I bought the R7. At 48 years old, it’s my first “real” camera. I could not be happier. Got the kit lens and the 100-400mm lens. This combination of kit has allowed me implement many of the things you talk bout in your videos and speed up my learning. It has been awesome. Thanks for the videos.
@Richard-y7t8l for a starter lens, I thought it was great. Of course, in low light at times, it was a bit challenging. For the price I can't complain. However, since then I have upgraded to the RF 100-500. The better low light performance combined with a bit extra reach is great.
Great review! I think I've made my decision to get the R7 based on it. There have been some negative reviews of this camera around, which gave me pause, but this information is thorough, based on usability, bang for buck, and image quality. So many reviewers seem to be more interested in their own personalities and self aggrandizing, witty rabble rousing, etc. Duade sticks to the point! And the pics inlcuded are awesome!🤠
By far and away the BEST review of the R7 out there. I was seriously interested in the R7 as a 2nd body to my R5. I started this whole wildlife photography a little over 2 years ago with an M50 and a 100-400 ii after an much earlier fail 30 years ago when my Dad (a wild life photographer) passed and left me a lot of photography gear including many bodies, motor winders, lenses along with all the dark room gear. Well, it was just mind boggling and I never was able to get any good photos with that kit and gave up. About 30 years later I was trying to make a video of me playing the guitar and I sprung for my 1st new camara in 30 years the M50. Well by comparison to the old Nikon, Hasselblad etc., gear my dad left me it blew me away and I thought well maybe now I could. That’s when I found you and purchased the 100 to 400 ii. I have a great dealer close by who is quite fair on trade ups (a good thing). I traded up to an R6 as I was struggling with fast moving birds. Well, being the dummy, I am I never realized how much reach I was about to lose and when I went out for my 1st session with my new R6 I was deflated. Duade to the rescue and I bought the RF 800 and was back in business. It’s just gone on from there. Thanks to Duade I am getting some decent shots and I am happily broke 😊. I think I will wait for the R6 ii as my second body, just to keep all the buttons the same. If I started with the R7, I probably would still be shooting an R7. The eye tracking, 15 FPS, pixels on the target and reach were really the big game changers for me and the reasons for all my subsequent upgrades all the way to the R5. The R7 has it all and for HOW MUCH $$$ wow.
Great to hear mate, yes, I suspect the R62 will be a nice improvement over the R6. I do wish the R7 had slightly better specs but for its price it performs very well. Cheers, Duade
Great story. I think an old Hasselblad still has a use. Unbelievable lenses and the need to plan every shot. Like my old Bronica ETRS and Fuji 6x9. When you have a tripod, a sunset over the Grand Canyon, the ability to understand metering and exposure compensation and Fuji Velvia 50, nothing comes close. Of course nowadays the crazy cost of film and, most importantly, the lack of high quality consumer film scanners are limitations. As a compromise I’ve just taken delivery of a Fuji X100 VI to get back into careful composition, high keeper hit rates, as well as the lovely film simulations, IBIS and weight/size. I guess it depends on the game of wait, machine gun like firing, and binning most shots that wildlife photographers need to do vs crafted shots. Mirrorless and cropped sensor cameras are great for wildlife. Olympus are superb for outdoors types, especially the Pro II. However, a 5D mk 3, on a tripod, with a prime L lens and mirror lock is still awesome for landscape and architecture. Depends on which tools and which sub trade. I’m still considering a new R7 for the extra reach but for a laugh tried the little EOS M5 on the fantastic VFM EF 70-300 mkII using the converter. It’s not up to bird watching but at 480mm and the great IS in the lens delivers great results for, in my case, no money. As an aside, I was in a top photo shop in London last week and asked the pro why the R converter mounts are impossible to find. He was pretty sanguine. ‘They are holding them back so they force the buyer to invest in new R lenses and they are more expensive than the older EF and EF-S lenses we all have (12 in my case). It’s called system lock in by the Harvard Business School crowd, so until a mount comes available I’m resisting this. Might even sell up and defect to Fuji or Olympus. The new OM1 mk 2 looks awesome and great VFM.
Thank you for the review and sharing your experience with us, i have bought an R7 with the 18-150 lens plus the 100-400 telephoto lens off the back of your comments, in my daytime job I am in nanoscience, so I appreciate product progression, as you say this is a lot of camera for the money and there are always people who buy a Volkswagen and complain it doesn’t handle like a Ferrari, we are getting what we pay for, there could be improvements that can be covered by updates, it’s nice to see the results you have got from this kit. Thanks again
I just bought it (3 weeks ago) in combination with the RF 100-500. I was coming from an 80D + 400mm F5.6, and the difference is massive. Photographing now is like a different experience. The IBIS from the R7 and the IS from the lens make the image perfectly still, to the point I can handhold video and make it usable… at 800mm! That’s just crazy to me. I can take pics at 1/125 in a dark cloudy day with 800mm in my hands without a tripod and still get plenty of sharp shots, even of small and fast birds. I can shoot now plenty of species just by walking around in the woods, which I could never do before. The live view is very useful and helps a lot with burnt whites, making me have more keepers. The viewfinder is so clear I can now use both eyes easily. The eye tracking just grabs the eye and sticks to it in the majority of situations. Having so many FPS multiplies the number of sharp shots to the point I have so many keepers I’m struggling to process all the pictures now. The zoom lens allows for wider and habitat images and landscapes, or for portrait/full body pictures of a subject if you are close enough. I also take macro pictures frequently and the ability of the lens to focus so closely makes it an absolute pleasure to use with big insects as praying mantis or butterflies, or for frogs/toads. I couldn’t believe how sharp and detailed were a handful of shots I took of a mantis a few days ago, they look like taken by an actual a macro lens. Plus the camera has the focus-stacking feature which is something I already did with Photoshop for macro pics before, and it works very good saving me a big amount of time. Maybe I’m too biased but overall the combination of those two has changed the game of wildlife photography for me, literally.
I erased some things from the comment so it wouldn’t be so long, but for anyone interested here are other advantages I’ve found from that R7+100-500 combo: - The eye tracking, the flip screen and the fast FPS allow to shoot while looking through the screen live (instead of the viewfinder). You can handhold the camera at ground level, open and flip the screen, focus and shoot and you’ll get the eye sharp and crisp. You don’t even have to be very precise with the central AF point because the eye tracking will stick to the eye fast. For me that’s very useful in rivers and lakes, since where I live (mountains) the shores are usually steep and you can’t lie down. If you sit and look through the viewfinder the perspective is too high. If you lower the camera to water level the background looks way better and smoother, and I could never do this with my 80D before. - The combo is like a 4x4 camera+lens. You can just walk around carrying it with no tripod and you can take pictures of small birds, landscape at 100mm, macro of big insects and amphibians, or mushrooms and flowers, big flying birds or mammals all in one. And the quality is excellent for everything. Lightweight, no changing lenses or carrying tripods. - The focus stacking feature works very good if you handhold it carefuly. Set the number of shots for 8-10, keep the stabiliser on, and hold the camera still. I took some pictures of big mushrooms and it blends the images perfectly. Even in a dark forest you can handhold at 1/125 or so and if you don’t move the camera the focus staking will work. Razor sharp mushroom from the front to the back and smooth background. - 800mm is such a long distance that allows you to take pictures from small birds while still being outside of their “security distance”. It has opened the option of taking pics of some species that would just fly away before. And you can crop quite good with 32 megapixels. - Talking about distance, the option of zooming in 10x digitally while watching live in the screen is crazy to watch fauna at a great distance. If you haven’t done it, try it, because it might surprise you the way you can zoom in so much from so far. I’ve found that useful to just sit and watch birds and roe deer from a great distance without disturbing them. Hope that helped and sorry for the long text 😅
You’re my favorite wildlife photography account. I loved when you saw the kingfisher. Your excitement and passion for your photography is obvious. You also make everything so visual and that’s how I learn best.
14:50 a quick explanation why the ISO changes the file size: Canon‘s RAW is always compressed. RAW is lossless compressed and CRAW is lossy compressed. Compression works by removing duplications and patterns. Increasing the ISO increases noise. 100% noise cannot be compressed at all since it is (even by definition) free of patterns. Sony‘s uncompressed RAWs don’t exhibit that phenomenon because it’s uncompressed and thus storing the data form the sensor without computation but it’s also about twice the size of a Canon RAW file.
Thanks champion, been battling for ages with a 700D and finally getting to the point were my skill is starting to outgrow the camera. Was looking for something a little better to keep learning with 👍
Being old and having learned the craft in the 1980's when we had 24 or 36 rolls of film, your thumb did the winding and everything was manual, I have zero need to worry about a buffer 😀
I have an ancient 2008 Canon Rebel XSi (EOS 450D) DSLR. I recently discovered the joy of wildlife photography, with the emphasis mostly on birds. Dusting off my old teenage camera a few years ago, taking pics of wildlife is quite a challenge and I figured now is the time to finally upgrade. The R7 seems like the perfect price point to jump to, starting with my ancient EF-S 55-250 IS lens, with the RF 100-400 to save up for. Re-learning what's changed in the camera space over all these years has been quite a challenge but thanks to your vids, Duade, I feel completely confident in my choices. Thank you so much for your detailed reviews and talking about comparability, pros, cons, and stunning example photos by yourself and viewers. Sending my love from Canada.
Great content. Thanks for sharing this. I shoot the R5 with the RF100-500 and a few months ago I was asked by several folks to demonstrate the capabilities and how i have it set up. One person could not really manage the weight of my gear. She really liked my setup, so I recommended the R7 and RF100-400 as an alternative for her situation. While she did move forward with the recommendation, I sure could have used this video to help her understand the trade-offs. I will keep this one in mind to share.
I officially now own the R7 and 800mm f11!! Because of your indepth, well thought out and executed reviews. Thank you so much for your awesome content and guidance. As well as your trouble shooting the auto focus issues so that we don't have to. Love your channel. Love your content. Love your excitement! Cannot wait to get started with my new kit and take some great pics with all my new knowledge!! Thank you!!!
Good luck, just be aware that is a lot of focal length and it can be tough to locate the bird in the EVF and will take some time to master. Also be aware that heat haze can be a real issue at those focal lengths, so if you take lots of shots and everyone is slighty blurry or off it could be heat haze or atmorspheric interference. I cannot remember if you also have the RF100-400 but that is the best companion for that lens if you want to shoot wider or macro style. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Thank you so much! Lol... yeah... I am excited to practice spotting the bird in my viewfinder. It's a brand new side to photography for me. I do have the 100-400 and the 600 F11 that I have been using on my R. I will definitely make a mental note of all your advice above! I'm kind of excited to challenge myself at something new again and realise there will be a learning curve. Please keep making awesome videos!
I really appreciate your well balanced reviews and how you always keep price point in perspective. I think you have one of the best channels for amateurs on a budget. I just switched from the Nikon D500 to the R7. I love the D500, but unfortunately Nikon still hasn't produced a mirrorless crop-sensor successor that works well for fast action. I've been sticking with DSLR for a while, but the eye auto-detect really seems like a game changer.
Great to hear Leo, I hope it works out well for you, if you did not see my last video shooting in H mode will have better AF accuracy than H+. Also thanks for the support. Cheers, Duade
Thank you so much for the feature, Duade! Really appreciate it. Come to Sabah Borneo one day, would love to take you around to see some birds! Regards, Alex. 🤩
TO ACCESS PRE-SHOOTING QUICKLY on my R7, I customized my D-pad on the back of the camera. Now when I press the right side of the D-tab the "RAW burst mode" screen immediately pops up in the EVF. I then press the SET button and the R7 gives the option to Disable or Enable RAW burst mode. If I select Enable, Pre-shooting is automatically enabled!! This process is very quick and avoids having to go into the main menu. I enjoy your presentations.
Thanks Norman, good idea, yes that does make it a bit quicker however I would prefer an option where I don't lose the live view feed as you can lose the subject in the few seconds it takes to turn it off. I also find waiting for the buffer to clear annoying. Cheers, Duade 👍
Thank you for a great walkthrough. Just got my R7 a few days ago (first camera), and this video really helped explain a lot of details. Also, your videos are really high quality, both in terms of information and presentation!
