What a dynamite review of the good points of the the R7 and the "work-arounds" for the limiting points! I've been hesitant to switch to the electronic shutter or my R5 because there's no way to reduce the frame rate to 15 and I almost never need 30 fps and the fact that there's no faint artificial sound that can be activated. Both of the "drawbacks" on the R5 have been resolved on the R7. We are currently using on old R as our back up camera so a R7 sounds like more than an upgrade for a backup and might even be in the starring role on occasion! Love, love, love reviews by someone who intimately knows their cameras and is really good at using them getting pictures of birds doing things most other bird photographers would only dream of. Lends a whole lot more weight to your comparisons and experience. Keep the great reports coming! Catherine d'A
Great vid, I have the R7, and your have already showed me a couple of things in the menu I didn’t know= 15 frames , smooth. Look forward to your next vid, thank you 🙏
23:02 -- I shoot birds in flight as well as sports in electronic in RAW or CRAW....still new with the camera but have already learned/trained myself to feather the shots. I do small bursts when shooting.....just allows a little more in the buffer.
You just gave a half hour of good reasons why the R3 is really poor value at four times the price of the R7, which has "the same auto focus". Always entertaining videos! Cheers!
Thank you for your info. I used the R7 yesterday at an airshow and it worked fast, I got the camera last week. Do you have experience/tests with the R7 and EF lenses? Great that i found you 🙏🏻👌👍
I have used the R7 with EF lenses and it works well, but using RF lenses make the IS/IBIS and AF the best they can be. And this is much better then with EF lenses. That is why I now shoot only RF lenses on my RF bodies when things really matter with respect to fast subjects. Thanks so much for watching and for taking the time to comment.
You failed to mention at the intro the lense you were using with it . Bear in mind am not a subscriber [ Yet ] I garuntee that Lense ... is worth a ton more in cash than the R7 ,And as you can easily afford the R3 and the R5 .. You aren't short of a bob or two by any means . If you are saying the main selling point of the camera is the AF Tracking . No reviewers on here ever touch upon the subject matters i tend to capture most ,,, that being Aviation / Shipping . It would be nice to see how well the A.F.T reacts when capturing Aviation targets .. mainly High fliers . Another reviewer said the Silent shutter was good when others have said differently .. thus far you have said zero of any silent shutter . And the Mechanical shutter sounds like an Ingram Machine Gun ... tbh what on earth was Canon thinking lol .
Actually, I did mention I used all RF lenses. And yes RF lenses perform better than adapted EF as should be the case. I have not worked with the silent shutter option so I did not and cannot report on that. I just don’t use MS much, so I worry about the MS sound. We all shoot differently, and there is no way for any one person to provide comprehensive review on a camera for all use cases. I report on what I know and that is bird photography. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. It is greatly appreciated.
A fair and extremely helpful review. Overall, it is an extremely impressive body at the price point. Configured properly (by turning the aed off) for BIF the af is really remarkable. Battery life is great too. I’m finding it prefers RF lenses and have experienced some BF with adapted ef lenses. Thanks for the great work!
What maybe a lot of people don’t realise is the hit rate of images in focus with the fast focusing rf100-400 and how light it is can’t be overlooked! Sure pair it with faster glass but it’s a great camera for the masses. Had mine since day one and I wish it had a battery grip
Fantastic, informative video ! TYSM :) I will definitely rent it to check it out. Thinking I might buy one as a backup for my R5. The biggest drawback for me is the small size :( And its bad enough that Canon says they wont make a grip for it... Heck, even if they did, it would almost surely be WAY over priced, like the grip for my R5, but what's worse, is that IMPO, Canon is now spending more $ on R&D to figure out ways to make grips unable to be copied... Which is why I had to pay nearly $400 for a Canon brand grip for my R5, which, without any bangs, bumps, or drops, failed 6 months after I got it :( Canon grips are a sore subject for me. Everything else about this camera, sounds great, or should I say, at least doable :) If I haven't bought one by next Spring, I'll certainly rent one as a backup for my cross country birding trips next Spring ;)
Hey, thanks so much and thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I agree. I wish they would have a grip or at least a 3rd party grip. We can only hope. Cheers, Ron
Just got an R7 upgrading from a 80D and it has already improved the number of useful and in focus images tremendously. The focus system is a huge difference coming from the 80D no more guessing where the focus point is as it sticks to the subject. Have it pared with a Sigma 150-600mm C lens with updated firmware and custom setting to make the eye tracking better. It was already a revolution without updated firmware and custom settings. 😊
Best, balanced review I've seen so far of the R7. Thanks so much for the great level of detail and objective opinions. I've yet to decide if the R7 is really for me (coming from 7dII and 1dIV), but this really helped move me along the decision curve.
Thanks for an interesting and informative video. I got rid of my Nikon gear earlier this year and purchased the R6 plus the RF24-240 and 100-500. Really pleased with results. I have got the R7 on order (not readily available in the UK yet - long waiting lists!) which I was going to use as a back up to my R6 but looking at your initial impressions of the focusing and crop factor it could easily become my main go to body. Look forward to your settings for bif video.
