Canon R7 R7 AF: Is not good enough!?

[ctitanic]

To me those claiming that sure enough do not know how to use it or they have a defective unit.

Taken with a RF100-400

• Canon EOS R7
• 400.0 mm
• ƒ/9
• 1/4000 sec
• ISO 800

BIF panning, it doesn't get more challenging.

 

[Hali]

Wow, well done!

 

[Jake Shoots Birds]

The R7 is absolutely capable of doing BIF. Heck, I've caught bees in flight with it. Where the R7 is lacking, for me at least, is focus stickiness. I will have a BIF and it will grab the first 4 shots, then 5 is soft, 6 is soft, 7-9 are fine, and then it goes off hunting. That's not typical, but it's not atypical either. More than a few YouTubers have said that they can be locked on a bird in a tree with eye detect on and the focus button depressed and after 2-3 seconds the focus will change to surrounding branches or something else. That's precisely my experience.

That said, I'm not selling it. But I am using it knowing the limitations.

 

[ctitanic]

Probably that’s the key point: using it knowing the limitations. Do not try AF all area (whatever the name is) when the bird is perched with branches everywhere. But my experiences are the same, when the background is busy it does not stick well.

 

[Chris Summers]

But what about those sticks? Totally out of focus!

 

[ctitanic]

But what about those sticks? Totally out of focus!

Those where it stick are sharp.
I honestly think that the few issues with AF can be fixed via a firmware update.

 

[Jake Shoots Birds]

Those where it stick are sharp.
I honestly think that the few issues with AF can be fixed via a firmware update.

I am hoping but not hopeful. I showed a couple series that I shot where the focus just goes out to someone at Canon at an event and they asked me to forward them the raw files so he could send it to the engineers. Could be lip service, who knows, but it's better than being brushed off.

 

[ctitanic]

Well, I’m happy with what I get from my R7. I have used Nikon and Sony mirrorless cameras and the R7 is not in anyway worse than any of those cameras that I owned before.

 

[Ed Cordes]

I find I alternate between single point center AF and Eye detect tracking. Sometimes I need to tell it where to concentrate. So, I have two buttons in the back dedicated to AF. One for Eye detect tracking and one for center AF point. Just move my thumb back and forth as needed.