Thanks Duade for the amount of time and effort you put into making these videos. It is very appreciated. You are fast becoming one of my 'go to' channels for learning about photography.
Brilliant review. I was fortunate to pick up a used R7 while on holiday in Nevada, walked into a camera shop in Reno and they had the R7 with 100 actuations for a price of $1199. Couldn’t help myself. I mainly shoot aviation and find your tutorials more useful for setting up cameras etc as you give greater detail. Thank you for your efforts. You are absolute gold.
As always, great work Duade. I picked up a used R7 for travel and reach to compliment my R5. I’m very impressed with the R7 for wildlife, specifically bird photography. Sure there are some drawbacks but at least in my case the image quality, frame rate, battery life and general usability far outweighs its shortcomings. Set it up right (following your suggestions) and it’s an amazingly capable body. An R7 MKII with a stacked BSI sensor will hopefully be the next iteration; until then the R7 will do just fine.
Thank you so much for the review! I have since purchased the R7 with the RF100-400, and your findings are consistent with how it's been for me. I upgraded from the Canon M50 and the gains in autofocus speed and accuracy are a game changer for me. I also learned a new trick from you with the spot AF, since I frequently am photographing birds through brush and leaves, this will help me a lot :)
@@lesandisdream5290 With the m50 I have used the contemporary and the super sigma with decent results--though the m50 felt like a credit card taped to a baseball bat (not an ideal fit for a lens of that size). I have yet to try the sigma 150-600 but Duade has tested that more extensively than I think anyone. My next upgrade would probably be trading the 100-400 f8 for the 100-500, or perhaps a prime.
"It all comes down to what you get for your money"- Duade Thank you Duade for all your analysis of the R7. So many reviewers focus on comparing this camera to professional level cameras and not mentioning the cost. They say, "The R5 is better than the R7" but then they ignore the difference in price. I agree with you that this camera has the best features for the PRICE! It's not perfect for sure, but I really enjoy the capabilities and I can afford it. It works for me.
Very true, and is the reason we have so many different bodies, otherwise we would all just get an A1 or Z9 as they are the best. But the majority of people cannot afford those cameras. Cheers, Duade
Finally someone else has noticed this as well . I've mention several times on other channels . They don't care all they care about is Likes , subs and views and brown nosing the brand .
this is true..."It all comes down to what you get for your money" Using Electronic shutter you get: * 12bit and only 0.5 seconds as the longest shutterspeed * hugh rolling shutter, woobling and a useless 30fps atleast for moving subjects, I wonder what the wobbling,warping would do to the image stacking mode ... * also you get a massive crop in 4k60p (the non lineskipping version) * Super small bufffer * You get awesome loud mechanical shutter. I have no clue for what more you can ask for ....for the money paid? This camera is clearly wrong named this is the R70....as someone allready stated.
@@Not_Infocus Love my R7, it's a big step up from an old amateur camera like a Nikon D3200. I never use the whole buffer shooting wildlife, so I don't know why so many people complain about it.
@@Not_Infocus firstly this shutter is whisper quiet compared to the Canon DSLRs, and I can't say I've ever missed a shot because the shutter scared the wildlife away. The rolling shutter is an issue, but how often are people actually going to shoot 30fps with the ES?, 15fps with the MS is more than enough.
@Duade: the APS-C IBIS may be more challenged because similar hand shake is worse in reference to the size of the sensor. Your high megapixel comment goes a bit in that direction. This is an awesome review! I have an R7 and looked at many reviews before deciding to pick one up to replace my 40D that passed away. Duade's review blows all the other reviews out of the water. It is so much more detailed and really very helpful with many practical tips. Respect! Even with the 18-150 kit lens I made some amazing bird shots. This camera at that price point is an amazing deal.
A very excellent job indeed, Duade! As others have mentioned, have been looking forward to this one for a few & it didn't disappoint. By far, the most informative & comprehensive review on this body I've seen - out of the 6 or 7 viewed in recent months. Thank you for your attention to detail & thorough effort - highly respected & appreciated. I've had my R7 for a little more than 6 wks & have enjoyed it very much. Paired with an excellent used EF 100-400mm II & a 1.4 ext., this combo gets me everything I wanted in a wildlife kit. I feel this lens & camera are quite capable. The animal eye AF for birds has been a huge set up in speed, accuracy & keepers for me. Like you, I have found little use in the pre capture feature. It's not easy to use effectively & the images being stored in the roll makes it a pain to manage. Also, as you said, turning it off seems far more cumbersome than needed. I have been fine with the new layout & find 2 wheels work well for my style, as I usually shoot in M with auto ISO. A couple of questions I had that I did not pick up on in the video (sorry if I missed them) were 1) Have you found the animal eye AF less effective on mammals? I know you shoot mostly birds, but have seen many of your shots of Kangaroos, Wallabies & the like. I have only had a few experiences so far (on bears, moose, squirrels & voles) & have found that the eye AF does not find the eye usually. It might find the head or body, but no eye. It seems strange, since some of these eyes are many, many times larger than some of the small bird eyes it tracks so well. Is it a case of changing the AF case settings? And 2) Which AF case settings do you feel work the best for you? I've tried a few, but so far, have settled on AF Case 2 with tracking sens @ -2 for perched birds & AF Case 4 for the BIF I have tried. I used CASE 1 & the Auto option some, but found they did not stick as well to subject & the Auto seemed to slow things a little. I'm still on the fence about the shutter type somewhat. I find myself using electronic mostly for everything but BIF (where I use the electronic 1st curtain) due to it's much quieter sound, zero shutter wear & lack of shutter shock. Often times I shoot in fairly low light situations & have to use slower shutter speeds. Even though I do occasionally get warping & rolling shutter in a frame, the advantages in my environments have so far outweighed the costs. When spring rolls around again & there is more light, I can see using the electronic 1st curtain option more. Again, thanks much for the continued efforts Duade & for providing such professional, mindful & extremely informative content to the community. It is no wonder to me, why you have such a following - that's growing each day. It is well earned, mate! Good luck capturing some more gems out there & may the next experience be yet another memorable one. Best regards ~ Chris
Thanks Chris for the detailed comment and feedback, I appreciate it. Yes I have found with Kangaroos it does seem to miss the eye at times, not sure why. I also use the same cases as you for AF. It sounds like you have your camera setup perfectly for you and I agree electronic is usable in most scenarios. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Ian, be sure to watch my recent video on the R7, it appears shooting in H mode will result in the best autofocus, not H+. Cheers, Duade ua-cam.com/video/hsmY4f1J0t8/v-deo.html
Your last two videos about the R7 have been fabulous. I have learned so much! Thank you for the tables and graphics that make it easy to understand! Your work for these is SO appreciated!!
By only 7 minutes into the review I can already tell that this is an excellent job on the review, very thorough and relevant. The vertical layout of buttons that you complain about reminds me of the back of the Canon M5. Looking at viewfinder size, 0.39" is the same size as my Canon M5. And I always found that very small, I always had to squint. Now having larger viewfinders on my Fuji cameras, I really appreciate the larger EVF. Much more comfortable and less tiring. The impact of ISO: I think you're the first to mention it. I have noticed that noisy shots are larger in compressed raw (and it does make a lot of sense from how compression works). I never yet realised how this could also impact the longest burst rate! Just goes to show how thoroughly you have reviewed this camera. About pre-burst, just wanted to add that corresponding features on other cameras to write normal RAW files. Once again, great in-depth review video!
You are currently the best out there for wildlife photography videos and camera/lens reviews. Your hard work has paid off, well done. If I had the 1500 this bad boy the R7 would be mine, maybe later... Love your work. As always, keep up the good work and keep'em flying...
Brilliant video, you have kept me captivated for almost 1 hr. I purchased the R7 around 3 months ago and have been really pleased with its performance for photographing commercial transport, trains, buses, canals etc.
I recently upgraded to an R7 (from my first camera which was a VERY old Rebel Xsi that I got back in 2008 haha), so this video was extremely helpful for me to understand many of the new-to-me features! I'll be saving up for RF lenses so I can do more wildlife photography (my favorite subject to shoot along with macro). I love how you walked us through the process of actually using the camera, especially with the autofocus options. Thank you!!
I moved from a 5D4 to the R7. I kept all my good EF lenses. I have had great luck with the 100-400II and both the 1.4 and 2 extenders- both the latest iterations. The thing that absolutely amazed me was using this combination for macro shooting. With the 2X extender, I can focus at about 22 inches at full zoom. I’ve gotten some amazing jumping spider, butterfly, bee, plant etc. shots. It is great to be able to sit in a photo blind waiting to take a BIF or a Bird on water shot and look down at my feet and be able to take a bee on a flower and whip back up to capture black-necked stilts in flight. I was a portrait photographer for 48 years before I retired and took up wildlife. (At least a little wilder than what I was taking before) The R7 is my first mirrorless and I love it. It has taken awhile to figure what works best for me (still adjusting) Your videos have helped a lot. I am getting great pictures. Thanks.
I've been using the R7 with a 100400 EF + 1.4x extender to shoot surfing and some bird photography, for about 3 months now. Am very happy, after having a 6Dmk2 previously.
Wonderful video as usual, and life has come full circle, I bought this camera R7 and lens RF 100-400 f8 after watching ur reviews, its amazing what u can do with this combo, also thanks for featuring my pic at 48:53
Great video Duade. Thanks again for including one of my images! Side note last night while out shooting some whitetail deer I discovered that at least by default the R7 does not switch to card 2 when card 1 is full. Both my cards were setup to shoot craw and card 2 was basically empty. All the camera did was say card 1 full and i had to quickly get into menu while a buck was walking toward me to change to card 2. I nearly missed some great shots and fully missed the chance to get a video clip to go with my photos. I haven't figured out if I can set it to auto switch to card 2 but thought it may be a good thing for you to mention in a video so people are aware. I also have had a few more issues with R7 in cold than my 90d. It was abut 15 degrees f past week and the r7 "froze" up a few times and I had to toggle on and off to get it working again. Cant remember my 90d ever doing that and the r7 never did it before so have to assume its the cold weather
It is my pleasure, it was an awesome shot, yes, not switching is just silly and I don't think there is anyway for it to switch automatically which seems odd. Hopefully someone might know a way. I get the odd freeze but not very often, mainly with EF lenses, Cheers, Duade
Just read your comment from a year ago. My 90D is now defunct and been reading a lot about the R7 which I m leaning towards as a replacement. How do you find the size of the R7 compared to the 90. Thanks.
@@mikeholt7087 the R7 is definitely worth it. The AF is just so good compared to 90d, or any DSLR, and it only took me like a week to adjust to size, button etc differences
You have the best video about the Canon R7. I really liked the way you assembled it, you provided tables, real experience and comparisons. I'm happy I bought this camera. Greetings from Russia.
Thanks Duade, after watching yours videos, i decide to order R7 to go with my FF 6Dmk2 and sigma lense 150-600 , just waiting to be delivered :D hope soon, couse not many R7 in europe stocks :D You are my favorite youtuber about bird wildlife photography,, your atitude, your story, you insipire a lot of poeple, and those tons and tons of very usefull informations are so great , thanks you i wish you nice days, from Slovakia ( heart of Europe ) :)
@36:45.... I had terrible issues with shutter shock, the first time I tried mechanical shutter on the R7 I rented. Went straight to electronic shutter, and never looked back. I used to use the MS on my R5 (I hated that the ES on the R5 offered no sound feedback) and no doubt, it let me get really low shutter speed shots. On my R7 in ES mode, I try not to go below 1/320th, but will go as low as 1/160th, if I have to.
I actually purchased an R7 on the way to shooting a football match so straight in at the deep end so they say. First thing i noticed was the noise of the mechanical shutter. I honestly thought there was something wrong with it as i hadn't seen any review that mentioned this noise until this review. Perhaps already having an R6 doesn't help as i found myself comparing which is silly considering the price difference. This is by far the best and most thorough review i have seen and has given me some alternative things to try like the slower 15fps electronic shutter using the shutter noise setting on low. Great work thanks very much.
