Recently watched a UK channel talking about this very thing ('Wildlife Photographer UK' Ashley Barnard). He took the lens hood off and the heat haze was gone from his images. The distortion was from the different temperature in the hood to the outside cold. Thought I'd just share this with you Duade.
I feel your frustration man. It's something I've talked about in almost every wildlife video I make. Physics is Not your friend, lol. And I've been a physicist for over 20 years now. The more atmosphere you shoot through, the worse your image quality will degrade. Heat haze/atmospheric distortion can happen anywhere, anytime, at any temp, and any elevation if the conditions are right and it will absolutely wreck your images no matter how fancy your gear.
Thank you for this video. I recently bought the RF 200-800 and took it out on my R5 on our first cold morning. Here on the SE Texas coast, it was clear, bright, and 48 degrees f, but the water was warm. Nearly all of my shots were soft. After two months of tack sharp images with this lens I was ready to send it to Canon. I remembered of your video too late, at home. The refuge was so full of birds so I shot a LOT. Later in the day I got a few sharp shots but wow, 3300 shots and less than 20% even worth looking at. You stay so spot on with modern photography that I tell many folks about this channel. Thank you!!!
Steve Perry has an excellent video on haze caused by the lens hood as well. If you don’t let your gear acclimate to the outside temp for about 10-15 minutes when there are big swings you can actually have a temp difference right in front of the glass. Worth checking out and it’s a great explanation
For those of us in cold climates (like northern Canada), it's especially good on how warm air gets trapped in the lens hood. The link for Steve's video is ua-cam.com/video/B42nXgYUwyo/v-deo.htmlsi=AKY-pSLQcQ8Lj3Qe
Steve’s video is very insightful. I learned to keep the car heater off, open the passenger window and shutoff the vehicle as soon as I arrive at a shoot, especially if shooting from the vehicle. Anytime you have a temperature differential you are risking heat haze, especially with long telephotos.
A lot of people are quick to blame heat haze but unfortunately I think part of the issue is the lens coating and only 3 elements are UD. This may also explain the issue some have encountered with highlight bleed and white birds looking rather hazy especially when using an APS-C body. I'd like to see a comparison how this lens stacks up to the RF 800mm f11, 100-500mm with 1.4x and the Sigma and Tamron 150-600mm in this regard. I'm guessing it might perform better than the 800 f11 but is on a similar level to the Sigma and Tamron (I had the G2 which was rather hazy in some situations until you stop down to f9, but going to f11 diffraction kicks in). Pangolin Photo Safaris has a review of this lens with a sample comparison with the 800 f5.6 and it's clear that the latter handles heat haze much better. 60X spotting scopes can also handle heat haze quite well, at least for viewing with the human eye but I find that digiscoping is a struggle due to the alignment and fighting between the autofocus of the smartphone and the manual focus of the scope.
These honest videos are absolutely great... Someone like me who is on a budget, these videos are very important so I can really make a decision on where my money goes without just looking at specs on paper
Heat haze affects any camera's images, as shown in the video (Jan's R5 images were soft too, due to heat haze). So the specs really didn't come into it. If you mean poor noise/IQ when underexposing in low light with an APS-C camera, that will happen on all APS-C cameras. Even the cheapest FF Canon RP is vastly superior in this regard.
@@cooloox which is good to know when someone buys this lens and thinks they may have wasted their money when they havent... As I said these videos are very important for people like me who are on a budget and don't want to rely on specs on paper, I want real world information
As well as wildlife I do quite a lot of aviation photography and heat haze is a real problem when trying to shoot aircraft landing or taking off. A case in point is when I was on holiday in Australia last September, I visited the observation area for Perth Airport and the heat haze was so bad O could only shoot aircraft as they took off and where ate least 50 metres up. I was using an R6 with the RF 100-500mm
There can also be swirling heat currents inside your lens, softening your images. Most noticeable when first taking the lens out of a warm bag/car/house into a cooler outside environment. The bigger & longer the lens the more problematic this can be. Give a large lens 30 minutes to better equalize in temperature and you should see an improvement in image sharpness. This is on top of the environmental issue you discuss in the video. Hope that helps and love your vids!
Hi Duade, I believe the examples shown are not indicative of Thermal Fluctuation in the air (aka Heat Haze) but are demonstrating another limitation of this lens design (EDIT: see my reply below - as you may still be correct). And you can test this by zooming in and "scrolling" through any high-speed bursts to look for evidence... because those shots will demonstrate a rippling effect. The other thing to note with heat haze is that you won't get fleeing hints of a sharp subject at all... because those rippling thermal waves will produce a consistent shimmer that softens virtually every image at that distance at that location and time. I believe Canon themselves were discussing how this particular lens would benefit from newer FF bodies that could offer better ISO results than APS-C. Of course, everyone wants to use APS-C with a long lens for maximum reach and most are tempted to use a long lens on distant subject where the greater magnification and lower contrast results in greater loss of clarity in SOME instances. If you run over your prior bursts, I think you'll find that this is a failure for the lens to focus due to contrast issues and an inability to keep up with an APS-C sensor's additional magnification... and is not from thermal fluctuation. As the light changes and more contrast occurs, you should see an improvement. Looking at the aperture and unique design of this new lens, the cause is most likely to do with lens contrast influencing the ability for the Eye-Detect AF to remain locked onto the subject. This type of issue is why Canon installed tiny microprocessors inside their EF and RF Lens Extenders to slow down the AF of the lens used. This is done to account for any difference in contrast that would otherwise impact AF reliability. The 2x Extenders are programmed to slow down AF by 75% compared to the 1.4x Extenders... that that's due to the effect that magnification of distant subjects (combined with associated contrast) affects AF accuracy. This new lens unfortunately will have considerable limitations imposed on it due to the specifications, AF failure (under certain circumstances) is a likelihood. This is why other people have experienced the same problems with the new 200-800mm lens when using APS-C.
Thanks for sharing your insights, very interesting. I think the light and contrast do play a massive role in the performance of the AF on the R7. The Swamphen later in the morning was very good due to the light etc. All my morning shots were soft, not a single sharp shot from hundreds of photos which I believe was due to the heat haze but the AF performance no doubt struggles with both heat haze and the reasons you mention re contrast etc. Cheers, Duade
Hi @@Duade - I was discussing the subject of your video with other photographers online who often use long lenses for birding/sports ....and they generally agreed with you. They felt that thermal fluctuation in the air was a very likely explanation for your set of soft images. especially in the morning when shooting over water. I'm sort of on the fence now and have been encouraged to keep an eye on this subject in relation to this specific lens. You may still be correct with your suggestion that heat shimmer was affecting the results. The one image that made me look twice was the profile shot of a duck in silhouette that can be seen at 3:34 on your video. I noticed that one of the insects near the duck's back appeared to be in focus though was not near the head where I imagine the AF would be targeting. I would have expected the entire scene to be soft, including all the bugs in the air that were close to the subject. The sharp(er) insect in that shot suggested to me that the AF was being defeated rather than a uniform softening of the image. And we also saw how the AF reticule was losing traction with the subjects repeatedly in your live video footage. Again, I'm sort of on the fence on this because it's something I don't tend to encounter often, though I have had the occasional soft subject when shooting over distances in the Australian sun - especially over rocks or a hot car-park or even water. With its price range, I would expect to see it embraced by plenty of novice photographers so there's going to be a lot of people showing interest in your video. Again, many thanks for your informative video!
Yes I get heat distortion fairly frequently, when shooting early mornings at the beach or any kind of water. It’s not all the time but certainly happens when I have a really nice shot otherwise. And that’s with the r7 and the 100-400, it happened so much at first I thought the lens or the camera body was defective but the sharp pics are really sharp, and after experimenting I figured out I what it was. There’s a few national wildlife refuges that have wildlife drives where you’re prohibited from getting out of your car, so I’ll stretch that rule in certain cases by turning the car completely off, and leaning halfway out of my window haha.
OMG! Fantastic insight! I can think of a dozen or so times I was unable to get sharp images without any thought of heat haze (or any visible shimmer) but from what you've shared with us I can now see that's what it was! I am now signing up for membership :)
I live in Spain and this happens to me all the time, specially when photographing over water surfaces. The APSC format makes you try longer distances, which compounds the problem. You just have to be aware of it and try to be closer and avoid certain situations or times of day. Very tricky!
Hello from the United States; I share heat haze/distortion with our workshop attendees as most are unaware of this condition and often blame the gear. Lens hoods can cause this distortion, too. The air temperature inside the lens hood is different from the atmosphere. The only time I use a lens hood is for side light situations. Also, the more magnification, the more prominent the heat haze, and the higher the resolution of the image sensor, you will see this distortion. This happens in extreme cold, too. I've been reviewing this lens with the EOS R5 & EOS R3
As an Aussie I find heat shimmer as I prefer to call it very frequent and it's often worse over water. I have never been able to take a sharp shot of a large ship at sea in my life due to heat shimmer. The other place I have extreme trouble with heat shimmer is at airshows. I Once took 2000 shots at an airshow and only got about 100 usable shots, 1900 were ruined by heat shimmer plus the hot exhausts of jets.
I've experienced this in cold temperatures and warm temperatures, in cold temps, removing your lens hood helps and it's also equally important to let your lens adjust to the temp outside.
hey duade, your description of how heat haze is produced is pretty much spot on. Air acts no different to a fluid. Hot air is less dense than cold air and therefore rises, not mix with the cold air. light will behave differently through different air densities in that it will distort or bend the light ever so slightly as we see on hot days. The higher the focal length, the more pronounced this will appear. Its a big issue for large telescopes and observatories, hence why some observatories are located on a tall mountain (mauna loa in hawaii comes to mind) because the heat haze or any form of mirage is greatly reduced from the thinner air. I work in environmental and do alot of field work in the west australian goldfields and pilbara but i also get an opportunity to take photos for work. it gets bloody hot there (30-40+) and so photographing a target is impossible at 30 meters and above. the only way to lessen is to get as close to the target as possible so light has less distance to travel and lower the focal range. bit tricky but patience pays off eventually
Brilliant topic. I think the term heat haze is misleading because as you point you, it is heat difference, air disturbance. I do a lot of my photography on a large peatland, and the atmospheric disturbance is terrible at times. I''ve had similar problems over water. These problems even occur when it is freezing, but usually when there is direct sun. I've suddenly thought, there's something wrong with my AF, my lens, shutter shock or whatever. I think the most reliable guide is to look for the plane of focus elsewhere in the image. It's clear with that Coot on your photo, where the vegetation on the sharpest plane of focus, is also fuzzy. If you see, some sharp detail on the plane of focus, elsewhere, your focus is off. On the same peatland site I mention, you will get sharp photos of flying birds at the same time you can't get anything sharp on the ground. I've still to decide whether the 100-500 or 200-800mm to go with my R7, as I'm still using the 100-400mm mkII.
Interesting. I’ve had the same issue with heat haze in the UK. At RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk I got lots of soft images of birds on warm mornings with the R7 and RF 100-500mm lens. I’ve also noticed that the issue of inconsistent eye autofocus with the R7 and 100-500 is not a problem with my recently acquired EF500mm f/4 lens. It locks on the eye quickly and stays there.
Anything over 600mm effective focal length will exacerbate the scenario. In Africa on safari the advice I got all the time was keep it below 600mm. It’s incredible how close the animals come toward you and with my 3 months in Africa back in 2014 my 100-400 and 7DMKII combo worked great as the efl is 640 but didn’t often need it unless it was for small birds. Loads of info on the internet about 600+ and heat haze and this new generation of lenses all have the same issue
Is the heater haze problem specific to the new lenses? Or do you mean: now we can afford 600+mm lenses it is getting obvious. While testing my Sigma 150-600 back than 2016 on a crop camera EOS 50D on a sunny day in cornfields I almost gave up: I thought the lens is garbage. Later I realized it’s actually heat haze ☺️
Hi Duade, I live in Kazakhstan and when I go out in the steppe, heat haze is the bane of my existence!! It was cathartic to hear you discuss it. I try to get shots before the sun starts heating up the ground. It's hot and dry here like in much of Australia (I think...have only been to Sydney :-)
I'm not a wildlife photographer but I am a planespotter. Heat haze can be a big issue when photographing aircraft moving on the ground as the tarmac heats up on the ground on a hot day, has ruined a fair few of my shots!
