Thanks Jan for this great review! For me all together the R7 seems to be a very capable camera that will handle every situation well as long as you don't go to the extremes. For me it's no surprise that the full frame competitors work better at low light - that's to be expected as it is simple physics :) I also don't think it's correct that the camera is always said to be a "sports and wildlife camera". In my opinion it's a perfect allround camera which also will produce great results as a travel camera, for landscapes, and all other purposes. I don't understand all these guys complaining "the R3/R5 is better". Of course this is true but look at the price difference! You can buy three R7s for one R3! I'm looking forward to get my new R7.
Extremes? You mean a bit of dust or rain? After all, it hasn't got proper weather proffing. Which is a bit dumb for a wildlife camera but then there are plenty of people who don't do their research so I am sure plenty will sell.
@@doghouseriley4732 You are massively incorrect, It actually has weather sealing throughout the whole camera.... Therefore your statement is void, Good day mate.
Bird shooter here got my R7 yesterday (UK) Have been using a 7DII and never touched a mirrorless before, for me the R7 has been a revelation and a massive improvement on 7DII. Obviously its early days but I'm already thinking of selling my 7DII and EF telephoto lenses with a view to buying RF 100-500 ..... that's how quickly the R7 has changed my world!
EXACTLY what I did! I had a 7D MKII and a Sigma 150-600mm... trade the 7D MKII for a $550 discount and tried it with the Sigma. It didn't perform as well as I had hoped, so I traded it in on the 100-500mm.. .i LOVE it!!!
@@matthewbrookes8561 yes, the 100-500mm is much sharper to my eye and focuses better... fantastic lens!!!..... I'm VERY happy with the combo!.... which EF lenses do you have?
@@matthewbrookes8561 Why would you even do that when the Sigma has never been marketed for Mirrorless nor is it one ...... You would have greater chance of screwing your warranty if something went fubar . I have the Sigma .. I wouldn't even use it with a mirrorless Camera .
Really nice review of the camera. Though I still miss out a real comparison between the 7Dii and the R7, that for me is the more natural step. Also interesting to hear that a lot of ppl made the expectations that R7 should be a R5 with crop sensor? For me it was clearly that it would be a mirrorless 7D, since R5 is a mirrorless 5D and the R6 is a mirrorless 6D...
So if you use Electronic shutter, you get rolling shutter and buffer issues; and if you use Mechanical, then you get a loud shutter noise, shutter shock and lose the pre-capture feature, eh? Oh, for Pete's sake. Thanks for pointing all this out.
Not so long ago, a couple of years actually, everybody was happy with 7-8 fps. Have the birds become so much faster lately, that now not having more than 1s at 30 fps is an issue?
@@Auracanal😂 faster birds! But seriously ppl forget these are imperfect tools. That’s just reality. Marketing seems to taunt the idea that a perfect tool will bring happiness.
Great review, thank for the work. Some people's comments though...... - Struggles in low light ? Well, its an APS-C so yeah. My 7D2 struggled in low light too. Since we are comparing things to the 7D2..... - I'm glad to hear your comments about the EVF. Lots of griping about that before the cameras release. As if your photo quality is generated by the EVF........It's a "view finder". It finds the view.. - I'm happy it has 2 SD cards. I always hated how canon mixes card types in 2-card slot cameras. If canon had put in 2 CFXB cards, people would be complaining they have to buy the more expensive cards........ - Buffer is small. The camera is US$1500. Were you expecting an R3 ? Like Jan said, use CRAW, you get some extra frames and no one will look at your photos and say "i don't like it, you shot that in CRAW". I shoot airshows, 30 FPS for a second or two on a $1500 camera is like a dream. Even at 15FPS, it beats my 7D2. Since we're comparing everything to the 7D2. - No battery grip. At first that really disappointed me. Then i remembered i carry 6 spare batteries in my bag now anyway. I can also place the R7 in my gear bag short-side down and now i have room for one more lens. Much more travel-friendly than my bulky, yet amazing, 7D2. - Trying to decide between the R3, R5 and R7 ?? 3 cameras with very different prices.Its not even a sensical comparison. If you have R3 money, you aren't seriously considering the R7 anyway. - I love my 7D2. Love it. What it wasn't though, is this mythical super-performer some people make it out to be. In summary, go ahead and cancel all those pre-orders. It just means i'll get mine faster.
Hi Jan, great video as always with attention to details and very informative. I'm using the r7 with the rf 100 to 500 for about two weeks now and I'm very pleased with the performance of this combo. I find the ergonomics of the camera actually to be quite good. The two wheels are enough for me one set for shutters speed and one for the iso is all I need as the aperture is constant on 7.1 It works well for me. Remember no camera is perfect and no camera will perform perfectly in every situation. R5 paired with a 600 f4 will produce better images especially in low light conditions but having the r7 with the rf 100 to 500 as a light weight combo that you can handheld for hours and also having that nice 800mm focal length reach is definitely a wonderful option.
Cheers Jan. Great review thanks. I really don’t know whether to keep my R7 or just be happy with the focal length of the R5/100-500 combo. Time will tell. The shutter noise is hideous but the electronic shutter has all the issues you speak of. I have a little hope in the back of my mind that Canon will release an “R7Pro”, with a new backlit sensor, bigger buffer and quieter shutter mechanism…..oh, and three wheels too 🤔🤔🤔. We can hope 😊
Don't hold your breath waiting for a pro version. I can't see that happening. It's Canon. They just give you enough to keep you hanging on and hoping....
They better move it. The others are all over this. I have just seen the ef100-400 mk2 on a new X-H2S. It was awesome, 40fps, no rolling shutter, CF acrd slot and 120 RAW files shots before ou hit the buffer, no 30 shots like the R7. Weather sealed too!
Jan, great recap of the pros and cons of the R7 in the real world. Coming from the 7d ii, there is no comparison - this camera is a amazing. Even my EF 100-100l ii with a 1.4 extender works far better than on my 7D ii. I agree the ergonomic change takes some getting used to, but generally works pretty well. I’ve noticed the noise in Lightroom, using Topaz Denoise gives me a very clean file. I hope Adobe improve noise handling, because running the files through DPP seems a bit slow ( it may be me, as ai don’t generally use it) and Topaz Denoise files are pretty large.
Great, this is exactly what I was looking for. Still no one have done a real comparison between the 7D ii and R7! So if the ISO and image quality is better then the 7D ii it's just the handling and autofocus left to compare, and hearing this is really what I needed :) Tnx!
The UA-cam content creators seem to be deliberately forgetting the whole M series, as no one mentions them when reviewing R7 or other R series cameras. They talk about R7 being Canon's first crop-sensor mirrorless camera. Makes me think they have been paid by Canon to dig the M series into the graveyard.
Great review, I have the R7 and coming from a 90D it feels like a massive upgrade especially with birds. My question is does the eye tracking work in slo-mo video?
Thanks for the great review Jan. I currently use a 90D and have an R7 on order. I was a little concerned about the R7, but this has made me feel more comfortable about the change.
Outstanding review as always Jan. I would like to see more about the usuability of the electronic shutter for fast action for panning bird in flight shots. Also a separate video on on image quality compared to R5, specially using the files with DXO Pureraw and or Topaz Denoize to understand if there a significant advantage to R5 for files between ISO 800-3200. Thanks
Thanks Jan, just what I was waiting for, I think this review has swayed be towards getting it. My dilemma is do I get rid of the R in trade or hang onto it (I have the R5 too) One question about DPP, do you process the RAW file completely in DPP then skip ACR and finish up the editing in PS. Thanks Jan for this real world review, much appreciated.
I’m running the R7 alongside an R6. When shooting wildlife I’m shooting BIF 90% of the time. I did use the RF 800mm f11 with the R6 and it works well. I personally find that shooting that lens with the R7 is a little long for me for BIF at 1280mm. Works great for stationary birds. Lately I’ve actually been shooting mainly with the Canon 100-400 MKII and with the crop factor the 640mm is a sweet spot at a f5.6 aperture. On top of that the extra megapixels on the subject easily allows for up to a 200+% crop in post with a lot of detaiI should I need it. I don’t get that with my R6. The lens also works very well with the Canon 1.4xiii at f8 although I find it sharper at f10. So, in early morning and late in the day when I need a bright aperture I shoot at the effective 640mm wide open at f5.6. Midday I sometimes use the 1.4x. Nothing scientific but I feel that with the 32.5 megapixels I get better results cropping to 800mm in post. Very nice video Jan! Thank you.
My R7 and 100-500 arrived this week. I am fairly new to wildlife photography and have been using a D500 and a Tamron 150-600 G2. On my first trip on a nearby lake and marshes in my kayak I got way more keepers in just a couple of hours than I would with my previous setup in a day of shooting, despite fumbling with the controls and pressing the wrong buttons. The AF is a huge advance and the light weight of the body+lens greatly helped my acquisition and tracking. However it is not the high-end APS-C camera I really wanted. The incredible high-speed processor writes checks that the slow sensor and small buffer can't cash. The rolling shutter limits the applications of the high frame rate and pre-capture, and the viewfinder turns into a slideshow @ 15fps with the mechanical shutter. The lack of rubber seals around the battery and card doors is also concerning for use from a kayak, where splashes do happen. So I will enjoy using the R7, while hoping Canon (or Nikon) develops a high end stacked sensor APS-C body like the Fuji X-H2S.
Hi Ciaran, I enjoyed your post and I am coming from a D90 with the Tamron 150-600 G2 but mainly for wildlife video. I had my first quick go, and didn't have a lot of joy with the AF or the stabilisation. I just wanted to ask if you did a firmware update on the G2, and the AF settings that you have been using. Many thanks. Matt
I just got the camera, actually it is much better than I thought for it’s price point, R7 cost $1500 , while R5 cost $4200 so it is almost 1/3 if its price , and can deliver around 80% , I believe and and it is my personal opinion, if the issues you addressed where to be fixed, non of the professional sports/wildlife photographers will buy more expensive camera than R7, it would be “ R3 lite “
I guess going from a 1200D to the R7 is a massive jump, and one which I’ll be very happy with. I’ve decided I’m going to have to try to start selling some of my portrait bird images in order to earn some money to buy the RF lenses and maybe eventually a full frame R5 to cope with low light. I’ll wait till the Black Friday sales to obtain the most for my limited money. Thanks so much for the reviews to date on this camera and I look forward to more from you Jan. Much appreciated. Enjoy your day. 😀
I've found the R6 handles low light better than the R5 if you want to save some money! Less megapixels but you'd have to be printing HUGE to notice a quality drop off. Something to think about I guess :)
I'm coming from a 1300d. Buying the R7 soon along with the sigma 150-600. I know the professionals are complaining about a few things but for us this is like upgrading from a Cessna to a f22 raptor. Did you manage to buy one and if so how are you liking it compared to the 1200d.
Really like my R7.... great camera for stills and 4k fine video. I've been using it with my canon rf 100-400mm f/5.6-8 lens and getting some really good results.
