Canon R7 R7 AF issues - no sharp images

[shamlin]

I have a nearly new R7 that I'm using with mostly older EF L-series lenses. I've been out with it twice photographing birds and haven't gotten a single usable image - a far cry from the tack-sharp images I expected after reading reviews and watching Youtube videos. The eye detect locks onto my subject and tracks it, giving the appearance that the focus is working exactly as it should, but on download, every image is soft. I ran rhe best of them through DxO PureRaw 3 and it was still very soft, so I ran that image through Topaz Sharp AI. It was still way too soft to be usable.

I have the current firmware and I have a bit of experience with Canon cameras and bird photography in the field - I've been using Canon gear to shoot wildlife since 2004. I called Canon service and spoke at length with a rep there who recommended I send it to the service center. Since I bought the camera used, I expected it would cost me at least a couple hundred dollars for the service. When I filled out the online form, I was pleasantly surprised that the estimate was $0. A couple of nights ago, I was reading reviews of the camera on the B&H website. Among them, I stumbled on a review from a buyer who described precisely the same problem. He sent his to the service center where it was repaired for free too. It fixed the problem for him. I just shipped my camera out yesterday. His experience gives me hope that my camera will return without a surprise bill and capable of delivering the sharp photos I expected.

From my conversation with Canon support, combined with the $0 estimate and the review on B&H, I get the impression my experience isn't unique. I don't think it's a widespread problem, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's more common than the few isolated cases I've been able to find evidence of, since Canon seems to be aware of it and to have a remedy worked out. According to the B&H review, the repair invoice was vague, stating "Your product has been examined and Electrical adjustments were performed." Whatever they did, it fixed the problem for him. I hope to have the same result.

 

[RedCobra]

I cannot believe I am writing this. I took the R7 out today with the RF 100mm-500mm lens attached ,to a local bird reserve. I took 129 photos. Rejected just 15 of them. The camera and lens behaved perfectly for the first time ever. Sharpness, contrast, detail, correct ISO, aperture prioritised, shutter speed all in sync. All I did differently was set it to auto ISO ( I dont usually do this) . The light was good ( 10:00 to 11:00 am in the UK is best light in winter). I am amazed at the response from the camera and lens. I even, for the first time , didnt experience any focussing issues (the green square lit up exactly as was suggested by Anton) and I got the results that I wanted at last.
Its staying out of the box after all!!!!

Yep, I've often found that the Camera is smarter than I am. LOL

 

[AntonLargiader]

the green square lit up

Remember that green means One-shot, so once the camera locks focus it stops trying. If you are swaying back and forth a bit you are moving the plane of focus. For some use that's fine, but depending on your exact situation you may want to try Servo AF so the camera continues to correct as you move relative to the subject.

 

[ctitanic]

When did Canon release the M series? I never got involved in them so have no idea.

Canon M was released in 2012.

 

[ctitanic]

I cannot believe I am writing this. I took the R7 out today with the RF 100mm-500mm lens attached ,to a local bird reserve. I took 129 photos. Rejected just 15 of them. The camera and lens behaved perfectly for the first time ever. Sharpness, contrast, detail, correct ISO, aperture prioritised, shutter speed all in sync. All I did differently was set it to auto ISO ( I dont usually do this) . The light was good ( 10:00 to 11:00 am in the UK is best light in winter). I am amazed at the response from the camera and lens. I even, for the first time , didnt experience any focussing issues (the green square lit up exactly as was suggested by Anton) and I got the results that I wanted at last.
Its staying out of the box after all!!!!

Shooting Manual for Wildlife is possible but not practical in most cases. By the time you got the 3 settings right the bird or animal moved to a different lighting condition! I personally prefer to shoot A or V with Auto ISO.

In your case, if you have been setting your ISO manually a little too dark that could have been a cause of AF failing. If your picture is too dark there is less contrast and AF will have more problems getting focus. So may this is the explanation to what was happening to you.

AF will work a lot better in sunny days than cloudy days.