Heat haze happens late in summer for me, same as you said, when temperatures change between night and day, typically and unfortunately when the lights gets at its best. There is one more thing and thats focal length, going "too long" in also not good, because you can get that haze or air shiver more often because of that. So I think 500-600 is sweet spot for full frame. Thank you for video :)
I shoot with the R5 and RF 100-500 combo and I have experienced this on a few wildlife shoots. Like you, I was shooting early morning in a wet environment. I could not sort out the root cause and it left me pretty frustrated. After each failed shoot, I would set up in the backyard and try to make sense of what was happening. I had presumed that I had somehow made adjustments in setting unintentionally. Thanks for this video. I will be more careful about the weather conditions when I head.
heat haze Duade is the story of my life, i go to the desert and larks, buntings and babblers are all over me, but all shots and way less than what i get in my garden shots, so i learnt to hold my camera until one lark or something decide to come close about 5 meters or less then i take shots. yes if you stay quite birds will come to you even if you don't use camouflage. and yes car shots during summer time all bad specially if the bird far. thank sa million for answering all my questions about the problem. i live in Jeddah on the Red sea.
06:44 This is very common in cold climates shooting from a vehicle. I leave my heater off, open all windows, and pay attention to the wind to avoid engine heat blowing toward the window I'm shooting out of. It can also be caused by a warm lens/hood, so letting the camera acclimate also helps. However, vapor condenses on cold, hard surfaces, so a cold lens is more vulnerable to fogging up. Avoid fogging by keeping the camera/lens covered or wrapped while moving indoors to let the camera warm up without being exposed to drastically warmer, more humid air. Great video, thanks for sharing--I think I learn more from seeing what doesn't work than seeing everything function ideally.
Hi Duade, greetings from South Africa . I really enjoy your channel. We experience heat haze in the Kgalagadi (Kalahari desert) South Africa all time. And something we get often - just like you Aussies. After 9am in Summer it is insane as it is often 30 deg C by then... Someone once told us to just keep the shutter button down and pray and maybe one will get through between the waves... not often, but sometimes... We actually just stop shooting anything further away that cannot fill the frame , besides record shots after 9am. light is gone anyway. I look forward to trying the lens hood trick..... To your point about APS-c and Zoom...back in 2017 we got 7dmk2 and 100-400 because they were supposedly the best Wildlife combo...Had amazing sightings and rubbish shots. All soft in mild conditions. Traded them in for 5D4 immediately. Massive improvement and have stayed Full Frame since then. also learned that for somewhere like Masaai Mara , where one goes to the animals...it would have been fine, But in kgalagadi , where on emust remain on roads and spends all the time shooting at max focal length, it was less than ideal ... Someone else we know got amazing Lion kill shots (sold to BBC) and swears by 7d2 and R7, but he puts them on a 500 f4. I firmly believe that the best combo I had ever shot with was the 1DXmk2 and the EF100-400... They were made for each other... So the rule we use is: never put a zoom on a crop if you want decent SHARP shots, unless you fill the frame and have enough speed and no haze. prime on Crop and Zoom on Full frame... best remains prime on full frame. This is just our lived experience, though the 100-500 on an R5 and the new lensblur slider are becoming ever more compelling. We judge a lot of wildlife/bird pics at club and salon level and the zoom lens on APS-C images are obvious after a while. and R7 will never give the R5 quality... Sadly - with birds and wildlife for competition - Gear matters!! the Big glass and top end bodies will always win the day. all the big competitions publish the camera and lens details... Almost always high end gear...
Great video, Duade. Last fall (northern hemisphere), I would regularly go to a sunflower field at sunrise to photograph northern harriers hunting. A couple of hours after sunrise, flocks of small songbirds would descend upon the field to dine on any remaining sunflower seeds. If the harriers were hunting elsewhere, I'd photograph the songbirds. But there were several mornings when the heat differential between the ground and the air was enough make the air at ground level unstable. If the songbirds were any more distant than 3-4 meters, I couldn't get sharp images shooting through the disturbed air. If there's no wind to help carry away the ground-level heat and equalize the temperature differential, it can be especially bad.
Thanks. I wouldn't have expected the haze then either. I have encountered it frequently on sand at the beach. Often the salt spray makes shots a mess as well. Sometimes above water in marshes too. All of which is why a lens this long isn't on my wish list.
I am very much a novice photographer and do not have the lens referred to in this video, but much of my comment relates to the subject - heat haze. Last year I was in the Kruger Park in South Africa and a friend remarked that many of his shots were soft, whereas mine appeared to be sharper. I noticed that he was taking shots across the bonnet of his car, and I suggested that the heat coming off the bonnet was causing "heat shimmer" and thus causing his shots to be of a poorer quality. Also, he was using a tripod affixed to his vehicle and while filming he had the car idling and this would also cause significant shake. In this video Duade also mentions exhaust fumes which is very interesting. I have also taken note of the lens hood issue - thanks.
Another great video. Thank you Duade. I have been taking photographs for 62 years. It is the experience of photography that matters to me. To have a, lovely, photo of a bird or animal I saw is what matters. Cheers Judith
I had the same experience when photographing in Pilansberg National Park. My 100-400 mkII suddenly started giving soft shots on my 80D. Switched to the 40D aka “the tank” - same problem. Contemplating a probable expensive repair to the lens I notice the heat shimmer on the dam where the Elephants were bathing and having a great time in the water. Quick test with the 100 Macro confirmed the heat haze. I was very relieved and everything returned to normal later in the afternoon when everything cooled down.
Doing quite a bit of aviation photography in the, this is a massive issue when shooting planes on the ground. Runways are notorious for getting hot very quickly and with jet exhausts, etc the whole thing can quickly turn into a hazy nightmare.
Hi Duade, definitely struck this problem in the early morning in Brisbane lately in swampy areas. Temperature around 25°C and relative humidity around 90%. Day temperatures in the low 30°‘s C means ground warmer early than air. So much for the golden hour. Better a few hours after sunrise. It makes you think of using these super long lenses these days when looking for reach as opposed to just filling the frame. The new OM 150-600 is 1200mm FFE, up to 2400mm FFE it’s a 2x TC. For me 800mm is about as much as you generally want to go unless really good conditions. It’s funny how we are talking about this with the heat of summer and our friends on the other side of the World have the same problem with the cold. I have noticed similar issues if shooting across a light coloured path into a grassed area swampy or not. The shimmer off a warm path can be really impactful even over a short distance.
Thanks for sharing Tony, many good points, yes, I suspect nearly everyone gets impacted by it at some point so I am happy the video has been well recieved and everyone is learning from each other. Cheers, Duade
Atmospheric haze is a common phenomenon in most places. The extra reach of super telephoto lenses just exacerbates the effect. Take the Hood off! @ 06:38 this is one scenario that can be affected by having a hood on. I realize that ‘joanhuggett’ has already posted a comment on this, but I am just reinforcing it, if you will. I have experienced this, and didnt fully understand it until I read about it from ‘Steve Perry,’ a noted and very talented Wildlife Photographer. I continue to be amazed by your Photography skills, and your knowledge of your subjects! Cheers! 👍
Hello Duade, thank you for sharing this! it's a common phenomenon here in France, especially when I'm in the middle of the water with my floating hide because in addition I'm at water level with my Canon R7 and my RF200-800! an example last week we are in winter here we had 8 to 10° in the morning quite early (in principle it is between -5 and 2 or 3°) the water was at 4 or 5 degrees...In very good weather time the force of the sun's rays quickly warms the surface of the water! It's difficult to get sharp photos in these conditions! A little tip: sometimes removing the sun hood allows you to regain sharpness because the hot air circulating inside it reinforces the problem! This also leads us to a form of humility whatever our equipment, it remains wild photography and fortunately we have no control over certain phenomena, certain disturbances! This is also the beauty of adventure -)
I was a surveyor before I retired and took up bird photography and I know about heat haze. It is worst in the morning. Even when it is very cold. As soon as the sun rose it was often impossible to sight a distant target with my theodolite telescope through the shimmer. But from about 3pm the atmosphere cleared and virtually no shimmer or heat haze. I would often work until sundown just to take advantage of the clear atmospheric conditions in late afternoon. I notice the same situation with my camera. Soft images in the early morning light.
I see the exact same thing in opposite weather conditions. Here along the U.S/Canada border we're in the middle of winter. Most of the lakes and ponds are frozen, but the larger, deeper lakes still have open water with lots of ducks. But when the water temperature is 0C/32F and the air temperature is -15C/5F, it produces an annoying amount of "heat" haze. It's funny to talk about heat haze when the landscape is covered in snow and ice, but it happens for the same reason as in summer!
Thanks for sharing, yes it appears whenever this variation in air temperature occurs so your explanation makes a lot of sense. Just something we need to be aware of I guess. Cheers, Duade
I live on a rather large lake in British Columbia, Canada, and also had a similar experience. While I was unsure why my pictures were soft then, I blamed myself. Using the Canon RF 800mm telelens on an R7 body but today after your video I understand why. We have sweltering summers here and yes the air temperatures vs the lake especially in the morning are similar to the conditions you have explained I find your segment to be very educational. Thank you, three thumbs up, Warner M
I had just purchased the EF600mm F4 from Japan to use with my R7 and R8. I took it out to the lake and took some shots of a blue heron that was less than 100 ft away I think. Every shot seemed to have some strange softness to it and I was so worried that I would have to return it all the way to japan! It turns out it was the atmosph😮eric haze and the lens is doing great now.
Great video on the effects of heat haze. Excellent sharing of experiences from viewers as well! Acclimatizing your gear is important. Steam fog occurs in the fall when water temperatures don't cool right away but air temperature does.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Duade! I am so glad that you have provided this video to show us that we / I am not the only one that can go out and not seem to get any sharp or otherwise great bird photos. I have been struggling at times with my R7 and R5 with the highly praised RF 100-500L lens and had similar results no matter how many various camera settings that I have tried based on many different "how to" videos on UA-cam. I will definitely not give up now knowing that heat haze can get us in surprising ways, and also great feedback from the comments supplied by your viewers about taking off the lens hood if there are difficulties in getting sharp photos. I have always used my lens hood, not only for sunny lens flare concerns, but also for general protection against lens damage due to knocks, minor drops, etc. Thanks again for your insightful and comforting videos.
No problem, it is likely an issue shooting from your car or over water etc if there is this variation in temperature. Lens hood is still an important tool to protect your glass but I will remove and reattach to make sure no hot air in hood if I have this issue again. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade, that's a very useful eye-opener 👍 I heard about it before, but your fellow youtubers never illustrate it as well as you do ;-) It makes sense loner focal lengths are more 'sensitive' to them, simple because they provide the power to shoot more distant birds which puts more disturbed air in between. Heat haze just accumulates over distance. In fact, I'd bet when shooting Garry the Galaa from 5m distance (say in your summer morning day with Garry sitting on the other side of a swimming pool) with the 800/9 or say a 100/2.8 macro, then the 100mm shot might even show more heat haze because Garry isn't framed as tight.
We have winter here in Denmark right now, so when I've driven maybe half an hour to get to my photo spot, it's hot in the cabin, so I turn off the heat in the car, roll down the windows on both sides before I'm completely forward, and am ready to shoot immediately, if I don't, heat haze occurs immediately. In the summer it is extremely rare that it occurs so long that I only photograph up to 3 hours after sunrise. The further the subject is away, the more heat haze
I run across this often here in Delaware, USA. The longer the focal length and narrower the field of view, the more exaggerated the effect. Sometimes even the lens hood contributes to the problem. It’s also present at any time of year, hot or cold. As you mentioned, whenever there is a good amount of difference between surface and air temperatures, the heat waves are present. I try to stay away from longer distances with subjects at or near ground level. On really bad days, I’ll concentrate on areas with more shade. Most importantly, on those days I keep reminding myself my gear is fine and the atmosphere is not. Great video on a topic that is mostly overlooked.