Really disappointed to hear of / see shutter vibration blur - but really appreciate your attention to such details. These types of issues are really hard, to near impossible, for the non-expert to figure out for themselves. 👍
A better question might be, what cameras have the LEAST amount of shutter shock? I like to shoot birds in the tropics too and for things like manikins in Costa Rica shutter speeds can often be as low as 1/40 with a 600mm FL
I have to deal with shutter shock on my M6 Mark II due to the full-mechanical shutter and I thought I'd be free of it moving to the R7, so it is a little disappointing seeing it even in EFCS mode :(
Off topic but I finally got to use my R5 on birds at a state park. They set up a blind with feeders and water so it was quite active. The eye auto focus amazed me. And the IBIS and IS was also amazing. Shooting 500mm hand held and I neglected to bump up my shutter speed but still got crystal clear images of the birds feathers. It was my first experience of taking such clear images that got all the feature detail that I've gawked at in other's images for a some time. I am still somewhat confused about the video mode. It appears as soon as the video is rolling, the buttons on the back become mute. For example, the back button focus or the eye focus button I have connected to the star (*) button do nothing at all if I have already started capturing video. Maybe I have something misconfigured. I with the auto focus in video mode more closely matched the auto focus in photo mode. And then when I pick up the R5C, it is yet a whole other game but that I can understand. That camera has a different target market. Anyhow... I enjoy your videos. I am curious if you ever shot film. I came from film to digital back in 2002. So most of your comments about buffer filling up cause a gentle smile to come across my face. In the old days, you had 36 frames TOTAL! 😜 Oh!!! I did have one question / comment: my R5 frequently gets "stuck" focused at infinity and hitting the back button focus doesn't unstick it. For example if the bird is in the brush and the camera decides to focus on the brush in the back ground, I can't force it to focus on the bird. I believe I have the back button focus set up like you suggest. Currently, I have to adjust the focus manually and then re-focus with the back button. Do you have that issue? Do you have a work around to avoid it?
I got some fantastic shot with the R7 and the RF 800mm f11 in good light as well as low light portrait shot with a shutter speed of 1/200 seconds handheld. I love that a can handhold this combo forever in any shooting position, especially at ground level to get eye level with your subject and creating background separation! 😊💕
This video is one year old but i had to said thank you. Unfortunately my 70D is broken. I am a hobbyphotographer and shoot voluntarily for our firefighters, school but also two weddings in the last 2 years and so i look for a replacement. Struggle between R10 or R7. Now this video brings me to the final think: R7. Thanks a lot from germany. Now i have to look for a R7. ;)
Jan, I have my brand new R7 and Canon 100-500 as an upgrade from Canon 90D and Sigma 150-600C. What a massive upgrade. I have Aperture set up on the ring on the camera shutter speed on the front wheel and ISO on the rear wheel. I don't have or likely to have one of the big brothers R3,5 or 6.
How are you finding it 3 months later? I am also moving from a 90D & Sigma 150-600C and encouraged to hear about the differences. I feel the eye AF features particularly will be a a pretty jaw dropping difference.
@@RB-rf8rf I love the camera, I have now set the rear wheel to exposure adjustment, but I am still getting the hang of that. The AF eye detect is fantastic upgrade from the 90D, but also the 100-500 lens has been brilliant. That lens will be a forever lens.. One of the early big criticisms about the R7 was that it only has 2 SD card slots and that the buffer will fill really quickly. I shoot in CRAW plus JPeg and rarely in electronic shutter mode because of potential rolling shutter issues. By shooting in bursts I have only maxed out the buffer a couple of times. So... in summary, very happy, I am sure the R6 and R5 are better cameras, but they are significantly more expensive and the crop sensor on the R7 gives me more reach and is what I am used to coming from a 90D. I love ❤️ it.
@@andrewkeir2282 Thanks for the reply, that's great to hear! Have you seen much of an issue with the supposed "shutter shock" when shooting in slower conditions? It looks like you can clean up noise so well these days that you could just bump ISO instead of reducing shutter speed where it would become an issue.
Probably the best review of the R7. Not only is it not an R5 with crop factor, it's not even an R6 with crop factor. I'm dissatisfied with it because I have an R6 Ii, which is on another level, but will keep the R7 for the extra focal length.
We got this unit as a Xmas gift. It seems to be very complicated. Is there a setting where we can just set it to point and shoot, and it does everything for me like using the camera on my iPhone?
Thanks for the detailed reviews, all of yours. I’m about to get one of the R’s but I’m totally struggling to make a decision between R3, R5 and R7. It’s exclusively for bifs, birds, wildlife and should fit that purpose best. I’m not a cropper and try to fill the frame as good as possible by trying to get as close as possible. Of course higher resolution has a lot of benefits if it comes to details. But the stacked BSI sensor of the R3 offers a lot of other benefits and as I see it, 24 megapixel are sufficient. If Sony had put a stacked 33 megapixel BSI sensor in the 7M4 instead of a not stacked, the decision would have been easy, because of the ideal megapixel count and of course the FE 200-600 5.6-6.3 G OSS, as I see it the probably best and most versatile lens for the purpose bifs, birds, wildlife at an awesome good price. It’s a pity, Canon and Nikon don’t have a competitive lens, because I’d preferred Canon for a lot of other reasons over Sony and even Nikon. What I hate is that flippy screen thing, prone to break off. The Z9 and Fuji on e.g. the X-T2, X-T3 and some GFX have the perfect solution, flip-out, also in portrait position, much more rugged, always in lens axis and I am always behind the camera, this “you can film yourself” argument is total nonsense on that tiny screens. The Camera Conspiracy channel is right, there is no such thing like the perfect camera…
Thanks again for sharing your helpful advice on R7. I waited for your deep review of R7. I have been using R6 with some RF lenses. I guess it would be nice to buy R7 for a second camera of R6.
12:53 DPP actually applies a lot of noise reduction to the files, even if you "turn off" the noise reduction. It applies a lot of color noise reduction (this reduces the color resolution). When Dpp needs to load parts of the image, one can actually see the true noise for a short time and then it is suddenly reduced.
@@PhilThach Though I noticed that converting the files with the Adobe dng converter leads to more noise (and probably worse signal to noise ratio) when opening the dng files in Affinity Photo (in comparison to Cr3 files in Affinity Photo) (but I guess this might be the case with all cameras and could be an incompatibility of Affinity Photo and the dng format, though I need to test whether other raw converters have the same issue).
In DPP, I always leave the default chrominance denoise setting as chosen by the camera. This removes the colour blotches. The detail you refer to is the luminance detail. I set luminance denoise off for iso6400 and below, and half the camera luminance denoise for iso12800 ajd above - this presrves detail. The image 'perceived' detail is not in the chrominance channel. Fyi, DPP also has superior lens correction profiles as compared to lightroom, and makes for sharper images. Ca is perfectly corrected in the way canon engineers intended.
Good video Jan. You touched on virtually everything I could think of from my 2 weeks with the R7. Second camera to the R5. So far I'm more impressed than I thought I would be. Not just good value, good camera. Oddly enjoying the different layout as it is making me think a bit more about the picture taking. Fun at least for now. Mostly shoot in manual but some Av priority.
Superb video. Many of us are still waiting in the UK for the camera to arrive here and there are still very large waiting lists for it here...even Canon UK have no idea when these cameras will arrive
This video is packed with useful information. It is also the first video I've watched of yours and I've already subscribed because of this high density content. Cheers! And thank you.
I will be renting an R7, and an 800mm F11, hoping to better inform my online friend about the features. I did the same for the R5 and instantly fell in love with it. Canon finally got this long time Nikon shooter to switch.
Good Video - For me the crop sensor and the ability to get the ability to get the 1.6 crop factor overwhelms any drawbacks - there are solutions if you are careful to minimize rolling shutter - thats the major drawback … using it with the 100-500 or the 200-8- and getting 800mm or 1280 is great … yes I would;d ;pve a battery grip and a dedicated ISO button similar to R6 Mk2 would be great … also I would like the button layout of R6 2 with on off lock on one side and video on off other side …. Within the 100-500 and 200-800 I am shooting in good light anyway so low light is not as much an issue for me … once again thanks for videos and excellent setup guides for R6Mk2 and R7 terry donofrio
I have a R7 on pre-order, this is the most useful review I have seen for this camera. Can't wait to the email from the camera shop saying it's arrived. Thanks for this review.
I managed to borrow an R7 over the weekend, I too experienced what I could describe as "hunting" on the AF, more pronounced in low light/less bright len's as you mention. I would say hit rate for sharp images is around 25 to 33% in these conditions (but of course my poor light may vary to anyone else's), using tracking AF (Spot AF hit rate seems to be a lot higher). On the face of it, disappointing/frustrating, however, those that are sharp ...oh my word ...what wonderful images....so the real issue here is how to manage and cull so many images efficiently whilst in the field (using the camera to do this isn't going too work too well). I tried out the video FHD - slo mo function, using the lower end 100 to 400 RF on a bee hunting for pollen on a Verbena zoomed well in, I don't do much video ordinarily. the result was fantastic, and I believe eye AF seems to work here. So yes, some areas to disappoint, but with huge potential to produce superb images.
I don't own the R7, but based on the listed specs and a series of favorable reviews, it seems to be a very capable camera. Good for Canon. I am hoping that Nikon can come out with something similar in the next year.
Thanks for putting together this comprehensive review for us Jan! 👏🏻 Do you think Canon will ever make a more professional orientated crop sensor body?
Hi,I have an R3 and R5 and do a lot of sport so I got the R7 as a back up because the specs looked good, my opinion is similar to yours and if you are coming from a 7dii or 90d it is definitely an upgrade, but the shutter sound is not pleasant and auto focus no where near as accurate or fast as R3 but at its price point it is a phenomenal camera and the crop factor helps for both sport and wildlife. After using it for a few matches I will keep it for wildlife and use my 1dxii as backup to the R3,but it is still a great camera for the money.
I've been using my R7 since early August, coming from an 80D. I used a Canon FT-QL film SLR from 1968 to 2004 when I got my first Digital Rebel, and worked my way up to the 80D over several cameras. As an old film SLR shooter, I immediately set the Control Ring on the lens to control aperture, and the main dial up top for shutter speed. I put ISO on the ring around the joystick - there are the three dials everyone has been complaining it doesn't have! I run in full-time Manual with the RGB histogram and shoot RAW. I've switched over to full-time electronic shutter with a very quiet shutter sound so I have audible confirmation that I've actually taken a picture. I don't need 30 fps most of the time, or even 15 fps, so I run at 3 fps for candids of people. My question is: Wouldn't electronic shutter set to 15 fps avoid rolling shutter as well as shutter shock? Is the sensor read in a different way when the mechanical shutter is used?
@@collinsal1433 I would never go back to my 80D or any DSLR now that I have the R7. Its electronic viewfinder that shows the effect of your exposure settings and can also be set to show depth of field at the same time. The live RGB histogram lets me set the exposure to avoid over or under exposure. I run in Manual and shoot RAW. This camera is a joy to use.
Thanks for your detail review and presentation. I received my preordered R7 two days ago and unboxed it while waiting for yours and Duane’s R7 detailed reviews before I will set things up. Thank you again.