Great initial impressions Ron, I’ll be getting one as a second body to my R3 and for BIF! Like you say it has limitations but for the price it’s pretty dam good. Thanks R 👍👊
I just had the R7 for several days. Tried it out on the RF 100-500 with and without RF 1.4x. Haven't had a chance for BIF yet. So far it is a very nice camera. Great details. Rolling shutter is very obvious with 30 fps electronic shutter with background having vertical images like light post and tree trunks. I will try 15 fps electronic shutter at cRAW. Very good reach with 1.6x crop factor. ISO 1600 is no problem, unlike the old DSLR 7D2. I think ISO is about one stop better than the 7D2. I wish it had three dials for the exposure triangle. I need to test it more. For now, I am going to keep it.
Yep, rolling shutter is present on background elements but there is always mechanical shutter if shooting in a scenario that demands it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Great review. Been shooting Canon since 1974. Been looking forward to this camera but seems too many compromises for BIF. The one thing is shutter shock which a lot reviewers talk about. So switch to electronic shutter and you get warping due to slow readout speed of the sensor. Curious as to anyone’s experiences with this camera regarding BIF performance. Thanks
Get some warping with electronic shutter, but not that bad. Usually shows up when panning and shooting at the same time. Two or three shots out of a burst are horrible. But most are ok. At least I'm not noticing the warp. Birds flying at me have been fine, and of course all those butt shots are great! But yeah, from all the talk, I honestly thought this camera would be unusable with electronic shutter. Not the case at all. I am shooting high speed (15fps) not high speed + (30), and am shooting in C-Raw. Tracking has been decent and allows for shots I would never have gotten before.
I appreciate the detailed review and your perspective of this new camera. Although I doubt I’ll get one this was very informative. Although, I may need one to avoid changing lenses as frequently on my R5 😂
I have had my R7 for about 5 or 6 weeks now. For me photography is a hobby so I am just under 5k images. I have not tried the mechanical shutter yet so I haven't encountered those issues you found. I have used electronic 1st curtain and full electronic. In my initial tests I didn't really notice any difference between full raw and craw, so I shoot in craw. The autofocus is very good like you said. I turned off the auto level before I ever took a picture. It is interesting the problems you had with it on. Very good review.
Great review. Loving my R7 so far. Auto level works great for landscape. Also, last I tried topaz denoise it had issues changing the colours of my raw photos - which I found documented on their support pages. However, I gave DXO pureraw 2 a try - and I’m always sceptical - but it blew me away how well the images hold up at 6400 and even 12800. There’s no doubt Lightroom is losing detail if you import the raw there first…so DXO and DPP (also works quite well) to start processing files. Can’t wait for birds to start flying south so I can get some photos as they pass through!
Wouldn’t the R7 be perfect if it didn’t have the ubiquitous Canon rear side hinged rear LCD screen. I wonder how many bird and nature photographers decide to turn the camera on themselves during a shoot and do some selfies? Canon please give us a choice, instead of your way or the highway….the tilt screen is so much faster and unobtrusive. Great video btw, thank you.
I hear you, but one thing I really like about the full articulating LCD is that you can stow it away "backwards" and thus it is protected. It also is good when you shoot video and you want to set up the scene. I am doing a lot of video these days and it sure is nice. Thanks for watching and commenting. Ron
Thanks for a great video. Looking forward to your setup video. I’ve been shooting with an R6. I recently added the R7 body and do find the focusing system a bit confusing. Don’t have a problem with the new wheel. Use the control ring on the lens for the third wheel. Like the film cameras I used for thirty years.
Really interesting observation about auto leveling. Not seen anyone else discuss it and whether it helps with rolling shutter or not. Mine is still on backorder but when it eventually arrives I'll turn that straight off! Thanks.
Turning it off will not remedy the rolling shutter you see in background elements when panning quickly with a subject, but it seemed to eliminate the distortion of the subject itself. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
Nice job! I’ve had one of these since the end of June. I shoot primarily with the 100-500 in my search for a combo that doesn’t hurt my shoulder. I am happy with it.
Thanks so much for commenting. With respect to your shoulder you might want to check out my harness system. I designed it for the exact reason you state. I had a bad shoulder. You can find more information on my harness on my website in the Store. www.whistlingwingsphotography.com
Been thinking about a second body for my r6 Mainly shoot wildlife/landscape and concerts. Can’t decide on the r5 or r7. I love the idea of the crop (r7)for birds but think the r5 will be more versatile. If you only had the r6,would you get an r5 or r7 for a second body? Great video yet again. Love the channel.
Just got my R7 two days ago. Have your ‘Set up’ video saved to rely on for when i set up the new cam. Thanks for sharing all your efforts and learnings with this R7! Now, if we could get Canon to make a high quality big-aperture mid-range zoom that can handle its pixel density...that'd be sweet.
Shot the Canon 80D for years until shutter died. Was forced to upgrade so it was either 90D or R7....I shoot wildlife as well as sports so the R7 was a no brainer (although hurt in the pocket book). I shoot Sigma lenses (18-35 and 70-200) so had to get the adapter as well. Will say the 15 / 30 fps over the 7 fps on my 80D is KILLER. The 651 AF points over the 45 is nice as well. I have NO complaints for this camera body over my 80D.
$1500 hurt? You may need to update your idea of expensive in light of the bad inflation in the U.S. I get used to Older Times too and then sticker shock!