I’ve run into it twice. Once on the tundra outside of Nome, Alaska. I was photographing Bristle-thighed Curlews at first light and all the shots were soft from the haze just above the ground. The other time was photographing a Crested Caracara nest in the Sonoran Desert west of Tucson, Arizona. I was about 75 yards from the nest in a saguaro cactus and was getting sharp shots. But the male would often rest in a saguaro that was a couple hundred yards away and the heat haze made it impossible to get any sharp shots of him and his cactus. Video was even worse. Thanks for this video, it’s a good reminder to be aware of the possibility of the heat haze.
We were quite excited to go on a winter wildlife cruise here in the Boston Harbor. Temperature was a brisk 21F. I thought at first I just didn't have good enough practice shooting birds on the shore from a fast moving boat... but then I saw some of my captures of the lighthouse. So much mirage that the lighthouse looked like it was on an island floating in the air. All other images stationary objects had the tell-tale wavy lines - every straight line in the image wasn't motion blurred; it was the hazy wiggle of heat. The water temp must've been significantly warmer than the air. 4,500 images shot that day, not a single keeper. My only solace is that there was really nothing I could've done, other than put my camera back in my bag and enjoy the birds through my binoculars.
100%!!! Yep I to only discovered the affects of heat haze yesterday and finally solved the mystery as to why the sharpness with my EOS R and EF 28-300 combo has been hit and miss at times. My situation yesterday - I was shooting low to ground around a dam at midday and the conditions were warm and bright sun and to the naked eye everting looked nice and clear but I was struggling to get a sharp image and couldn’t understand why, so so frustrating! I have been doubting my equipment’s performance and in particular the sharpness of my lens. I persevered to improve focus by switching to manual focus and zoomed x10 to pinpoint the target and OMG on the screen I could now clearly see what was happening as my target was shimmering/dancing around causing the blur and the soft results . I then tried to experiment a little so I cranked up the shutter speed to 5000 and used auto iso and managed to get sharper and useable images. I love your work, very much appreciated 😊
The reason for the heat haze being more severe with longer focal ranges is because usually you are trying to capture something from much further away. The further away the subject, the further the light has to go to reach your sensor. That means the light passes through more of the heat haze. The same is true when taking photo's in a smoke filled room like a club. If you stand close to your subject with a wider lens, you will get less smoke in front of your subject. The further away the more hazy your image becomes.
Thanks for this video Duade, I had been mystified why some shots I took of a Wedgetailed Eagle feeding on the roadside in South Australia were so bad, the bird was soft and the dry grass background unbelievably messy. Now I know, heat haze! Keep up the good work!
I'am from germany and it happens all the time while taking wildlife photos out of the car....especially in winter. And it doesn't even matter if the car heater is turned of. It's pretty annoying....
Great video Duade 👍🏻 Here in the UK it's not as common, it happened to me about a month ago I was belly down in the sand near a beach and the air temp was around 6 degrees Celsius and of course, the sand mud and water were a lot hotter as the beach was sat in the afternoon sun. And I saw a Grey Herron and I got down and took so many shots and then I got home and all of them were really blurry and soft, at the time I didn't give this a thought but it's really frustrating especially when you don't know what's causing it. It can also be caused by the lens hood temp especially if you're shooting out a car door window etc.
Northern U.S. (Wisconsin) here. I have noticed this exact same thing as well while taking photos of birds at our local wildlife areas. This usually happens during the summer as our winters get quite cold and we don't notice heat haze as much during this time. I'm really loving these videos and am getting even more tempted to purchase this lens.
we have that problem here in the midwestern USA especially bad on sunny winter days when the sun heats the ground but the air above is still frigid cold. Unless you are able to get above the haze layer, there's really not a lot to do other than put the camera down and enjoy the scene being laid out before you.
Hi, thank you for this video! I immediately thought about heat haze with the first pic. That's something that I have to deal quite often in France. When that happens to you, try removing the lens hood and putting it back on to replace the trapped hot air from your bag / vehicle. It's hard to believe how good these buckets are at trapping hot air just in front of the lens. Of course, if the heat haze happens further away, between you and the subject, there's not much to do. The first time I noticed this in my photography, I was attemting to take shots just above a road that had time to heat up during the day. I didn't even know about heat haze before that, nor how destructive it can be for image quality.
Thank you for this video. I live in the desert, in the Southwest US, and I’ve experienced this a few times with the RF 100-500. I was stumped as to what was going on until now.
Another great video Duade! I for one really appreciate your honest and impartial stance when it comes to reviewing gear. Would you be able to get your hands on the recently released OM 150-600? I understand that it is a rebadge of the Sigma Sport DG DN 150-600. Would love to have it compared with something like the R7 and this new R200-800.
Hey there Duade, a very common problem here is Aus, it will give you a lot of grief around water in particular, shooting out of windows of cars and anywhere there will be difference from ground temp changes IE shooting from the shore over reeds then water... longer lenses will make it worse for sure, only way I have dealt with it is to get closer and use a shorter focal length
This reminds me when I first got my Canon 300mm F2.8LIS and the converters I was doing some experiments pixel peeping and seeing awful blur it was supposed to have been Canons sharpest lens. I did eventually figure it out after being devastated for all the money I had spent. It was UK winter freezing outside I was nice and warm inside with the conservatory door open shooting targets outside. I was relieved when I figured it out and went on to enjoy my lens for years even with the 2xII and 1.4xII. All I had to do was just go outside and it was all tack sharp from the garden.
This winter I was taking photos in -15 °C, also from 20 storey tower, at sunset, and heat haze was present anyway. So temperature changes per se also matter.
Duade, I had a situation like this recently in Kentucky, U.S. I was sitting near my bird/wildlife garden pond on a very cold winter day photographing birds coming in to the water. Air temperature was 7º F, or -14º C. The little pond has a heater in it that keeps the temperature around 34º F (~1º C) to prevent it from freezing over. I got some crazy heat haze on every single photo I tried to take of birds visiting the pond. Like you, I had always thought it would happen in the summer, but this time it happened on a very cold winter day!
Checking the weather is the first think I do, visibility changes a lot here in the Netherlands. Windspeed defines which birds show up as well. Heat haze not very common unless in summer when I hunt the snake eagle. Thx for sharing.
Hello! I’m so glad you talked about this. I just had this issue recently. I’m sure you’ve gotten a lot of great comments, but I thought I’d share my experiences. The first time I saw this was at the volcano in Iceland a couple of years ago. My shots of flowing lava looked pixelated or like an impressionist painting. I was pretty mystified because I’d seen plenty of good images. A photographer told me it was heat haze. I think it was because I was almost level with the lava and shooting across, but that’s just a theory. My other two experiences were actually in the cold. I was told about it being an issue in Svalbard, and some of my bokeh turned out very oddly even if the subject was okay. I also had a recent experience where it was 4 degrees Fahrenheit and I was shooting bald eagles over open water near a dam. Anything shot over or across the water was soft with that weird looking out of focus area. Overhead and near shots were okay. I had just one keeper somehow that was sharp over the water but the specular highlights were very strange. I believe it’s enhanced by the long lens. I didn’t know about the lens hood trick at the time. That’s worth a try. It is disappointing when you have good opportunities and they just aren’t usable!
Heat haze becomes more impactful with long end lenses and crop sensors. In addition the difference of the temperature of the lens and the environment has an impact. I have had focus issues withy 500 mm f4.0 type II lens in Africa, related to heat haze at all times of the day. I now put my camera and lenses outside 30 minutes before I start photographing and have less issues. Interesting enough in the cold of Yellowstone I have had focus issues in case my camera and lens came out of a warm bag as well.
Hey Duade, it would be interesting to see if standing shots also suffered as much as laying down at water level. Also, if a polarising filter would help clean the image up in such conditions. As other have mentioned, if the temperature of the lens hood played a part for near lens distortion. Maybe a follow up video testing all three options is in order 😁
A polarizing filter likely won't help any in the presence of air turbulence, unfortunately. You'll lose a full stop of exposure for no benefit. Bummer!
Hi Duade I've been doing digiscoping from 2500mm to 3500mm, and even 4000mm+. Heat haze is of course the n°1 enemy. I've had clear shots @300m though, with the help of the God of the Air (Osprey reproduction safety distance). It happens also with classic gear. Moon shot is a classic for heat haze and other air disturbances, and it's why you can never compare sharpness of lenses in that scenario. When you're not able to see the heat haze in the viewfinder you' can expect severe disappointment later...;)
I live in Emerald Central Queensland and heat haze is an issue fairly often especially if the bird is a far distance away. Though I do find even in 40 degree days that I can get sharp shots of Fairywrens and Golden-headed Cisticolas in long grass of about a foot or more high. I find it's more open areas with bare ground that's more the issue. I'm looking forward to your review Duade and thank you for sharing your experience with heat haze. It will definitely make more people aware of it.
Thanks for sharing, yes, I have struck it out west as well, I think you are right it is whenever a surface gets really hot/cold and that air temp difference. Cheers, Duade
Duade, This video is a gift for any wildlife photographer, who uses long lenses in diverse weather conditions. You may have prevented several 200-600mm photographers from thinking something was defective in their RF camera or the lens. Also, several of the contributors' comments added to some other ways to try and avoid the haze. Best of continued quality images to you and thanks for your programs.
That explains a lot. Here in northern USA I shoot often (in the winter) from my car. My R10 and RF600 almost always is soft. I switch to my Sigma 150-600 and problem goes away. I never really thought about the heat from the car causing the problem. In the summer, regardless of where I shoot, the R10 and RF600 combo works very well. Thanks Duade!
You make an important point, especially when shooting with a long lens on an APS-C camera. I use a Sigma 150-600C lens with many shots taken of distant objects at the 600mm end (or effectively 900mm on the APS-C body). It didn't take me long to realize that it was atmospheric conditions rather than the resolving ability of the lens which often had the largest role to play in final image sharpness.
I live in Florida, US and heat haze is a HUGE issue here. The key is to shoot closer and also at certain times of the day. Cloudy days are my favorite.
It's not 'heat haze', although I appreciate that this is the name that's been attached to it, and it's stuck, which is a shame because it's a misleading term. It's actually atmospheric differential refraction causing light rays to bend unpredictably and inconsistently in different directions, producing a shimmering effect. There is no 'haze' at all, just scattered light. It's caused not by heat as such, but by layers of differing temperature, each having a different refractive index, be they hot, warm, or cold, so not quite the same thing. The important issue is that the air temperature varies rapidly in a short distance, causing a lensing effect, bending the light. You are correct that in your case it's likely to have been caused by cold air lying on warm water, and ripples in this air produces the scattering. In your case it will have been exacerbated by the use of your ground pod, meaning that throughout the distance from the subject to the lens, the light was passing close to the surface, in the zone most likely to be affected, so it was wobbling all over the shop, but the images of flying birds, with light paths well away from the surface were OK. When I was training to be a surveyor, in the days before electronic measuring, using optical equipment, we were warned against this effect, not doing important stuff in the heat of a sunny day, for instance. Cloudy days are better. The other thing we were warned about was what were termed 'ground-grazing rays'. The air most affected is that closest to the ground, so we were told not to take shots that were too long, but also to avoid lines of sight that came within 2 feet (0.6m) of any intervening ground, moving the target to one side if possible, to get more clearance. The same applies in photography. The trouble is that in our case, most birds are shorter than two feet, but that knowledge can go some way towards helping avoid the shimmer. A couple of years ago in June, with my R5 plus 100-500 I was frustrated when I was sitting close to the ground with my camera and a rare red-necked stint, only feet away and in great light was as soft as hell. This was caused by a low lump in the ground on the edge of the salt marsh between where I was sitting and the bird. Fortunately a sudden thunder shower arrived to cool the ground and when it passed the shots were pin sharp. I was soaked, but I got the shots. I've just heard that my 200-800, ordered on the first day of the announcement on 2 November, is arriving tomorrow, so I'll be looking forward to trying to avoid the 'heat haze' for myself. I think that in northern England in winter, I shouldn't have too much trouble. :)
Seeing your samples of heat-haze-affected shots and knowing the struggles I encounter with my own I can see the similarities clearly. I live in Florida, USA and the weather here today was beautiful except for the temperature (~5C) in the early morning. Out of 400 images taken I quickly purged half due to focus issues and I had a lot of difficulty with finding the intended target. My go-to combo is the R5 with the RF 100-500, I occasionally switch to the RF800 f11but encounter so many soft shots I’m really discouraged a lot.