I bought the R7 to replace my Lumix G9 as I’ve been drawn more to birds and dragonflies. I must say when I picked it up I was concerned about this plastic body durability. I purchased it with the 18 - 150mm kit lens. On a sunny day of 87 degrees Fahrenheit or 30.5 Celsius I shot 861 photos in an hour and 15 minutes. The camera did get hot enough to the touch to get my attention off of the shoot. The R7 did not stop functioning properly. Just garnered more attention than my G9 ever did while in the hand. The camera was was still hot to the touch twenty minutes later. I did not capture video at all. I purchased because of superior autofocus tracking compared to the G9. Images are good out of the camera. Overall, I'm pleased with a bit of caution related to outside temperature.
Currently using the G9 and its basically superior to the R7 5 years later minus the autofocus. I'm looking and researching the R7 but think the Olympus OM1 is the more sensible choice.
Well, expected was a mirrorless version of the 7D II. But it is not, it is definetely not. I cannot get over the small buffer, I usually take short bursts only but if the camera does not write it back quickly enough, it is stacking up and hit the buffer. No good. Better to keep my 7D II here. By the way, the 15fps mechanical shutter sounds like an AK47.
I started off as a 7D owner, when the 7D mkII came out about 6 years later, I thought what a disappointment. I waited and moved onto a D500 and wow it was much better. Now Nikon lags well behind it AF tracking. I bought an R7 from a nearby independent small business camera shop (had it in stock). I shoot sports, and I’ve got to say Wow, the AF is sweet at this price point. My keeper rate has gone up. I capture that perfect moment much more often (shooting 15fps mechanical), and I have more time to concentrate on framing and composing my shots. Is it a perfect camera, no; but it captures moments I will never get another chance to get. While people gripe and moan about this camera, great moments and photos are lost. Good luck to you.
In my opinion, R6 is still the best camera for money in the market Excellent low light performance Excellent IBIS performance Reliable autofocus Usable electronic shutter And Great Image Buffer And More ... Definitely 20 megapixels is more than enough for 90% of the time
after watching many videos on the R7 yours was by far the best, and backed up what you were talking about with images and explanations. Very well done. You have helped me make my decision that I think the r7 will work just fine for me. thank you.
I found a gamechanger with the 800 f11 and R7 the silent shutter allow a much slower speed of 50 instead of 400 when resting the camera on something which does not apply to other lenses apparently
Great review! Have been using the 7DII since they came out. Almost got the R6 last year when it was looking like no crop body was coming up. Glad I waited and now have an R7 on order. Looking forward to the mirrorless crop body.
I was in the same boat as you. Was about to order the R6 but then pre orders opened for the R7. I miss the buttons and the battery grip but the eye AF is perfect to capture the kids now. Even the kit lens is good fun. Adapts EF perfectly. I’m just waiting for the 17-55 successor and maybe a super zoom faster than the 100-500
Thanks for another great video. I think you've covered the R7 very well - it's a camera of compromises but honestly, what else can we expect at that price?! I use it as a backup/second body with my 5DIV (I'll replace that with a full frame mirrorless main body eventually) and I've spent the first couple of weeks setting it up how I like to use it, and also adapting my shooting techniques to deal with those compromises. So far, it's performed superbly in most situations and I'm growing to really like it. As for Adobe software and Canon RAW files - I agree that Adobe does some horrible things to the files. It's mostly down to too much contrast (and saturation) in the profiles that Adobe offers (including their Canon profiles). For years now, I've been building my own linear camera profiles for all my cameras and it really works. It's one of the first things I do whenever I get a camera - build a linear profile. For example, the R7 files are far cleaner when I apply a linear profile to them. Linear profiles do involve a bit more work in Lightroom to rebuild the contrast and saturation, but they mean you have full control over how far you want to go. I get much more pleasing final results this way that by using any of the profiles that come with Lightroom/ACR.
I don't know if you still reply Jan , But just recently I was bought the Canon R7, it looked liked a very good option for me since it was on a sale for only $2000 AUD at Camera House. I knew about rolling shutter with the R7 and still thought "Its alright I will just deal with it". I don't think I will upgrade to a better camera and the R7 name will stay with me for a life time.😊 I want to do Wildlife and Macro photography one day.
It seems shutter shock is worse, if a camera has IBIS, as the sensor is "floating". Not sure if Lightroom adds noise or if Canon DPP secretly applies noise reduction to make the Canon camera look better. I thought that the R7 was meant to be the flagship crop camera, but it seems that is not the case. Maybe there will still come a higher end crop camera.
Another great video. I'm using my R7 with the Sigma 150-600mm C lens. Initially it was great but then I optimised (with the USB DOCK UD-01 & Sigma Optimization Pro) the lens and now autofocus is not working. Do you have any thoughts on what might be going on? Has anyone else encountered this issue?
Thanks for the hint to use DPP for the RAWs! I think many people believe the R7 has poor high iso performance because they only use lightroom and/or photoshop. You are the first, as far as I know, who mentions shutter-shock. And you are absolutely right! I recognized it with the adapted Canon 15-85mm @15mm with slow (mechanical!) shutter speed. All pictures were unusable. At first I thought it was only a problem with this specific adapted lens. After testing I found out the problem is definitely shutter-shock and not the lens. Overall electr. 1. curtain shutter and cRAW works quite well for me.
Very helpful review, thank you. One question, any idea when Canon might open their mirror less mount to 3rd party lens makers? Why can’t Sigma etc just reverse engineer it ?
Thanks Jan.. Im waiting for my R7. I will be watching for your final settings when I receive delivery. Picked up many pointers for my R5 from you and will be looking forward for more tips. All the rumors about this camera has fueled my fire, have hand problems so the grip seems like it will help as well as the rear button arrangement. Thanks for your advice!!
You made some good points(rolling shutter, buffer,etc.), but you seemed to brush over the fact that the R5 cost is 2.6x the cost of the R7. You are asking whether a Volkswagen is comparable to a Mercedes Benz. Clearly, the R7 delivers tremendous value for the money and it can't deliver everything you want at that low price.
Thanks for this field review Jan. I agree with all that you've said. I've had my R7 since June 23rd but have only taken about 600 shots. The "good" birds to photograph are few and far between right now at the Jersey Shore, USA. I'm using it with the RF 100-500mm. I also have an R5. I purchased Topaz DeNoise after seeing Duade's use of it. Overall, I am happy with my R7. Once I got past the expectations, as you said (future camera hopefully), for the money, it's a fine camera.
Thanks for the review Jan. I was set to buy the R5 then the R7 was released. I currently have the 7D2. I love the crop of the 7D2 for wildlife, my primary subject, but sounds like the issues with the R7 may push me to the R5. I would love to see a review of the R5 in crop mode compared to the R7.
I'm an amateur, but I've had many mirrorless bodies, Sony A7III, Sony A7RII, Fuji XT3, Sony A7C, but I can't get used to the EVF, no matter how good they are. Eventually, I sold all my new gear (I'm not into video) and went back to using my trusty 6D and 7DmKII. I'm way older than you, and that's maybe the reason. Strangely enough, never updated my Canon bodies to Canon mirrorless (except the M50 that I had for a while). Now I have more money in my pockets and I'm a happy shooter.
@WhistleBit Nope, only when I shot film (30 years ago); I still have one of my Pentax Lenses. The brand is pretty much gone where I live. No knows that it even exists or existed. There isn't a single dealer or shop selling Pentax here. Sad.
Not only can you turn the shutter volume down but you can turn it off while keeping a mechanical/Elec 1st Curtain shutter at 15fps and not get the rolling shutter that you get shooting in Silent Mode (which switches the camera to electronic shutter). I'd love to not get the rolling shutter at 30fps, but more than that I'd love to have a buffer that can handle 30fps for more than 2 seconds. Still, I'm very happy with the R7 as a companion to my R5. I'm hoping a lot of the IS and Focus issues will get fixed in later firmware updates as they were in the R5 & R6.
Okay Jan I finally got myself an R7 just setting the camera up what a pain in the ass this thing is by far the worst camera I have ever used in my life . No vertical grip , so back it goes to where I bought it , I just I took a few shots through it and it's just a miserable camera to use , how else can I put it , I am back to my 7D Mk II which I absolutely love and I'll just stay with it . As far as using Canon cameras Jan I don't know how much more I can tolerate like so many others they've jumped to Sony and I'm about ready to do the same .
I'm always moaning that my Skoda isn't as good as a Merc. I suspect those of us coming up to an R7 from older kit think it's amazing to see just how much technology has moved on in the past few years. Still early days but I've found the electronic shutter results in much sharper pictures and yes it's better in good light. Currently using the RF100-400 mostly with the 1.4x and still deciding which lens next, 200-800 or 100-500. Prefer size and weight of the smaller lens but know I'd always have the 1.4x on at which point weight and size difference isn't that great and with the 1.4 on the 100-500 the minimum focus is at 672 which isn't great for finding things, it's also slower with the 1.4. The other downside is realising I need to spend another couple of thou on a decent laptop.
Thanks for the review - I will be buying the R7 eventually as a B video cam to pair with my R3, and also as my leisure/crash cam that I will have less hesitation to take into harm’s way. I think video is the real killer application since it capitalizes on the AF and tracking introduced by the R3 while not having the buffer depth limitations come into play. Plus both R7 and R3 are essentially free of record limits and have multifunction hot shoes.
I am currently using the 5d IV for mostly bird photography. I would like to switch over to mirrorless - even with the smaller sensor. However, what is your opinion on the low light performance comparison of these two cameras. The 5d IV is a full frame camera and I would expect it to perform better. But the R7 has a more modern sensor, which might help it to catch up the the 5d IV.
You bave 2 shutter modes to chose from with the R7: 1- Crazy obnoxiously loud mechanical shutter, or 2 - e shutter with that terrible rolling shutter. Thats it. Those are your 2 choices. I have a 5d4 and a r5. I predict you will be both amazed and disappointed with the R7. The rolling e shutter on my r5 means that 50% of my small fast moving bif or dragon fly in flight shots have to be discarded due to bent wings. The R7 is 2x worse.
Brilliant review, Jan. Would you say that it’s better to get an R5 and use in full or crop mode rather than an R7 and R6 to cover all types of photography?
@@jan_wegener thanks for the response. I have pre-ordered the R7, though goodness knows when I’ll see it. I was thinking of using it as my wildlife camera and later on picking up an R6 for everything else. Now I’m wondering if I should maybe just cancel the R7, scrap the idea of an R6 and just buy an R5 instead to cover all bases. I’m guessing you agree with the latter?
So far I kinda like it as a second body to r5's, agree with you on all the weaknesses however. Still for the money I don't know how you beat this thing with the current cameras available. I've been using it with my 600 RF and it's pretty nice, but the 100-500 is magic to walk around with. It's shocking how much reach you have in a such a small package, Just proves the 100-500 is one of the best lenses made.
The problem I have is the body is good value for money despite its' weaknesses. The lens isn't. I accept it's very sharp but at £3k and f7.1 at 500mm it's not good value for money compared to the Sony and Nikon offerings which are much cheaper, have faster apertures, and are sharp. So I'd disagree with you that the '100-500 is one of the best lenses made'. Had it been f5.6 at 500mm then I'd agree.
@WhistleBit It's cheaper but slower again which would rule it for me. However a competent lens at a good price and maybe suitable for some uses and users. I can't see it working for BIF shots in low light too well though.