 

[Grahamk]

Bigger subjects are easier to photograph so I would use a wider area focus for them. Under those circumstances there is no problem. My point has always been that I wanted a natural replacement for my 7D mk2 and hoped the R7 would be that camera. As it doesnt perform nearly as well as the 7Dmk2 it doesnt fit the bill. Its like owning a car that has countless faults, better that I trade it in. Its not like I havent explored every avenue. I have had it over a year and have had it back to Canon etc, ie: done all the right things. I have tested the camera in a wide range of conditions and setting changes and have had the same poor results. I will say that when it takes a good picture its really good, sharp, clear and detailed, but thats a rarity. If I cannot trust or rely on it whats the point?

The last sentence sums up your frustration nicely. Have you thought about borrowing another R7 from the Canon Test Drive scheme for comparison - there is an extended loan period over Christmas and New Year (at least in the UK)?

 

[ctitanic]

The last sentence sums up your frustration nicely. Have you thought about borrowing another R7 from the Canon Test Drive scheme for comparison - there is an extended loan period over Christmas and New Year (at least in the UK)?

I think that he found a solution. ;-)

 

[Grahamk]

I think that he found a solution. ;-)

I think that he found a solution. ;-)

Yes, I’d noticed the improvement but thought the comparison might still be informative. Test Drive loans are free apart from the refundable deposit.

 

[Ed Cordes]

The single, most effective way to increase sharpness is to have fast shutter speeds. For stationary birds at 500mm I try to have at least 1/800. For birds in flight at least 1/2000.

 

[Dcweather]

An interesting discussion and one that is repeated all over Facebook Groups and every other R7 forum. So it must be real because not all of them are newbies by any stretch. It's a bit like the Post Office scandal here in the UK - where everybody was led to believe it was just them with the problem by the Post Office. If Canon were to read all of the forums and stuff on social media they would realise it is harming their image and many are moving to Sony .I fall somewhere in between and have a fairly neutral view. I have come from the excellent Nikon D500 and was expecting miracles having read all of the initial reviews and Canon hype. I have been disappointed with the AF. It is worse than the D500. But I do get sharp shots - quite a lot actually. Pretty much always with static birds if I have time to think what I am doing. Eye AF can be sensational. I use burst a lot and some in the exact same burst are soft. There is an article about why this must be somewhere on YouTube. But tracking and BIF are very challenging and I have missed a lot of great opportunities - but I have got sharp shots as well. I have just accepted that it is a cheap camera that can be very good - just not the panacea we were led to believe. I intend to keep it with the hope that a mk2 will come out in the next year or so and fix these issues. In the meantime I should be receiving an R8 this week so if that focuses well I will at least know it's not me! This is worth reading and shows how far down the R7 is ranked in testing for BIF:-

The Best Mirrorless Cameras for Birds in Flight Ranked - Mirrorless Comparison

A few years ago, our reader Alfredo suggested an idea for an article. Since we test the autofocus performance of many cameras at the same red kite feeding stations, why not publish a list of all the cameras we use with their keeper rate for birds in flight? I liked ... Read more

mirrorlesscomparison.com

 

[Jake Shoots Birds]

...I have come from the excellent Nikon D500 and was expecting miracles having read all of the initial reviews and Canon hype. I have been disappointed with the AF....

I shot the D500 for years and loved it so much that when my brother, a pro news photographer who sot Canon, got a gig where they gave him an entirely new kit and he offered my his Canon DSLR gear to use I turned him down flat. When I switched to mirrorless and bought a Z6ii to start he loaned me an R5 and 100-500mm for a weekend and I sold all my Nikon gear.

The Canon AF hype is real, it's just underpowered in the R7. Put the R7 AF system in the R5 (or the R5's processor, sensor and buffer in the R7) and you have the perfect birding/wildlife camera. I won't use the R7 for BIF, but if I need reach I grab it. It can be stunningly sharp when you use it for stationary birds. I spent the weekend shooting burrowing owls and the added reach was perfect. I am hoping an R7 Mkii is just that and more, with a sensor that gives me slightly better OOF areas and a much faster read speed so I can use the electronic shutter. But until them I'm still glad I switched.

• Canon EOS R7
• 500.0 mm
• ƒ/7.1
• 1/640 sec
• ISO 500