Hi Duade. Thanks for another great and informative video. Heat haze can be a problem even here in the UK (although not that often!) I was using my R5 and 100 - 500 lens to photograph some waders on the other side of a reasonably large expanse of water last September during a spell of really hot (for us) weather, well into the 30’s C. For a while I was convinced there was something wrong with my camera or lens - until it dawned on me and I googled heat haze effects. My images were just like the examples you showed in the video, except I won’t be showing mine to anyone! Of course the effect is worse the longer the lens and the further away the subject is, simply because there is more heat haze affected atmosphere between the subject and the lens. A lesson for us all, mind you the relief when I realised nothing wrong with my equipment was good. I’m pretty sure the problem would be just the same if you were using the Rf 800 f5.6 at 10 X the price. Thanks again. John
Thanks John and totally agree with your comment, sometimes you just have to pack up and try something else. I am just happy people might now have an explanation for why sometimes their images are soft. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for highlighting an important problem, especially with a long lens on a crop sensor. In northern Canada, morning temperatures of -20C are not unusual for most of the winter. As a result, I find that a lens hood creates a lot of haze as I move from inside the car, presumably because the hood traps warm air in front of the lens, where it can take a long time to equilibrate. Steve Perry has done some nice comparisons with and without a lens hood to illustrate the phenomenon. In addition, trying to lean on the car hood to stabilize the camera can create a lot of haze when the engine is warm. These may be more problematic in cold climates, but they're very real.
I live in Missouri in the USA and deal with this pretty often. Temps vary from wind chills in the -20 or -30s F and up to around 120 F in summer. We also have ozone pollution that is visible during dry spells. I live nearby the Mississippi River and actually do a majority of my photography in Illinois, and when I cross into Illinois the elevation is 30+ feet lower. It creates some absolutely insane fog conditions over the agricultural fields and a couple of local lakes. I assume that has something to do with the slightly lower elevation and the Mississippi being right there too.
I was aware of heat haze, but not on the level you explained and showed. My 180-600Z usually sharp tack, was really soft on some low-light shots, couldn't give it a reason. I don't use the hood but stuck a 120€ protection filter in front. Removed it, no more haze, and sharp shot even without the hood. You have to understand... as you did and demonstrated ... the real reason for what's happening, instead of judging the situation "by simple defaults" ... Too many opportunities to take it wrong !!! Heat Haze, Damaged lens, Hot Hood, or a bad copy of the filter .... A great thanks ( as per usual ) to you for sharing your Joy.... both in success and in mystery mistakes !!!!
Great video of an important topic mate. Here in Brazil we have a lot of heat haze, so it's a problem i know very well. But i am sure there are many out there that have been thinking that it is the equipment that was the problem. So this video will for sure be of very good help for many. Wishing you a wonderful weekend. Cheers, Bjoern
I like your idea of aiming into the air to beat the temperature "lensing." If it would not disturb the birds, you could also stand up to minimize the optical path directly through that mushier layer above the water. I've got a repeatable lens testing regimen I do at 12 feet up in the air, aimed at sharp targets 250 yards away. I learned pretty quickly that high humidity will also soften focus. When the sun came out and gave you some clarity it may have been the sunshine burning off a condition of near dew-point humidity at the surface of the pond.
Great video on heat haze, Duade! I definitely encounter heat haze in some of the classic situations you described, but the most surprising to me was up in the Alaskan arctic in summer. My buddies and I kept encountering focus issues and heat haze way more often than our typical shooting to the south. Weird things happen with 22 hours of sunlight!
I recently experienced a lot of heat haze early in the morning in South Africa where the daytime highs were 37 degrees C and nighttime about 17 degrees with this 200 -- 800 lens on the R5. As someone else here suggested removing the lens hood helped considerably as this lens has a very long hood Good Luck
I watched the same programme, very true. Also beneficial to leave your camera bag in the coldest room in the house overnight before a shoot, leaves less time for your gear to acclimatise when you get to your chosen photo shoot.
I recently invested in a Nikon Z8 and was keen to get out into the field and start shooting. I went to a wetland with extensive mudflats to photograph some waders. During the session I encountered some Red capped Plovers which I was able to lie down on the mud and get some great shots. Unfortunately to my great disappointment none of the images were sharp. So here I am having invested a small fortune only to get soft images. The same thing happened the following day and has happened on a couple of occasions since. Always the same scenario shooting close to the ground on hot days. Clearly heat haze as I don’t encounter the problem in other situations. It was good to hear that even experienced people like yourself encounter the same issues. Thanks again for the video. I enjoy your channel immensely.
Hi Duade, last weekend I was on the field photographing Hen harriers. It was -13 degrees in the morning and everything was frozen, incl grass. And when the sun came out, the "heat haze" from melting ice on the grass completely ruined half day of shooting and recording. I used 200-800 and also tried 100-500, both with same result ofc. :) One thing to add, with 200-800 capabilities I noticed that Im trying to photograph objects which are farther than I would normally photograph with shorter lens. This means much more haze (aggregation in the atmosphere) experiences then before. Its good to realize this. Thx for the video! You are the best, cheers. Tomas
Thanks for sharing your experience Tomas, seems to be an issue everywhere and now more noticeable due to the longer lenses. Have fun with the lens, Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade, you are facing a very common problem we often encounter here in southern Quebec, Canada where the temperature can vary from 35°C to -30°c over a year. Add to this sun reflection on pure white snow in winter and temperature contrast between moist air and water in mid-seasons, all this leads to many ruined shots. In your situation, I suspect micro water droplets condensation near the water surface creating some added softness. Problems also arise in cold weather taking photo out of the window of a hot car or even taking the camera outside, shooting over a hot car hood or any hot surface like paved or gravel road. Using a big sun shade on long lenses is also deadly; the sun shade keeps warm air inside creating that interference. A black sun shade is even worst as the sun keeps warming the air inside. Long lenses also compress atmosphere thus making things worst. My very first photos with my R5 were ruined because of this. Steve Perry has a very interesting video about that subject on UA-cam.
Duade you can relate to this but heat haze is not typically an issue for NZ. More so for you in Aus. Certainly raises a great issue regarding atmospheric conditions and how this can impact the sharpness of results. Loved you moonscape Duade, so much definition! The land of birds never disappoints though and those white Corellas inflight were gorgeous and so too the swamphen. Thanks again mate and your review is keenly awaited!
Thanks mate, yes, I suspect so, but I do remember being bitterly dissapointed in NZ trying to photograph Oystercatchers on the rocks around Miranda. I almost wrecked my pants and knees trying to crawl on those rocks with shells on them to get close. Took hundreds of shots only to see later that heat haze was an issue as I assume the sun had heated up all the rocks during the day. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade, a common problem up here in NW NSW, more noticeable on the R7 than the R5 but very frustrating. Heat haze can end the session a lot earlier than planned unfortunately. As always another enjoyable and informative video. Ian
Hi Duade, this is so correct, I had an experience in the high arctic photographing polar bears, or "not". I was using a canon 500mm f4 + 1.4 extender at F5.6, with good shutter speed and low Iso, the bear was a good distance away and all my shots were as blurred as yours, I realised it was also heat haze but did not expect this in the arctic mid summer at 4 degrees C, but I guess the compression of a high magnification amplifies the distortion.
Questions to answer for 200-800 review. 1) How to (if its possibile) setup focus lock at specific distance with lens function button. 2) compare autofocus (with eye tracking) speed / quality vs 100-500 (with 1.4 TC) for BIF 3) image quality vs the same as previous in equal conditions.
Thanks so much for this review. I have to say I was a little panicked to begin with, but when you revealed the heat haze was the problem, I was relieved. I can't stand our hot summers and rarely go out during them. So heat haze is not something I worry about. I look forward to your full review, as I have an R7 and would like to get this lens to give me greater reach shooting the moon and our beautiful birds in wetlands etc. Thanks again Duade.
I experienced heat haze in 99% of my waterbird shots with the sony a7r iv and 400 f2.8. I care a lot about image quality, so your standards might be different but i can assure you its there 99% of the time. Its effect might be so small that your gear wont be limited by it or that you dont care about it, but if you have highly resolving gear and care, then you can always see it, even if its just a little bit. The only time i didnt experience it was when there was wind blowing. Actually sold my 400 because of that and went for the new 300, just to be able to go closer and have less distance between me and the subject and thus a lower influence of heat haze.
A big factor here in Maine as well. We have heat haze year round here depending on conditions. I also have a problem on cold days when I come out of a warm car to shoot something with the 600 F4 hood. The shots will be soft until the temp inside the hood and outdoor temperature. It is definitely more prevalent with longer focal length.
Thanks for sharing, I was not aware of the hood so will mention that in the review, and interesting how far and wide an issue it is. Glad I made the video to hopefully help others. Cheers, Duade
I'm currently watching a video by Simon D'Entrement regarding camera settings for JPG images. He was explaining how he uses it to check his images for clarity. One example that he cited was taking photos of birds low to the ground and the image viewer showing them to be soft. He explained that it was the proximity to the ground (and therefore the surface of the water) was causing the humidty at that level to soften the images. He then raised his camera about a foot (300mm) higher and the next lot of shots were sharp. Something to consider (I'm still not sold on the theory of lens hoods causing problems).
Thanks for sharing, yes raising your height would reduce the amount of impacted air between you and the subject I would assume. For me if you get too high off the ground the image suffers as you lose that DOF and nice background but better than a soft shot I suppose. I think the lens hood could be an issue coming in and out of a warm car if that warm air is trapped in a lens hood. But out in the field for an hour or so moving around I think it would be less impactful. But I will be sure to try it next time I encounter it to see if it helps. Cheers, Duade
Recently watched a UK channel talking about this very thing ('Wildlife Photographer UK' Ashley Barnard). He took the lens hood off and the heat haze was gone from his images. The distortion was from the different temperature in the hood to the outside cold. Thought I'd just share this with you Duade.
this is a very interesting insight
Experienced exact same issue with the Sony 200-600, shooting without the lens hood sorted my problems.
@@1964pmitchell i Will definitely try with my R7 + SIGMA 150-600
Another wonderful information! Thanks!
Wow, never heard of this. Must try it out. Thanks.
I feel your frustration man. It's something I've talked about in almost every wildlife video I make. Physics is Not your friend, lol. And I've been a physicist for over 20 years now. The more atmosphere you shoot through, the worse your image quality will degrade. Heat haze/atmospheric distortion can happen anywhere, anytime, at any temp, and any elevation if the conditions are right and it will absolutely wreck your images no matter how fancy your gear.
Thank you for this video. I recently bought the RF 200-800 and took it out on my R5 on our first cold morning. Here on the SE Texas coast, it was clear, bright, and 48 degrees f, but the water was warm. Nearly all of my shots were soft. After two months of tack sharp images with this lens I was ready to send it to Canon. I remembered of your video too late, at home. The refuge was so full of birds so I shot a LOT. Later in the day I got a few sharp shots but wow, 3300 shots and less than 20% even worth looking at. You stay so spot on with modern photography that I tell many folks about this channel. Thank you!!!
