Slow viewfinder wakeup

[NickAndersonPhoto]

Hi Folk,

I'm still getting to grips with my R5 and, being my first proper mirrorless, continually comparing it my D5 MkIV and D7 MkII. The R5 has lots of features that I am loving but one occasional gripe has me annoyed. I'm a gundog/working dog specialist, I guess it's akin to a sports photographer because I need to be quick to grab the perfect moment. When I swing my camera up I'm used to my DSLRs coming alive nearly instantly and being ready to fire. This is not always the case with my R5.

I've noted that, if it was asleep, the R5 is quick to bring up the electronic viewfinder but the symbology frequently lags behind for a second or two. It appears that I can fire the shutter without viewfinder symbology but, of course, I have no idea where the camera is focussing or the shooting data!

Have I missed something in the setup menu that might slow the appearance of symbology when the camera wakes or is it just something I will have to put up with? As a result of this problem I usually try to keep the camera awake but, as we know, that will eat battery life and the ridiculous price of both the LP-E6HN batteries and the battery grip makes that an unwelcome extra cost.

I'd love to know your thoughts.

Nick

 

[Brian McGovern]

Hi Nick, I too had the 5D mkIV and 7D mk II. Sounds like we share a common activity with the exception that my action shots are of a different type of working dogs. The quick action to grab the shot is, critical, I have the R6, but don't have the issue you are describing. If you want to compare setups we can certainly do that.

 

[NickAndersonPhoto]

Sure.
Here are the ones I think might affect it:
I have ECO mode OFF.
Power saving at factory settings so:
Display off 1 min, Auto power off 3 min and Viewfinder off 3 min.
Continuous AF disabled.
I can't think of much else that might slow it. I'd be annoyed of I have to change Auto Power off or Viewfonder off as, in my mind, a wake-up should be very quick!

 

[Brian McGovern]

I am going out for a walk in a minute and taking the camera with me, so will pay special attention to any wake up delays that I may not have noticed. However thinking about it what I have realised is that if I suddenly want to capture an image, as i lift the camera I do press the shutter button or one of the BBF buttons as i take hold of the camera. By the time i have it to my eye, everything is awake. Does that make sense?

 

[Brian McGovern]

Hi Nick, Went out with the camera. I have it on a sling and auto power off 2 minutes. I waited until it was power off. Then raised it to my eye and it was ready with no delay. So I then held it at arms length and waited until the view finder went dark and then put my eye to the viewfinder. Before I got there the viewfinder lit up and was ready. No delays what so ever.

 

[TMac99]

I have an R6, so it's not a direct comparison, but my viewfinder takes about 1 second to come alive (so it's alive by the time it gets to my eye), but when it does, all of the symbology is there instantly.

Apart from the settings you list, the only other one that has the potential to impact the viewfinder is "Display Performance" on camera menu #9. I have mine set to "Smooth" and not "Power Saving", although I tried both settings and they didn't make a different to wake time for me.

UPDATE: I tried this a few more times and find that if the camera has been asleep for a while it takes maybe up to 2 seconds for the viewfinder to come alive, but when it does, all of the symbology is there instantly.

 

[NickAndersonPhoto]

My R5 is set to smooth as well TMac and, like you Brian, I use the shutter button to wake the camera. The viewfinders are a little different between the R6 and R5... I wonder if that makes a difference?

 

[NickAndersonPhoto]

Before the thread dies, I wonder if either of you have found any favourite settings to aid your animal photography that I might not have found?

 

[TMac99]

Nick - not so much a setting as a mode. I am not sure how long this has been around, it certainly wasn't in my old EOS Rebel from 10 years ago, but I have found shooting in FV mode is the best of all worlds. You can set shutter speed, aperture value, and ISO speed manually or automatically (in any combination) and combine these settings with your choice of exposure compensation. Depending on what I am shooting, I usually set 2 of the 3 and let the camera resolve for the third. Maybe everyone else already was familiar with this mode, but it was new to me

 

[Brian McGovern]

Before the thread dies, I wonder if either of you have found any favourite settings to aid your animal photography that I might not have found?

I have set up the double BBF, one for animal eye and the other for spot focus. If the subject is moving fast or is in long grass or similar I use the spot focus to get near the head and then switch to eye focus. That seems to give me the highest keeper rate. If eye focus doesn't work immediately I just go back to spot focus.In open ground, or still/slow moving subject and decent light I go straight to eye focus and its great. I usually shoot TV or AV as most of my shots are action shots with varying light/background and outdoors, so a pretty uncontrollable environment.

 

[NickAndersonPhoto]

I have set up the double BBF, one for animal eye and the other for spot focus. If the subject is moving fast or is in long grass or similar I use the spot focus to get near the head and then switch to eye focus.

Not sure what you mean by BBF Brian? The C1/2/3 custom modes?

 

[NickAndersonPhoto]

Nick - not so much a setting as a mode. I am not sure how long this has been around, it certainly wasn't in my old EOS Rebel from 10 years ago, but I have found shooting in FV mode is the best of all worlds. You can set shutter speed, aperture value, and ISO speed manually or automatically (in any combination) and combine these settings with your choice of exposure compensation.

I took a look at that when I first got it TMac but couldn't see what it does that's different from what I do when I set Tv and Av values in Manual and then the ISO to Auto. Am I missing something?

 

[Brian McGovern]

Not sure what you mean by BBF Brian? The C1/2/3 custom modes?

Back Button Focus

 

[NickAndersonPhoto]

Ah... thanks. Not something I've ever got to grips with despite the many people who love it. It's a Marmite thing for me.

 

[Brian McGovern]

Ah... thanks. Not something I've ever got to grips with despite the many people who love it. It's a Marmite thing for me.

Yeh, it is certainly marmite and I love it once I got used to it. It mighty be worthwhile trying it for the R5/R6 because you then have the advantage of having two focus methods, which I find invaluable for action shots.

 

[Roger Hopkins]

My R5 is set to smooth as well TMac and, like you Brian, I use the shutter button to wake the camera. The viewfinders are a little different between the R6 and R5... I wonder if that makes a difference?

I have an EOS R, and it takes a second to display after having woken it up by pressing the shutter button.