@@stevemurnan1702 I don't get the point here really? I've used it in all sorts of terrible light conditions and been able to have images published just fine. So I'm not sure I'll agree with you here. The versatility, weight and sharpness is pretty great. You really need a 200-400 for what you're looking to do it seems and thats a heavy and expensive master.
@@VinceMaidens I changed all my Canon gear to Olympus so I've a 300mm f4 that in FF terms is a 600mm f4 and it's small, sharp and portable. Canon lost me with the R7 and 100-500 f7.1. I'm glad you are okay with it and are getting good results. That's encouraging for others. I opted for a different solution.
Great review. No R7 delivery yet. I already have R5. R7 will be with RF 100-500 especially hiking. I used 7D2 during good light. I would do the same withR7. I would use electronic shutter at 15 fps with cRaw so the buffer won’t get maxed out so quickly. It is not a pro body. More buffer, faster readout and CFexpress card mean higher price. That would be R6 territory. That is Canon strategy. I wish they had R1 available now.
Я не сторонник без зеркальных камер.Но тут произошло нечто что движет мною для приобретения без зеркальной камеры. Кэнон выпустил объектив RF 200-800 . У меня имеются на зеркальной системе объективы Сигма 150-500 и Никкор 200-500 .Но порой длинного конца в 500 мм этих объективов не хватает для приближения. Поэтому в планах сначала приобретение без зеркальной камеры,скорее всего R7 .
Second comments ... I usually shoot in Aperature or Manual. I change SS and ISO more than Aperature. I use aperature mainly for DoF . So I mayuse the lens contol ntrol ring for Aperature. The two main dials are then SS and ISO. PS ....Using CRAW and 15FPS sounds a great way to achieve over 100 shots in the buffer ... thanks for the tip.
Hi Jan, such a great review, giving heaps of info, congratulations! I am using my R7 in combination with my old but trusted EF300L f2.8 IS lens. With my previous camera 5DMk IV I used 1.4 all the time with this lens, now I find out i don't need an extender in most situations. I was in panic mode a little bit when receiving my R7 and testing it. My stabilization on the mentioned lens was working all the time. By researching a little bit I find out that many people have similar problems when pairing older EF telephoto with mirrorless cameras. By experimenting, I learn that I have to switch off IS on the lens when not using it, and that sorted my problem. It is one more button to touch but having this kind of glass on my camera is priceless. Here in Victoria is miserable weather lately and I can't wait to go out in the rainforest to test my R7 on a Lyrebirds. I am hoping to get great results with this combination despite the very low light out there in Dandenong Ranges. Great job mate! Cheers
With all EF and Rf lenses on mirrorless cameras, the stabilisation always runs. Not really a problem, just the design of the cameras with the evf. I let it run
How loud is the mechanical shutter sound compared to other cameras? I don't know if you had experience with Panasonic GH6, Olympus E-M1 III or OM1, Sony a6600. How it is compared to R5? Is it a problem in wildlife photography?
Coming from a 90D I thought this was going to be the new camera for me. It’s not come off back order here in the UK yet, I’m considering cancelling the order now, I really liked the crop sensor, have some fantastic (favourite efs lenses) ibis, focus system is a big upgrade and I don’t tend to fire off long bursts so could work for me but I’m not convinced I’ll love it and learn & grow with it in the same way that I did with the 90D. I just feel like I “need” a body to connect my excellent Sigma 50-100mm art lens to and an R5/R6 sacrifices too many pixels for my liking in crop mode.
Hi Jan good review...I am still looking between 90D and R7 as a hobby wildlife phototherapy can you suggest which one should i get considering i have a Sigma 150-600mm
Hi, I’ve stumbled down the rabbit hole of wanting to replace/upgrade my camera. I currently have a (now discontinued) canon 200d which was perfect for my first ever camera. Mainly used for video and some photography. Now I’m really , really REALLY needing some advice … deciding whether to go for canon 90d, canon mark 5d iv, or canon R7 . The R7 looks attractive to me because of : the autofocus capabilities and the newer technology that come with mirrorless , I’m scared because of not knowing how to use it compared to my traditional camera , I’m embarrassed to say I have only ever used auto on my camera but I’m going to learn how to use manual. Also slightly worried about the ‘overheating’ rumours/problems with mirrorless, but apparently shouldn’t be an issue if I don’t intend to do shoot 30min + .. I’m interested in the canon mark iv because it seemed EVERYONE thinks it’s a beast and amazing but then after research I saw it’s better primarily for photography AND it doesn’t have a flip out screen (a feature I currently have and love) and then obviously the 90d …. I think is a really really good option as it’s a step up (several steps) to what I have and probably the most familiar one I’d be used to .. just scared of thinking the R7 is more superior I think is my problem… would really appreciate your thoughts.
I think the R7 is a better camera than the 90D or 5D simply because it has much better AF. It comes with its own quirks, but you will be blown away compared to a 200D. I have posted a how to set it up video too
Lovely review of R7 and sharing details where it out performs. My Canon EOS R7 body is arriving next week :) Are you planning to create a video where you share details of configuring the R7?
Hi Jan, I know you're a Canon guy and a bit of a Sony guy but I'm really curious what your opinion would be of the new Fuji X-H2s in the field, paired with a lens like the Fuji 150-600mm or even a Fuji 100-400mm!
Thank you for honest review. I have clearly visible shutter shock blur on the R10, often in the range of 1/160 sec.. With the 1. electronic shutter curtain, the problem mostlly disappeared. I considered switching to the R7, but it doesn't seem to be any better. It's incomprehensible that cameras with such loud, poorly damped shutters are still being built today. Since I want to shoot sports with the camera, the electronic shutter is probably ruled out because of rolling shutter.
The R7 and most cameras are built to a price and compromises are made as a result. Had Canon used a BSI stacked sensor the problem wouldn't exist but this probably would have added $500 to the price and the camera would be in the R6 / R5 performance bracket. It's not in Canon's financial interest to allow that.
@@stevemurnan1702 Fujifilm, Lumix and Olympus offer much cheaper cameras than the Canon R7 without shutter shock problems and with well-damped shutters.
@@christianmayrhofer4178 I don't think any manufacturer offers the AF capability of the R7 at a lower price. However, Canon have cut corners to achieve a price point. Anything better than the current R7 spec would start eating into sales of their other cameras I suspect.
Great review! Loving my r7 right now still getting used to it. I know you said you arent a fan of mechanical because of the noise, is it worth it so switch 15 frames on electronic or is the rolling shutter bad on 15 electronic aswell? Thanks and keep up the good work!
Your experience reflects mine. I took it to a local skateboard park to practice sports shooting in preparation for the American Football season this fall. The results were fantastic and I attribute any AF misses to me not pre-focusing properly before flipping my thumb to the button I have configured to subject tracking. Also, the 32 mpx is very handy to have along with the 1.6 crop relative to my R6. Having both on the sidelines will be a very good combination. I'll have no excuse if I miss a shot.
@@JarraxQ It has been great. To shoot American football I put the Canon 300 f 2.8L IS on the R7 and the 100-400 4.5-5.6 on the R6. This gives me excellent range from close up to well beyond the middle of the field. The layouts are slightly different but the menus are the same. Switching between them instantly is easy and better than what I was doing before: using the R6 with the 7DMII. The R7 has performed well in low light and I have no problem maxing it out at 6400. With R6 12800 works well and I have pushed it higher on occasion. With both strapped to my side I really have a lot of flexibility. Often I see people ask, full frame or crop sensor? I say both.
Think you, good and reliable report as always. I think, for this price point it’s unbeatible. I ordered one to retire my RP for escursions with few weight. I eagerly await it.
Hi Jan, I am really confuse about the mirrorless camera which one should I buy is it Canon EOS R7 or Canon EOS R6 or Canon EOS R Would you please suggest thanks in advance
Good review, will be taking my R6 and R7 to Alaska this week and look forward to putting the R7 through its paces. Glad to hear that you are getting good shots with it. Also glad to hear your comparison of the electronic shutter to the mechanical. I expect that I will use electronic at 15 fps a lot as a good compromise between speed and buffer. I am one who is glad to have the imitation shutter sound in the R7, wish my R6 had it!
Thanks, Jan for the great review! You seem to always provide insight that many other people don't. I have not purchased the R7 yet because I am hesitant to buy a camera that doesn't have a grip that I can purchase. Also, the small buffer seems like a "cripple hammer." I don't know the technical aspects of Canon cameras enough but it seems that they could solve the buffer issues by putting more effective "RAM" into the camera. This would solve the issue by writing to the RAM first which is much faster than a memory card. Then the camera could write to the card from the RAM. If this is how their cameras already work then they should put a larger amount of memory in the camera which would effectively increase the buffer. Although this might increase the price of the camera by $100-$200 it would be worth it. At any rate, thanks again for the great work!
Thanks Jan for this great review! For me all together the R7 seems to be a very capable camera that will handle every situation well as long as you don't go to the extremes.
For me it's no surprise that the full frame competitors work better at low light - that's to be expected as it is simple physics :)
I also don't think it's correct that the camera is always said to be a "sports and wildlife camera". In my opinion it's a perfect allround camera which also will produce great results as a travel camera, for landscapes, and all other purposes.
I don't understand all these guys complaining "the R3/R5 is better". Of course this is true but look at the price difference! You can buy three R7s for one R3!
I'm looking forward to get my new R7.
Yeah! 6,000 dollars, 4,000 dollars or 1,500 dollars!!
Extremes? You mean a bit of dust or rain? After all, it hasn't got proper weather proffing. Which is a bit dumb for a wildlife camera but then there are plenty of people who don't do their research so I am sure plenty will sell.
@@doghouseriley4732 Wym? It says that it's weather proofed everywhere.
@@doghouseriley4732 You are massively incorrect, It actually has weather sealing throughout the whole camera.... Therefore your statement is void, Good day mate.
Bird shooter here got my R7 yesterday (UK) Have been using a 7DII and never touched a mirrorless before, for me the R7 has been a revelation and a massive improvement on 7DII. Obviously its early days but I'm already thinking of selling my 7DII and EF telephoto lenses with a view to buying RF 100-500 ..... that's how quickly the R7 has changed my world!
EXACTLY what I did! I had a 7D MKII and a Sigma 150-600mm... trade the 7D MKII for a $550 discount and tried it with the Sigma. It didn't perform as well as I had hoped, so I traded it in on the 100-500mm.. .i LOVE it!!!
@@mattbrash great minds think alike Matt .... think I'm going to do what you did. Do you prefer the 100-500 tp the Sigma?
@@matthewbrookes8561 Duade Paton just came out with a R7 and sigma 150-600 review today on the issue of pulsing.
@@matthewbrookes8561 yes, the 100-500mm is much sharper to my eye and focuses better... fantastic lens!!!..... I'm VERY happy with the combo!.... which EF lenses do you have?
@@matthewbrookes8561 Why would you even do that when the Sigma has never been marketed for Mirrorless nor is it one ...... You would have greater chance of screwing your warranty if something went fubar .
I have the Sigma .. I wouldn't even use it with a mirrorless Camera .
Great review mate, you covered everything well and for its price it performs very well. Cheers, Duade
Really nice review of the camera. Though I still miss out a real comparison between the 7Dii and the R7, that for me is the more natural step.