Steve Perry has an excellent video on haze caused by the lens hood as well. If you don’t let your gear acclimate to the outside temp for about 10-15 minutes when there are big swings you can actually have a temp difference right in front of the glass. Worth checking out and it’s a great explanation
For those of us in cold climates (like northern Canada), it's especially good on how warm air gets trapped in the lens hood. The link for Steve's video is ua-cam.com/video/B42nXgYUwyo/v-deo.htmlsi=AKY-pSLQcQ8Lj3Qe
Thanks for sharing, sounds like I need to give that a try, Cheers, Duade
Steve’s video is very insightful. I learned to keep the car heater off, open the passenger window and shutoff the vehicle as soon as I arrive at a shoot, especially if shooting from the vehicle. Anytime you have a temperature differential you are risking heat haze, especially with long telephotos.
I do not see the AF point in my display of my R5 like you do as a blue and/or white square. DoI have to activate this? thanks….
I'm really glad you didn't scrap the video and turned it into a teaching moment! Thanks Duade! Can't wait for the full review!
A lot of people are quick to blame heat haze but unfortunately I think part of the issue is the lens coating and only 3 elements are UD. This may also explain the issue some have encountered with highlight bleed and white birds looking rather hazy especially when using an APS-C body. I'd like to see a comparison how this lens stacks up to the RF 800mm f11, 100-500mm with 1.4x and the Sigma and Tamron 150-600mm in this regard. I'm guessing it might perform better than the 800 f11 but is on a similar level to the Sigma and Tamron (I had the G2 which was rather hazy in some situations until you stop down to f9, but going to f11 diffraction kicks in). Pangolin Photo Safaris has a review of this lens with a sample comparison with the 800 f5.6 and it's clear that the latter handles heat haze much better. 60X spotting scopes can also handle heat haze quite well, at least for viewing with the human eye but I find that digiscoping is a struggle due to the alignment and fighting between the autofocus of the smartphone and the manual focus of the scope.
These honest videos are absolutely great... Someone like me who is on a budget, these videos are very important so I can really make a decision on where my money goes without just looking at specs on paper
Heat haze affects any camera's images, as shown in the video (Jan's R5 images were soft too, due to heat haze). So the specs really didn't come into it.
If you mean poor noise/IQ when underexposing in low light with an APS-C camera, that will happen on all APS-C cameras. Even the cheapest FF Canon RP is vastly superior in this regard.
@@cooloox which is good to know when someone buys this lens and thinks they may have wasted their money when they havent... As I said these videos are very important for people like me who are on a budget and don't want to rely on specs on paper, I want real world information
It is my pleasure, just sharing my experience and learning at the same time. Cheers, Duade
As well as wildlife I do quite a lot of aviation photography and heat haze is a real problem when trying to shoot aircraft landing or taking off. A case in point is when I was on holiday in Australia last September, I visited the observation area for Perth Airport and the heat haze was so bad O could only shoot aircraft as they took off and where ate least 50 metres up. I was using an R6 with the RF 100-500mm
There can also be swirling heat currents inside your lens, softening your images. Most noticeable when first taking the lens out of a warm bag/car/house into a cooler outside environment. The bigger & longer the lens the more problematic this can be. Give a large lens 30 minutes to better equalize in temperature and you should see an improvement in image sharpness. This is on top of the environmental issue you discuss in the video. Hope that helps and love your vids!
Hi Duade, I believe the examples shown are not indicative of Thermal Fluctuation in the air (aka Heat Haze) but are demonstrating another limitation of this lens design (EDIT: see my reply below - as you may still be correct). And you can test this by zooming in and "scrolling" through any high-speed bursts to look for evidence... because those shots will demonstrate a rippling effect. The other thing to note with heat haze is that you won't get fleeing hints of a sharp subject at all... because those rippling thermal waves will produce a consistent shimmer that softens virtually every image at that distance at that location and time. I believe Canon themselves were discussing how this particular lens would benefit from newer FF bodies that could offer better ISO results than APS-C. Of course, everyone wants to use APS-C with a long lens for maximum reach and most are tempted to use a long lens on distant subject where the greater magnification and lower contrast results in greater loss of clarity in SOME instances. If you run over your prior bursts, I think you'll find that this is a failure for the lens to focus due to contrast issues and an inability to keep up with an APS-C sensor's additional magnification... and is not from thermal fluctuation. As the light changes and more contrast occurs, you should see an improvement. Looking at the aperture and unique design of this new lens, the cause is most likely to do with lens contrast influencing the ability for the Eye-Detect AF to remain locked onto the subject.
This type of issue is why Canon installed tiny microprocessors inside their EF and RF Lens Extenders to slow down the AF of the lens used. This is done to account for any difference in contrast that would otherwise impact AF reliability. The 2x Extenders are programmed to slow down AF by 75% compared to the 1.4x Extenders... that that's due to the effect that magnification of distant subjects (combined with associated contrast) affects AF accuracy. This new lens unfortunately will have considerable limitations imposed on it due to the specifications, AF failure (under certain circumstances) is a likelihood. This is why other people have experienced the same problems with the new 200-800mm lens when using APS-C.
Thanks for sharing your insights, very interesting. I think the light and contrast do play a massive role in the performance of the AF on the R7. The Swamphen later in the morning was very good due to the light etc. All my morning shots were soft, not a single sharp shot from hundreds of photos which I believe was due to the heat haze but the AF performance no doubt struggles with both heat haze and the reasons you mention re contrast etc. Cheers, Duade
Hi @@Duade - I was discussing the subject of your video with other photographers online who often use long lenses for birding/sports ....and they generally agreed with you. They felt that thermal fluctuation in the air was a very likely explanation for your set of soft images. especially in the morning when shooting over water. I'm sort of on the fence now and have been encouraged to keep an eye on this subject in relation to this specific lens. You may still be correct with your suggestion that heat shimmer was affecting the results.
The one image that made me look twice was the profile shot of a duck in silhouette that can be seen at 3:34 on your video. I noticed that one of the insects near the duck's back appeared to be in focus though was not near the head where I imagine the AF would be targeting. I would have expected the entire scene to be soft, including all the bugs in the air that were close to the subject. The sharp(er) insect in that shot suggested to me that the AF was being defeated rather than a uniform softening of the image. And we also saw how the AF reticule was losing traction with the subjects repeatedly in your live video footage. Again, I'm sort of on the fence on this because it's something I don't tend to encounter often, though I have had the occasional soft subject when shooting over distances in the Australian sun - especially over rocks or a hot car-park or even water. With its price range, I would expect to see it embraced by plenty of novice photographers so there's going to be a lot of people showing interest in your video.
Again, many thanks for your informative video!
Thanks, it could well be a combination of both, but yes, it will be interesting to see how the lens performs over time. Cheers, Duade@@MarcoNeroDesign
Yes I get heat distortion fairly frequently, when shooting early mornings at the beach or any kind of water. It’s not all the time but certainly happens when I have a really nice shot otherwise. And that’s with the r7 and the 100-400, it happened so much at first I thought the lens or the camera body was defective but the sharp pics are really sharp, and after experimenting I figured out I what it was. There’s a few national wildlife refuges that have wildlife drives where you’re prohibited from getting out of your car, so I’ll stretch that rule in certain cases by turning the car completely off, and leaning halfway out of my window haha.
Thanks for sharing mate and glad you figured it out on your own, can be very frustrating and confusing otherwise. Good idea re the car. Cheers, Duade
OMG! Fantastic insight! I can think of a dozen or so times I was unable to get sharp images without any thought of heat haze (or any visible shimmer) but from what you've shared with us I can now see that's what it was! I am now signing up for membership :)
I live in Spain and this happens to me all the time, specially when photographing over water surfaces. The APSC format makes you try longer distances, which compounds the problem. You just have to be aware of it and try to be closer and avoid certain situations or times of day. Very tricky!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Cheers, Duade
Hello from the United States; I share heat haze/distortion with our workshop attendees as most are unaware of this condition and often blame the gear. Lens hoods can cause this distortion, too. The air temperature inside the lens hood is different from the atmosphere. The only time I use a lens hood is for side light situations. Also, the more magnification, the more prominent the heat haze, and the higher the resolution of the image sensor, you will see this distortion. This happens in extreme cold, too.
I've been reviewing this lens with the EOS R5 & EOS R3
As an Aussie I find heat shimmer as I prefer to call it very frequent and it's often worse over water. I have never been able to take a sharp shot of a large ship at sea in my life due to heat shimmer. The other place I have extreme trouble with heat shimmer is at airshows. I Once took 2000 shots at an airshow and only got about 100 usable shots, 1900 were ruined by heat shimmer plus the hot exhausts of jets.
I've experienced this in cold temperatures and warm temperatures, in cold temps, removing your lens hood helps and it's also equally important to let your lens adjust to the temp outside.
Heat haze at airports. Runways, grass and air at different temperatures. Cooler Grass next to the warm runway affects even more. From - 10C to +30C
Oh god, so good to know this, very many of us think that the gear is the problem.. thanks for this precious information !!!
My pleasure, Cheers, Duade
hey duade,
your description of how heat haze is produced is pretty much spot on. Air acts no different to a fluid. Hot air is less dense than cold air and therefore rises, not mix with the cold air. light will behave differently through different air densities in that it will distort or bend the light ever so slightly as we see on hot days. The higher the focal length, the more pronounced this will appear. Its a big issue for large telescopes and observatories, hence why some observatories are located on a tall mountain (mauna loa in hawaii comes to mind) because the heat haze or any form of mirage is greatly reduced from the thinner air.
I work in environmental and do alot of field work in the west australian goldfields and pilbara but i also get an opportunity to take photos for work. it gets bloody hot there (30-40+) and so photographing a target is impossible at 30 meters and above. the only way to lessen is to get as close to the target as possible so light has less distance to travel and lower the focal range. bit tricky but patience pays off eventually
Um, air is a fluid
Thanks for sharing mate, I appreciate it, some great wildlife out your way. Cheers, Duade
Brilliant topic. I think the term heat haze is misleading because as you point you, it is heat difference, air disturbance. I do a lot of my photography on a large peatland, and the atmospheric disturbance is terrible at times. I''ve had similar problems over water. These problems even occur when it is freezing, but usually when there is direct sun. I've suddenly thought, there's something wrong with my AF, my lens, shutter shock or whatever. I think the most reliable guide is to look for the plane of focus elsewhere in the image. It's clear with that Coot on your photo, where the vegetation on the sharpest plane of focus, is also fuzzy. If you see, some sharp detail on the plane of focus, elsewhere, your focus is off. On the same peatland site I mention, you will get sharp photos of flying birds at the same time you can't get anything sharp on the ground. I've still to decide whether the 100-500 or 200-800mm to go with my R7, as I'm still using the 100-400mm mkII.
Interesting. I’ve had the same issue with heat haze in the UK. At RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk I got lots of soft images of birds on warm mornings with the R7 and RF 100-500mm lens. I’ve also noticed that the issue of inconsistent eye autofocus with the R7 and 100-500 is not a problem with my recently acquired EF500mm f/4 lens. It locks on the eye quickly and stays there.
Anything over 600mm effective focal length will exacerbate the scenario. In Africa on safari the advice I got all the time was keep it below 600mm. It’s incredible how close the animals come toward you and with my 3 months in Africa back in 2014 my 100-400 and 7DMKII combo worked great as the efl is 640 but didn’t often need it unless it was for small birds. Loads of info on the internet about 600+ and heat haze and this new generation of lenses all have the same issue
Is the heater haze problem specific to the new lenses? Or do you mean: now we can afford 600+mm lenses it is getting obvious.
While testing my Sigma 150-600 back than 2016 on a crop camera EOS 50D on a sunny day in cornfields I almost gave up: I thought the lens is garbage. Later I realized it’s actually heat haze ☺️
Hi Duade, I live in Kazakhstan and when I go out in the steppe, heat haze is the bane of my existence!! It was cathartic to hear you discuss it. I try to get shots before the sun starts heating up the ground. It's hot and dry here like in much of Australia (I think...have only been to Sydney :-)
Thanks for sharing!
