Can Canon AF do real time tracking of objects (not just faces,eyes,cars,animals etc)?

Jens H wrote:

I like Canon, they were my first DSLR cameras and I definitely still feel connected. I had the RP for a while. Some RF lenses I was very fond of: RF 35mm 1.8, RF 85mm 2.0, RF 24-105 L etc. And I love the Canon colors! Especially in the landscape photography I mainly do.

But currently I use the Sony a6600 mainly for one reason: AF Real Time Tracking. All I have to do is aim my AF field at any object whose position in the later image I consider suitable for AF selection, gently hold the shutter button down, and the camera tracks the object I'm aiming at in the AF field absolutely reliably while I compose the picture. AF point selection in landscape photography has never been so easy for me. This works with any object that has even a bit of contrast, which can be bushes, rocks, fences, houses, just about anything. So it's not limited to faces, animals, cars, etc.

I am interested in the upcoming R8, because I might want to go back to FF. I would like to ask here if the new AF algorithms from Canon also allow this? Experiences with R6 II, R7, R10 anyone? I know from experience that other cameras I have owned so far are not capable of this, such as Canon RP, Nikon Z6 II, etc.

Personally I wouldn't recommend this technique for landscape. Using tracking and continuous AF is always going to result in variations and unpredictability in focus. Also, if you are saying you leave your AF point in the centre and recompose for the shot then this has various problems as well. Using the shutter button for AF means that you have to re-acquire focus each time if you take more than one shot of the same scene, and you're likely to get different focus each time. If you want to fine-tune your images over a number of shots, then it's not a great way to work.

I would recommend using another button for AF - usually on the back of the camera. That way, once focus has been set, it doesn't change until you want it to. You can use continuous or single-shot AF. Personally I prefer single shot because you generally get confirmation that focus has locked.

If you prefer to leave the AF point in the centre and recompose for the shot, then you can do that - point the AF point at the focus subject, press the AF button once, recompose and take as many shots as you like - the focus won't change.

The down side to using a centre AF point for off-centre subjects like this is that in some cases it can go slightly out of focus as a result of changing the angle of the camera. Also it doesn't compensate for field curvature of the lens. These effects are generally pretty minor, but for best results you should compose roughly first, move the AF point over the subject, and focus. This really isn't hard to do, and it leaves you free to refine composition, exposure or other settings over a number of shots without having to re-compose each time and without focus varying between shots.

Of course, everybody works differently, but I doubt if there's many landscape photographers who rely on subject tracking and continuous AF.