You and I have the same gear, same type of shooting and we've come to the same conclusion. I was going to send back the bodies and I'm keeping one.... I've not stopped shooting it. One of the cool features too is the pre-capture. I used it on Kingfishers in Kenya, where it is impossible to get the timing right for this bird (as you well know they give no tells as to flight) and this feature enables you to nail a launch like you planned it. Amazing bit of tech. I didn't run into any buffer issues however UNLESS I use that feature, my regular shooting style is less spray, so I never hit the buffer. For the money you're not touching this thing with any current lower end and even a lot of higher end bodies. If this is what Canon is offering for prosumer, I'm nearly frightened at how good the R1 will end up being. Great video as usual fella.
Vince, thanks for chiming in. I failed to go over the pre-capture in my video as I don't use it, or I should say have not used it yet. I pride myself on being able to anticipate and thus get the shot I am after, but you are correct sometimes it is almost impossible to do so. I will have to mess around with that feature. Overall, as you state, it is a great camera for the price point. I can't wait to see what the R1 brings, just as you are, I am literally scared to know. Also excited of course. Cheers, Ron
Sadly they are way behind on a potential R1,, and if the price point for the very mediocre R3 is an indication, the R1 is going to be super expensive! They really should think about pricing out their users who can go elsewhere for better cameras than they are currently producing. Should be interesting to see how it plays out. Right now they are behind the competition.
@@christophercarlimages9003 Not sure where you get that info, I work pretty closely with canon and have not seen any evidence of any of that. The R3 for what its intended purpose is, is priced as a pro body, which is what it is. It's a work horse tool, not really intended for hobby photographers. R1 again will be a pro body that is meant to be used by journalists etc, as a tool so you pay for tools usually. That said it might be a lot closer in cost to the R3 than you think. Who is making a better camera system at this point than Canon? Nikon isn't, Sony has a few advantages in a couple of spots and a lot of disadvantages so I beg to differ.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Hah I pride myself as well, but banging my head for days trying to get a king coming out of the water just right is brutal.
@@VinceMaidens as far as a total system Canon still has a lead IMO. However, the R3 is not even comparable to the Z9 or A1. This antiquated idea that pros must have 20mpx cameras is just that-antiquated. The days of media companies having in house photojournalists and providing equipment are way over as well. Canon has a quirky way of introducing different cameras and leaving features out of them, and then not even updating ones that they can with firmware updates. Don't get me wrong. They do make excellent cameras but I think they push this idea that you need all these different cameras because they can't make one to do it all. When you have a guy like Ron saying he's going to use an R7 in the field instead of the R3 at times, what does that say about the $6000 R3???? When the R1 comes out (if ever), the competition will already have been into the upgrade on their flagship model. Canon isn't going to price it in any way that will cannibalize the R3 sales. So you probably are looking at an $8000 45mpx camera that may be slightly better than a Z9 or A1. I'm sorry I don't buy the notion that you can't have a camera that can do it all. I would still be using my 1DX2 exclusively if the sensor was significantly larger. I wouldn't need an R3, R5, and R7 to swap around. I would be able to make whatever image with one camera. But that would cut into future sales and the idea of planned obsolescence. Too bad more photographers don't see that.
I can't imagine there won't be a third-party grip of some kind There just may not be a battery grip Since it can charge through USB, a battery grip should not be too difficult either
Well, in the past, I would have agreed. But here we are almost 3 years after the introduction of the R5, and STILL no aftermarket grip, which is still a concern for me, as my factory one already failed once, fortunately under warranty, but I’m not confident that it won’t fail again, and the next time, it will likely cost me another $350 ! Urggg…
I think that it is no accident that the Canon publicity shots I have seen does not include the backside. To me it is expensive : At least twice the price it should have sold at. Everything that is "wonderful" is stuff that is cheap to implement. It is basically no cost features. 30 FpS and 1 second buffer? You know now that the buffer cost money. Hence minimum buffer. If I had seen the R7 before I bought my R3, I would not have bought the R3. I would probably have ordered the Olympus OM-1 with a 100-400mm (effectiv3ely 200-800mm) zoom. Which incidentally together is about the same price as the RF100-500.
That is really hard to answer. One thing I will state is that the RF system with RF lenses is the way to go if you can do it. You get the full speed of communication between body and lenses and that makes all the difference for both AF and IS/IBIS performance. If you need peak performance for fast action it is best to go with RF lenses. If you don't shoot fast action or can settle for a bit slower performance then the EF lenses in the 500 mk. II era do very well IMO. In the end you just have to realize the older EF lenses where not made with the future of the RF system in mind, so there is no way they will perform as well on an RF body and RF lenses do. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.
Excellent review - thank you! I'm in the process of working out what camera to buy. I shoot a lot under canopy in forests and have heard that in low light the auto focus doesn't work so well and at the higher ISOs I'll need the images suffer significantly. Have you tested the camera under these conditions? Thanks for your help!
I would say the R7 works about the same AF and IS wise as the R6. Getting an R7 really depends on whether you need a cropped sensor and a bit more resolution than the R6 gives you. Given you have an R5, I would say you really have a great camera with good resolution, so not sure you need an R7. The issue with the R7 is rolling shutter with fast action when using the ES. You can get away from the rolling shutter by using MS. So, it depends on what type of shooting you do most. Not sure this helped much. Ron
I don't delete negative comments. I delete negative comments that do not have any constructive aspects to them. If negative comments are phrased in a respectful way they remain. If not, they get deleted because the serve no purpose to anyone.