Also interesting to hear that a lot of ppl made the expectations that R7 should be a R5 with crop sensor? For me it was clearly that it would be a mirrorless 7D, since R5 is a mirrorless 5D and the R6 is a mirrorless 6D...
So if you use Electronic shutter, you get rolling shutter and buffer issues; and if you use Mechanical, then you get a loud shutter noise, shutter shock and lose the pre-capture feature, eh? Oh, for Pete's sake. Thanks for pointing all this out.
That sums it up hehe
You are gonna have Rolling shutter also in the R5 or any other camera without an stacked sensor. Those which typically start at 8000 Eur.
Not so long ago, a couple of years actually, everybody was happy with 7-8 fps. Have the birds become so much faster lately, that now not having more than 1s at 30 fps is an issue?
@@Auracanal😂 faster birds! But seriously ppl forget these are imperfect tools. That’s just reality. Marketing seems to taunt the idea that a perfect tool will bring happiness.
Great review, thank for the work. Some people's comments though......
- Struggles in low light ? Well, its an APS-C so yeah. My 7D2 struggled in low light too. Since we are comparing things to the 7D2.....
- I'm glad to hear your comments about the EVF. Lots of griping about that before the cameras release. As if your photo quality is generated by the EVF........It's a "view finder". It finds the view..
- I'm happy it has 2 SD cards. I always hated how canon mixes card types in 2-card slot cameras. If canon had put in 2 CFXB cards, people would be complaining they have to buy the more expensive cards........
- Buffer is small. The camera is US$1500. Were you expecting an R3 ? Like Jan said, use CRAW, you get some extra frames and no one will look at your photos and say "i don't like it, you shot that in CRAW". I shoot airshows, 30 FPS for a second or two on a $1500 camera is like a dream. Even at 15FPS, it beats my 7D2. Since we're comparing everything to the 7D2.
- No battery grip. At first that really disappointed me. Then i remembered i carry 6 spare batteries in my bag now anyway. I can also place the R7 in my gear bag short-side down and now i have room for one more lens. Much more travel-friendly than my bulky, yet amazing, 7D2.
- Trying to decide between the R3, R5 and R7 ?? 3 cameras with very different prices.Its not even a sensical comparison. If you have R3 money, you aren't seriously considering the R7 anyway.
- I love my 7D2. Love it. What it wasn't though, is this mythical super-performer some people make it out to be.
In summary, go ahead and cancel all those pre-orders. It just means i'll get mine faster.
Best comment I've seen!
Hi Jan, great video as always with attention to details and very informative. I'm using the r7 with the rf 100 to 500 for about two weeks now and I'm very pleased with the performance of this combo. I find the ergonomics of the camera actually to be quite good. The two wheels are enough for me one set for shutters speed and one for the iso is all I need as the aperture is constant on 7.1
It works well for me. Remember no camera is perfect and no camera will perform perfectly in every situation. R5 paired with a 600 f4 will produce better images especially in low light conditions but having the r7 with the rf 100 to 500 as a light weight combo that you can handheld for hours and also having that nice 800mm focal length reach is definitely a wonderful option.
Cheers Jan. Great review thanks. I really don’t know whether to keep my R7 or just be happy with the focal length of the R5/100-500 combo. Time will tell. The shutter noise is hideous but the electronic shutter has all the issues you speak of. I have a little hope in the back of my mind that Canon will release an “R7Pro”, with a new backlit sensor, bigger buffer and quieter shutter mechanism…..oh, and three wheels too 🤔🤔🤔. We can hope 😊
The shutter noise is abysmal! Like coin change dropping into a can. I'm with you on a pro version to get the missing specs we were all hoping for.
Don't hold your breath waiting for a pro version. I can't see that happening. It's Canon. They just give you enough to keep you hanging on and hoping....
Electric shutter is just fine , and I just turn the volume down ☺️
They better move it. The others are all over this. I have just seen the ef100-400 mk2 on a new X-H2S. It was awesome, 40fps, no rolling shutter, CF acrd slot and 120 RAW files shots before ou hit the buffer, no 30 shots like the R7. Weather sealed too!
@@doghouseriley4732 It's $1000 more. What do you expect?
Jan, great recap of the pros and cons of the R7 in the real world. Coming from the 7d ii, there is no comparison - this camera is a
amazing. Even my EF 100-100l ii with a 1.4 extender works far better than on my 7D ii. I agree the ergonomic change takes some getting used to, but generally works pretty well. I’ve noticed the noise in Lightroom, using Topaz Denoise gives me a very clean file. I hope Adobe improve noise handling, because running the files through DPP seems a bit slow ( it may be me, as ai don’t generally use it) and Topaz Denoise files are pretty large.
Dxo pureraw2 is also a good alternative
Great, this is exactly what I was looking for. Still no one have done a real comparison between the 7D ii and R7! So if the ISO and image quality is better then the 7D ii it's just the handling and autofocus left to compare, and hearing this is really what I needed :)
Tnx!
Great review Jan! Just a small correction, the EOS M6 Mark II was Canon's first camera to feature a raw burst mode with half a second of precapture.
Thanks for the info!
The UA-cam content creators seem to be deliberately forgetting the whole M series, as no one mentions them when reviewing R7 or other R series cameras. They talk about R7 being Canon's first crop-sensor mirrorless camera. Makes me think they have been paid by Canon to dig the M series into the graveyard.
Great review, I have the R7 and coming from a 90D it feels like a massive upgrade especially with birds. My question is does the eye tracking work in slo-mo video?
@dan i have the same query?
I didn’t try it, since it’s only 1080p, but I would think it does
Thanks for the great review Jan. I currently use a 90D and have an R7 on order. I was a little concerned about the R7, but this has made me feel more comfortable about the change.
You will be happy with it. The AF and video features on the mirrorless bodies are quite a step up.
Outstanding review as always Jan. I would like to see more about the usuability of the electronic shutter for fast action for panning bird in flight shots. Also a separate video on on image quality compared to R5, specially using the files with DXO Pureraw and or Topaz Denoize to understand if there a significant advantage to R5 for files between ISO 800-3200. Thanks
14:49 geezz look at the details on the beak the cracks
Thanks Jan, just what I was waiting for, I think this review has swayed be towards getting it. My dilemma is do I get rid of the R in trade or hang onto it (I have the R5 too) One question about DPP, do you process the RAW file completely in DPP then skip ACR and finish up the editing in PS. Thanks Jan for this real world review, much appreciated.
I’m running the R7 alongside an R6. When shooting wildlife I’m shooting BIF 90% of the time. I did use the RF 800mm f11 with the R6 and it works well. I personally find that shooting that lens with the R7 is a little long for me for BIF at 1280mm. Works great for stationary birds. Lately I’ve actually been shooting mainly with the Canon 100-400 MKII and with the crop factor the 640mm is a sweet spot at a f5.6 aperture. On top of that the extra megapixels on the subject easily allows for up to a 200+% crop in post with a lot of detaiI should I need it. I don’t get that with my R6. The lens also works very well with the Canon 1.4xiii at f8 although I find it sharper at f10. So, in early morning and late in the day when I need a bright aperture I shoot at the effective 640mm wide open at f5.6. Midday I sometimes use the 1.4x. Nothing scientific but I feel that with the 32.5 megapixels I get better results cropping to 800mm in post. Very nice video Jan! Thank you.
My R7 and 100-500 arrived this week. I am fairly new to wildlife photography and have been using a D500 and a Tamron 150-600 G2. On my first trip on a nearby lake and marshes in my kayak I got way more keepers in just a couple of hours than I would with my previous setup in a day of shooting, despite fumbling with the controls and pressing the wrong buttons. The AF is a huge advance and the light weight of the body+lens greatly helped my acquisition and tracking.
However it is not the high-end APS-C camera I really wanted. The incredible high-speed processor writes checks that the slow sensor and small buffer can't cash. The rolling shutter limits the applications of the high frame rate and pre-capture, and the viewfinder turns into a slideshow @ 15fps with the mechanical shutter. The lack of rubber seals around the battery and card doors is also concerning for use from a kayak, where splashes do happen. So I will enjoy using the R7, while hoping Canon (or Nikon) develops a high end stacked sensor APS-C body like the Fuji X-H2S.
Hi Ciaran, I enjoyed your post and I am coming from a D90 with the Tamron 150-600 G2 but mainly for wildlife video. I had my first quick go, and didn't have a lot of joy with the AF or the stabilisation. I just wanted to ask if you did a firmware update on the G2, and the AF settings that you have been using. Many thanks. Matt
I just got the camera, actually it is much better than I thought for it’s price point, R7 cost $1500 , while R5 cost $4200 so it is almost 1/3 if its price , and can deliver around 80% , I believe and and it is my personal opinion, if the issues you addressed where to be fixed, non of the professional sports/wildlife photographers will buy more expensive camera than R7, it would be “ R3 lite “
I guess going from a 1200D to the R7 is a massive jump, and one which I’ll be very happy with. I’ve decided I’m going to have to try to start selling some of my portrait bird images in order to earn some money to buy the RF lenses and maybe eventually a full frame R5 to cope with low light. I’ll wait till the Black Friday sales to obtain the most for my limited money. Thanks so much for the reviews to date on this camera and I look forward to more from you Jan. Much appreciated. Enjoy your day. 😀
I've found the R6 handles low light better than the R5 if you want to save some money! Less megapixels but you'd have to be printing HUGE to notice a quality drop off. Something to think about I guess :)
I'm coming from a 1300d. Buying the R7 soon along with the sigma 150-600. I know the professionals are complaining about a few things but for us this is like upgrading from a Cessna to a f22 raptor. Did you manage to buy one and if so how are you liking it compared to the 1200d.
Really like my R7.... great camera for stills and 4k fine video. I've been using it with my canon rf 100-400mm f/5.6-8 lens and getting some really good results.
Really disappointed to hear of / see shutter vibration blur - but really appreciate your attention to such details. These types of issues are really hard, to near impossible, for the non-expert to figure out for themselves. 👍
Yes, it’s can be a bit frustrating. A lot of cameras have it
A better question might be, what cameras have the LEAST amount of shutter shock? I like to shoot birds in the tropics too and for things like manikins in Costa Rica shutter speeds can often be as low as 1/40 with a 600mm FL
There is no such thing it is his term for im shaky at low shutter speed.. I get fine images on my r7 and r6 no matter what
I have to deal with shutter shock on my M6 Mark II due to the full-mechanical shutter and I thought I'd be free of it moving to the R7, so it is a little disappointing seeing it even in EFCS mode :(
Off topic but I finally got to use my R5 on birds at a state park. They set up a blind with feeders and water so it was quite active. The eye auto focus amazed me. And the IBIS and IS was also amazing. Shooting 500mm hand held and I neglected to bump up my shutter speed but still got crystal clear images of the birds feathers. It was my first experience of taking such clear images that got all the feature detail that I've gawked at in other's images for a some time.
I am still somewhat confused about the video mode. It appears as soon as the video is rolling, the buttons on the back become mute. For example, the back button focus or the eye focus button I have connected to the star (*) button do nothing at all if I have already started capturing video. Maybe I have something misconfigured. I with the auto focus in video mode more closely matched the auto focus in photo mode. And then when I pick up the R5C, it is yet a whole other game but that I can understand. That camera has a different target market.
