Is T6s Good for BIF?

I've been considering the T6s, the 80D, and the 7D II for shots of birds in flight. Obviously the latter two are better, but I'm wondering if anyone is using the T6i or s for such.

I've used my 100-400 with a 20D so I have a little experience.

Here's an old shot with that combo.

KwhyChang wrote:

I've been considering the T6s, the 80D, and the 7D II for shots of birds in flight. Obviously the latter two are better, but I'm wondering if anyone is using the T6i or s for such.

I've used my 100-400 with a 20D so I have a little experience.

Here's an old shot with that combo.

Beautiful capture "Glass-hoppa." Egrets can absolutely floor you with their incredible aerobatics. They are such show-offs.

I think you'd be just fine with a Rebel, as long as none of your lenses require Micro Focus Adjustment. I shot BIFs for a year with a T4i, and it did very well. Autofocus was excellent (even with the T4i's older technology). The only real limitations I ran into were RAW buffer size and framerate, which would of course be solved by an 80D or 7D2 (likewise my 70D).

But the T6i/T6s will still produce great results.  It's just that you'll get more keepers (by day's end) with the more capable bodies.

I do have samples from various cameras and lenses in my galleries (EXIF is intact). Link in my sig. Good luck in your quest!

R2

KwhyChang wrote:

I've been considering the T6s, the 80D, and the 7D II for shots of birds in flight. Obviously the latter two are better, but I'm wondering if anyone is using the T6i or s for such.

I've used my 100-400 with a 20D so I have a little experience.

Here's an old shot with that combo.

I haven't used the T6s except in the store. However, based on my experience with the 30D which is almost the same as your 20D, it is a big improvement. So...why not?

AF in the T6s is the same as the 7D1 which I've owned for 6.5+ years. It has been excellent using the 100-400mkI for BIF, aircraft and sports/action in general.

The resolution is a huge jump.

Did you ever get banding with your 20D at high ISO? My 7D doesn't do that so I expect similar or better from the newer sensors.

The jpeg buffer is large.

My hesitation however if I were to grab a new APS-C body for BIF is the maximum burst of 5 fps and the shallow RAW buffer. When I had the 30D, I thought 5fps was the greatest and it was fine for years. Having more fps and more buffer makes things a bit easier however. I have been spoiled by the 8 and 10fps experiences with Canon DSLRs.

R2D2 wrote:

KwhyChang wrote:

I've been considering the T6s, the 80D, and the 7D II for shots of birds in flight. Obviously the latter two are better, but I'm wondering if anyone is using the T6i or s for such.

I've used my 100-400 with a 20D so I have a little experience.

Here's an old shot with that combo.

Beautiful capture "Glass-hoppa." Egrets can absolutely floor you with their incredible aerobatics. They are such show-offs.

I think you'd be just fine with a Rebel, as long as none of your lenses require Micro Focus Adjustment. I shot BIFs for a year with a T4i, and it did very well. Autofocus was excellent (even with the T4i's older technology). The only real limitations I ran into were RAW buffer size and framerate, which would of course be solved by an 80D or 7D2 (likewise my 70D).

But the T6i/T6s will still produce great results. It's just that you'll get more keepers (by day's end) with the more capable bodies.

I do have samples from various cameras and lenses in my galleries (EXIF is intact). Link in my sig. Good luck in your quest!

R2

Thanks for the witty reply. I'm thinking it's the same sensor in the 80D and T6s and it looks like the T6s is using the old focus system of the 7D so it's no slouch.

Never had any lenses micro adjusted but am fairly sure a 24-70/2.8 that I sold probably needed it. Is that an expensive and time consuming thing? I do have a few of Canon lenses.

YWG wrote:

KwhyChang wrote:

I've been considering the T6s, the 80D, and the 7D II for shots of birds in flight. Obviously the latter two are better, but I'm wondering if anyone is using the T6i or s for such.

I've used my 100-400 with a 20D so I have a little experience.

Here's an old shot with that combo.

I haven't used the T6s except in the store. However, based on my experience with the 30D which is almost the same as your 20D, it is a big improvement. So...why not?

AF in the T6s is the same as the 7D1 which I've owned for 6.5+ years. It has been excellent using the 100-400mkI for BIF, aircraft and sports/action in general.

The resolution is a huge jump.

Did you ever get banding with your 20D at high ISO? My 7D doesn't do that so I expect similar or better from the newer sensors.

The jpeg buffer is large.

My hesitation however if I were to grab a new APS-C body for BIF is the maximum burst of 5 fps and the shallow RAW buffer. When I had the 30D, I thought 5fps was the greatest and it was fine for years. Having more fps and more buffer makes things a bit easier however. I have been spoiled by the 8 and 10fps experiences with Canon DSLRs.

Thanks for the reply and sharing your experience and thoughts.

Today is the last day I can get the bodies at holiday pricing. I am close to going with the T6s but the 80D is only $200 more. The buffer or shots per second isn't my main concern. It's the viewfinder. I need to go into a store and compare the two. I practically live in the viewfinder and the full view and better magnification of that in the 80D are my main concern.

Hi KwhyChang,

I have not used a T6s but I have the 70D and 7D mkII and over my 700D the 70D's viewfinder is just so much better, brighter and larger and now I have the 7D mkII and the viewfinder is better still, along with overlaid information if you require it.

I use the viewfinder pretty much 100% of the time with the 7D mkII but with the 70D I sometimes use the flippy LCD for low down shot's or Macro.

For wildlife however the 7D mkII win's hands down with that great viewfinder.

Hope you find the camera you want.

Good Luck.

Great photo of the Egret's BTW.