I will never understand Canon's "high-end" APC cameras. With the 7d mii, it was a sensor with poor low light capability. With this it's a bunch of compromises for its purpose like the EVF. In the case of the 7D mii,, Canon didn't fix it, Nikon did with the D500. Even though Nikon is not in the same place, it looks like they will be the ones to fix it again. Seems odd, because in general Canon full frame bodies are great. I think they should have cut fewer corners, increased the price and gave a really compelling option. Just my opinion.
Yep, everyone is entitled to their opinion. At this time after shooting the R7 for a longer period, I think it is a heck of a body for the price. The AF system is outstanding and the ISO performance is really pretty good. I can't complain as it packs a lot for the price.
Canon claims 51 full RAW shots with the fastest cards. Of course, like any camera, that reduces as you increase ISO. The 7dii advertised 31, but I typically got about 22. Still, I rarely hit the buffer with it. It was probably a foregone conclusion that they weren't going to plop a CFEXPRESS slot in here when they don't even have one in the R6. CFEXPRESS cards are outrageously expensive, so putting a slot for them in a 1500.00 camera wasn't likely. A better solution might have been a 24 megapixel sensor. Still, I think it's more of an issue to be aware of than to be concerned about.
I agree, you can work around the buffer limitations and on a 1500 camera limitations should be expected. Overall, the R7 is a great camera and I suspect just what a lot of people need for their applications.
I am curious to know how a videographer would rate the R7 with apsc sensor against a Panasonic GH5 or GH6 to use for wedding videography (which has been popular for wedding video in the past). Which would give better results in video image quality in general? (if both were shot by same videographer). Does a larger sensor make a difference? Not everyone will want to spend money on a R5 or R6 or a Sony FF starting out.
I have used my R5 and R3 for video quite extensively, but I have not yet worked with the R7 for video. So, I cannot help with your questions at this point. Maybe a viewer will chime in who has experience with video on the R7.
Great great review... Thanks! I'm curious to know wether the rolling shutter effect does get any better by using 15fps (instead of 30 fps) ??? Another thing... About back bouton focus. OK 2 boutons can be used, can the 3rd one (the one below) be assigned for a on/off eyes tracking ????. Thanks in advance for the informations. Best regards, Denis
Great questions, Denis. First, yes, you can set the AF Point Button to toggle eye detection on and off. With regards to rolling shutter at 15 versus 30 fps, yes, it does get a bit less at 15 fps it seems, but not much in what I have seen so far. It is still very noticeable at times when shooting 15 fps. Ron
I totally agree, it's a very good camera especially when you consider it's only 1500$. I'll bet this camera will be a commercial succes for Canon and it will boost sales of "wildlife" lens. I've been using it on multiday backcountry backpacking trips for landscapes and wildlife photography and I'm very happy so far. It's a light, compact, capable and affordable camera. I'm looking forward to your setup video for the R7. It will be nice for me to compare my setup to your recommended setup and maybe learn some new tricks. Big fan of your channel, please keep up the good work.
I've taken over 10k pics now with it, using a Tamron G2 and I've been disappointed most of the time. AF does not perform very well with EF lenses I think. My friend has the 100-400L EF and he has the same issues with it loosing focus on the bird and focusing on the background. We've tried all kinds of settings combinations, but it just likes to focus on leaves rather than huge Herons in the frame if they are moving at speed.
Good to know that it is not performing up to your standards with non-RF lenses. I have no complains with RF lenses, so I seems the improved communications the RF to RF connection provides is very important with this camera.
Glad you put this review up on the R7 Ron. It was nice to see you at the Sebastian Inlet today and know you are coming to speak to our group on September 28th. Both Jim and I look forward to doing the Kingfisher again when it works out, especially when we need more rain!
Ron thanks for an excellent review of R7. I like rewarding useful videos by pressing the Thanks option (which you do not have on your site-which allows me to pay you $1.99 on Apple pay) Not sure if you can add this to your site. I appreciate your comments on the autofocus system and using electronic shutter at H setting(15 frames/sec) and using Craw to midi gate small buffer. My guess is Canon had to do something to cripple this camera, otherwise how could they sell R3’s. Am shooting mostly birds on the R6 along with RF 100-500, RF 800mm F11, and 1.4x now. So am thinking this might make a good second camera before I go to Europe next spring. When I moved from a 5D iii to the 7D ii I found I had a higher percentage of soft shots with the higher pixel density. You do not seem to have a similar problem with this camera with autofocus and camera stabilization. Thanks
Just subscribed! Haven't picked up a camera since my Nikon FM(as in fully manual) days 40 years ago in NYC, mostly street and fashion. New to digital photography and just picked up an R7. I now live in the Northeast (ADK's) and looking forward to getting into 4-season wildlife/outdoor photography. Thank you for your videos!!
Hey, thanks so much for subscribing. I am glad you find my videos helpful and that you are getting back into photography. I too come from the days of film. If you have any questions feel free to email me. Cheers, Ron
Thanks for the great info. I have the R6 and I love the electronic shutter but I am very concerned about the distortions of the rolling shutter for BIF specially on the wings. In your experience, do you think it is totally acceptable? Thanks!