Thanks Colin, my pleasure, yes, the noise is much louder than the R5/R6, not sure why. It might pay to give the 15fps electronic a go on some sport before an important game to check the rolling shutter, it might warp the ball a bit much. Good luck, Cheers, Duade
I'm a total beginner and just starting to research on which hybrid camera I should buy. This was hands down the best camera review I've ever seen. The way every aspect and feature of the camera or of photography in general was explained was excellent. Thank you for making this beautiful and incredibly informative video.
Thanks, Duade: A phenomenal review, and I appreciate your effort and enthusiasm :). I loved it when you were distracted by the Kingfisher, a moment of pure joy! I purchased he R7 earlier this month (with the RF 18 -150mm kit lens and RF 100-500mm zoom), and I've been trying to systematically compare it with my M6 II with the EOS-M 18-150 mm and adapted EF lenses. The M6 II is essentially the mirrorless version of the 90D, with a 32 MP sensor, 15/30 fps mechanical/electronic, and flawless performance with Canon's EF to M adaptor. Since the M6 II lacks IBIS and bird eye tracking, I'm blown away by the improvement in overall "R7 experience", especially for birding. While I'm finding the dynamic range and low light performance of the 2 sensors to be similar, I'm enjoying the benefits of IBIS. This is particularly important to me, since I've got a progressive tremor. Nevertheless, I'd give the IBIS the benefit of 3-4 stops. But I haven't done the comparison at 1/40s as you've done; with my tremor, I was thrilled to get to 1/60s! I agree with your advice on the excellent 100-500 mm zoom, especially for birders. Given the hefty price-tag, I definitely hesitated, but I think it's worth every penny. Fortunately, I was also able to take advantage of a large Canadian photo chain's pre-Black Friday sale, which saw them selling at a 20% discount :). As for the buffer limitations, I'm not so bothered, since I don't have the R3 or R5 to compare! Again, thanks for pulling all this information together as thoroughly as you've done.
Thanks for the lovely comment and congrats on the R7 and 100-500 a wonderful combo for sure and makes birding a lot of fun. Happy birding, Cheers, Duade
Awesome review. Haven’t been shooting in 10 years. Bought the R7 an I’ve been using it with the RF 100-400 lens now for a couple of months. Still a lot to learn but I get really great bird pics. The other enthusiasts in my area with bit older, far more expensive and heavier gears are so “jealous” 😂. On bigger screens I find that noise issue so maybe I shold test those denoise softwares…. Ligtroom is not that good at it. Thanks for your great reviews.
DxO Pureraw is amazing but you dont have much control. Its a one button denoise. If it doesnt work well on all areas of your image for some reason you can use photoshop to blend between the raw and denoised image. So far I havent had to do that though. It certainly helps my confidence using higher iso numbers. Great thing is that you can try it for free for a limited time.
I picked up my R7 on Friday and hopefully I'll have the 100-400 by Wednesday or Thursday!. I've moved over from the D500 which is an amazing body but the lighter weight, tracking AF and the 32mp sensor won me over, dual SD helped as well. I only tend to shoot shirt bursts so the buffer isn't an issue. Definitely interested in seeing how the Tamron 150-600g2 performs on the R7.
Great review, as allways. One little hint: I have the Preburst mode on the M-Fn button. Then I can continue to look through the viewfinder with pressing two additional buttons. Works for me.
Thanks for that, yes, that is quicker, still annoying to have to have multiple button presses and use the menu, a single on/off would be so much quicker. Cheers, Duade
I have view many review in the last 2 year on the R7 and still think this is the best one ( alaska also have a great one) its the 3rd time i viewed this video and still u are making me understand my camera better and know what the great and not so great issue. Thank you
As a long time viewer of your videos and enjoying each one I see a point coming which I am at a crossroads with. As a Canon dslr user with no plans to switch to the mirrorless system, I find your review videos while informative, completely irrelevant to my gear. This is no fault of yours, you provide what the majority of your viewers want to see. That's just good business. Hopefully the number of your outing videos will still be enough to allow me to enjoy your beautiful country and its wildlife and landscapes. Good Shooting and stay safe!
Thanks Guy, yes, it is tricky, I hope you enjoyed my recent two videos on DSLRs, but as you mention mirrorless is where the interest is. I plan on getting out and doing a few in field videos now. Cheers, Duade
thanks Duade.. I changed from my 90D to an R7.. im pretty happy with it so far, its a learning curve and I've taken a n interest in bird photography.. inspired by your videos! im learning but loving it.
@@mikeholt7087 it was a seamless transition for me, the R7 and the rf lenses that I bought (100-400mm and 600 f11) work well together. Once you get used to the new layout it becomes second nature even though it’s a bit smaller than the 90D, I recently sold the R7 and bought a used R5 which is slightly bigger, but probably still smaller than the 90D.
Probably the best review I’ve seen on any camera. If I were trying to decide on the R7, this would have really helped. It looks like you put in a ton of effort and time on this, and it shows. Well done!
Thank you for this video and your channel! I really enjoy your videos. Your videos and reviews helped me decided on the R7 and the RF 100-400 lens. I have had both for a few weeks now and I am enjoying both. I went from a Powershot SX540 to the R7 so it was big learning curve, but your videos and others on UA-cam helped me get started and I continue to learn about the camera from your videos. I walk trails in parks and refuges and take photos so the weight is great. I have been shooting in manual mostly with 15 fps and in mechanical. Will try the 1st shutter option. I have learned I can silence the noise while on mechanical. Not sure if there is downside to that. Have been enjoying the 100-400 but would like a little more reach at times. Thinking of getting a rf 800 for spots where the birds are just further. Thanks again for your videos!
Thanks for the feedback Ben, congrats on the camera and lens, a great little combo for sure. The 800 is an interesting lens, a lot of reach to be sure for those times the 100-400 is a little short. You do lose some of the AF coverage and 6m MFD means up close is difficult but if you know the subject is a way off its great. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for taking the time to make this excellent video. I bought the R7 and I really enjoy shooting with it however for me it's the RF100-400 that really makes me smile. I tried the OM-1 and the Olympus 100-400 but it didn't feel right. Too front heavy in hand. Also I can often crop the 32mpx to 4K and with the noise reduction in ON1 software the images look great on my Sony 4k TV. I shot for many years with a Nikon D500 and the pf 300mm with 1.4X teleconverter and I loved that setup and I tried the Nikon Z6 but the auto focus on the D500 blew it away. For wildlife I just have always enjoyed apc for getting that extra reach. I would gladly pay $2500 for a PRO R7. I would have stayed with Nikon if they had come out with a PRO apc along with the Z9. Thanks again for your spot on insight into this apc camera.
I, too, tried the OM-1 with 100-400 coming from the 7D 100-400. OM just didn’t feel right, didn’t like the evf, but liked the low weight for travel and weight. May go for R7 after Duane’s review and perhaps the 100-400 for travel and if I can swing it, the 100-500 for home.
Such a great and informative video! I currently own a R7 . I upgraded from the 90 and kept it as my backup. I have to say the R7 is dream camera for someone on a 1500 dollar budget. Thanks again for the great content.
"Recent discovery - you can have three control dials active at once in the R7's Manual mode to control aperture, shutter speed and ISO simultaneously with the histogram live all the time. Here's how: This setup relies on using the control ring on the lens as the third control dial, so on lenses like the R7's kit lens that use the control ring for focusing, you sacrifice manual focusing, but with lenses that have separate focus and control rings there's no sacrifice. That's any EF or EF-S lens with the EF to R Control Ring adapter, and any RF lens with both focus and control rings - like my Canon RF 100-400mm lens. (Actually, other than the two RF-S kit lenses this isn't a problem, since most RF lenses have both rings, and the five that have only one have a switch on the lens to switch its use between Manual Focus and Control Ring.) To set this up, go to page 6 of the AF tab in the settings screen and set the Focus/Control ring to Control rather than the default Focus setting. Then go to page 3 of the Camera tab and in Customize Dials you set the three dials up however you like. Since I used a pre-EOS Canon FT-QL for nearly forty years before going digital, and thus I'm used to having an aperture ring on the lens, I set the Control ring on the lens to AV. Since I'm used to setting the shutter speed on the top of the camera, I set the Main Dial to TV, and I put ISO control on the Quick Control Ring around the joystick next to the viewfinder. (Film cameras changed the ISO by changing the film you were using!) But you can assign those three functions between those three dials however you like. PS If you frequently want to focus manually with a lens that has only one ring, you can set one of your Custom Settings up to use the Control Ring on the lens for focusing and use the other two control dials however you prefer."
Thanks for sharing the info, I do use the control ring on RF lenses but many people are still using EF lenses which do not have a control ring hence the two control dial issue. But you can get around it using FV mode also. It is not a major issue just it would not have been that hard to add a third dial for manual shooters. Cheers, Duade
I have had the R7 for a month or so now coming from a 7dmarkii. It's a huge jump up. Auto focus and image quality is brilliant and that's what ef lens. Would recommend it to anyone. ( my only small issue wud be I wish it had better weather sealing etc) but for the price point I can't belive how good the auto focus is. All my images are soo much sharper compared to using the 7dmarkii. Great video .
I'm only 6 minutes in and already I know this review of the R7 is going to be good! You've already pointed out the problem with the new layout for people (including me!) who are left-eye dominant. First review I've seen that's mentioned that - and it is a flaw in the camera layout. I've learned to live with it over time though. Also, you've mentioned Fv mode - and I agree with the person who recommended it to you. It's a very handy mode. Like a lot of people, at first I though it was a bit of a gimmick but actually when you start getting used to using it, it's good. Once you get familiar with using Fv, it's often faster than using the lens control ring as a third wheel. A third wheel on the body would have been nicer because that would allow us to use Manual mode more easily, but given the choice of using the lens ring or Fv, I find myself going with Fv most of the time when I'm handholding. On a tripod, I'm happy to use the lens control ring and Manual mode though, because the ring is easier to use when the camera is on a support.
@@Duade I don't come across that many left eye dominant people to be honest. It's definitely a drawback for some things though - like photographing birds in flight with a long lens. I struggle to get "on" the bird a lot of the time because I can't use my other eye for peripheral vision and at 600 or 840mm it's tough. Even worse if I'm using the R7! I'm considering getting a sighting scope (even a proper rifle scope) to help me because it drives me nuts sometimes - I'm at a definite disadvantage compared with right eye dominant shooters with their fancy "spare" eye 🙂
@@mikebrownhill4662 We might need to start a club lol, I don't know why I do it but that is what happens naturally for me. I am sure it has some benefit, well that is what I tell myself :-) Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade, Another excellent review. Am about to take the plunge on the R7 with the RF 100-400. Looking forward the seeing the results. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Great informative video. I've gone from a Canon 1200D to the R7 and I couldn't be happier. Using the converter to utilise my EF L 100-400 & 100 L macro lenses. Got the RF 18-150 lens at the same time as buying the R7; it's just a kit lens but hopefully Canon will release an L version of it next year. I tend to still use my 1200D for creative flower macro photography as I get a better creative vibe from it, and the R7 for landscape and bird photography. The keeper rate on the R7 is wonderful. Thanks so much for this video Duade.
That was awesome Duade, so much work producing this video. Being a 7Dmk2 owner this is the best upgrade for me. Starting full time work early next year so it is on my shopping list. Thank you for your passion.
Excellent review. I bought my R7 more than year ago, got it on relise day and am more than happy. Using old EF 300 IS 2.8 and for me it is match made in heaven for this camera. For other use apart from wildlife I am using Sigma 18-35 f1.8 which is again perfect for this camera. Had heaps of photos I am proud with and looking forward to replace unforgettable Australian bird snapping experience with European wildlife photography next year when I plan to move for a retirement. Highly appreciate your videos, thank you! My Regards
Acquainted with this talented young wildlife photographer at 35:05 awhile ago. I'm not surprise if he & the rest of R7 users could be even better after watching this episode. Great, great video! cheers!
Hello Duade, will you be reviewing the RP or R in the near future? I'm sure some of us would love your style of reviews for these cameras. Thanks for your videos so far!