Anyhow... I enjoy your videos. I am curious if you ever shot film. I came from film to digital back in 2002. So most of your comments about buffer filling up cause a gentle smile to come across my face. In the old days, you had 36 frames TOTAL! 😜
Oh!!! I did have one question / comment: my R5 frequently gets "stuck" focused at infinity and hitting the back button focus doesn't unstick it. For example if the bird is in the brush and the camera decides to focus on the brush in the back ground, I can't force it to focus on the bird. I believe I have the back button focus set up like you suggest. Currently, I have to adjust the focus manually and then re-focus with the back button. Do you have that issue? Do you have a work around to avoid it?
I got some fantastic shot with the R7 and the RF 800mm f11 in good light as well as low light portrait shot with a shutter speed of 1/200 seconds handheld. I love that a can handhold this combo forever in any shooting position, especially at ground level to get eye level with your subject and creating background separation! 😊💕
This video is one year old but i had to said thank you. Unfortunately my 70D is broken. I am a hobbyphotographer and shoot voluntarily for our firefighters, school but also two weddings in the last 2 years and so i look for a replacement. Struggle between R10 or R7.
Now this video brings me to the final think: R7. Thanks a lot from germany. Now i have to look for a R7. ;)
Great to see Jan. I appreciate your autofocus setting tips. Picked up my R7 yesterday. Sold my 5DIV and 100-400 mk 1 to get this
Great review Jan, very comprehensive, honest and informative.
Jan, I have my brand new R7 and Canon 100-500 as an upgrade from Canon 90D and Sigma 150-600C. What a massive upgrade. I have Aperture set up on the ring on the camera shutter speed on the front wheel and ISO on the rear wheel.
I don't have or likely to have one of the big brothers R3,5 or 6.
I used the same setup with aperture on the ring. Came from the 80D and sigma and agree on the massive upgrade.
How are you finding it 3 months later? I am also moving from a 90D & Sigma 150-600C and encouraged to hear about the differences. I feel the eye AF features particularly will be a a pretty jaw dropping difference.
@@RB-rf8rf I love the camera, I have now set the rear wheel to exposure adjustment, but I am still getting the hang of that. The AF eye detect is fantastic upgrade from the 90D, but also the 100-500 lens has been brilliant. That lens will be a forever lens.. One of the early big criticisms about the R7 was that it only has 2 SD card slots and that the buffer will fill really quickly. I shoot in CRAW plus JPeg and rarely in electronic shutter mode because of potential rolling shutter issues. By shooting in bursts I have only maxed out the buffer a couple of times. So... in summary, very happy, I am sure the R6 and R5 are better cameras, but they are significantly more expensive and the crop sensor on the R7 gives me more reach and is what I am used to coming from a 90D. I love ❤️ it.
@@andrewkeir2282 Thanks for the reply, that's great to hear! Have you seen much of an issue with the supposed "shutter shock" when shooting in slower conditions? It looks like you can clean up noise so well these days that you could just bump ISO instead of reducing shutter speed where it would become an issue.
Probably the best review of the R7. Not only is it not an R5 with crop factor, it's not even an R6 with crop factor. I'm dissatisfied with it because I have an R6 Ii, which is on another level, but will keep the R7 for the extra focal length.
We got this unit as a Xmas gift. It seems to be very complicated. Is there a setting where we can just set it to point and shoot, and it does everything for me like using the camera on my iPhone?
Thanks for the detailed reviews, all of yours. I’m about to get one of the R’s but I’m totally struggling to make a decision between R3, R5 and R7. It’s exclusively for bifs, birds, wildlife and should fit that purpose best. I’m not a cropper and try to fill the frame as good as possible by trying to get as close as possible. Of course higher resolution has a lot of benefits if it comes to details. But the stacked BSI sensor of the R3 offers a lot of other benefits and as I see it, 24 megapixel are sufficient. If Sony had put a stacked 33 megapixel BSI sensor in the 7M4 instead of a not stacked, the decision would have been easy, because of the ideal megapixel count and of course the FE 200-600 5.6-6.3 G OSS, as I see it the probably best and most versatile lens for the purpose bifs, birds, wildlife at an awesome good price. It’s a pity, Canon and Nikon don’t have a competitive lens, because I’d preferred Canon for a lot of other reasons over Sony and even Nikon. What I hate is that flippy screen thing, prone to break off. The Z9 and Fuji on e.g. the X-T2, X-T3 and some GFX have the perfect solution, flip-out, also in portrait position, much more rugged, always in lens axis and I am always behind the camera, this “you can film yourself” argument is total nonsense on that tiny screens. The Camera Conspiracy channel is right, there is no such thing like the perfect camera…
For me, having the screen flip forward is extremely helpful when filming.
If you don't mind the pixel count, the R3 is by far the best camera.
Thanks again for sharing your helpful advice on R7. I waited for your deep review of R7. I have been using R6 with some RF lenses. I guess it would be nice to buy R7 for a second camera of R6.
Happy I watched this. Torn between R6ii and the R7. I think the extra reach wins but I am a hobbyist so my livelihood won’t depend on it!
12:53 DPP actually applies a lot of noise reduction to the files, even if you "turn off" the noise reduction. It applies a lot of color noise reduction (this reduces the color resolution). When Dpp needs to load parts of the image, one can actually see the true noise for a short time and then it is suddenly reduced.
Very interesting, thank you so much for this comment. I was worried I was going to have to change my workflow. LOL
@@PhilThach Though I noticed that converting the files with the Adobe dng converter leads to more noise (and probably worse signal to noise ratio) when opening the dng files in Affinity Photo (in comparison to Cr3 files in Affinity Photo) (but I guess this might be the case with all cameras and could be an incompatibility of Affinity Photo and the dng format, though I need to test whether other raw converters have the same issue).
In DPP, I always leave the default chrominance denoise setting as chosen by the camera. This removes the colour blotches.
The detail you refer to is the luminance detail. I set luminance denoise off for iso6400 and below, and half the camera luminance denoise for iso12800 ajd above - this presrves detail. The image 'perceived' detail is not in the chrominance channel.
Fyi, DPP also has superior lens correction profiles as compared to lightroom, and makes for sharper images. Ca is perfectly corrected in the way canon engineers intended.
ultimately, every software applies something, we never really see a true RAW file. Yet what matters the most is where we get the best final result
Good video Jan. You touched on virtually everything I could think of from my 2 weeks with the R7. Second camera to the R5. So far I'm more impressed than I thought I would be. Not just good value, good camera. Oddly enjoying the different layout as it is making me think a bit more about the picture taking. Fun at least for now. Mostly shoot in manual but some Av priority.
Superb video. Many of us are still waiting in the UK for the camera to arrive here and there are still very large waiting lists for it here...even Canon UK have no idea when these cameras will arrive
This video is packed with useful information. It is also the first video I've watched of yours and I've already subscribed because of this high density content.
Cheers! And thank you.
Awesome, thank you!
I will be renting an R7, and an 800mm F11, hoping to better inform my online friend about the features. I did the same for the R5 and instantly fell in love with it. Canon finally got this long time Nikon shooter to switch.
Good Video - For me the crop sensor and the ability to get the ability to get the 1.6 crop factor overwhelms any drawbacks - there are solutions if you are careful to minimize rolling shutter - thats the major drawback … using it with the 100-500 or the 200-8- and getting 800mm or 1280 is great … yes I would;d ;pve a battery grip and a dedicated ISO button similar to R6 Mk2 would be great … also I would like the button layout of R6 2 with on off lock on one side and video on off other side …. Within the 100-500 and 200-800 I am shooting in good light anyway so low light is not as much an issue for me … once again thanks for videos and excellent setup guides for R6Mk2 and R7 terry donofrio
I have a R7 on pre-order, this is the most useful review I have seen for this camera. Can't wait to the email from the camera shop saying it's arrived. Thanks for this review.
I managed to borrow an R7 over the weekend, I too experienced what I could describe as "hunting" on the AF, more pronounced in low light/less bright len's as you mention. I would say hit rate for sharp images is around 25 to 33% in these conditions (but of course my poor light may vary to anyone else's), using tracking AF (Spot AF hit rate seems to be a lot higher). On the face of it, disappointing/frustrating, however, those that are sharp ...oh my word ...what wonderful images....so the real issue here is how to manage and cull so many images efficiently whilst in the field (using the camera to do this isn't going too work too well). I tried out the video FHD - slo mo function, using the lower end 100 to 400 RF on a bee hunting for pollen on a Verbena zoomed well in, I don't do much video ordinarily. the result was fantastic, and I believe eye AF seems to work here. So yes, some areas to disappoint, but with huge potential to produce superb images.
I don't own the R7, but based on the listed specs and a series of favorable reviews, it seems to be a very capable camera. Good for Canon. I am hoping that Nikon can come out with something similar in the next year.
Thanks for putting together this comprehensive review for us Jan! 👏🏻
Do you think Canon will ever make a more professional orientated crop sensor body?
They didn’t leave much room by naming this one R7
Hi,I have an R3 and R5 and do a lot of sport so I got the R7 as a back up because the specs looked good, my opinion is similar to yours and if you are coming from a 7dii or 90d it is definitely an upgrade, but the shutter sound is not pleasant and auto focus no where near as accurate or fast as R3 but at its price point it is a phenomenal camera and the crop factor helps for both sport and wildlife. After using it for a few matches I will keep it for wildlife and use my 1dxii as backup to the R3,but it is still a great camera for the money.
I've been using my R7 since early August, coming from an 80D. I used a Canon FT-QL film SLR from 1968 to 2004 when I got my first Digital Rebel, and worked my way up to the 80D over several cameras. As an old film SLR shooter, I immediately set the Control Ring on the lens to control aperture, and the main dial up top for shutter speed. I put ISO on the ring around the joystick - there are the three dials everyone has been complaining it doesn't have! I run in full-time Manual with the RGB histogram and shoot RAW.
I've switched over to full-time electronic shutter with a very quiet shutter sound so I have audible confirmation that I've actually taken a picture. I don't need 30 fps most of the time, or even 15 fps, so I run at 3 fps for candids of people. My question is: Wouldn't electronic shutter set to 15 fps avoid rolling shutter as well as shutter shock? Is the sensor read in a different way when the mechanical shutter is used?
I’m using an 80D right now, looking to upstage. Do you think the R7 is worth it coming form that? I do mostly products and studio work
@@collinsal1433 I would never go back to my 80D or any DSLR now that I have the R7. Its electronic viewfinder that shows the effect of your exposure settings and can also be set to show depth of field at the same time. The live RGB histogram lets me set the exposure to avoid over or under exposure. I run in Manual and shoot RAW. This camera is a joy to use.
Thanks for your detail review and presentation. I received my preordered R7 two days ago and unboxed it while waiting for yours and Duane’s R7 detailed reviews before I will set things up. Thank you again.
Thank you so much … this was the perfect video for me concerning the R7. It is time to switch from Fuji to Canon.