I'm not a wildlife photographer but I am a planespotter. Heat haze can be a big issue when photographing aircraft moving on the ground as the tarmac heats up on the ground on a hot day, has ruined a fair few of my shots!
Heat haze happens late in summer for me, same as you said, when temperatures change between night and day, typically and unfortunately when the lights gets at its best. There is one more thing and thats focal length, going "too long" in also not good, because you can get that haze or air shiver more often because of that. So I think 500-600 is sweet spot for full frame. Thank you for video :)
I shoot with the R5 and RF 100-500 combo and I have experienced this on a few wildlife shoots. Like you, I was shooting early morning in a wet environment. I could not sort out the root cause and it left me pretty frustrated. After each failed shoot, I would set up in the backyard and try to make sense of what was happening. I had presumed that I had somehow made adjustments in setting unintentionally. Thanks for this video. I will be more careful about the weather conditions when I head.
heat haze Duade is the story of my life, i go to the desert and larks, buntings and babblers are all over me, but all shots and way less than what i get in my garden shots, so i learnt to hold my camera until one lark or something decide to come close about 5 meters or less then i take shots. yes if you stay quite birds will come to you even if you don't use camouflage. and yes car shots during summer time all bad specially if the bird far.
thank sa million for answering all my questions about the problem. i live in Jeddah on the Red sea.
06:44 This is very common in cold climates shooting from a vehicle. I leave my heater off, open all windows, and pay attention to the wind to avoid engine heat blowing toward the window I'm shooting out of. It can also be caused by a warm lens/hood, so letting the camera acclimate also helps. However, vapor condenses on cold, hard surfaces, so a cold lens is more vulnerable to fogging up. Avoid fogging by keeping the camera/lens covered or wrapped while moving indoors to let the camera warm up without being exposed to drastically warmer, more humid air.
Great video, thanks for sharing--I think I learn more from seeing what doesn't work than seeing everything function ideally.
Hi Duade, greetings from South Africa . I really enjoy your channel.
We experience heat haze in the Kgalagadi (Kalahari desert) South Africa all time. And something we get often - just like you Aussies. After 9am in Summer it is insane as it is often 30 deg C by then...
Someone once told us to just keep the shutter button down and pray and maybe one will get through between the waves... not often, but sometimes... We actually just stop shooting anything further away that cannot fill the frame , besides record shots after 9am. light is gone anyway. I look forward to trying the lens hood trick.....
To your point about APS-c and Zoom...back in 2017 we got 7dmk2 and 100-400 because they were supposedly the best Wildlife combo...Had amazing sightings and rubbish shots. All soft in mild conditions. Traded them in for 5D4 immediately. Massive improvement and have stayed Full Frame since then. also learned that for somewhere like Masaai Mara , where one goes to the animals...it would have been fine, But in kgalagadi , where on emust remain on roads and spends all the time shooting at max focal length, it was less than ideal ...
Someone else we know got amazing Lion kill shots (sold to BBC) and swears by 7d2 and R7, but he puts them on a 500 f4.
I firmly believe that the best combo I had ever shot with was the 1DXmk2 and the EF100-400... They were made for each other...
So the rule we use is: never put a zoom on a crop if you want decent SHARP shots, unless you fill the frame and have enough speed and no haze.
prime on Crop and Zoom on Full frame... best remains prime on full frame.
This is just our lived experience, though the 100-500 on an R5 and the new lensblur slider are becoming ever more compelling.
We judge a lot of wildlife/bird pics at club and salon level and the zoom lens on APS-C images are obvious after a while. and R7 will never give the R5 quality...
Sadly - with birds and wildlife for competition - Gear matters!! the Big glass and top end bodies will always win the day.
all the big competitions publish the camera and lens details... Almost always high end gear...
Great video, Duade. Last fall (northern hemisphere), I would regularly go to a sunflower field at sunrise to photograph northern harriers hunting. A couple of hours after sunrise, flocks of small songbirds would descend upon the field to dine on any remaining sunflower seeds. If the harriers were hunting elsewhere, I'd photograph the songbirds. But there were several mornings when the heat differential between the ground and the air was enough make the air at ground level unstable. If the songbirds were any more distant than 3-4 meters, I couldn't get sharp images shooting through the disturbed air. If there's no wind to help carry away the ground-level heat and equalize the temperature differential, it can be especially bad.
Thanks. I wouldn't have expected the haze then either. I have encountered it frequently on sand at the beach. Often the salt spray makes shots a mess as well. Sometimes above water in marshes too. All of which is why a lens this long isn't on my wish list.
I am very much a novice photographer and do not have the lens referred to in this video, but much of my comment relates to the subject - heat haze. Last year I was in the Kruger Park in South Africa and a friend remarked that many of his shots were soft, whereas mine appeared to be sharper. I noticed that he was taking shots across the bonnet of his car, and I suggested that the heat coming off the bonnet was causing "heat shimmer" and thus causing his shots to be of a poorer quality. Also, he was using a tripod affixed to his vehicle and while filming he had the car idling and this would also cause significant shake. In this video Duade also mentions exhaust fumes which is very interesting. I have also taken note of the lens hood issue - thanks.
G'day Tony, I think you are bang on in your theory of why your friend was struggling, and is probably something that happens on safaris. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for your response Duade.
Another great video. Thank you Duade. I have been taking photographs for 62 years. It is the experience of photography that matters to me. To have a, lovely, photo of a bird or animal I saw is what matters. Cheers Judith
I had the same experience when photographing in Pilansberg National Park. My 100-400 mkII suddenly started giving soft shots on my 80D. Switched to the 40D aka “the tank” - same problem. Contemplating a probable expensive repair to the lens I notice the heat shimmer on the dam where the Elephants were bathing and having a great time in the water. Quick test with the 100 Macro confirmed the heat haze. I was very relieved and everything returned to normal later in the afternoon when everything cooled down.
Doing quite a bit of aviation photography in the, this is a massive issue when shooting planes on the ground. Runways are notorious for getting hot very quickly and with jet exhausts, etc the whole thing can quickly turn into a hazy nightmare.
Hi Duade, definitely struck this problem in the early morning in Brisbane lately in swampy areas. Temperature around 25°C and relative humidity around 90%. Day temperatures in the low 30°‘s C means ground warmer early than air. So much for the golden hour. Better a few hours after sunrise. It makes you think of using these super long lenses these days when looking for reach as opposed to just filling the frame. The new OM 150-600 is 1200mm FFE, up to 2400mm FFE it’s a 2x TC. For me 800mm is about as much as you generally want to go unless really good conditions. It’s funny how we are talking about this with the heat of summer and our friends on the other side of the World have the same problem with the cold. I have noticed similar issues if shooting across a light coloured path into a grassed area swampy or not. The shimmer off a warm path can be really impactful even over a short distance.
Thanks for sharing Tony, many good points, yes, I suspect nearly everyone gets impacted by it at some point so I am happy the video has been well recieved and everyone is learning from each other. Cheers, Duade
Atmospheric haze is a common phenomenon in most places. The extra reach of super telephoto lenses just exacerbates the effect.
Take the Hood off! @ 06:38 this is one scenario that can be affected by having a hood on. I realize that ‘joanhuggett’ has already posted a comment on this, but I am just reinforcing it, if you will. I have experienced this, and didnt fully understand it until I read about it from ‘Steve Perry,’ a noted and very talented Wildlife Photographer.
I continue to be amazed by your Photography skills, and your knowledge of your subjects! Cheers! 👍
This explains a few things that I've experienced when using my longer lenses.
Thanks for this, Duade.
My pleasure, Cheers, Duade
Hello Duade, thank you for sharing this! it's a common phenomenon here in France, especially when I'm in the middle of the water with my floating hide because in addition I'm at water level with my Canon R7 and my RF200-800! an example last week we are in winter here we had 8 to 10° in the morning quite early (in principle it is between -5 and 2 or 3°) the water was at 4 or 5 degrees...In very good weather time the force of the sun's rays quickly warms the surface of the water! It's difficult to get sharp photos in these conditions! A little tip: sometimes removing the sun hood allows you to regain sharpness because the hot air circulating inside it reinforces the problem! This also leads us to a form of humility whatever our equipment, it remains wild photography and fortunately we have no control over certain phenomena, certain disturbances! This is also the beauty of adventure -)
I was a surveyor before I retired and took up bird photography and I know about heat haze. It is worst in the morning. Even when it is very cold. As soon as the sun rose it was often impossible to sight a distant target with my theodolite telescope through the shimmer. But from about 3pm the atmosphere cleared and virtually no shimmer or heat haze. I would often work until sundown just to take advantage of the clear atmospheric conditions in late afternoon. I notice the same situation with my camera. Soft images in the early morning light.
I see the exact same thing in opposite weather conditions. Here along the U.S/Canada border we're in the middle of winter. Most of the lakes and ponds are frozen, but the larger, deeper lakes still have open water with lots of ducks. But when the water temperature is 0C/32F and the air temperature is -15C/5F, it produces an annoying amount of "heat" haze. It's funny to talk about heat haze when the landscape is covered in snow and ice, but it happens for the same reason as in summer!
Thanks for sharing, yes it appears whenever this variation in air temperature occurs so your explanation makes a lot of sense. Just something we need to be aware of I guess. Cheers, Duade
I live on a rather large lake in British Columbia, Canada, and also had a similar experience. While I was unsure why my pictures were soft then, I blamed myself. Using the Canon RF 800mm telelens on an R7 body but today after your video I understand why. We have sweltering summers here and yes the air temperatures vs the lake especially in the morning are similar to the conditions you have explained
I find your segment to be very educational. Thank you, three thumbs up, Warner M
I had just purchased the EF600mm F4 from Japan to use with my R7 and R8. I took it out to the lake and took some shots of a blue heron that was less than 100 ft away I think. Every shot seemed to have some strange softness to it and I was so worried that I would have to return it all the way to japan! It turns out it was the atmosph😮eric haze and the lens is doing great now.
Great video on the effects of heat haze. Excellent sharing of experiences from viewers as well! Acclimatizing your gear is important. Steam fog occurs in the fall when water temperatures don't cool right away but air temperature does.
Thanks Winston, yes, wonderful comments and community input. Cheers, Duade
Thank you, thank you, thank you Duade! I am so glad that you have provided this video to show us that we / I am not the only one that can go out and not seem to get any sharp or otherwise great bird photos. I have been struggling at times with my R7 and R5 with the highly praised RF 100-500L lens and had similar results no matter how many various camera settings that I have tried based on many different "how to" videos on UA-cam. I will definitely not give up now knowing that heat haze can get us in surprising ways, and also great feedback from the comments supplied by your viewers about taking off the lens hood if there are difficulties in getting sharp photos. I have always used my lens hood, not only for sunny lens flare concerns, but also for general protection against lens damage due to knocks, minor drops, etc. Thanks again for your insightful and comforting videos.
No problem, it is likely an issue shooting from your car or over water etc if there is this variation in temperature. Lens hood is still an important tool to protect your glass but I will remove and reattach to make sure no hot air in hood if I have this issue again. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade, that's a very useful eye-opener 👍 I heard about it before, but your fellow youtubers never illustrate it as well as you do ;-)
It makes sense loner focal lengths are more 'sensitive' to them, simple because they provide the power to shoot more distant birds which puts more disturbed air in between. Heat haze just accumulates over distance.
In fact, I'd bet when shooting Garry the Galaa from 5m distance (say in your summer morning day with Garry sitting on the other side of a swimming pool) with the 800/9 or say a 100/2.8 macro, then the 100mm shot might even show more heat haze because Garry isn't framed as tight.