Thanks for the video and great coverage. My Canon 80D shutter died on me and the cost to repair as well as the parts being unavailable forced my hand and I upgraded to the R7. I do a lot of sports photography as well as wildlife and am looking forward to taking it out tomorrow for its inaugural shoot. Looking forward to seeing the difference.
It would be so nice if Canon released R7 II that adress all the issues of R7 just like they refined R6. Something without AA filter on a sensor, with faster readout speed, uncropped oversampled 4K60p, good looking FullHD 240p, better EVF, bigger buffer and R6II ergonomics.
Extremely useful video. Lucid to the core and easily helps one to make a decision. I like your honesty…I shake a lot… I think there’s too much info non buffering, keeping rate etc. Little more editing because unable to keep track. 80% of us beginners and mid pros will take your word for it as for the remaining 20% they already know just waiting to be pushed. Humungous effort and definitely worth watching . Keep them coming. JP - India.
I just a few days ago traded in a T6, 6D, and R8 to get a R7. Wanting to use it for wildlife, sports, and astro photography. I’m excited to see what it will do!
@Duade great video as usual. Just a note to confirm that you can program one of the button like the to switch the RAW Burst mode on and off. I have set it up and it is really practical.
Thanks, yes, you can and I should have mentioned that, as it is much faster. You still lose live view whilst turning it off which is annoying and waiting for the buffer is a real pain. Cheers, Duade
Awesome review! Thank you! I have been watching your videos for a while now. I love that you are chilled out, not jump cutting all the time and that you got no noisy background music. Now I am curios on how you set up your dual back button af om your r7🧐 Always interesting to see those for me totaly new bird species. I would love to travel to Australia in the future just for that. Greetings from a German fan ;)
Thanks Duade ... Great research and clear explanations of your findings. I had a budget of $7,500 only. To me the lens is often more important for IQ (and holds its value better) than the camera itself. I moved from Nikon Z6 and D500 with 200- 500 5.6 and 4 other lens, to the R7 with the RF 100-500, 50mm f1.8 and 18-150 kit lens, I thought that I would later get the R6 (replacing the Z6) for landscapes, astro and portraits But the 24-105 f4 and 16 F2.8 will cost less than the R6 body and will do very well I think on the R7. The R7's AF is so superior to my old Nikons. This, and the weight factor, are the key points in my change. Thanks again Duade. Robbey
Thanks for throwing this together, I bought this a few weeks ago after watching a lot of videos, yours included. Generally I'm pretty happy with it! Still waffling a bit on the APS-C vs. Full Frame so I might just need to get a full frame too for landscape and low light, but that's a problem for future me.
Great vid Duade actually learned a few things I wasn’t aware of on 👁focus and spot focusing, since the only R series I had was an RP I didn’t have any problems adjusting to button, joystick or wheel layouts and it’s second nature now, just picked up an EF 100-400 4.5-5.6 L ll USM and am looking forward to getting out with it. Keep up the great work really enjoyed the review. Looking forward to some specific vids on features of the R7 in the future.
Im also a RP owner and switched to the R7. The 100-400 II is a great lens on the RP, but a AWESOME lens on the R7 for wildlife and video. Just the 400mm/640mm crop can get a bit short in some wildlife scenarios where i often prefer 4k60 crop video for about 1000mm effectively.
Duade Most comprehensive video I have seen on the R7, and it has confirmed I made the right decision upgrading from my Canon 90D with Sigma 150-600C to the R7 coupled to a 100-500. I have loved the new rig and I am finding my photography skills and photos are improving all the time.
@mikeholt7087 The R7 s a little smaller and lighter than the 90D, Most significantly. the RF100-500 is much lighter than the Sigma 150-600C and being a Canon L lens it is a brilliant though expensive lens, but a lens I will be using long after I eventually upgrade from the R7.
Thanks Duade 😊 Fantastic review! What happened to your full review of the Canon R10? You did a quick field test and at the end you promised a full review but I cannot find it. Have I missed it? If you are no longer going to do a full review, can I just ask is there a difference between the R7 and R10 in AF capability? I do not need the other features of the R7 but reliability of the AF is very important. Thank you 😊 PS Merry Christmas 🎄
Yes, good pick up, If I am being brutally honest I just couldn't get the camera to work for me, it was just too small and I had some AF inconsistencies which I am unsure if it was me or the camera. The R7 is just a far better camera for my usage. Its possible the camera I got wasn't quite right but it did not perform as well as my other cameras. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade thank you ☺️ Canon is well known, just like Apple, to purposely reduce the effectiveness of their cheaper products so there is a good chance that the AF has been slightly reduced compared to the R7. It is sad though because all I need is the AF of the R7, not the other extra features. It is not a huge price difference but $600 is still $600! Thank you for your outstanding reviews and tutorials Duade.
Great review, probably the first review adressing that much about the R7. Also great photos from you again and ofc the viewers. The review is not very video centric, but the video part is anyways so complex... HDR PQ, clog or just very noiseless regular 8 Bit?! In my testing it all depends on the ISO and aviable light you are targeting when it comes to noise in the video, at low light 8bit regular video is king, in mediocre light hdr pq. If you are at base ISO, so pretty much good light you can get away with a not as noisy clog3 as well. Another issue.... do you want nice stuff to color grade, good "out of the box" 10 bit ("HDR") or ressource and battery saving 8 bit recording? Im still struggling which video mode is the best yet as allrounder/custom setting for my wildlife needs, especially at good light 4k60 crop and clog3 like this even my 70-200 gets a reach monster, at mediocre light probably 1080p120 with a proper tele lens and HDR PQ
Watch a lot of wildlife camera videos and notice you pros shoot at some low SP's. I 've been going by the rule 1/FL=SP. Am using an EF 100-400ii on an R7 and typically am at 1/640 and above. Today was out on a very gloomy overcast day. I tried lowering my SP for a lower ISO and was very happy. I got some very nice shots at 1/200 SP. Makes a crop sensor much more useable in low light. If ever get that RF 100-500 maybe even better 👍
Thanks, I do try to keep the SS high but in very low light we often don't have any other option. If you shoot in bursts you should still get a number of sharp shots. Great to hear you were able to get some nice ones. Cheers, Duade 👍
Excellent review. I have been using the R7 and RF 100-500mm for 2 weeks now. Before this, I had been using Canon’s 60D and 80D with the Sigma 150-600mm lens as well as Canon’s 300mm f4 with extenders. 90% of my photography are birds, and other wildlife. I waited over a year for a good, crop-sensor mirrorless camera. I did not want a full frame camera because I didn’t want to shoot 17MPs with an R5. I accept all the limitations of the R7. Will the R5 give better results? Sometimes. Like when you’re lucky enough to have your subject very close. But, by my reckoning most wildlife photographers more often than not, want greater reach. In that respect, along with the 1.6 crop-sensor, the R7 has every other specification I was looking for before it was introduced. Why did I wait this long? I wanted to see if Sony upgraded the a6600. I gave up waiting.
What an amazing review! Watched it till the end and decided to purchase the Canon R7 as an upgrade to my old but trusty Rebel SL1. Of course I'll need an adaptor to fit my older Canon and Sigma lenses. I had been struggling for many months as to what model of Canon to buy. Had I not seen this upload, I may have made the wrong purchase. You have always given top notch information on your channel and it is greatly appreciated. Cheers from Canada!
Thank you, very much! Enjoyed the video very much, came out knowing a lot more about R7, I am crawling towards R6-MII. Merry Christmas and happy new year!
A very good video Duade, great video packed with lots of info. I am a 7Dii owner who upgraded from 7D, from 450D and my 7D seemed like a massive jump from 450D. The 7Dii is a great camera,..for its price and that is the key variable with the R7 ! In the UK I have ordered ( I say ordered because I still have not received it from placing order on 30th June 2022 ) the R7 at £1,349 with free adapter ( worth £199 ) and that is the selling point. The AF at this price point is the big motivation for buying the R7 along with the longer reach compared FF, and while wait for my R7 I have a Sony A6600 mated to canon L glass like my 70-300L IS USM via sigma MC-11,and it works reasonably well considering. The eye AF is great though only on 2/3 of the screen from the centre, again to be expected considering to different manufacturers. With the R7 I am hoping that using canon L glass will be a winning combination and my keeper rate should greatly increase. Of course I would have liked a better sensor with faster read out, better weather sealing, a very bigger buffer, and 2 digi X processors just like the 7Dii. I also believe the R7 is more of a hybrid 90D and 7Dii wrapped up in mirrorless body ! The other selling feature is the crop factor reach over a FF as you can use less expensive glass, ie 100-400L mkii instead of 600L f4 !
Hi yes I think I will rent one. "blowing up" the tiny or flying birds on the r6 - most of the images are crummy and my hit rate is low. So I'm trying to figure an alternative - as we have discussed - there are no canon lenses or alternate lenses that can get me closer. I'm using the hefty sigma with a converter now, but birds like bluebirds and other smaller guys I just get a blob.
Have fun with it Bianca, it is a great camera for the price and works well in good light, it just has a few issues with rolling shutter and in low light conditions. Cheers, Duade
I bought the R7. At 48 years old, it’s my first “real” camera. I could not be happier. Got the kit lens and the 100-400mm lens. This combination of kit has allowed me implement many of the things you talk bout in your videos and speed up my learning. It has been awesome. Thanks for the videos.
What post processing program do you use?
@@fgb3126 I use mostly Adobe Lightroom and very little of photoshop
How was the 100-400 with the r7 in low light?
@Richard-y7t8l for a starter lens, I thought it was great. Of course, in low light at times, it was a bit challenging. For the price I can't complain. However, since then I have upgraded to the RF 100-500. The better low light performance combined with a bit extra reach is great.
Great review! I think I've made my decision to get the R7 based on it. There have been some negative reviews of this camera around, which gave me pause, but this information is thorough, based on usability, bang for buck, and image quality. So many reviewers seem to be more interested in their own personalities and self aggrandizing, witty rabble rousing, etc. Duade sticks to the point! And the pics inlcuded are awesome!🤠
By far and away the BEST review of the R7 out there. I was seriously interested in the R7 as a 2nd body to my R5. I started this whole wildlife photography a little over 2 years ago with an M50 and a 100-400 ii after an much earlier fail 30 years ago when my Dad (a wild life photographer) passed and left me a lot of photography gear including many bodies, motor winders, lenses along with all the dark room gear. Well, it was just mind boggling and I never was able to get any good photos with that kit and gave up. About 30 years later I was trying to make a video of me playing the guitar and I sprung for my 1st new camara in 30 years the M50. Well by comparison to the old Nikon, Hasselblad etc., gear my dad left me it blew me away and I thought well maybe now I could. That’s when I found you and purchased the 100 to 400 ii. I have a great dealer close by who is quite fair on trade ups (a good thing). I traded up to an R6 as I was struggling with fast moving birds. Well, being the dummy, I am I never realized how much reach I was about to lose and when I went out for my 1st session with my new R6 I was deflated. Duade to the rescue and I bought the RF 800 and was back in business. It’s just gone on from there. Thanks to Duade I am getting some decent shots and I am happily broke 😊. I think I will wait for the R6 ii as my second body, just to keep all the buttons the same. If I started with the R7, I probably would still be shooting an R7. The eye tracking, 15 FPS, pixels on the target and reach were really the big game changers for me and the reasons for all my subsequent upgrades all the way to the R5. The R7 has it all and for HOW MUCH $$$ wow.
Great to hear mate, yes, I suspect the R62 will be a nice improvement over the R6. I do wish the R7 had slightly better specs but for its price it performs very well. Cheers, Duade
Great story. I think an old Hasselblad still has a use. Unbelievable lenses and the need to plan every shot. Like my old Bronica ETRS and Fuji 6x9. When you have a tripod, a sunset over the Grand Canyon, the ability to understand metering and exposure compensation and Fuji Velvia 50, nothing comes close. Of course nowadays the crazy cost of film and, most importantly, the lack of high quality consumer film scanners are limitations. As a compromise I’ve just taken delivery of a Fuji X100 VI to get back into careful composition, high keeper hit rates, as well as the lovely film simulations, IBIS and weight/size.