I bought the R7 to replace my Lumix G9 as I’ve been drawn more to birds and dragonflies. I must say when I picked it up I was concerned about this plastic body durability. I purchased it with the 18 - 150mm kit lens. On a sunny day of 87 degrees Fahrenheit or 30.5 Celsius I shot 861 photos in an hour and 15 minutes. The camera did get hot enough to the touch to get my attention off of the shoot. The R7 did not stop functioning properly. Just garnered more attention than my G9 ever did while in the hand. The camera was was still hot to the touch twenty minutes later. I did not capture video at all. I purchased because of superior autofocus tracking compared to the G9. Images are good out of the camera. Overall, I'm pleased with a bit of caution related to outside temperature.
Currently using the G9 and its basically superior to the R7 5 years later minus the autofocus. I'm looking and researching the R7 but think the Olympus OM1 is the more sensible choice.
Well, expected was a mirrorless version of the 7D II. But it is not, it is definetely not. I cannot get over the small buffer, I usually take short bursts only but if the camera does not write it back quickly enough, it is stacking up and hit the buffer. No good. Better to keep my 7D II here. By the way, the 15fps mechanical shutter sounds like an AK47.
I started off as a 7D owner, when the 7D mkII came out about 6 years later, I thought what a disappointment. I waited and moved onto a D500 and wow it was much better. Now Nikon lags well behind it AF tracking. I bought an R7 from a nearby independent small business camera shop (had it in stock). I shoot sports, and I’ve got to say Wow, the AF is sweet at this price point. My keeper rate has gone up. I capture that perfect moment much more often (shooting 15fps mechanical), and I have more time to concentrate on framing and composing my shots. Is it a perfect camera, no; but it captures moments I will never get another chance to get. While people gripe and moan about this camera, great moments and photos are lost. Good luck to you.
In my opinion, R6 is still the best camera for money in the market
Excellent low light performance
Excellent IBIS performance
Reliable autofocus
Usable electronic shutter And Great Image Buffer And More ...
Definitely 20 megapixels is more than enough for 90% of the time
after watching many videos on the R7 yours was by far the best, and backed up what you were talking about with images and explanations. Very well done. You have helped me make my decision that I think the r7 will work just fine for me. thank you.
Awesome, thank you!
I found a gamechanger with the 800 f11 and R7 the silent shutter allow a much slower speed of 50 instead of 400 when resting the camera on something which does not apply to other lenses apparently
Thanks for this great review. I already saw a lot of reviews of the R7, but your video was the one with the best information for me.
Awesome! Thank you!
Great review! Have been using the 7DII since they came out. Almost got the R6 last year when it was looking like no crop body was coming up. Glad I waited and now have an R7 on order. Looking forward to the mirrorless crop body.
I was in the same boat as you. Was about to order the R6 but then pre orders opened for the R7. I miss the buttons and the battery grip but the eye AF is perfect to capture the kids now. Even the kit lens is good fun. Adapts EF perfectly. I’m just waiting for the 17-55 successor and maybe a super zoom faster than the 100-500
Canon just shipped my R7 yesterday. Looking forward to testing it myself next week.
Thank Jan. A very thorough review. I'm looking forward to playing with the RAW files. Cheers
Thanks for another great video. I think you've covered the R7 very well - it's a camera of compromises but honestly, what else can we expect at that price?! I use it as a backup/second body with my 5DIV (I'll replace that with a full frame mirrorless main body eventually) and I've spent the first couple of weeks setting it up how I like to use it, and also adapting my shooting techniques to deal with those compromises. So far, it's performed superbly in most situations and I'm growing to really like it. As for Adobe software and Canon RAW files - I agree that Adobe does some horrible things to the files. It's mostly down to too much contrast (and saturation) in the profiles that Adobe offers (including their Canon profiles). For years now, I've been building my own linear camera profiles for all my cameras and it really works. It's one of the first things I do whenever I get a camera - build a linear profile. For example, the R7 files are far cleaner when I apply a linear profile to them. Linear profiles do involve a bit more work in Lightroom to rebuild the contrast and saturation, but they mean you have full control over how far you want to go. I get much more pleasing final results this way that by using any of the profiles that come with Lightroom/ACR.
I don't know if you still reply Jan , But just recently I was bought the Canon R7, it looked liked a very good option for me since it was on a sale for only $2000 AUD at Camera House. I knew about rolling shutter with the R7 and still thought "Its alright I will just deal with it". I don't think I will upgrade to a better camera and the R7 name will stay with me for a life time.😊 I want to do Wildlife and Macro photography one day.
Great to hear
It seems shutter shock is worse, if a camera has IBIS, as the sensor is "floating".
Not sure if Lightroom adds noise or if Canon DPP secretly applies noise reduction to make the Canon camera look better.
I thought that the R7 was meant to be the flagship crop camera, but it seems that is not the case. Maybe there will still come a higher end crop camera.
Another great video. I'm using my R7 with the Sigma 150-600mm C lens. Initially it was great but then I optimised (with the USB DOCK UD-01 & Sigma Optimization Pro) the lens and now autofocus is not working. Do you have any thoughts on what might be going on? Has anyone else encountered this issue?
Wow. That was a very rapid fire description of the R7. I’ll definitely have to watch this one a few more times to get it all. Thanks for the info!
Thank you so much Jan for the very detailed and informative review of R7! Very informative and helpful for me! God bless you and good luck!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the hint to use DPP for the RAWs! I think many people believe the R7 has poor high iso performance because they only use lightroom and/or photoshop.
You are the first, as far as I know, who mentions shutter-shock. And you are absolutely right!
I recognized it with the adapted Canon 15-85mm @15mm with slow (mechanical!) shutter speed. All pictures were unusable. At first I thought it was only a problem with this specific adapted lens. After testing I found out the problem is definitely shutter-shock and not the lens.
Overall electr. 1. curtain shutter and cRAW works quite well for me.
Very helpful review, thank you. One question, any idea when Canon might open their mirror less mount to 3rd party lens makers? Why can’t Sigma etc just reverse engineer it ?
possibly never. Not much of an incentive for them
Excellent review, thinking of getting one of these. Anything is an improvement on my lumix G9. Thanks
Thanks Jan.. Im waiting for my R7. I will be watching for your final settings when I receive delivery. Picked up many pointers for my R5 from you and will be looking forward for more tips. All the rumors about this camera has fueled my fire, have hand problems so the grip seems like it will help as well as the rear button arrangement. Thanks for your advice!!
You made some good points(rolling shutter, buffer,etc.), but you seemed to brush over the fact that the R5 cost is 2.6x the cost of the R7. You are asking whether a Volkswagen is comparable to a Mercedes Benz. Clearly, the R7 delivers tremendous value for the money and it can't deliver everything you want at that low price.
Thanks for this field review Jan. I agree with all that you've said. I've had my R7 since June 23rd but have only taken about 600 shots. The "good" birds to photograph are few and far between right now at the Jersey Shore, USA. I'm using it with the RF 100-500mm. I also have an R5. I purchased Topaz DeNoise after seeing Duade's use of it. Overall, I am happy with my R7. Once I got past the expectations, as you said (future camera hopefully), for the money, it's a fine camera.
Would you recommend this camera as second body for Nikon users.?
Thanks for the review Jan. I was set to buy the R5 then the R7 was released. I currently have the 7D2. I love the crop of the 7D2 for wildlife, my primary subject, but sounds like the issues with the R7 may push me to the R5. I would love to see a review of the R5 in crop mode compared to the R7.
R5 is crop mode is just the camera cropping for you. So there's no real advantage to just shooting wide and cropping later
I'm an amateur, but I've had many mirrorless bodies, Sony A7III, Sony A7RII, Fuji XT3, Sony A7C, but I can't get used to the EVF, no matter how good they are. Eventually, I sold all my new gear (I'm not into video) and went back to using my trusty 6D and 7DmKII. I'm way older than you, and that's maybe the reason. Strangely enough, never updated my Canon bodies to Canon mirrorless (except the M50 that I had for a while). Now I have more money in my pockets and I'm a happy shooter.
@WhistleBit Nope, only when I shot film (30 years ago); I still have one of my Pentax Lenses. The brand is pretty much gone where I live. No knows that it even exists or existed. There isn't a single dealer or shop selling Pentax here. Sad.
Not only can you turn the shutter volume down but you can turn it off while keeping a mechanical/Elec 1st Curtain shutter at 15fps and not get the rolling shutter that you get shooting in Silent Mode (which switches the camera to electronic shutter). I'd love to not get the rolling shutter at 30fps, but more than that I'd love to have a buffer that can handle 30fps for more than 2 seconds. Still, I'm very happy with the R7 as a companion to my R5. I'm hoping a lot of the IS and Focus issues will get fixed in later firmware updates as they were in the R5 & R6.
It’s not possible to turn off the mechanical shutter sound
Okay Jan I finally got myself an R7 just setting the camera up what a pain in the ass this thing is by far the worst camera I have ever used in my life .
No vertical grip , so back it goes to where I bought it , I just I took a few shots through it and it's just a miserable camera to use , how else can I put it , I am back to my 7D Mk II which I absolutely love and I'll just stay with it .
As far as using Canon cameras Jan I don't know how much more I can tolerate like so many others they've jumped to Sony and I'm about ready to do the same .
I'm always moaning that my Skoda isn't as good as a Merc. I suspect those of us coming up to an R7 from older kit think it's amazing to see just how much technology has moved on in the past few years. Still early days but I've found the electronic shutter results in much sharper pictures and yes it's better in good light. Currently using the RF100-400 mostly with the 1.4x and still deciding which lens next, 200-800 or 100-500. Prefer size and weight of the smaller lens but know I'd always have the 1.4x on at which point weight and size difference isn't that great and with the 1.4 on the 100-500 the minimum focus is at 672 which isn't great for finding things, it's also slower with the 1.4. The other downside is realising I need to spend another couple of thou on a decent laptop.
Thanks for sharing. Yes, how could something is always heavily depends on what you compare it to as well.
Thanks for the review - I will be buying the R7 eventually as a B video cam to pair with my R3, and also as my leisure/crash cam that I will have less hesitation to take into harm’s way. I think video is the real killer application since it capitalizes on the AF and tracking introduced by the R3 while not having the buffer depth limitations come into play. Plus both R7 and R3 are essentially free of record limits and have multifunction hot shoes.
Awesome video like always, thanks for sharing all the useful information 👍👌
I am currently using the 5d IV for mostly bird photography. I would like to switch over to mirrorless - even with the smaller sensor. However, what is your opinion on the low light performance comparison of these two cameras. The 5d IV is a full frame camera and I would expect it to perform better. But the R7 has a more modern sensor, which might help it to catch up the the 5d IV.
You bave 2 shutter modes to chose from with the R7:
1- Crazy obnoxiously loud mechanical shutter, or
2 - e shutter with that terrible rolling shutter.
Thats it. Those are your 2 choices.
I have a 5d4 and a r5. I predict you will be both amazed and disappointed with the R7. The rolling e shutter on my r5 means that 50% of my small fast moving bif or dragon fly in flight shots have to be discarded due to bent wings. The R7 is 2x worse.
Brilliant review, Jan. Would you say that it’s better to get an R5 and use in full or crop mode rather than an R7 and R6 to cover all types of photography?