I have only seen it in ES. And that makes sense if you thing about the physics of the issue. But, I do not shoot MS much, so my sample size if pretty small when it comes to being able to detect any issues with shooting MS. Cheers, Ron
Thanks very much for your initial impressions which were most interesting and informative. I don't recall you making any mention of elec. 1st-curtain shutter mode?
I did not mention it. I don't use that shutter setting, so I really cannot provide comment on it. Using it could reduce rolling shutter a bit when compared to full ES. But, given I don't really have an issue with rolling shutter in ES I have not given it much of a try.
The body size is the thing that really has made me not have any interest in buying the R7. The wheel placement and buttons seem odd also but maybe I would get used to it. I wonder if they will continue with that design or drop it like the multi function bar on the original R body. The 1DX2 always felt perfect in my hand and now my R5’s with grips feel pretty good, I haven’t got my hands on an R3 yet but I’m sure that would feel great. For my hands a small body isn’t comfortable to use, but I’m sure the image quality from the R7 is very good.
The R3 is has the best grip I have ever held. Much better than the R5 with grip. I am hoping a grip will come out for the R7. It will make it a better camera for me as far as usability. I can handle it now given I have small hands, but I can see someone with large hands feeling stymied by the small size. Small can be good, but sometime a bit bigger is better.
Great video and honest opinion which is good .so many people have trashed this camera .I use a z9 as a Nikon user ,but got my r7 today with the 100`-400mm and think it great especially for when I out walking and can still get wild life pictures without the weight 😊👍
Regarding autofocus issues in "H" drive mode. I had this problem the other day where my keeper rate was greatly reduced in this mode. It has happened occasionally but this was the first time I had the feeling that it might be related to the H drive mode. The other issue I had occasionally (Possibly also in H mode) was run-on shutter where the camera kept firing after releasing the shutter button. The first time it happened I had to shut the camera off to stop it.
Interesting to hear your experience with the H drive mode and the out of control shooting situation. I have not had that happen yet. I did have the camera freeze on me this morning for the first time. I hope that does not become an issue.
No grip, small/slow buffer made it simple to say no it. Mirrorless cameras eat batteries for breakfast and having the right arm sticking up in the air when camera in portrait orientation makes it difficult stabilize the setup. My first dSLR the Canon to 30D all the way to the 7D Mk II had a battery grip. Each person is different and I want the grip for many reasons. Heck I can go through 2 sets of dual batteries on my mirrorless camera doing a full day of shooting. Changing batteries in the middle of action.....
I will say this. The R7 is much easier on batteries than the R5 and R3. However, I too still think a battery grip is a good option for all mirrorless cameras. I am hoping a 3rd party makes one for the R7 soon. I would not hold my breath, however.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Big question being, are there any contacts inside the battery compartment. If not, then you will have an extra battery and shutter release via cable. So no back button focus,, no focus selection and so on. If the camera fits their needs, then good. Too crippled for my needs. The OM-1 is my choice at the moment. Only wish it has a larger sensor, maybe 24MP. Used Canon for 11 years and now micro 4/3 for 3 years.
Sounds like a very capable camera . I have been waiting to see when canon would bring back the line APS-C line and this R7 is pretty good.. Unfortunately this is a no go for me . It is way to small for most men's hands and no option of a battery grip what are canon thinking of this smacks of Sony when they started to produce cameras . Why do they think that smaller is better just because a few wimps that have small hands and anything over the weight of 1.5 pounds is going to break their wrists or fingers .The old 7D Mk II was just a perfect size weight and had the option of a battery grip this should be the photographers choice .The cost to include the connections are minuscule. For this not to be an option is disgraceful on Canons Part . I hope they will reverse this decision because i can see canon losing a lot of sales . The R7 would be a safe bet otherwise for a APS-C family again.
As a good birder and average photographer, I found this video to be extraordinarily helpful. I'm leaning toward the R7 and really appreciate the detail provided here.
Great video W W P this being one of the best & honest reviews I've seen on the Canon R7, so thank you and will be looking forward to your R7 Settings video.
Hi Ron, Fantastic video and gallery of images. I'm currently using a Canon r6 with a Sigma 150-600 mm lens entirely for bird photography, and I have been looking at swapping the r6 for the r7 for the extra reach, greater megapixels and better autofocus. Just wondering your thoughts on this, and if you think the swap would be a step backwards (i.e. in going from a full frame to APSC camera)? Many thanks in advance.
This is such a hard question to answer given we all shoot a bit differently and under different scenarios. For me, I would never be without a full frame sensor camera. The performance you get with respect to image quality is just so nice, especially in lower light. That being stated, the R7 is a great camera and the AF performance is top notch IMO. Also, the noise at up to ISO 1600 is still very good and with AI noise reduction now widely available in apps such as TOPAZ noise is not the issue it used to be. So, for me I would def consider changing out an R6 for an R7. One additional thing I will mention is the very large gain in performance I have seen in using native RF lenses with the RF bodies. I have used Sigma, and EF lenses adapted to the R bodies and they work. But, if you want/need top performance the unabridged communication achieved by using RF lens on RF bodies really takes the IS/IBIS and AF performance to a new level, even when using TCs. I know for me, being a bird photographer I cherish this performance as birds in flight is the most demanding form of photography that exists IMO.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Many thanks for your detailed response. I'm considering picking up an r7 and using it for a while to see which one I prefer. I'd love an RF 100-500 in the future, but the price is a massive jump up from the Sigma, and it is not really an affordable option for me at the moment - hopefully I can buy one in the future. Many thanks again - much appreciated :)
Merci pour ses premières impressions du R7. Je suis avec attention toutes vos publications depuis le début car vous êtes vraiment un pro du BIF. Je suis encore indécis pour acheter un R7 en complément de mon R5 + canon EF400 F4do v2. Ma tolérance au bruit est assez limitée. Pouvez vous mettre à disposition quelques raw afin de se faire une opinion sur le traitement de fichiers brut. Remerciements et bonjour de France (Normandie 14).