I guess it depends on the game of wait, machine gun like firing, and binning most shots that wildlife photographers need to do vs crafted shots. Mirrorless and cropped sensor cameras are great for wildlife. Olympus are superb for outdoors types, especially the Pro II. However, a 5D mk 3, on a tripod, with a prime L lens and mirror lock is still awesome for landscape and architecture. Depends on which tools and which sub trade.
I’m still considering a new R7 for the extra reach but for a laugh tried the little EOS M5 on the fantastic VFM EF 70-300 mkII using the converter. It’s not up to bird watching but at 480mm and the great IS in the lens delivers great results for, in my case, no money.
As an aside, I was in a top photo shop in London last week and asked the pro why the R converter mounts are impossible to find. He was pretty sanguine. ‘They are holding them back so they force the buyer to invest in new R lenses and they are more expensive than the older EF and EF-S lenses we all have (12 in my case). It’s called system lock in by the Harvard Business School crowd, so until a mount comes available I’m resisting this. Might even sell up and defect to Fuji or Olympus. The new OM1 mk 2 looks awesome and great VFM.
Thank you for the review and sharing your experience with us, i have bought an R7 with the 18-150 lens plus the 100-400 telephoto lens off the back of your comments, in my daytime job I am in nanoscience, so I appreciate product progression, as you say this is a lot of camera for the money and there are always people who buy a Volkswagen and complain it doesn’t handle like a Ferrari, we are getting what we pay for, there could be improvements that can be covered by updates, it’s nice to see the results you have got from this kit. Thanks again
I just bought it (3 weeks ago) in combination with the RF 100-500.
I was coming from an 80D + 400mm F5.6, and the difference is massive. Photographing now is like a different experience. The IBIS from the R7 and the IS from the lens make the image perfectly still, to the point I can handhold video and make it usable… at 800mm! That’s just crazy to me. I can take pics at 1/125 in a dark cloudy day with 800mm in my hands without a tripod and still get plenty of sharp shots, even of small and fast birds.
I can shoot now plenty of species just by walking around in the woods, which I could never do before. The live view is very useful and helps a lot with burnt whites, making me have more keepers. The viewfinder is so clear I can now use both eyes easily. The eye tracking just grabs the eye and sticks to it in the majority of situations. Having so many FPS multiplies the number of sharp shots to the point I have so many keepers I’m struggling to process all the pictures now. The zoom lens allows for wider and habitat images and landscapes, or for portrait/full body pictures of a subject if you are close enough.
I also take macro pictures frequently and the ability of the lens to focus so closely makes it an absolute pleasure to use with big insects as praying mantis or butterflies, or for frogs/toads. I couldn’t believe how sharp and detailed were a handful of shots I took of a mantis a few days ago, they look like taken by an actual a macro lens. Plus the camera has the focus-stacking feature which is something I already did with Photoshop for macro pics before, and it works very good saving me a big amount of time.
Maybe I’m too biased but overall the combination of those two has changed the game of wildlife photography for me, literally.
What a wonderful review and exactly what I suspected so it is great to hear from someone first hand. Cheers, Duade
I erased some things from the comment so it wouldn’t be so long, but for anyone interested here are other advantages I’ve found from that R7+100-500 combo:
- The eye tracking, the flip screen and the fast FPS allow to shoot while looking through the screen live (instead of the viewfinder). You can handhold the camera at ground level, open and flip the screen, focus and shoot and you’ll get the eye sharp and crisp. You don’t even have to be very precise with the central AF point because the eye tracking will stick to the eye fast. For me that’s very useful in rivers and lakes, since where I live (mountains) the shores are usually steep and you can’t lie down. If you sit and look through the viewfinder the perspective is too high. If you lower the camera to water level the background looks way better and smoother, and I could never do this with my 80D before.
- The combo is like a 4x4 camera+lens. You can just walk around carrying it with no tripod and you can take pictures of small birds, landscape at 100mm, macro of big insects and amphibians, or mushrooms and flowers, big flying birds or mammals all in one. And the quality is excellent for everything. Lightweight, no changing lenses or carrying tripods.
- The focus stacking feature works very good if you handhold it carefuly. Set the number of shots for 8-10, keep the stabiliser on, and hold the camera still. I took some pictures of big mushrooms and it blends the images perfectly. Even in a dark forest you can handhold at 1/125 or so and if you don’t move the camera the focus staking will work. Razor sharp mushroom from the front to the back and smooth background.
- 800mm is such a long distance that allows you to take pictures from small birds while still being outside of their “security distance”. It has opened the option of taking pics of some species that would just fly away before. And you can crop quite good with 32 megapixels.
- Talking about distance, the option of zooming in 10x digitally while watching live in the screen is crazy to watch fauna at a great distance. If you haven’t done it, try it, because it might surprise you the way you can zoom in so much from so far. I’ve found that useful to just sit and watch birds and roe deer from a great distance without disturbing them.
Hope that helped and sorry for the long text 😅
You’re my favorite wildlife photography account. I loved when you saw the kingfisher. Your excitement and passion for your photography is obvious. You also make everything so visual and that’s how I learn best.
Great to hear Melinda, Cheers, Duade 👍
14:50 a quick explanation why the ISO changes the file size:
Canon‘s RAW is always compressed. RAW is lossless compressed and CRAW is lossy compressed. Compression works by removing duplications and patterns. Increasing the ISO increases noise. 100% noise cannot be compressed at all since it is (even by definition) free of patterns. Sony‘s uncompressed RAWs don’t exhibit that phenomenon because it’s uncompressed and thus storing the data form the sensor without computation but it’s also about twice the size of a Canon RAW file.
Thanks for the explanation, very helpful, Cheers, Duade
Thanks champion, been battling for ages with a 700D and finally getting to the point were my skill is starting to outgrow the camera. Was looking for something a little better to keep learning with 👍
Thanks for the support, apologies for the delay in responding, Cheers, Duade
Being old and having learned the craft in the 1980's when we had 24 or 36 rolls of film, your thumb did the winding and everything was manual, I have zero need to worry about a buffer 😀
I have an ancient 2008 Canon Rebel XSi (EOS 450D) DSLR. I recently discovered the joy of wildlife photography, with the emphasis mostly on birds. Dusting off my old teenage camera a few years ago, taking pics of wildlife is quite a challenge and I figured now is the time to finally upgrade. The R7 seems like the perfect price point to jump to, starting with my ancient EF-S 55-250 IS lens, with the RF 100-400 to save up for. Re-learning what's changed in the camera space over all these years has been quite a challenge but thanks to your vids, Duade, I feel completely confident in my choices. Thank you so much for your detailed reviews and talking about comparability, pros, cons, and stunning example photos by yourself and viewers. Sending my love from Canada.
Thanks for the support Justin, your comment made me smile and I wish you all the best with your camera. Cheers, Duade
THE review we were all waiting for :) Excellent quality content, as usual mate!
Great content. Thanks for sharing this. I shoot the R5 with the RF100-500 and a few months ago I was asked by several folks to demonstrate the capabilities and how i have it set up. One person could not really manage the weight of my gear. She really liked my setup, so I recommended the R7 and RF100-400 as an alternative for her situation. While she did move forward with the recommendation, I sure could have used this video to help her understand the trade-offs. I will keep this one in mind to share.
My pleasure Thomas, glad to hear the videos are helpful. Congrats on the R5. Cheers, Duade 👍
Спасибо!
Thank you so much for the support, Cheers, Duade
Impressive job on this review. Congrats and thank you, Duade. Brazilian fan here!
I officially now own the R7 and 800mm f11!! Because of your indepth, well thought out and executed reviews. Thank you so much for your awesome content and guidance. As well as your trouble shooting the auto focus issues so that we don't have to. Love your channel. Love your content. Love your excitement! Cannot wait to get started with my new kit and take some great pics with all my new knowledge!! Thank you!!!
Good luck, just be aware that is a lot of focal length and it can be tough to locate the bird in the EVF and will take some time to master. Also be aware that heat haze can be a real issue at those focal lengths, so if you take lots of shots and everyone is slighty blurry or off it could be heat haze or atmorspheric interference. I cannot remember if you also have the RF100-400 but that is the best companion for that lens if you want to shoot wider or macro style. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Thank you so much! Lol... yeah... I am excited to practice spotting the bird in my viewfinder. It's a brand new side to photography for me. I do have the 100-400 and the 600 F11 that I have been using on my R. I will definitely make a mental note of all your advice above! I'm kind of excited to challenge myself at something new again and realise there will be a learning curve. Please keep making awesome videos!
I really appreciate your well balanced reviews and how you always keep price point in perspective. I think you have one of the best channels for amateurs on a budget. I just switched from the Nikon D500 to the R7. I love the D500, but unfortunately Nikon still hasn't produced a mirrorless crop-sensor successor that works well for fast action. I've been sticking with DSLR for a while, but the eye auto-detect really seems like a game changer.
Great to hear Leo, I hope it works out well for you, if you did not see my last video shooting in H mode will have better AF accuracy than H+. Also thanks for the support. Cheers, Duade
Wow the picture of the Turkey !!
Thank you so much for the feature, Duade! Really appreciate it. Come to Sabah Borneo one day, would love to take you around to see some birds! Regards, Alex. 🤩
Thanks Alex, I would love to, maybe one day, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade most welcome! Let me know if you come by! Regards, Alex 😁
TO ACCESS PRE-SHOOTING QUICKLY on my R7, I customized my D-pad on the back of the camera. Now when I press the right side of the D-tab the "RAW burst mode" screen immediately pops up in the EVF. I then press the SET button and the R7 gives the option to Disable or Enable RAW burst mode. If I select Enable, Pre-shooting is automatically enabled!! This process is very quick and avoids having to go into the main menu. I enjoy your presentations.
Thanks Norman, good idea, yes that does make it a bit quicker however I would prefer an option where I don't lose the live view feed as you can lose the subject in the few seconds it takes to turn it off. I also find waiting for the buffer to clear annoying. Cheers, Duade 👍
Thank you for a great walkthrough. Just got my R7 a few days ago (first camera), and this video really helped explain a lot of details.
Also, your videos are really high quality, both in terms of information and presentation!
Thanks, congrats on the camera, glad to hear the video was helpful, Cheers,Duade
Thanks Duade for the amount of time and effort you put into making these videos. It is very appreciated. You are fast becoming one of my 'go to' channels for learning about photography.
Thanks Pauline, I appreciate the ongoing support, Cheers, Duade
Brilliant review. I was fortunate to pick up a used R7 while on holiday in Nevada, walked into a camera shop in Reno and they had the R7 with 100 actuations for a price of $1199. Couldn’t help myself. I mainly shoot aviation and find your tutorials more useful for setting up cameras etc as you give greater detail. Thank you for your efforts. You are absolute gold.
As always, great work Duade. I picked up a used R7 for travel and reach to compliment my R5. I’m very impressed with the R7 for wildlife, specifically bird photography. Sure there are some drawbacks but at least in my case the image quality, frame rate, battery life and general usability far outweighs its shortcomings. Set it up right (following your suggestions) and it’s an amazingly capable body. An R7 MKII with a stacked BSI sensor will hopefully be the next iteration; until then the R7 will do just fine.
Thank you so much for the review! I have since purchased the R7 with the RF100-400, and your findings are consistent with how it's been for me. I upgraded from the Canon M50 and the gains in autofocus speed and accuracy are a game changer for me. I also learned a new trick from you with the spot AF, since I frequently am photographing birds through brush and leaves, this will help me a lot :)
That is great to hear, congrats on the camera, I am sure it will work well with the RF100-400. Cheers, Duade
I still have the m50 and considering a change soon? Have you tried sigma 150-600 c?
@@lesandisdream5290 With the m50 I have used the contemporary and the super sigma with decent results--though the m50 felt like a credit card taped to a baseball bat (not an ideal fit for a lens of that size). I have yet to try the sigma 150-600 but Duade has tested that more extensively than I think anyone. My next upgrade would probably be trading the 100-400 f8 for the 100-500, or perhaps a prime.
Awesome review Duade. Thank you.
My pleasure mate, Cheers, Duade
Tak!