I like to use my R5s with no crop mode :)
In terms of the best allround camera the R5 would be my choice
@@jan_wegener thanks for the response. I have pre-ordered the R7, though goodness knows when I’ll see it. I was thinking of using it as my wildlife camera and later on picking up an R6 for everything else. Now I’m wondering if I should maybe just cancel the R7, scrap the idea of an R6 and just buy an R5 instead to cover all bases. I’m guessing you agree with the latter?
@@Arthur_My_Dear The R5 is the best jack of all trades camera imo.
But only you can decide what's best for your circumstances :)
So far I kinda like it as a second body to r5's, agree with you on all the weaknesses however. Still for the money I don't know how you beat this thing with the current cameras available. I've been using it with my 600 RF and it's pretty nice, but the 100-500 is magic to walk around with. It's shocking how much reach you have in a such a small package, Just proves the 100-500 is one of the best lenses made.
Yeah I agree
The problem I have is the body is good value for money despite its' weaknesses. The lens isn't. I accept it's very sharp but at £3k and f7.1 at 500mm it's not good value for money compared to the Sony and Nikon offerings which are much cheaper, have faster apertures, and are sharp. So I'd disagree with you that the '100-500 is one of the best lenses made'. Had it been f5.6 at 500mm then I'd agree.
@WhistleBit It's cheaper but slower again which would rule it for me. However a competent lens at a good price and maybe suitable for some uses and users. I can't see it working for BIF shots in low light too well though.
@@stevemurnan1702 I don't get the point here really? I've used it in all sorts of terrible light conditions and been able to have images published just fine. So I'm not sure I'll agree with you here. The versatility, weight and sharpness is pretty great. You really need a 200-400 for what you're looking to do it seems and thats a heavy and expensive master.
@@VinceMaidens I changed all my Canon gear to Olympus so I've a 300mm f4 that in FF terms is a 600mm f4 and it's small, sharp and portable. Canon lost me with the R7 and 100-500 f7.1. I'm glad you are okay with it and are getting good results. That's encouraging for others. I opted for a different solution.
Great review. No R7 delivery yet. I already have R5. R7 will be with RF 100-500 especially hiking. I used 7D2 during good light. I would do the same withR7. I would use electronic shutter at 15 fps with cRaw so the buffer won’t get maxed out so quickly. It is not a pro body. More buffer, faster readout and CFexpress card mean higher price. That would be R6 territory. That is Canon strategy. I wish they had R1 available now.
Я не сторонник без зеркальных камер.Но тут произошло нечто что движет мною для приобретения без зеркальной камеры. Кэнон выпустил объектив RF 200-800 . У меня имеются на зеркальной системе объективы Сигма 150-500 и Никкор 200-500 .Но порой длинного конца в 500 мм этих объективов не хватает для приближения. Поэтому в планах сначала приобретение без зеркальной камеры,скорее всего R7 .
Second comments ... I usually shoot in Aperature or Manual. I change SS and ISO more than Aperature. I use aperature mainly for DoF . So I mayuse the lens contol ntrol ring for Aperature. The two main dials are then SS and ISO.
PS ....Using CRAW and 15FPS sounds a great way to achieve over 100 shots in the buffer ... thanks for the tip.
Changing aperture is pretty rare so I have it on the control ring like you said. Works great with ISO on the thumb wheel.
Hi Jan, such a great review, giving heaps of info, congratulations! I am using my R7 in combination with my old but trusted EF300L f2.8 IS lens. With my previous camera 5DMk IV I used 1.4 all the time with this lens, now I find out i don't need an extender in most situations. I was in panic mode a little bit when receiving my R7 and testing it. My stabilization on the mentioned lens was working all the time. By researching a little bit I find out that many people have similar problems when pairing older EF telephoto with mirrorless cameras. By experimenting, I learn that I have to switch off IS on the lens when not using it, and that sorted my problem. It is one more button to touch but having this kind of glass on my camera is priceless. Here in Victoria is miserable weather lately and I can't wait to go out in the rainforest to test my R7 on a Lyrebirds. I am hoping to get great results with this combination despite the very low light out there in Dandenong Ranges. Great job mate! Cheers
With all EF and Rf lenses on mirrorless cameras, the stabilisation always runs. Not really a problem, just the design of the cameras with the evf. I let it run
How loud is the mechanical shutter sound compared to other cameras? I don't know if you had experience with Panasonic GH6, Olympus E-M1 III or OM1, Sony a6600. How it is compared to R5? Is it a problem in wildlife photography?
Coming from a 90D I thought this was going to be the new camera for me. It’s not come off back order here in the UK yet, I’m considering cancelling the order now, I really liked the crop sensor, have some fantastic (favourite efs lenses) ibis, focus system is a big upgrade and I don’t tend to fire off long bursts so could work for me but I’m not convinced I’ll love it and learn & grow with it in the same way that I did with the 90D. I just feel like I “need” a body to connect my excellent Sigma 50-100mm art lens to and an R5/R6 sacrifices too many pixels for my liking in crop mode.
Informative video. So which camera do we choose for low light? R6 Mark II will work? Or even something as inexpensive as the Canon R50? Thoughts?
R6 II will definitely be good in low light, so will be R5 & R3. I don't think the R50 will be very good.
Hi Jan good review...I am still looking between 90D and R7 as a hobby wildlife phototherapy can you suggest which one should i get considering i have a Sigma 150-600mm
Watching reviews this would be a huge upgrade for someone like me coming from a Canon T7.
That is why I am thinking if getting the R3 no rolling shutter.
Hi, I’ve stumbled down the rabbit hole of wanting to replace/upgrade my camera. I currently have a (now discontinued) canon 200d which was perfect for my first ever camera. Mainly used for video and some photography. Now I’m really , really REALLY needing some advice … deciding whether to go for canon 90d, canon mark 5d iv, or canon R7 . The R7 looks attractive to me because of : the autofocus capabilities and the newer technology that come with mirrorless , I’m scared because of not knowing how to use it compared to my traditional camera , I’m embarrassed to say I have only ever used auto on my camera but I’m going to learn how to use manual. Also slightly worried about the ‘overheating’ rumours/problems with mirrorless, but apparently shouldn’t be an issue if I don’t intend to do shoot 30min + .. I’m interested in the canon mark iv because it seemed EVERYONE thinks it’s a beast and amazing but then after research I saw it’s better primarily for photography AND it doesn’t have a flip out screen (a feature I currently have and love) and then obviously the 90d …. I think is a really really good option as it’s a step up (several steps) to what I have and probably the most familiar one I’d be used to .. just scared of thinking the R7 is more superior I think is my problem… would really appreciate your thoughts.
I think the R7 is a better camera than the 90D or 5D simply because it has much better AF. It comes with its own quirks, but you will be blown away compared to a 200D.
I have posted a how to set it up video too
@@jan_wegener thank you
Lovely review of R7 and sharing details where it out performs. My Canon EOS R7 body is arriving next week :)
Are you planning to create a video where you share details of configuring the R7?
Hi Jan,
I know you're a Canon guy and a bit of a Sony guy but I'm really curious what your opinion would be of the new Fuji X-H2s in the field, paired with a lens like the Fuji 150-600mm or even a Fuji 100-400mm!
I'm very interested in Jan's thoughts on that too....
never tried it, so hard to tell. Tracking and IS doesn't seem as good from what I have seen in videos
Would setting a shutter speed limit to a hand-held level (~1/60th?) do anything for rolling shutter?
No
Do you plan to compare with the Fuji X-H2S?
Thank you for honest review. I have clearly visible shutter shock blur on the R10, often in the range of 1/160 sec.. With the 1. electronic shutter curtain, the problem mostlly disappeared. I considered switching to the R7, but it doesn't seem to be any better. It's incomprehensible that cameras with such loud, poorly damped shutters are still being built today. Since I want to shoot sports with the camera, the electronic shutter is probably ruled out because of rolling shutter.
The R7 and most cameras are built to a price and compromises are made as a result. Had Canon used a BSI stacked sensor the problem wouldn't exist but this probably would have added $500 to the price and the camera would be in the R6 / R5 performance bracket. It's not in Canon's financial interest to allow that.
@@stevemurnan1702 Fujifilm, Lumix and Olympus offer much cheaper cameras than the Canon R7 without shutter shock problems and with well-damped shutters.
@@christianmayrhofer4178 I don't think any manufacturer offers the AF capability of the R7 at a lower price. However, Canon have cut corners to achieve a price point. Anything better than the current R7 spec would start eating into sales of their other cameras I suspect.
Great review! Loving my r7 right now still getting used to it. I know you said you arent a fan of mechanical because of the noise, is it worth it so switch 15 frames on electronic or is the rolling shutter bad on 15 electronic aswell? Thanks and keep up the good work!
Frame rate doesn’t affect the rolling shutter it seems
Your experience reflects mine. I took it to a local skateboard park to practice sports shooting in preparation for the American Football season this fall. The results were fantastic and I attribute any AF misses to me not pre-focusing properly before flipping my thumb to the button I have configured to subject tracking. Also, the 32 mpx is very handy to have along with the 1.6 crop relative to my R6. Having both on the sidelines will be a very good combination. I'll have no excuse if I miss a shot.
Hey Michael, how do you find the R6 plus R7 combo? I have an R6 and am looking at getting the R7 to replace my RP as second camera.
@@JarraxQ It has been great. To shoot American football I put the Canon 300 f 2.8L IS on the R7 and the 100-400 4.5-5.6 on the R6. This gives me excellent range from close up to well beyond the middle of the field. The layouts are slightly different but the menus are the same. Switching between them instantly is easy and better than what I was doing before: using the R6 with the 7DMII. The R7 has performed well in low light and I have no problem maxing it out at 6400. With R6 12800 works well and I have pushed it higher on occasion. With both strapped to my side I really have a lot of flexibility. Often I see people ask, full frame or crop sensor? I say both.
@@michaelatherton6055 Awesome feedback! Appreciate it. I think I will definitely look to grab an R7 as soon as I can!
Think you, good and reliable report as always. I think, for this price point it’s unbeatible. I ordered one to retire my RP for escursions with few weight. I eagerly await it.
Hi Jan,
I am really confuse about the mirrorless camera
which one should I buy is it Canon EOS R7 or Canon EOS R6 or Canon EOS R
Would you please suggest
thanks in advance
Good review, will be taking my R6 and R7 to Alaska this week and look forward to putting the R7 through its paces. Glad to hear that you are getting good shots with it. Also glad to hear your comparison of the electronic shutter to the mechanical. I expect that I will use electronic at 15 fps a lot as a good compromise between speed and buffer. I am one who is glad to have the imitation shutter sound in the R7, wish my R6 had it!
Thanks, Jan for the great review! You seem to always provide insight that many other people don't. I have not purchased the R7 yet because I am hesitant to buy a camera that doesn't have a grip that I can purchase. Also, the small buffer seems like a "cripple hammer." I don't know the technical aspects of Canon cameras enough but it seems that they could solve the buffer issues by putting more effective "RAM" into the camera. This would solve the issue by writing to the RAM first which is much faster than a memory card. Then the camera could write to the card from the RAM. If this is how their cameras already work then they should put a larger amount of memory in the camera which would effectively increase the buffer. Although this might increase the price of the camera by $100-$200 it would be worth it. At any rate, thanks again for the great work!
Yes, it seems like an easy issue to fix if you wanted to