We have winter here in Denmark right now, so when I've driven maybe half an hour to get to my photo spot, it's hot in the cabin, so I turn off the heat in the car, roll down the windows on both sides before I'm completely forward, and am ready to shoot immediately, if I don't, heat haze occurs immediately. In the summer it is extremely rare that it occurs so long that I only photograph up to 3 hours after sunrise. The further the subject is away, the more heat haze
I run across this often here in Delaware, USA. The longer the focal length and narrower the field of view, the more exaggerated the effect. Sometimes even the lens hood contributes to the problem. It’s also present at any time of year, hot or cold. As you mentioned, whenever there is a good amount of difference between surface and air temperatures, the heat waves are present. I try to stay away from longer distances with subjects at or near ground level. On really bad days, I’ll concentrate on areas with more shade. Most importantly, on those days I keep reminding myself my gear is fine and the atmosphere is not. Great video on a topic that is mostly overlooked.
I’ve run into it twice. Once on the tundra outside of Nome, Alaska. I was photographing Bristle-thighed Curlews at first light and all the shots were soft from the haze just above the ground. The other time was photographing a Crested Caracara nest in the Sonoran Desert west of Tucson, Arizona. I was about 75 yards from the nest in a saguaro cactus and was getting sharp shots. But the male would often rest in a saguaro that was a couple hundred yards away and the heat haze made it impossible to get any sharp shots of him and his cactus. Video was even worse. Thanks for this video, it’s a good reminder to be aware of the possibility of the heat haze.
Thanks mate, yes, with our long lenses I think heat haze may impact us more than we often realise. Cheers, Duade
We were quite excited to go on a winter wildlife cruise here in the Boston Harbor. Temperature was a brisk 21F. I thought at first I just didn't have good enough practice shooting birds on the shore from a fast moving boat... but then I saw some of my captures of the lighthouse. So much mirage that the lighthouse looked like it was on an island floating in the air. All other images stationary objects had the tell-tale wavy lines - every straight line in the image wasn't motion blurred; it was the hazy wiggle of heat. The water temp must've been significantly warmer than the air.
4,500 images shot that day, not a single keeper. My only solace is that there was really nothing I could've done, other than put my camera back in my bag and enjoy the birds through my binoculars.
100%!!! Yep I to only discovered the affects of heat haze yesterday and finally solved the mystery as to why the sharpness with my EOS R and EF 28-300 combo has been hit and miss at times. My situation yesterday - I was shooting low to ground around a dam at midday and the conditions were warm and bright sun and to the naked eye everting looked nice and clear but I was struggling to get a sharp image and couldn’t understand why, so so frustrating! I have been doubting my equipment’s performance and in particular the sharpness of my lens. I persevered to improve focus by switching to manual focus and zoomed x10 to pinpoint the target and OMG on the screen I could now clearly see what was happening as my target was shimmering/dancing around causing the blur and the soft results . I then tried to experiment a little so I cranked up the shutter speed to 5000 and used auto iso and managed to get sharper and useable images. I love your work, very much appreciated 😊
The reason for the heat haze being more severe with longer focal ranges is because usually you are trying to capture something from much further away. The further away the subject, the further the light has to go to reach your sensor. That means the light passes through more of the heat haze. The same is true when taking photo's in a smoke filled room like a club. If you stand close to your subject with a wider lens, you will get less smoke in front of your subject. The further away the more hazy your image becomes.
Great explanation, thanks, Cheers, Duade
Thanks for this video Duade, I had been mystified why some shots I took of a Wedgetailed Eagle feeding on the roadside in South Australia were so bad, the bird was soft and the dry grass background unbelievably messy. Now I know, heat haze! Keep up the good work!
Have an R7 and contemplating upgrading to the 200-800. Very useful video, thank you Duade
Thanks mate, will try and get some more shots for the review, Cheers, Duade
I'am from germany and it happens all the time while taking wildlife photos out of the car....especially in winter. And it doesn't even matter if the car heater is turned of. It's pretty annoying....
Great video Duade 👍🏻 Here in the UK it's not as common, it happened to me about a month ago I was belly down in the sand near a beach and the air temp was around 6 degrees Celsius and of course, the sand mud and water were a lot hotter as the beach was sat in the afternoon sun. And I saw a Grey Herron and I got down and took so many shots and then I got home and all of them were really blurry and soft, at the time I didn't give this a thought but it's really frustrating especially when you don't know what's causing it. It can also be caused by the lens hood temp especially if you're shooting out a car door window etc.
Northern U.S. (Wisconsin) here. I have noticed this exact same thing as well while taking photos of birds at our local wildlife areas. This usually happens during the summer as our winters get quite cold and we don't notice heat haze as much during this time. I'm really loving these videos and am getting even more tempted to purchase this lens.
we have that problem here in the midwestern USA especially bad on sunny winter days when the sun heats the ground but the air above is still frigid cold. Unless you are able to get above the haze layer, there's really not a lot to do other than put the camera down and enjoy the scene being laid out before you.
Hi, thank you for this video!
I immediately thought about heat haze with the first pic. That's something that I have to deal quite often in France. When that happens to you, try removing the lens hood and putting it back on to replace the trapped hot air from your bag / vehicle. It's hard to believe how good these buckets are at trapping hot air just in front of the lens. Of course, if the heat haze happens further away, between you and the subject, there's not much to do.
The first time I noticed this in my photography, I was attemting to take shots just above a road that had time to heat up during the day. I didn't even know about heat haze before that, nor how destructive it can be for image quality.
Thanks for sharing and great tips, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Thank you for sharing all your experiences !
Thank you for this video. I live in the desert, in the Southwest US, and I’ve experienced this a few times with the RF 100-500. I was stumped as to what was going on until now.
Another great video Duade! I for one really appreciate your honest and impartial stance when it comes to reviewing gear. Would you be able to get your hands on the recently released OM 150-600? I understand that it is a rebadge of the Sigma Sport DG DN 150-600. Would love to have it compared with something like the R7 and this new R200-800.
Hey there Duade, a very common problem here is Aus, it will give you a lot of grief around water in particular, shooting out of windows of cars and anywhere there will be difference from ground temp changes IE shooting from the shore over reeds then water... longer lenses will make it worse for sure, only way I have dealt with it is to get closer and use a shorter focal length
This reminds me when I first got my Canon 300mm F2.8LIS and the converters I was doing some experiments pixel peeping and seeing awful blur it was supposed to have been Canons sharpest lens. I did eventually figure it out after being devastated for all the money I had spent. It was UK winter freezing outside I was nice and warm inside with the conservatory door open shooting targets outside. I was relieved when I figured it out and went on to enjoy my lens for years even with the 2xII and 1.4xII. All I had to do was just go outside and it was all tack sharp from the garden.
This winter I was taking photos in -15 °C, also from 20 storey tower, at sunset, and heat haze was present anyway. So temperature changes per se also matter.
the Heat haze is such a problem here in the SW of the US -always fighting it- glad to see that I am not the only one
Duade, I had a situation like this recently in Kentucky, U.S. I was sitting near my bird/wildlife garden pond on a very cold winter day photographing birds coming in to the water. Air temperature was 7º F, or -14º C. The little pond has a heater in it that keeps the temperature around 34º F (~1º C) to prevent it from freezing over. I got some crazy heat haze on every single photo I tried to take of birds visiting the pond. Like you, I had always thought it would happen in the summer, but this time it happened on a very cold winter day!
Thanks for sharing mate, very interesting, what lucky birds to have a hot springs in your back yard :-) Cheers, Duade
Checking the weather is the first think I do, visibility changes a lot here in the Netherlands. Windspeed defines which birds show up as well. Heat haze not very common unless in summer when I hunt the snake eagle. Thx for sharing.
Hello! I’m so glad you talked about this. I just had this issue recently. I’m sure you’ve gotten a lot of great comments, but I thought I’d share my experiences. The first time I saw this was at the volcano in Iceland a couple of years ago. My shots of flowing lava looked pixelated or like an impressionist painting. I was pretty mystified because I’d seen plenty of good images. A photographer told me it was heat haze. I think it was because I was almost level with the lava and shooting across, but that’s just a theory. My other two experiences were actually in the cold. I was told about it being an issue in Svalbard, and some of my bokeh turned out very oddly even if the subject was okay. I also had a recent experience where it was 4 degrees Fahrenheit and I was shooting bald eagles over open water near a dam. Anything shot over or across the water was soft with that weird looking out of focus area. Overhead and near shots were okay. I had just one keeper somehow that was sharp over the water but the specular highlights were very strange. I believe it’s enhanced by the long lens. I didn’t know about the lens hood trick at the time. That’s worth a try. It is disappointing when you have good opportunities and they just aren’t usable!
Heat haze becomes more impactful with long end lenses and crop sensors. In addition the difference of the temperature of the lens and the environment has an impact. I have had focus issues withy 500 mm f4.0 type II lens in Africa, related to heat haze at all times of the day. I now put my camera and lenses outside 30 minutes before I start photographing and have less issues. Interesting enough in the cold of Yellowstone I have had focus issues in case my camera and lens came out of a warm bag as well.
Hey Duade, it would be interesting to see if standing shots also suffered as much as laying down at water level. Also, if a polarising filter would help clean the image up in such conditions. As other have mentioned, if the temperature of the lens hood played a part for near lens distortion. Maybe a follow up video testing all three options is in order 😁
A polarizing filter likely won't help any in the presence of air turbulence, unfortunately. You'll lose a full stop of exposure for no benefit. Bummer!
@@marcmurisonair turbulence no but haze in sunlight yes, hence worth at least testing.
I'm aware of heat haze, but I wouldn't have thought it would make that much of a difference! I'll keep that in mind for the future. Thanks!
Hi Duade I've been doing digiscoping from 2500mm to 3500mm, and even 4000mm+. Heat haze is of course the n°1 enemy. I've had clear shots @300m though, with the help of the God of the Air (Osprey reproduction safety distance). It happens also with classic gear. Moon shot is a classic for heat haze and other air disturbances, and it's why you can never compare sharpness of lenses in that scenario. When you're not able to see the heat haze in the viewfinder you' can expect severe disappointment later...;)
I live in Emerald Central Queensland and heat haze is an issue fairly often especially if the bird is a far distance away. Though I do find even in 40 degree days that I can get sharp shots of Fairywrens and Golden-headed Cisticolas in long grass of about a foot or more high. I find it's more open areas with bare ground that's more the issue. I'm looking forward to your review Duade and thank you for sharing your experience with heat haze. It will definitely make more people aware of it.
Thanks for sharing, yes, I have struck it out west as well, I think you are right it is whenever a surface gets really hot/cold and that air temp difference. Cheers, Duade
Duade, This video is a gift for any wildlife photographer, who uses long lenses in diverse weather conditions. You may have prevented several 200-600mm photographers from thinking something was defective in their RF camera or the lens. Also, several of the contributors' comments added to some other ways to try and avoid the haze. Best of continued quality images to you and thanks for your programs.
That explains a lot. Here in northern USA I shoot often (in the winter) from my car. My R10 and RF600 almost always is soft. I switch to my Sigma 150-600 and problem goes away. I never really thought about the heat from the car causing the problem. In the summer, regardless of where I shoot, the R10 and RF600 combo works very well. Thanks Duade!
You make an important point, especially when shooting with a long lens on an APS-C camera. I use a Sigma 150-600C lens with many shots taken of distant objects at the 600mm end (or effectively 900mm on the APS-C body). It didn't take me long to realize that it was atmospheric conditions rather than the resolving ability of the lens which often had the largest role to play in final image sharpness.
I live in Florida, US and heat haze is a HUGE issue here. The key is to shoot closer and also at certain times of the day. Cloudy days are my favorite.
It's not 'heat haze', although I appreciate that this is the name that's been attached to it, and it's stuck, which is a shame because it's a misleading term.