Thank you so much for the support, Cheers, Duade
"It all comes down to what you get for your money"- Duade Thank you Duade for all your analysis of the R7. So many reviewers focus on comparing this camera to professional level cameras and not mentioning the cost. They say, "The R5 is better than the R7" but then they ignore the difference in price. I agree with you that this camera has the best features for the PRICE! It's not perfect for sure, but I really enjoy the capabilities and I can afford it. It works for me.
Very true, and is the reason we have so many different bodies, otherwise we would all just get an A1 or Z9 as they are the best. But the majority of people cannot afford those cameras. Cheers, Duade
Finally someone else has noticed this as well . I've mention several times on other channels . They don't care all they care about is Likes , subs and views and brown nosing the brand .
this is true..."It all comes down to what you get for your money"
Using Electronic shutter you get:
* 12bit and only 0.5 seconds as the longest shutterspeed
* hugh rolling shutter, woobling and a useless 30fps atleast for moving subjects, I wonder what the wobbling,warping would do to the image stacking mode ...
* also you get a massive crop in 4k60p (the non lineskipping version)
* Super small bufffer
* You get awesome loud mechanical shutter.
I have no clue for what more you can ask for ....for the money paid?
This camera is clearly wrong named this is the R70....as someone allready stated.
@@Not_Infocus Love my R7, it's a big step up from an old amateur camera like a Nikon D3200. I never use the whole buffer shooting wildlife, so I don't know why so many people complain about it.
@@Not_Infocus firstly this shutter is whisper quiet compared to the Canon DSLRs, and I can't say I've ever missed a shot because the shutter scared the wildlife away.
The rolling shutter is an issue, but how often are people actually going to shoot 30fps with the ES?, 15fps with the MS is more than enough.
@Duade: the APS-C IBIS may be more challenged because similar hand shake is worse in reference to the size of the sensor. Your high megapixel comment goes a bit in that direction.
This is an awesome review! I have an R7 and looked at many reviews before deciding to pick one up to replace my 40D that passed away. Duade's review blows all the other reviews out of the water. It is so much more detailed and really very helpful with many practical tips. Respect!
Even with the 18-150 kit lens I made some amazing bird shots. This camera at that price point is an amazing deal.
A very excellent job indeed, Duade! As others have mentioned, have been looking forward to this one for a few & it didn't disappoint. By far, the most informative & comprehensive review on this body I've seen - out of the 6 or 7 viewed in recent months. Thank you for your attention to detail & thorough effort - highly respected & appreciated.
I've had my R7 for a little more than 6 wks & have enjoyed it very much. Paired with an excellent used EF 100-400mm II & a 1.4 ext., this combo gets me everything I wanted in a wildlife kit. I feel this lens & camera are quite capable. The animal eye AF for birds has been a huge set up in speed, accuracy & keepers for me. Like you, I have found little use in the pre capture feature. It's not easy to use effectively & the images being stored in the roll makes it a pain to manage. Also, as you said, turning it off seems far more cumbersome than needed. I have been fine with the new layout & find 2 wheels work well for my style, as I usually shoot in M with auto ISO.
A couple of questions I had that I did not pick up on in the video (sorry if I missed them) were 1) Have you found the animal eye AF less effective on mammals? I know you shoot mostly birds, but have seen many of your shots of Kangaroos, Wallabies & the like. I have only had a few experiences so far (on bears, moose, squirrels & voles) & have found that the eye AF does not find the eye usually. It might find the head or body, but no eye. It seems strange, since some of these eyes are many, many times larger than some of the small bird eyes it tracks so well. Is it a case of changing the AF case settings? And 2) Which AF case settings do you feel work the best for you? I've tried a few, but so far, have settled on AF Case 2 with tracking sens @ -2 for perched birds & AF Case 4 for the BIF I have tried. I used CASE 1 & the Auto option some, but found they did not stick as well to subject & the Auto seemed to slow things a little.
I'm still on the fence about the shutter type somewhat. I find myself using electronic mostly for everything but BIF (where I use the electronic 1st curtain) due to it's much quieter sound, zero shutter wear & lack of shutter shock. Often times I shoot in fairly low light situations & have to use slower shutter speeds. Even though I do occasionally get warping & rolling shutter in a frame, the advantages in my environments have so far outweighed the costs. When spring rolls around again & there is more light, I can see using the electronic 1st curtain option more.
Again, thanks much for the continued efforts Duade & for providing such professional, mindful & extremely informative content to the community. It is no wonder to me, why you have such a following - that's growing each day. It is well earned, mate! Good luck capturing some more gems out there & may the next experience be yet another memorable one. Best regards ~ Chris
Thanks Chris for the detailed comment and feedback, I appreciate it. Yes I have found with Kangaroos it does seem to miss the eye at times, not sure why. I also use the same cases as you for AF. It sounds like you have your camera setup perfectly for you and I agree electronic is usable in most scenarios. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for the reply on those inquiries, Duade & for all your help in making a very enjoyable kit purchase. Have yourself a good one there.
This review is so informative, comprehensive, and educational that you can make a call on this body based on your analysis. Thanks Duade.
Thanks Ian, be sure to watch my recent video on the R7, it appears shooting in H mode will result in the best autofocus, not H+. Cheers, Duade ua-cam.com/video/hsmY4f1J0t8/v-deo.html
Your last two videos about the R7 have been fabulous. I have learned so much! Thank you for the tables and graphics that make it easy to understand! Your work for these is SO appreciated!!
It is my pleasure Debbie, Cheers, Duade
Excellent review. I am evaluating to upgrade from my 70D and your video helped me a lot. Thank you.
Dziękujemy.
Dziękuję za wsparcie, pozdrawiam, Duade
Thank you so much Duade. 100% great information and no waffle mate. Cheers
My pleasure, Cheers, DUade
By only 7 minutes into the review I can already tell that this is an excellent job on the review, very thorough and relevant.
The vertical layout of buttons that you complain about reminds me of the back of the Canon M5.
Looking at viewfinder size, 0.39" is the same size as my Canon M5. And I always found that very small, I always had to squint. Now having larger viewfinders on my Fuji cameras, I really appreciate the larger EVF. Much more comfortable and less tiring.
The impact of ISO: I think you're the first to mention it. I have noticed that noisy shots are larger in compressed raw (and it does make a lot of sense from how compression works). I never yet realised how this could also impact the longest burst rate! Just goes to show how thoroughly you have reviewed this camera.
About pre-burst, just wanted to add that corresponding features on other cameras to write normal RAW files.
Once again, great in-depth review video!
Thanks for the feedback Tim, good to know about pre burst, not sure why Canon did it the way they have. Cheers, Duade
Awesome review Duade. Best ive seen by far for this body! Well done. Very informative
Thanks Adrian, I appreciate the feedback, Cheers, Duade
Thanks!
Thanks RB, I really appreciate the support, Cheers, Duade
You are currently the best out there for wildlife photography videos and camera/lens reviews. Your hard work has paid off, well done. If I had the 1500 this bad boy the R7 would be mine, maybe later...
Love your work.
As always, keep up the good work and keep'em flying...
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it, Cheers, Duade
Brilliant video, you have kept me captivated for almost 1 hr. I purchased the R7 around 3 months ago and have been really pleased with its performance for photographing commercial transport, trains, buses, canals etc.
Great to hear, glad you enjoyed it. Cheers, Duade 👍
I recently upgraded to an R7 (from my first camera which was a VERY old Rebel Xsi that I got back in 2008 haha), so this video was extremely helpful for me to understand many of the new-to-me features! I'll be saving up for RF lenses so I can do more wildlife photography (my favorite subject to shoot along with macro). I love how you walked us through the process of actually using the camera, especially with the autofocus options. Thank you!!
I moved from a 5D4 to the R7. I kept all my good EF lenses. I have had great luck with the 100-400II and both the 1.4 and 2 extenders- both the latest iterations. The thing that absolutely amazed me was using this combination for macro shooting. With the 2X extender, I can focus at about 22 inches at full zoom. I’ve gotten some amazing jumping spider, butterfly, bee, plant etc. shots. It is great to be able to sit in a photo blind waiting to take a BIF or a Bird on water shot and look down at my feet and be able to take a bee on a flower and whip back up to capture black-necked stilts in flight. I was a portrait photographer for 48 years before I retired and took up wildlife. (At least a little wilder than what I was taking before) The R7 is my first mirrorless and I love it. It has taken awhile to figure what works best for me (still adjusting) Your videos have helped a lot. I am getting great pictures. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing Rick, that is wonderful to hear, yes the extenders and AF is pretty incredible, thanks for sharing, Cheers, Duade
I've been using the R7 with a 100400 EF + 1.4x extender to shoot surfing and some bird photography, for about 3 months now. Am very happy, after having a 6Dmk2 previously.
Epic review Duade, great stuff.
Thanks mate, Cheers, Duade
Wonderful video as usual, and life has come full circle, I bought this camera R7 and lens RF 100-400 f8 after watching ur reviews, its amazing what u can do with this combo, also thanks for featuring my pic at 48:53
My pleasure Prashant, it was a wonderful shot, Cheers, Duade
Great video Duade. Thanks again for including one of my images!
Side note last night while out shooting some whitetail deer I discovered that at least by default the R7 does not switch to card 2 when card 1 is full. Both my cards were setup to shoot craw and card 2 was basically empty. All the camera did was say card 1 full and i had to quickly get into menu while a buck was walking toward me to change to card 2. I nearly missed some great shots and fully missed the chance to get a video clip to go with my photos.
I haven't figured out if I can set it to auto switch to card 2 but thought it may be a good thing for you to mention in a video so people are aware.
I also have had a few more issues with R7 in cold than my 90d. It was abut 15 degrees f past week and the r7 "froze" up a few times and I had to toggle on and off to get it working again. Cant remember my 90d ever doing that and the r7 never did it before so have to assume its the cold weather
It is my pleasure, it was an awesome shot, yes, not switching is just silly and I don't think there is anyway for it to switch automatically which seems odd. Hopefully someone might know a way. I get the odd freeze but not very often, mainly with EF lenses, Cheers, Duade
Just read your comment from a year ago. My 90D is now defunct and been reading a lot about the R7 which I m leaning towards as a replacement. How do you find the size of the R7 compared to the 90. Thanks.
@@mikeholt7087 the R7 is definitely worth it. The AF is just so good compared to 90d, or any DSLR, and it only took me like a week to adjust to size, button etc differences
You have the best video about the Canon R7. I really liked the way you assembled it, you provided tables, real experience and comparisons. I'm happy I bought this camera. Greetings from Russia.
Thanks Duade, after watching yours videos, i decide to order R7 to go with my FF 6Dmk2 and sigma lense 150-600 , just waiting to be delivered :D hope soon, couse not many R7 in europe stocks :D
You are my favorite youtuber about bird wildlife photography,, your atitude, your story, you insipire a lot of poeple, and those tons and tons of very usefull informations are so great , thanks you
i wish you nice days, from Slovakia ( heart of Europe ) :)
Congrats Tomas, good luck with the camera when it arrives. Cheers, Duade 👍
@36:45.... I had terrible issues with shutter shock, the first time I tried mechanical shutter on the R7 I rented. Went straight to electronic shutter, and never looked back. I used to use the MS on my R5 (I hated that the ES on the R5 offered no sound feedback) and no doubt, it let me get really low shutter speed shots. On my R7 in ES mode, I try not to go below 1/320th, but will go as low as 1/160th, if I have to.
Thanks
Thanks Chris, I really appreciate the support, Cheers, Duade
I actually purchased an R7 on the way to shooting a football match so straight in at the deep end so they say. First thing i noticed was the noise of the mechanical shutter. I honestly thought there was something wrong with it as i hadn't seen any review that mentioned this noise until this review. Perhaps already having an R6 doesn't help as i found myself comparing which is silly considering the price difference. This is by far the best and most thorough review i have seen and has given me some alternative things to try like the slower 15fps electronic shutter using the shutter noise setting on low. Great work thanks very much.
