What's wrong with my EOS R7 AF system?

[Curvature]

Hi photographers,

I've just came back from the Pacific Airshow with my R7 and newly bought RF 100-500L. I'd say the lens is SPETICULAR. However I've notice some bugs with my R7. See the pictures below.









In above pictures, one of them is clear and sharp, but the other is not. I've checked the AF points with Canon DPP and it shows both are theorectially, covered by red AF spots. I think about shutter speeds, but those are from the same collection of continuous shots, so should not be that much different.

What happened? Is this due to the limitation of R7 AF system?

Ps. I realized that even 1/1000 may not be enough for aviation photography, even for propellers. To get sharp pictures, 1/2500 is much better. Shooting propellers is so hard! I have to keep shutter speed as low as 1/320 to show the movement blur but cannot get sharp images!

Thanks guys!

Best

 

[Curvature]

Hi R2D2,

Thanks for your constructional comments! I'd practice more and should not blame on the gears. This year there is no jets coming to the airshow due to US gov shutdown.

Most of my sharp pictures are under 1/2500 or faster. If lucky enough, I can sometimes get sharp images at 1/800 or even slower




1/800 TBF Torpedo Bomber




1/640 B29 Superfortress




1/640

Ps. I'm starting to learn post-editing with Lightroom Classic. There is so much fun.

 

[J A C S]

If you were panning with the IS on, the stabilizer may create additional motion blur. It tries to stabilize, it runs out of its range, and it jumps. There is a clear left-right jump blur in your photo.

 

[escrime]

i had this issue with the EF100-400ii. I contacted Canon and spent some time checking to confirm it. Canon UK told me to get the lens serviced!

Credit to Duade for following this up. I followed the advice and dropped the highest fps and not seen it since, though I have been using the 100-500. Bottom line is that it looks like the R7 can sometimes be challenged in keeping up, so you have to learn the strengths and weaknesses and modify accordingly.

I have found the R7, after initially being disappointing for wildlife, to be a remarkable performer for the money once I refined my technique following both Duade’s and Scott’s recommendations.

 

[maarensv]

To add to R2 comments.

Not sure if you used IS, but it can be very helpfull too. I have been able to get perfectly sharp pics of fast moving aircraft as low as 1/100th. Be sure to use mode 2 only on the 100-500 for tracking, as mode 1 freeses in both vertical and horizontal directions, causing unsharp pics even at short exposures. Not easy and probably no 100% keeper rate, though it can be fun to give it a try, especially for prop blur effects.

Sandor.

 

[Curvature]

To add to R2 comments.

Not sure if you used IS, but it can be very helpfull too. I have been able to get perfectly sharp pics of fast moving aircraft as low as 1/100th. Be sure to use mode 2 only on the 100-500 for tracking, as mode 1 freeses in both vertical and horizontal directions, causing unsharp pics even at short exposures. Not easy and probably no 100% keeper rate, though it can be fun to give it a try, especially for prop blur effects.

Sandor.

Thanks for your comment. I used mod 1 IS. Next time I'd love to try mode 2.

 

[R2D2]

Hi R2D2,

Thanks for your constructional comments! I'd practice more and should not blame on the gears.

Better gear can help of course, as can tweaked settings. But practice will help no matter what.

This year there is no jets coming to the airshow due to US gov shutdown.

Dang. And it's still not resolved yet!

Most of my sharp pictures are under 1/2500 or faster.

Right.

If lucky enough, I can sometimes get sharp images at 1/800 or even slower

Same here. Gotta get lucky!

1/800 TBF Torpedo Bomber


1/640 B29 Superfortress


1/640

Tracking the Big boys is much easier! Love the angle in the last shot!

Ps. I'm starting to learn post-editing with Lightroom Classic. There is so much fun.

Great noise reduction definitely helps with the faster shutter speeds.

Have fun shooting!

R2

--
Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.