Thanks so much for following my videos. I will do my best to get some files available that show the noise levels at various ISO settings. I am doing a lot day tours, so my time is stretched quite thin at the moment. Cheers, Ron
Okay Ron I watched your video you put up a lot of good notes about the R7 my first impressions of the R7 when I looked at one and my local camera store looking through the viewfinder it looked like someone put Vaseline in the viewfinder it was so blurry I couldn't believe what I was looking through and one of the things about the R7 that I can't stand is no vertical grip being a bird photographer I will not own a camera without a vertical grip and I will not have a car without a sunroof obviously for photographing Birds so one more item you did not talk about the low light capability of this camera you've had it for a long time so please let me and others that read your messages know about the low-light capabilities is it like the R3 and that aspect because on the R3 is outstanding thank you Ron .
Regarding the blurry look through the VF, was the diopter adjusted for your eyes? If not, that is likely the reason for the blur. No, the low-light capabilities of the R7 is not as good as the R3 and I would not expect it to be. The R7 is higher resolution and a cropped sensor, so it will be noisier. However, compared to say the 7D II, the last cropped sensor camera I would compare the R7 to, the R7 is much better. I don't mind shooting at ISO 1600 on the R7 and for me that works.
So let me get this right. I give Canon £1,500 and they give me a 30fps RAW camera that I have use at 15fps CompressedRAW? That's rubbish! It's like buying a Ferrari but you'll break it if you go above thrid gear. Did you take it out in the rain? Probably best if you don't, the weather sealing is pretty poor - not a great idea for a wildlife camera.
@WhistleBit So I drop Canon £1,500 and I can shoot 30 fps RAW but only for onw second? I then have to wait 8 seconds for the buffer to clear. I am sure the BIF will wait for me......... " It is up to you.. Just like when you buy a Ferrari...or a MiNi." - you do get that that doesn't actually make sense. You think that people buy Ferraris and don't go beyond 3rd gear? I really don't understand "You are not weatherproof rubbish" - maybe English isn't your first language. This camera is supposed to be a wildlife camera and there are no rubber seals. It's not just water, it's humidity, also dust. Even OLY managed to realise that weather proofing was essential for a wildlife camera. Strange Canon can't. 8 years ago Canon brought out the 7D Mk2, weather sealed, 10 fps, never hit the buffer, dual slot. The R7 isn't worthy of lacing it's boots. If people want compromise buy the R10 and save the money or if you want a proper wildlife camera maybe OLY is the answer or the new Fuji - the stills coming out of that are amazing. I should also add that it has the noisy old sensor from the 90D and the rolling shutter is truely hideous because the sensor read is quite slow. There are a lot of people on youtube that have a vested interest in various camera companies. Whether they acta as an ambassador, or future ambassador (as OLY plays the game) or whether it is via sponsorship, and sometimes it is simply that aspire to go down this route. But all you have to do is look at the cold hard facts and you can see that this is not a great camera in any way shape or form. It is an attempt to sell to the 7D Mk2 and 90D guys but it will never convert anyone from Nikon or Sony, not a chance.
@WhistleBit "The R7 is one of the best cameras Canon makes" - Apart from every R camera except the R10. You could argue that the R10 is better value for money. What you are saying is that 8 years Canon created a better camera than the 7D Mk2, let's examine that: The 7D Mk2 was heralded as the best wildlife camera of it's day. It had dual card slot, one of which was CF, 65 point dual pixel autofocus, a tough magnesium alloy body, 20.2mp, and you can shoot for over 3 seconds at 10 fps before you hit the buffer which clears in under 4 seconds. It was agreed by all critics that this camera was at launch the best in it's field and truely semi-pro. The R7 has the autofocus from the R3, although real wrold shooting suggests that Canon have hobbled this a little, but it is great. It is relatively cheap - great. 32mp good, but it's a crop sensor, you shouldn't need to crop and cropping from a crop sensor isn't great in any camera. The downside is: the 30 fps per second is total impracticle because they crippled the buffer. You get 1 second of shooting. Would I rather have 10 fps x 3 seconds or 30 fps x 1 second. So one of it's USP is basically pants. 8 seconds to clear the buffer! Your target is not going to wait of you. Wildlife is unpredictable, apart from one aspect, animals and birds don't like humans, they run and fly away. The sensor is better than the 7D Mk2. It is the old sensor from the 90D, but that sensor was barely better than the 7D Mk2 and all reviews said so. It also shares the weather sealing (or lack of) from the 90D. A huge critisism at the time and one of the main reasons 7D Mk2 users did not do what Canon asked and buy the 90D. Canon admitted that there 90D sales were no where near expectations and blamed it on the market. Nikon's D500 however sold better. The mistake that people make is that it is not just rain you need to worry about. Humidity and dust damage more cameras than rain. As for a raincoat, ever tried to shoot with one? Never used one in my life. Let's talk about rolling shutter and the horrendous warping in so many pictures. The sensor read is so slow it just cripples anything moving at high speed. "This camera is for Canon shooters that have old glass they want to use on a canon camera." - I have EF Canon glass and it is way too good for this camera. This camera is Canon's best wildlife