Thanks Colin, my pleasure, yes, the noise is much louder than the R5/R6, not sure why. It might pay to give the 15fps electronic a go on some sport before an important game to check the rolling shutter, it might warp the ball a bit much. Good luck, Cheers, Duade
I'm a total beginner and just starting to research on which hybrid camera I should buy. This was hands down the best camera review I've ever seen. The way every aspect and feature of the camera or of photography in general was explained was excellent. Thank you for making this beautiful and incredibly informative video.
Thanks Parth, it is my pleasure, good luck with the research, Cheers, Duade
Nikon z6 ii
A must-see video for anyone considering buying this camera. Very well done.
Thanks, Duade: A phenomenal review, and I appreciate your effort and enthusiasm :). I loved it when you were distracted by the Kingfisher, a moment of pure joy! I purchased he R7 earlier this month (with the RF 18 -150mm kit lens and RF 100-500mm zoom), and I've been trying to systematically compare it with my M6 II with the EOS-M 18-150 mm and adapted EF lenses. The M6 II is essentially the mirrorless version of the 90D, with a 32 MP sensor, 15/30 fps mechanical/electronic, and flawless performance with Canon's EF to M adaptor. Since the M6 II lacks IBIS and bird eye tracking, I'm blown away by the improvement in overall "R7 experience", especially for birding. While I'm finding the dynamic range and low light performance of the 2 sensors to be similar, I'm enjoying the benefits of IBIS. This is particularly important to me, since I've got a progressive tremor. Nevertheless, I'd give the IBIS the benefit of 3-4 stops. But I haven't done the comparison at 1/40s as you've done; with my tremor, I was thrilled to get to 1/60s! I agree with your advice on the excellent 100-500 mm zoom, especially for birders. Given the hefty price-tag, I definitely hesitated, but I think it's worth every penny. Fortunately, I was also able to take advantage of a large Canadian photo chain's pre-Black Friday sale, which saw them selling at a 20% discount :). As for the buffer limitations, I'm not so bothered, since I don't have the R3 or R5 to compare!
Again, thanks for pulling all this information together as thoroughly as you've done.
Thanks for the lovely comment and congrats on the R7 and 100-500 a wonderful combo for sure and makes birding a lot of fun. Happy birding, Cheers, Duade
Awesome review. Haven’t been shooting in 10 years. Bought the R7 an I’ve been using it with the RF 100-400 lens now for a couple of months. Still a lot to learn but I get really great bird pics. The other enthusiasts in my area with bit older, far more expensive and heavier gears are so “jealous” 😂. On bigger screens I find that noise issue so maybe I shold test those denoise softwares…. Ligtroom is not that good at it. Thanks for your great reviews.
DxO Pureraw is amazing but you dont have much control. Its a one button denoise. If it doesnt work well on all areas of your image for some reason you can use photoshop to blend between the raw and denoised image. So far I havent had to do that though.
It certainly helps my confidence using higher iso numbers. Great thing is that you can try it for free for a limited time.
I picked up my R7 on Friday and hopefully I'll have the 100-400 by Wednesday or Thursday!. I've moved over from the D500 which is an amazing body but the lighter weight, tracking AF and the 32mp sensor won me over, dual SD helped as well. I only tend to shoot shirt bursts so the buffer isn't an issue.
Definitely interested in seeing how the Tamron 150-600g2 performs on the R7.
Are you happy with the r7 and 100 400 from the d500 since you've owned them? Chèers
Great review, as allways. One little hint: I have the Preburst mode on the M-Fn button. Then I can continue to look through the viewfinder with pressing two additional buttons. Works for me.
Thanks for that, yes, that is quicker, still annoying to have to have multiple button presses and use the menu, a single on/off would be so much quicker. Cheers, Duade
I have view many review in the last 2 year on the R7 and still think this is the best one ( alaska also have a great one) its the 3rd time i viewed this video and still u are making me understand my camera better and know what the great and not so great issue. Thank you
Thanks for the feedback Alain, great to hear. Cheers, Duade
As a long time viewer of your videos and enjoying each one I see a point coming which I am at a crossroads with. As a Canon dslr user with no plans to switch to the mirrorless system, I find your review videos while informative, completely irrelevant to my gear. This is no fault of yours, you provide what the majority of your viewers want to see. That's just good business. Hopefully the number of your outing videos will still be enough to allow me to enjoy your beautiful country and its wildlife and landscapes.
Good Shooting and stay safe!
Thanks Guy, yes, it is tricky, I hope you enjoyed my recent two videos on DSLRs, but as you mention mirrorless is where the interest is. I plan on getting out and doing a few in field videos now. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade, always love your content.
My pleasure, Cheers, Duade
thanks Duade.. I changed from my 90D to an R7.. im pretty happy with it so far, its a learning curve and I've taken a n interest in bird photography.. inspired by your videos! im learning but loving it.
That is wonderful to hear Mike, congrats and have fun, Cheers, Duade 👍
How do you find the size of the R7 compared to the 90.
@@mikeholt7087 it was a seamless transition for me, the R7 and the rf lenses that I bought (100-400mm and 600 f11) work well together. Once you get used to the new layout it becomes second nature even though it’s a bit smaller than the 90D, I recently sold the R7 and bought a used R5 which is slightly bigger, but probably still smaller than the 90D.
@@mikeyphoto48 Cheers.
Probably the best review I’ve seen on any camera. If I were trying to decide on the R7, this would have really helped. It looks like you put in a ton of effort and time on this, and it shows. Well done!
Thanks Mark, I really appreciate it, yes I spent quite a bit of time on it for sure. Cheers, Duade 👍
Thank you for this video and your channel! I really enjoy your videos. Your videos and reviews helped me decided on the R7 and the RF 100-400 lens. I have had both for a few weeks now and I am enjoying both. I went from a Powershot SX540 to the R7 so it was big learning curve, but your videos and others on UA-cam helped me get started and I continue to learn about the camera from your videos. I walk trails in parks and refuges and take photos so the weight is great. I have been shooting in manual mostly with 15 fps and in mechanical. Will try the 1st shutter option. I have learned I can silence the noise while on mechanical. Not sure if there is downside to that. Have been enjoying the 100-400 but would like a little more reach at times. Thinking of getting a rf 800 for spots where the birds are just further. Thanks again for your videos!
Thanks for the feedback Ben, congrats on the camera and lens, a great little combo for sure. The 800 is an interesting lens, a lot of reach to be sure for those times the 100-400 is a little short. You do lose some of the AF coverage and 6m MFD means up close is difficult but if you know the subject is a way off its great. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for taking the time to make this excellent video. I bought the R7 and I really enjoy shooting with it however for me it's the RF100-400 that really makes me smile. I tried the OM-1 and the Olympus 100-400 but it didn't feel right. Too front heavy in hand. Also I can often crop the 32mpx to 4K and with the noise reduction in ON1 software the images look great on my Sony 4k TV.
I shot for many years with a Nikon D500 and the pf 300mm with 1.4X teleconverter and I loved that setup and I tried the Nikon Z6 but the auto focus on the D500 blew it away. For wildlife I just have always enjoyed apc for getting that extra reach. I would gladly pay $2500 for a PRO R7. I would have stayed with Nikon if they had come out with a PRO apc along with the Z9. Thanks again
for your spot on insight into this apc camera.
Thanks Bob, yes that extra reach is nice for sure. I am hoping Nikon make a great D500 mirrorless and the upcoming 200-600. Cheers, Duade 👍
I, too, tried the OM-1 with 100-400 coming from the 7D 100-400. OM just didn’t feel right, didn’t like the evf, but liked the low weight for travel and weight. May go for R7 after Duane’s review and perhaps the 100-400 for travel and if I can swing it, the 100-500 for home.
I just got the R8, I feel relieved when it came out that I didn’t get this R7 Crop.
Thanks Duade, very comprehensive review. on the R7 , plenty to think about🙂
Thanks John, glad it was helpful, Cheers, Duade
Such a great and informative video! I currently own a R7 . I upgraded from the 90 and kept it as my backup. I have to say the R7 is dream camera for someone on a 1500 dollar budget. Thanks again for the great content.
Thanks, it is my pleasure, Cheers, Duade
Someone in another R7 said there is a way to use 3 dials by reprogramming it in the settings though.
"Recent discovery - you can have three control dials active at once in the R7's Manual mode to control aperture, shutter speed and ISO simultaneously with the histogram live all the time. Here's how:
This setup relies on using the control ring on the lens as the third control dial, so on lenses like the R7's kit lens that use the control ring for focusing, you sacrifice manual focusing, but with lenses that have separate focus and control rings there's no sacrifice. That's any EF or EF-S lens with the EF to R Control Ring adapter, and any RF lens with both focus and control rings - like my Canon RF 100-400mm lens.
(Actually, other than the two RF-S kit lenses this isn't a problem, since most RF lenses have both rings, and the five that have only one have a switch on the lens to switch its use between Manual Focus and Control Ring.)
To set this up, go to page 6 of the AF tab in the settings screen and set the Focus/Control ring to Control rather than the default Focus setting.
Then go to page 3 of the Camera tab and in Customize Dials you set the three dials up however you like. Since I used a pre-EOS Canon FT-QL for nearly forty years before going digital, and thus I'm used to having an aperture ring on the lens, I set the Control ring on the lens to AV. Since I'm used to setting the shutter speed on the top of the camera, I set the Main Dial to TV, and I put ISO control on the Quick Control Ring around the joystick next to the viewfinder. (Film cameras changed the ISO by changing the film you were using!)
But you can assign those three functions between those three dials however you like.
PS If you frequently want to focus manually with a lens that has only one ring, you can set one of your Custom Settings up to use the Control Ring on the lens for focusing and use the other two control dials however you prefer."
Thanks for sharing the info, I do use the control ring on RF lenses but many people are still using EF lenses which do not have a control ring hence the two control dial issue. But you can get around it using FV mode also. It is not a major issue just it would not have been that hard to add a third dial for manual shooters. Cheers, Duade
WOW ! This is the best camera review video I've seen!
I have had the R7 for a month or so now coming from a 7dmarkii.
It's a huge jump up. Auto focus and image quality is brilliant and that's what ef lens. Would recommend it to anyone.
( my only small issue wud be I wish it had better weather sealing etc) but for the price point I can't belive how good the auto focus is. All my images are soo much sharper compared to using the 7dmarkii. Great video .
Thank you for this comprehensive review. Other reviewers don't invest this much time in using the camera when doing their research.
I'm only 6 minutes in and already I know this review of the R7 is going to be good! You've already pointed out the problem with the new layout for people (including me!) who are left-eye dominant. First review I've seen that's mentioned that - and it is a flaw in the camera layout. I've learned to live with it over time though. Also, you've mentioned Fv mode - and I agree with the person who recommended it to you. It's a very handy mode. Like a lot of people, at first I though it was a bit of a gimmick but actually when you start getting used to using it, it's good. Once you get familiar with using Fv, it's often faster than using the lens control ring as a third wheel. A third wheel on the body would have been nicer because that would allow us to use Manual mode more easily, but given the choice of using the lens ring or Fv, I find myself going with Fv most of the time when I'm handholding. On a tripod, I'm happy to use the lens control ring and Manual mode though, because the ring is easier to use when the camera is on a support.
Thanks for the comment Mike, it appears there are a few of us left eye dominant shooters. Yes, FV is useful for sure. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I don't come across that many left eye dominant people to be honest. It's definitely a drawback for some things though - like photographing birds in flight with a long lens. I struggle to get "on" the bird a lot of the time because I can't use my other eye for peripheral vision and at 600 or 840mm it's tough. Even worse if I'm using the R7! I'm considering getting a sighting scope (even a proper rifle scope) to help me because it drives me nuts sometimes - I'm at a definite disadvantage compared with right eye dominant shooters with their fancy "spare" eye 🙂
@@mikebrownhill4662 We might need to start a club lol, I don't know why I do it but that is what happens naturally for me. I am sure it has some benefit, well that is what I tell myself :-) Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade,
Another excellent review. Am about to take the plunge on the R7 with the RF 100-400. Looking forward the seeing the results.
Thank you and keep up the great work.
