EOS R and Birds in Flight Question

Hi all,

I am currently an original 6D and 7D shooter looking to upgrade to one camera. I use the 6D for everything except wildlife and use the 7D for that with a Sigma 150-600 C.

My hit rate on AF with the 7D combo for BIF has always been really low despite the focus point being on the bird most of the time.  It seems that the camera or lens cannot keep up. I was considering upgrading to the R6 to replace both of my cameras and to solve this problem, but the cost may be too much for me. I am wondering if the original R would satisfy me. I'm sure it will be fine to replace my 6D, but to replace the 7D bird capability I have concerns. I am not looking for professional action capability, and I understand the fps limitations of the R, but will it suffice to get me a higher keeper rate than my original 7D for BIF? I think my expectations are fairly low with my current setup, so any improvement would be welcome, even if its not up to R5/R6 standards. I am also wondering if I would be better off pairing the R with the new 800 f11 instead of the Sigma 150-600 C.

So my question comes down to this, for those who are familiar with these options, how would you rank the AF performance of these combinations for birds in flight?

EOS R + SIgma 150-600 C

EOS R + RF 800 F11

7D MK 1 + Sigma 150-600 C

Thanks everyone!

brentoma589 wrote:

Hi all,

I am currently an original 6D and 7D shooter looking to upgrade to one camera. I use the 6D for everything except wildlife and use the 7D for that with a Sigma 150-600 C.

I don't use the Sigma. I'm sure someone will comment on this combination.

My hit rate on AF with the 7D combo for BIF has always been really low despite the focus point being on the bird most of the time. It seems that the camera or lens cannot keep up. I was considering upgrading to the R6 to replace both of my cameras and to solve this problem, but the cost may be too much for me. I am wondering if the original R would satisfy me. I'm sure it will be fine to replace my 6D, but to replace the 7D bird capability I have concerns. I am not looking for professional action capability, and I understand the fps limitations of the R, but will it suffice to get me a higher keeper rate than my original 7D for BIF? I think my expectations are fairly low with my current setup, so any improvement would be welcome, even if its not up to R5/R6 standards. I am also wondering if I would be better off pairing the R with the new 800 f11 instead of the Sigma 150-600 C.

So my question comes down to this, for those who are familiar with these options, how would you rank the AF performance of these combinations for birds in flight?

EOS R + SIgma 150-600 C

EOS R + RF 800 F11

7D MK 1 + Sigma 150-600 C

Thanks everyone!

If you have not had any experience with the EOS R camera, I would suggest you invest in a week of rental from Lensrental.com or some such source. I did that and it was a very valuable experience.

In the week I had it, I never was able to train myself to use the R for birds in flight. The EVF experience was not good at all. It's completely different from using a DSLR like your 7D. Since it is also a full-frame sensor, you would lose the crop factor your 7D gives you.

I currently use the 90D and 5D MK IV for birds and have managed to effectively deal with them although BIF is always difficult without lots and lots of practice time.

For all other tasks, the EOS R was perfectly adequate. I did a nice HDR landscape with it, I used it for HDR interior work, and it worked well for focus-stacking using a powered rail.

In essence, what I'm saying is the EOS R would be a nice replacement for your 6D. I would not be able to say that about replacing your 7D.

I did not really try out the video capabilities.