camera, it is the best they do, that is it. The R10 is better value for money and can look after some of the cross-over users. But the R7 was meant to replace the 7D Mk2 and 90D, it fails. "Sony and Nikon shooters have already been converted by the R6, R5, & R3" - to start with there are lots of APS-C users that could not have already been converted because these arethe first APS-C camera Canon has. Secondly the figures don't seem to prove your point. Forums don't suggest it either. I think the R3 is a great camera, took one for a spin and it is truely great, The R5 and R6 are incredibly good too. The R10 and R7 look like rush jobs. They would have been better releasing the R10 and getting the R7 right. The new Fuji X-H2S is £500 more, with a much larger range of APS-C lenses, that are much cheaper than Canon. With a brand new stacked sensor so no rolling shutter, CF card, decent buffer 40 fps, completely weather sealed and although their autofocus for video isn't amazing for stills it is incredibly good. You can adjust the speed of acquisition and stickiness. 7 presets - a real pro camera, barely any more money that you would save on lenses. The 150-600 you can buy for £1,900, the Canon equivilent is the best part of £3k! and doesn't work that well with a tele-converter. Competition is great!
Thanks for this Ron. After ordering on the first announcement of the release, my R7 is finally arriving tomorrow. Looking forward to setting it up. I tend not to use ES with my R5. Electronic First Shutter is my first port of call for most images, particularly if I'm expecting flight shots as I walk around, to avoid rolling shutter (R5/RF 100-500). I'll use ES occasionally for static, perched or slow-moving subjects, especially if stealth is a priority. CRAW is my standard setting to keep file size manageable and 15FPS is plenty fast enough for me in most situations, so I'm not too worried about the buffer size. One thing that concerns me is the lack of a lock button on the mode dial. My 7DII was like this when I got it on the first day of release in 2014, and it was a nuisance because it was so easy to move. I'd think I was shooting in manual, but then when I raised my camera for a sudden shot, I'd find I was shooting in AV or some other outlandish mode because an inadverent touch from my clothing had turned the dial slightly. This was remedied when my shutter failed after a few months. The camera store phoned me to say the shutter was replaceable under warranty, but they offered me (at additional cost) the choice of a push-button lock switch being fitted in the centre of the mode dial to prevent accidental movement. That button was invaluable. No more mode mistakes. Is the dial on the R7 stiffer than on the 7D ii, or must I wait for a similar upgrade to become available to prevent accidents?
I find it a bit stiffer. But without a lock it can still be inadvertently turned. I have not had a problem so far, but I am in the habit of always checking the setting.
Outstanding review, as always. Hoping to get my brother to pick one of these up. He got me started on photography ages ago when I saw his great pictures from a Canon Rebel, but he has not had the pleasure of experiencing how good things have gotten over the years. I'm absolutely floored by the R5, and very happy to hear that the more affordable R7 is doing yeoman's work, as well. Thank you for the detailed review, and tips on settings.
Ron, excellent piece on the R-7. Informative and real world with the flagging of several key settings and preferred shutter speed ranges. Looking forward to your next video. Thank you and keep up the great work 😊
Superb video and looking forward to more of your views and comments on it. Mine arrived today and now looking forward to seeing what I can get out of it
Nah! Nikon, Sony, Canon they are all great. There really is no better or worse, just options, which is always a good thing. I have shot Canon for over 30 years and so I am comfortable with Canon and I get great images using their gear. If you are happy with your images and enjoying your photography, there is no reason to switch IMO. Cheers, Ron
@@whistlingwingsphotography Yeah I know I love the Z9 as it's a great camera but I'm wondering when Nikon is going to release their crop camera for us.
@@HotGates I am a Canon shooter and have the R3 and R5 and I am very happy, might even add the R7 as I photograph birds too, but I agree with Ron, no way should you switch, no bad cameras out there and every manufacturer has something we all want, I would love Canon to bring out a PF 800mm 6.3 I am so envious Nikon users they can buy that lens especially for the money, and Sony with the 200-600mm what a lens for little money, I think in time we will all get what we want 😀 not to mention the Z9 is amazing.
@@tonyesposito9602 I started with Canon in 2003 and left for Nikon in 2014, What I would like to know is how the Z9 fairs in AF tracking against the R3? But the lens I am waiting for is the Nikkor Z 200-600 but the Z 400 4.5 looks sweet too, You know one thing is for sure is no matter what camera you have the grass looks greener on the other side lol;)
I show some images in the video that point to the rolling shutter on background elements. It is def there and is about the same as the R5 or a bit worse. For me, it will likely not be much of an issue given where I shoot and the types of backgrounds present. For some, it will be an issue. There is always mechanical shutter at 15 fps as a way to get around the rolling shutter in ES. 15fps is not slouch for a body at this price point IMO. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Cheers, Ron
Great review. I have the R7 and the RF 100-500 and I love both. Your review seems right on the money. I don’t have a teleconverter, but I’m thinking about getting a 1.4x based on your evaluation. Looking forward to your settings video!