It's actually atmospheric differential refraction causing light rays to bend unpredictably and inconsistently in different directions, producing a shimmering effect. There is no 'haze' at all, just scattered light. It's caused not by heat as such, but by layers of differing temperature, each having a different refractive index, be they hot, warm, or cold, so not quite the same thing. The important issue is that the air temperature varies rapidly in a short distance, causing a lensing effect, bending the light. You are correct that in your case it's likely to have been caused by cold air lying on warm water, and ripples in this air produces the scattering. In your case it will have been exacerbated by the use of your ground pod, meaning that throughout the distance from the subject to the lens, the light was passing close to the surface, in the zone most likely to be affected, so it was wobbling all over the shop, but the images of flying birds, with light paths well away from the surface were OK.
When I was training to be a surveyor, in the days before electronic measuring, using optical equipment, we were warned against this effect, not doing important stuff in the heat of a sunny day, for instance. Cloudy days are better. The other thing we were warned about was what were termed 'ground-grazing rays'. The air most affected is that closest to the ground, so we were told not to take shots that were too long, but also to avoid lines of sight that came within 2 feet (0.6m) of any intervening ground, moving the target to one side if possible, to get more clearance. The same applies in photography. The trouble is that in our case, most birds are shorter than two feet, but that knowledge can go some way towards helping avoid the shimmer. A couple of years ago in June, with my R5 plus 100-500 I was frustrated when I was sitting close to the ground with my camera and a rare red-necked stint, only feet away and in great light was as soft as hell. This was caused by a low lump in the ground on the edge of the salt marsh between where I was sitting and the bird. Fortunately a sudden thunder shower arrived to cool the ground and when it passed the shots were pin sharp. I was soaked, but I got the shots.
I've just heard that my 200-800, ordered on the first day of the announcement on 2 November, is arriving tomorrow, so I'll be looking forward to trying to avoid the 'heat haze' for myself. I think that in northern England in winter, I shouldn't have too much trouble. :)
Seeing your samples of heat-haze-affected shots and knowing the struggles I encounter with my own I can see the similarities clearly. I live in Florida, USA and the weather here today was beautiful except for the temperature (~5C) in the early morning. Out of 400 images taken I quickly purged half due to focus issues and I had a lot of difficulty with finding the intended target. My go-to combo is the R5 with the RF 100-500, I occasionally switch to the RF800 f11but encounter so many soft shots I’m really discouraged a lot.
Hi Duade. Thanks for another great and informative video. Heat haze can be a problem even here in the UK (although not that often!) I was using my R5 and 100 - 500 lens to photograph some waders on the other side of a reasonably large expanse of water last September during a spell of really hot (for us) weather, well into the 30’s C. For a while I was convinced there was something wrong with my camera or lens - until it dawned on me and I googled heat haze effects. My images were just like the examples you showed in the video, except I won’t be showing mine to anyone! Of course the effect is worse the longer the lens and the further away the subject is, simply because there is more heat haze affected atmosphere between the subject and the lens. A lesson for us all, mind you the relief when I realised nothing wrong with my equipment was good. I’m pretty sure the problem would be just the same if you were using the Rf 800 f5.6 at 10 X the price. Thanks again. John
Thanks John and totally agree with your comment, sometimes you just have to pack up and try something else. I am just happy people might now have an explanation for why sometimes their images are soft. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for highlighting an important problem, especially with a long lens on a crop sensor. In northern Canada, morning temperatures of -20C are not unusual for most of the winter. As a result, I find that a lens hood creates a lot of haze as I move from inside the car, presumably because the hood traps warm air in front of the lens, where it can take a long time to equilibrate. Steve Perry has done some nice comparisons with and without a lens hood to illustrate the phenomenon. In addition, trying to lean on the car hood to stabilize the camera can create a lot of haze when the engine is warm. These may be more problematic in cold climates, but they're very real.
I live in Missouri in the USA and deal with this pretty often. Temps vary from wind chills in the -20 or -30s F and up to around 120 F in summer. We also have ozone pollution that is visible during dry spells.
I live nearby the Mississippi River and actually do a majority of my photography in Illinois, and when I cross into Illinois the elevation is 30+ feet lower. It creates some absolutely insane fog conditions over the agricultural fields and a couple of local lakes. I assume that has something to do with the slightly lower elevation and the Mississippi being right there too.
I was aware of heat haze, but not on the level you explained and showed.
My 180-600Z usually sharp tack, was really soft on some low-light shots, couldn't give it a reason.
I don't use the hood but stuck a 120€ protection filter in front. Removed it, no more haze, and sharp shot even without the hood.
You have to understand... as you did and demonstrated ... the real reason for what's happening, instead of judging the situation "by simple defaults" ...
Too many opportunities to take it wrong !!! Heat Haze, Damaged lens, Hot Hood, or a bad copy of the filter ....
A great thanks ( as per usual ) to you for sharing your Joy.... both in success and in mystery mistakes !!!!
Great video of an important topic mate. Here in Brazil we have a lot of heat haze, so it's a problem i know very well. But i am sure there are many out there that have been thinking that it is the equipment that was the problem. So this video will for sure be of very good help for many.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Cheers, Bjoern
I like your idea of aiming into the air to beat the temperature "lensing." If it would not disturb the birds, you could also stand up to minimize the optical path directly through that mushier layer above the water. I've got a repeatable lens testing regimen I do at 12 feet up in the air, aimed at sharp targets 250 yards away. I learned pretty quickly that high humidity will also soften focus. When the sun came out and gave you some clarity it may have been the sunshine burning off a condition of near dew-point humidity at the surface of the pond.
Great video on heat haze, Duade! I definitely encounter heat haze in some of the classic situations you described, but the most surprising to me was up in the Alaskan arctic in summer. My buddies and I kept encountering focus issues and heat haze way more often than our typical shooting to the south. Weird things happen with 22 hours of sunlight!
Thanks Duade, yes most definitely, the focal length directly affects the amount of heat haze as we tend to shoot longer distances through more haze
I recently experienced a lot of heat haze early in the morning in South Africa where the daytime highs were 37 degrees C and nighttime about 17 degrees with this 200 -- 800 lens on the R5. As someone else here suggested removing the lens hood helped considerably as this lens has a very long hood Good Luck
I watched the same programme, very true. Also beneficial to leave your camera bag in the coldest room in the house overnight before a shoot, leaves less time for your gear to acclimatise when you get to your chosen photo shoot.
I recently invested in a Nikon Z8 and was keen to get out into the field and start shooting.
I went to a wetland with extensive mudflats to photograph some waders.
During the session I encountered some Red capped Plovers which I was able to lie down on the mud and get some great shots.
Unfortunately to my great disappointment none of the images were sharp.
So here I am having invested a small fortune only to get soft images.
The same thing happened the following day and has happened on a couple of occasions since.
Always the same scenario shooting close to the ground on hot days.
Clearly heat haze as I don’t encounter the problem in other situations.
It was good to hear that even experienced people like yourself encounter the same issues.
Thanks again for the video.
I enjoy your channel immensely.
Hi Duade, last weekend I was on the field photographing Hen harriers. It was -13 degrees in the morning and everything was frozen, incl grass. And when the sun came out, the "heat haze" from melting ice on the grass completely ruined half day of shooting and recording. I used 200-800 and also tried 100-500, both with same result ofc. :)
One thing to add, with 200-800 capabilities I noticed that Im trying to photograph objects which are farther than I would normally photograph with shorter lens. This means much more haze (aggregation in the atmosphere) experiences then before. Its good to realize this. Thx for the video! You are the best, cheers. Tomas
Thanks for sharing your experience Tomas, seems to be an issue everywhere and now more noticeable due to the longer lenses. Have fun with the lens, Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade, you are facing a very common problem we often encounter here in southern Quebec, Canada where the temperature can vary from 35°C to -30°c over a year.
Add to this sun reflection on pure white snow in winter and temperature contrast between moist air and water in mid-seasons, all this leads to many ruined shots. In your situation, I suspect micro water droplets condensation near the water surface creating some added softness.
Problems also arise in cold weather taking photo out of the window of a hot car or even taking the camera outside, shooting over a hot car hood or any hot surface like paved or gravel road. Using a big sun shade on long lenses is also deadly; the sun shade keeps warm air inside creating that interference. A black sun shade is even worst as the sun keeps warming the air inside. Long lenses also compress atmosphere thus making things worst. My very first photos with my R5 were ruined because of this. Steve Perry has a very interesting video about that subject on UA-cam.
Duade you can relate to this but heat haze is not typically an issue for NZ. More so for you in Aus. Certainly raises a great issue regarding atmospheric conditions and how this can impact the sharpness of results. Loved you moonscape Duade, so much definition! The land of birds never disappoints though and those white Corellas inflight were gorgeous and so too the swamphen. Thanks again mate and your review is keenly awaited!
Thanks mate, yes, I suspect so, but I do remember being bitterly dissapointed in NZ trying to photograph Oystercatchers on the rocks around Miranda. I almost wrecked my pants and knees trying to crawl on those rocks with shells on them to get close. Took hundreds of shots only to see later that heat haze was an issue as I assume the sun had heated up all the rocks during the day. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade, a common problem up here in NW NSW, more noticeable on the R7 than the R5 but very frustrating. Heat haze can end the session a lot earlier than planned unfortunately. As always another enjoyable and informative video. Ian
Hi Duade, this is so correct, I had an experience in the high arctic photographing polar bears, or "not". I was using a canon 500mm f4 + 1.4 extender at F5.6, with good shutter speed and low Iso, the bear was a good distance away and all my shots were as blurred as yours, I realised it was also heat haze but did not expect this in the arctic mid summer at 4 degrees C, but I guess the compression of a high magnification amplifies the distortion.
Questions to answer for 200-800 review. 1) How to (if its possibile) setup focus lock at specific distance with lens function button. 2) compare autofocus (with eye tracking) speed / quality vs 100-500 (with 1.4 TC) for BIF 3) image quality vs the same as previous in equal conditions.
Thanks so much for this review. I have to say I was a little panicked to begin with, but when you revealed the heat haze was the problem, I was relieved. I can't stand our hot summers and rarely go out during them. So heat haze is not something I worry about. I look forward to your full review, as I have an R7 and would like to get this lens to give me greater reach shooting the moon and our beautiful birds in wetlands etc. Thanks again Duade.
I experienced heat haze in 99% of my waterbird shots with the sony a7r iv and 400 f2.8. I care a lot about image quality, so your standards might be different but i can assure you its there 99% of the time. Its effect might be so small that your gear wont be limited by it or that you dont care about it, but if you have highly resolving gear and care, then you can always see it, even if its just a little bit. The only time i didnt experience it was when there was wind blowing.
Actually sold my 400 because of that and went for the new 300, just to be able to go closer and have less distance between me and the subject and thus a lower influence of heat haze.
A big factor here in Maine as well. We have heat haze year round here depending on conditions. I also have a problem on cold days when I come out of a warm car to shoot something with the 600 F4 hood. The shots will be soft until the temp inside the hood and outdoor temperature. It is definitely more prevalent with longer focal length.
Thanks for sharing, I was not aware of the hood so will mention that in the review, and interesting how far and wide an issue it is. Glad I made the video to hopefully help others. Cheers, Duade
@@DuadeYeah, until the temperature inside the hood, and the outside temperature equalize the images are soft
I'm currently watching a video by Simon D'Entrement regarding camera settings for JPG images. He was explaining how he uses it to check his images for clarity. One example that he cited was taking photos of birds low to the ground and the image viewer showing them to be soft.
He explained that it was the proximity to the ground (and therefore the surface of the water) was causing the humidty at that level to soften the images. He then raised his camera about a foot (300mm) higher and the next lot of shots were sharp.
Something to consider (I'm still not sold on the theory of lens hoods causing problems).
Thanks for sharing, yes raising your height would reduce the amount of impacted air between you and the subject I would assume. For me if you get too high off the ground the image suffers as you lose that DOF and nice background but better than a soft shot I suppose. I think the lens hood could be an issue coming in and out of a warm car if that warm air is trapped in a lens hood. But out in the field for an hour or so moving around I think it would be less impactful. But I will be sure to try it next time I encounter it to see if it helps. Cheers, Duade