KwhyChang wrote:

I'm thinking it's the same sensor in the 80D and T6s

Actually completely different sensors and technologies.  The 80D has the new 24 MP Dual Pixel sensor (with improved dynamic range).  The T6i/T6s also have a 24 MP sensor (though non dual pixel), which will give you markedly increased cropping capability over a 20D.  Noise characteristics and overall IQ have been much improved over the years also.

and it looks like the T6s is using the old focus system of the 7D so it's no slouch.

Exactly.  Canon upgraded their AF algorithms a while back, and it really shows in the keeper percentages up and down the product line (incl with the original 7D's v.2 firmware update).

Never had any lenses micro adjusted but am fairly sure a 24-70/2.8 that I sold probably needed it. Is that an expensive and time consuming thing? I do have a few of Canon lenses.

I've had a number of lenses that either front focused or back focused.  It's most apparent with large-aperture primes (or telephoto lenses).  Micro Focus Adjustment lets you compensate for this (without needing to send your body and lens(es) to Canon for calibration).  Some folks have gotten lucky and not needed MFA, others not so much so.  YMMV

As far as body choice goes between 80D and T6s if you have the bucks, go with the 80D (or even the aforementioned 7D2).  If your requirements do not extend too far into the fast action category, then the T6s will have you covered.

But I gotta tell you, I really love that dual pixel AF coupled with the marvelous touchscreen.  Just great for macros, candids, and videos (if that's your thing).

Hope this helps!

R2

R2D2 wrote:

KwhyChang wrote:

I'm thinking it's the same sensor in the 80D and T6s

Actually completely different sensors and technologies. The 80D has the new 24 MP Dual Pixel sensor (with improved dynamic range). The T6i/T6s also have a 24 MP sensor (though non dual pixel), which will give you markedly increased cropping capability over a 20D. Noise characteristics and overall IQ have been much improved over the years also.

Not according to the review on this website. I quote from the first page, " The 80D also gains the same 7560 pixel RGB+IR metering sensor found in the Rebel T6s and T6i, a serious improvement over the 63-zone dual layer sensor found in the 70D."

Granted the focus dual pixel thing is different but the sensors are the same, at least according to DPReview.

Again, thanks for your help.

KwhyChang wrote:

R2D2 wrote:

KwhyChang wrote:

I'm thinking it's the same sensor in the 80D and T6s

Actually completely different sensors and technologies. The 80D has the new 24 MP Dual Pixel sensor (with improved dynamic range). The T6i/T6s also have a 24 MP sensor (though non dual pixel), which will give you markedly increased cropping capability over a 20D. Noise characteristics and overall IQ have been much improved over the years also.

Not according to the review on this website. I quote from the first page, " The 80D also gains the same 7560 pixel RGB+IR metering sensor found in the Rebel T6s and T6i, a serious improvement over the 63-zone dual layer sensor found in the 70D."

Ooops, sorry. I misunderstood. I thought you were talking about the imaging sensor.

Granted the focus dual pixel thing is different but the sensors are the same, at least according to DPReview.

To clarify, the dual pixel focusing technology is in the imaging sensor (used for Live View and Video). The imaging sensors (though both are 24 MP) are vastly different.

The AF sensors (for through the viewfinder PDAF) are also different (quite a bit more advanced on the 80D).

The metering sensors may be the same however.

R2

KwhyChang wrote:

Today is the last day I can get the bodies at holiday pricing. I am close to going with the T6s but the 80D is only $200 more. The buffer or shots per second isn't my main concern. It's the viewfinder. I need to go into a store and compare the two. I practically live in the viewfinder and the full view and better magnification of that in the 80D are my main concern.

The better viewfinder is worth $199, then look at all the goodies you get for $1 more! No contest! 

I wanted to thank those who responded and helped me with my decision.

There were a lot of things I liked about the 80D over the T6s, but size in my small hand, weight, and cost were the main factors in my decision.

It should be a great upgrade to my T1i.

I found an international model body only for $668 US on Amazon.

Then I bought a used 15-85 for $392 on the marketplace.

I watched a lot of Youtube videos. One bit of advice on one of them stuck with me, "Buy the cheapest camera that has all the features you need, and spend the rest on lenses." I've wanted the 15-85 for some time and it's lighter with a better range for my style to carry around than the 17-55/2.8.

Thanks again to all and happy shooting in 2017!

Kaso wrote:

KwhyChang wrote:

I wanted to thank those who responded and helped me with my decision.

There were a lot of things I liked about the 80D over the T6s, but size in my small hand, weight, and cost were the main factors in my decision.

It should be a great upgrade to my T1i.

I found an international model body only for $668 US on Amazon.

Congratulations! I'm sure you will be delighted by your new T6s/760D.

I believe the T6s is a sleeper. If one looks past its Rebel-level operations/ergonomics, the T6s is fully capable of producing beautiful and detailed images from its 24MP sensor and DIGIC 6 processor. The T6s is much closer to the 80D in functionality than its simplified sister T6i.

I found a new US/Canada T6s body for CA$680. However, all prices are up by now.

Then I bought a used 15-85 for $392 on the marketplace.

Ah, one of my favorite EF-S zoom lenses. That is a very good price. Whenever f/3.5-5.6 is not a limiting factor, the 15-85 is crazy sharp from my experience.

I watched a lot of Youtube videos. One bit of advice on one of them stuck with me, "Buy the cheapest camera that has all the features you need, and spend the rest on lenses." I've wanted the 15-85 for some time and it's lighter with a better range for my style to carry around than the 17-55/2.8.

Wise advice, indeed.

Thanks again to all and happy shooting in 2017!

I enjoy your Oakland images (posted in another thread) taken with SL1 and 15-85.

Thanks, Kaso, for your kind reply and comments. I've always wanted to try the SL1. Those shots were with the T1i/500D. About 6 years before I upgraded bodies. Here's a quick shot from the Baylands today with the T6s and the 15-85.