camera) section 7 there isn’t an IS option. The first option is to enable Tocuh Shutter. IS should be the first option. It’s not there. ??

It's automatically on in camera if you have an IS lens attached. If you attach a non IS lens, the option to turn it on or off appears. You always have the option to turn the IS off on the lens itself but I don't.

 

[NancyMac]

good thought!! I changed the IS to on and it still doesn't show up on Camera (red) tab 7....annoying.

Ok, thanks so much.
Now ONE last question!! Hahaha!!

When I have face + tracking detected I can not control anything with my toggle switch. I like to be able to toggle based on what I'd like to focus on....Perhaps the animals face isn't showing, but I like the pattern of it's feathers on it's tail....I have nothing to toggle....it's just randomly searching where it wants. How do I lock it onto something else??

 

[NancyMac]

The shutter is set to half press metering and AF start.
Back button is set for face plus tracking. I'd like some control and be able to toggle/adjust focal point....?????

 

[Kwazy]

..it's just randomly searching where it wants. How do I lock it onto something else??

Yep, that's why Dave suggested having Spot-AF on shutter release, and AF+EyeDetect on AF-On button.
This way you can try the AF-On to see if the camera auto-detects the animal, and if it doesn't then you can use the shutter release to force focus on the plumage. But this is tricky if the target is moving fast. I would suggest tapping it on the screen to point out what you want to focus on if it's not auto-detected.

I'm not sure what you mean by "toggle." But I think maybe you mean "shutter release."
If you're trying to have a convenient way to switch between AF modes, one way to do that is to set your lens' control ring to that purpose.

 

[NancyMac]

Yep, that's why Dave suggested having Spot-AF on shutter release, and AF+EyeDetect on AF-On button.
This way you can try the AF-On to see if the camera auto-detects the animal, and if it doesn't then you can use the shutter release to force focus on the plumage. But this is tricky if the target is moving fast. I would suggest tapping it on the screen to point out what you want to focus on if it's not auto-detected.

I'm not sure what you mean by "toggle." But I think maybe you mean "shutter release."

The joy stick. I work with that often.

 

[Kwazy]

The joy stick. I work with that often.

Ah. Try tapping the screen instead. It's much easier and faster.

 

[NancyMac]

Ah. Try tapping the screen instead. It's much easier and faster.

My screen is closed though cause I’m viewing through viewfinder. I have 2 seconds to get it right. If I take my eye off the subject to look at my screen I’ll lose my subject.

 

[Kwazy]

What if you use the screen instead of the viewfinder in general? I personally find the viewfinder very inconvenient. I do realize that's a leftover habit from using old-style SLRs. R5 is kinda a game-changer. You may want to try and change how you operate with it to get more out of it.