Galleries by Jekyll & Hyde

www.pbase.com

 

[Jim]

I cant see it being said - Duade Patton does a video on this about how the R7's AF is less reliable at higher framerates, as told by Canon. Slightly overstated with the headline perhaps.

CANON RESPOND, THEIR ADMISSION SURPRISED ME!

You have to shoot at lower framerates with a moving target to get the most reliable focus, otherwise you can get 'pulsing' where sometimes it will hit focus and sometimes it will miss. Its also important to have strong contrast and those shots are where the plane is backlit and lower contrast as a result too. Edit: Of course you can also just accept youll get a few more OOF shots in order to capture the maximum possible - its a tradeoff.

Motion blue seems to be most of the problem here but this is also involved at times.

I've seen the Duade Patton video (Duade is excellent as is Jan Wegener) on R7 focus and at the end of the video he was asking the audience if they had experienced what he had. He couldn't quite figure it out what was causing differences in focus. Maybe there's a subsequent video from Duade but that's the most recent one that I've seen.

Jim

 

[Jim]

Hi photographers,

I've just came back from the Pacific Airshow with my R7 and newly bought RF 100-500L. I'd say the lens is SPETICULAR. However I've notice some bugs with my R7. See the pictures below.









In above pictures, one of them is clear and sharp, but the other is not. I've checked the AF points with Canon DPP and it shows both are theorectially, covered by red AF spots. I think about shutter speeds, but those are from the same collection of continuous shots, so should not be that much different.

What happened? Is this due to the limitation of R7 AF system?

Ps. I realized that even 1/1000 may not be enough for aviation photography, even for propellers. To get sharp pictures, 1/2500 is much better. Shooting propellers is so hard! I have to keep shutter speed as low as 1/320 to show the movement blur but cannot get sharp images!

Thanks guys!

Best

Like you, I'm an aviation photographer too and, like you, have an R7 with the RF 100-500L lens. My experience with the R7's autofocus has been very disappointing due to it unpredictability and I've put up a post on that very subject (today).

After reading your post, allow me to make a suggestion. If you shoot jet aircraft a shutter speed from 1000/sec to 2000/sec should be just fine. For propeller aircraft and helos, try using 250-400/sec. depending on how fast they're flying. It requires some panning practice but it will pay off when you get some nice prop/rotor blur. It makes all the difference. I'm not the "ace of the base" when it comes to aircraft photography but my skills are improving as will yours.

Here's my website on Flickr. Come have a look. Jim Leslie

There are many very good aviation photographers there as well.

Jim

 

[Curvature]

Like you, I'm an aviation photographer too and, like you, have an R7 with the RF 100-500L lens. My experience with the R7's autofocus has been very disappointing due to it unpredictability and I've put up a post on that very subject (today).

After reading your post, allow me to make a suggestion. If you shoot jet aircraft a shutter speed from 1000/sec to 2000/sec should be just fine. For propeller aircraft and helos, try using 250-400/sec. depending on how fast they're flying. It requires some panning practice but it will pay off when you get some nice prop/rotor blur. It makes all the difference. I'm not the "ace of the base" when it comes to aircraft photography but my skills are improving as will yours.

Here's my website on Flickr. Come have a look. Jim Leslie

There are many very good aviation photographers there as well.

Jim

Hi Jim,
Thanks for your kind advice. I will definitely practice more whenever chances are available.
I've upgraded to R5 mark ii and the AF now is way more superior than R7. It never let me down even under very complicated background (shooting flying birds).
here I attach some birds. Hope you like them!

 

[Jim]

Hi Jim,
Thanks for your kind advice. I will definitely practice more whenever chances are available.
I've upgraded to R5 mark ii and the AF now is way more superior than R7. It never let me down even under very complicated background (shooting flying birds).
here I attach some birds. Hope you like them!

Very nice! Glad to hear your autofocus issues seem to be resolved. Honestly, there should be no reason for sketchy autofocus issues with cameras these days, particularly so when the shooting is done in good light and otherwise non-extreme conditions. Go figure.