Congrats, I would love to hear how you go with it. Cheers, Duade 👍
Great informative video. I've gone from a Canon 1200D to the R7 and I couldn't be happier. Using the converter to utilise my EF L 100-400 & 100 L macro lenses. Got the RF 18-150 lens at the same time as buying the R7; it's just a kit lens but hopefully Canon will release an L version of it next year. I tend to still use my 1200D for creative flower macro photography as I get a better creative vibe from it, and the R7 for landscape and bird photography. The keeper rate on the R7 is wonderful. Thanks so much for this video Duade.
My pleasure Nerrel, congrats on the camera, Cheers, Duade
Excellent review Duade as always and I don't mind the long video's mate, Thanks.
That was awesome Duade, so much work producing this video. Being a 7Dmk2 owner this is the best upgrade for me. Starting full time work early next year so it is on my shopping list. Thank you for your passion.
Love your videos fellow left eye dominant shooter!
Excellent review. I bought my R7 more than year ago, got it on relise day and am more than happy. Using old EF 300 IS 2.8 and for me it is match made in heaven for this camera. For other use apart from wildlife I am using Sigma 18-35 f1.8 which is again perfect for this camera. Had heaps of photos I am proud with and looking forward to replace unforgettable Australian bird snapping experience with European wildlife photography next year when I plan to move for a retirement. Highly appreciate your videos, thank you! My Regards
Acquainted with this talented young wildlife photographer at 35:05 awhile ago. I'm not surprise if he & the rest of R7 users could be even better after watching this episode. Great, great video! cheers!
Hello Duade, will you be reviewing the RP or R in the near future? I'm sure some of us would love your style of reviews for these cameras. Thanks for your videos so far!
Thanks for the feedback, unfortunately I won't be reviewing those cameras as I don't have access to them. Cheers, Duade 👍
Thanks for the video and great coverage. My Canon 80D shutter died on me and the cost to repair as well as the parts being unavailable forced my hand and I upgraded to the R7.
I do a lot of sports photography as well as wildlife and am looking forward to taking it out tomorrow for its inaugural shoot. Looking forward to seeing the difference.
Good luck with it, it can take some getting used too changing from DSLR. Cheers, Duade 👍
It would be so nice if Canon released R7 II that adress all the issues of R7 just like they refined R6. Something without AA filter on a sensor, with faster readout speed, uncropped oversampled 4K60p, good looking FullHD 240p, better EVF, bigger buffer and R6II ergonomics.
Thanks, I totally agree, the R7 is good for its price but they could make a better ASPC body with more features at a higher price point. Cheers, Duade
Extremely useful video. Lucid to the core and easily helps one to make a decision. I like your honesty…I shake a lot… I think there’s too much info non buffering, keeping rate etc. Little more editing because unable to keep track. 80% of us beginners and mid pros will take your word for it as for the remaining 20% they already know just waiting to be pushed. Humungous effort and definitely worth watching . Keep them coming. JP - India.
Thanks JP, yes always a balance of what to include, I have a tendency to make the videos too long. Cheers, Duade 👍
You give the Best camera review I've see. Great Job!
I just a few days ago traded in a T6, 6D, and R8 to get a R7. Wanting to use it for wildlife, sports, and astro photography. I’m excited to see what it will do!
@Duade great video as usual. Just a note to confirm that you can program one of the button like the to switch the RAW Burst mode on and off. I have set it up and it is really practical.
Thanks, yes, you can and I should have mentioned that, as it is much faster. You still lose live view whilst turning it off which is annoying and waiting for the buffer is a real pain. Cheers, Duade
Awesome review! Thank you!
I have been watching your videos for a while now. I love that you are chilled out, not jump cutting all the time and that you got no noisy background music.
Now I am curios on how you set up your dual back button af om your r7🧐
Always interesting to see those for me totaly new bird species. I would love to travel to Australia in the future just for that.
Greetings from a German fan ;)
Thanks Duade ... Great research and clear explanations of your findings.
I had a budget of $7,500 only. To me the lens is often more important for IQ (and holds its value better) than the camera itself. I moved from Nikon Z6 and D500 with 200- 500 5.6 and 4 other lens, to the R7 with the RF 100-500, 50mm f1.8 and 18-150 kit lens,
I thought that I would later get the R6 (replacing the Z6) for landscapes, astro and portraits But the 24-105 f4 and 16 F2.8 will cost less than the R6 body and will do very well I think on the R7.
The R7's AF is so superior to my old Nikons. This, and the weight factor, are the key points in my change.
Thanks again Duade.
Robbey
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Robbey, congrats on the gear. The 24-105 f4 is a beautiful lens and I really like it for filming. Cheers, Duade
Awesome, comprehensive R7 review. Thank you. Has helped me make a decision.
Thanks for throwing this together, I bought this a few weeks ago after watching a lot of videos, yours included. Generally I'm pretty happy with it! Still waffling a bit on the APS-C vs. Full Frame so I might just need to get a full frame too for landscape and low light, but that's a problem for future me.
Great vid Duade actually learned a few things I wasn’t aware of on 👁focus and spot focusing, since the only R series I had was an RP I didn’t have any problems adjusting to button, joystick or wheel layouts and it’s second nature now, just picked up an EF 100-400 4.5-5.6 L ll USM and am looking forward to getting out with it. Keep up the great work really enjoyed the review. Looking forward to some specific vids on features of the R7 in the future.
Im also a RP owner and switched to the R7.
The 100-400 II is a great lens on the RP, but a AWESOME lens on the R7 for wildlife and video. Just the 400mm/640mm crop can get a bit short in some wildlife scenarios where i often prefer 4k60 crop video for about 1000mm effectively.
Great to hear George, it's a great lens. Cheers, Duade 👍
Duade Most comprehensive video I have seen on the R7, and it has confirmed I made the right decision upgrading from my Canon 90D with Sigma 150-600C to the R7 coupled to a 100-500. I have loved the new rig and I am finding my photography skills and photos are improving all the time.
Great to hear Andrew, when you think is what is possible with that kit with the weight it's incredible. Cheers, Duade 👍
How do you find the size compared to the 90D ? Thanks
@mikeholt7087 The R7 s a little smaller and lighter than the 90D, Most significantly. the RF100-500 is much lighter than the Sigma 150-600C and being a Canon L lens it is a brilliant though expensive lens, but a lens I will be using long after I eventually upgrade from the R7.
@@andrewkeir2282 Thanks. Unfortunately over where I am theirs not a camera shop selling them to go feel the size. Will be ordering in from UK
Thanks Duade 😊
Fantastic review!
What happened to your full review of the Canon R10?
You did a quick field test and at the end you promised a full review but I cannot find it. Have I missed it?
If you are no longer going to do a full review, can I just ask is there a difference between the R7 and R10 in AF capability? I do not need the other features of the R7 but reliability of the AF is very important.
Thank you 😊
PS Merry Christmas 🎄
Yes, good pick up, If I am being brutally honest I just couldn't get the camera to work for me, it was just too small and I had some AF inconsistencies which I am unsure if it was me or the camera. The R7 is just a far better camera for my usage. Its possible the camera I got wasn't quite right but it did not perform as well as my other cameras. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade thank you ☺️
Canon is well known, just like Apple, to purposely reduce the effectiveness of their cheaper products so there is a good chance that the AF has been slightly reduced compared to the R7. It is sad though because all I need is the AF of the R7, not the other extra features. It is not a huge price difference but $600 is still $600!
Thank you for your outstanding reviews and tutorials Duade.
Great review, probably the first review adressing that much about the R7.
Also great photos from you again and ofc the viewers.
The review is not very video centric, but the video part is anyways so complex... HDR PQ, clog or just very noiseless regular 8 Bit?! In my testing it all depends on the ISO and aviable light you are targeting when it comes to noise in the video, at low light 8bit regular video is king, in mediocre light hdr pq. If you are at base ISO, so pretty much good light you can get away with a not as noisy clog3 as well.
Another issue.... do you want nice stuff to color grade, good "out of the box" 10 bit ("HDR") or ressource and battery saving 8 bit recording?
Im still struggling which video mode is the best yet as allrounder/custom setting for my wildlife needs, especially at good light 4k60 crop and clog3 like this even my 70-200 gets a reach monster, at mediocre light probably 1080p120 with a proper tele lens and HDR PQ
Thanks , I don't know much about video, lots of options is a good thing though. Cheers, Duade 👍
Thanks for the great video. I'm going to head down to my local camera shop tomorrow to check out an r7 in person
Watch a lot of wildlife camera videos and notice you pros shoot at some low SP's. I 've been going by the rule 1/FL=SP. Am using an EF 100-400ii on an R7 and typically am at 1/640 and above. Today was out on a very gloomy overcast day. I tried lowering my SP for a lower ISO and was very happy. I got some very nice shots at 1/200 SP. Makes a crop sensor much more useable in low light. If ever get that RF 100-500 maybe even better 👍
Thanks, I do try to keep the SS high but in very low light we often don't have any other option. If you shoot in bursts you should still get a number of sharp shots. Great to hear you were able to get some nice ones. Cheers, Duade 👍
Excellent review. I have been using the R7 and RF 100-500mm for 2 weeks now. Before this, I had been using Canon’s 60D and 80D with the Sigma 150-600mm lens as well as Canon’s 300mm f4 with extenders. 90% of my photography are birds, and other wildlife. I waited over a year for a good, crop-sensor mirrorless camera. I did not want a full frame camera because I didn’t want to shoot 17MPs with an R5. I accept all the limitations of the R7. Will the R5 give better results? Sometimes. Like when you’re lucky enough to have your subject very close. But, by my reckoning most wildlife photographers more often than not, want greater reach. In that respect, along with the 1.6 crop-sensor, the R7 has every other specification I was looking for before it was introduced. Why did I wait this long? I wanted to see if Sony upgraded the a6600. I gave up waiting.
What an amazing review! Watched it till the end and decided to purchase the Canon R7 as an upgrade to my old but trusty Rebel SL1. Of course I'll need an adaptor to fit my older Canon and Sigma lenses. I had been struggling for many months as to what model of Canon to buy. Had I not seen this upload, I may have made the wrong purchase. You have always given top notch information on your channel and it is greatly appreciated. Cheers from Canada!
Thanks Claire, it is my pleasure, good luck with the camera when it arrives. Cheers, Duade 👍
Thank you, very much! Enjoyed the video very much, came out knowing a lot more about R7, I am crawling towards R6-MII. Merry Christmas and happy new year!
A very good video Duade, great video packed with lots of info.
I am a 7Dii owner who upgraded from 7D, from 450D and my 7D seemed like a massive jump from 450D. The 7Dii is a great camera,..for its price and that is the key variable with the R7 !
In the UK I have ordered ( I say ordered because I still have not received it from placing order on 30th June 2022 ) the R7 at £1,349 with free adapter ( worth £199 ) and that is the selling point. The AF at this price point is the big motivation for buying the R7 along with the longer reach compared FF, and while wait for my R7 I have a Sony A6600 mated to canon L glass like my 70-300L IS USM via sigma MC-11,and it works reasonably well considering. The eye AF is great though only on 2/3 of the screen from the centre, again to be expected considering to different manufacturers.
With the R7 I am hoping that using canon L glass will be a winning combination and my keeper rate should greatly increase.
Of course I would have liked a better sensor with faster read out, better weather sealing, a very bigger buffer, and 2 digi X processors just like the 7Dii. I also believe the R7 is more of a hybrid 90D and 7Dii wrapped up in mirrorless body !
The other selling feature is the crop factor reach over a FF as you can use less expensive glass, ie 100-400L mkii instead of 600L f4 !
Sorry to hear about the delay in getting the R7, that is shocking, hopefully the wait will be worth it. Cheers, Duade
Hi yes I think I will rent one. "blowing up" the tiny or flying birds on the r6 - most of the images are crummy and my hit rate is low. So I'm trying to figure an alternative - as we have discussed - there are no canon lenses or alternate lenses that can get me closer. I'm using the hefty sigma with a converter now, but birds like bluebirds and other smaller guys I just get a blob.
Have fun with it Bianca, it is a great camera for the price and works well in good light, it just has a few issues with rolling shutter and in low light conditions. Cheers, Duade
Fantastic review and thank you for covering so many details.
Hi Romel, my pleasure, Cheers, Duade