One thing to be aware of, which could be very important depending on your shooting subjects, when using a teleconverter the 100-500mm lens will not open wider than 300mm which is a tremendous bummer if a large bird gets close to you all of a sudden.
Thanks for the input. I really hope Canon comes out with a grip for the R7. I am one who thinks having options is a good thing. I would love to have the option of putting a grip on this camera.
Neewer et al will offer something, eventually. Alignment holes aren't a deal breaker. There will have to be a cable for vertical shooting (like with the RP).
I would think so. Given the R7 is going to be a popular camera among the "masses" it likely would be profitable for a third party to make a grip for this camera. We can only hope. Cheers.
I have found the RF system in general to be quite a bit better than the EF system. When I use RF TCs, both 1.4 and 2.0x, on my 600 RF I don't see much if any difference in AF performance and IQ is excellent. I always thought the EF performance with TCs was great for its time and place, but the RF system takes all this to the next level IMO.
@@perryelder5045 You can go to my website and all my day tours and multi-day tours are listed. For my day tours I do not have fixed dates, I work with you to find a day that fits your schedule and I have an opening. Here is link to my website: www.whistlingwingsphotography.com/
I can’t say given I don’t know your needs at all. Best thing to do is rent or borrow one and try it. It is the only way to know whether this camera is a tool that will benefit you.
@@whistlingwingsphotography I stumbled across your review and found it very helpful, thank you. I am just getting into mirrorless, mainly shooting wildlife on jeep safaris (birds and mammals), a bit of birding in the rainforest, and wondering whether to get the R5 or R7 for the Canon 100-500. Extra reach in the R7 would be great, and I do have Denoise, but not sure if the loud mechanical shutter (to overcome rolling shutter) will disturb birds when you are trekking through the forest.... the lighter weight than the R5＋100-500+1.4 will surely help though.......so quite confused. There's no renting available here for either of those to try. In this scenario, if you could only by one camera at the moment, which would you buy? TIA!
@@rishanim.gunasinghe76 For an all around camera I would get the R5. The extra res helps offset the cropped sensor on the R7 IMO. If you don't put a grip on the R7 it is still a small and rather light camera. The mech shutter on the R5 is more refined and thus less likely to disturb birds and other wildlife. Cheers, Ron
What a dynamite review of the good points of the the R7 and the "work-arounds" for the limiting points! I've been hesitant to switch to the electronic shutter or my R5 because there's no way to reduce the frame rate to 15 and I almost never need 30 fps and the fact that there's no faint artificial sound that can be activated. Both of the "drawbacks" on the R5 have been resolved on the R7. We are currently using on old R as our back up camera so a R7 sounds like more than an upgrade for a backup and might even be in the starring role on occasion! Love, love, love reviews by someone who intimately knows their cameras and is really good at using them getting pictures of birds doing things most other bird photographers would only dream of. Lends a whole lot more weight to your comparisons and experience. Keep the great reports coming!
Catherine d'A
Thanks so much. Great to hear from you. Hope you all are doing well.
Youve made my mind up! my next cam is R7 ! many thanks for the amazing review!
Glad I could help!
Great vid, I have the R7, and your have already showed me a couple of things in the menu I didn’t know= 15 frames , smooth.
Look forward to your next vid, thank you 🙏
My pleasure, thanks for taking the time to comment.
23:02 -- I shoot birds in flight as well as sports in electronic in RAW or CRAW....still new with the camera but have already learned/trained myself to feather the shots. I do small bursts when shooting.....just allows a little more in the buffer.
A pudknocker sees only limitations; a pro sees opportunity. Keep up the informative vids!
Truth!
Great first look Ron.
Thank you kindly
You just gave a half hour of good reasons why the R3 is really poor value at four times the price of the R7, which has "the same auto focus". Always entertaining videos! Cheers!
Hey, thanks so much for watching and commenting. Really appreciate the compliment. Ron
Thanks...
Welcome
Thank you for your info. I used the R7 yesterday at an airshow and it worked fast, I got the camera last week. Do you have experience/tests with the R7 and EF lenses? Great that i found you 🙏🏻👌👍
I have used the R7 with EF lenses and it works well, but using RF lenses make the IS/IBIS and AF the best they can be. And this is much better then with EF lenses. That is why I now shoot only RF lenses on my RF bodies when things really matter with respect to fast subjects. Thanks so much for watching and for taking the time to comment.
@@whistlingwingsphotography saw your video again for the splendid info, thank you sir.....next video for your bird setup👍
You failed to mention at the intro the lense you were using with it . Bear in mind am not a subscriber [ Yet ]
I garuntee that Lense ... is worth a ton more in cash than the R7 ,And as you can easily afford the R3 and the R5 .. You aren't short of a bob or two by any means .
If you are saying the main selling point of the camera is the AF Tracking .
No reviewers on here ever touch upon the subject matters i tend to capture most ,,, that being Aviation / Shipping . It would be nice to see how well the A.F.T reacts when capturing Aviation targets .. mainly High fliers .
Another reviewer said the Silent shutter was good when others have said differently .. thus far you have said zero of any silent shutter . And the Mechanical shutter sounds like an Ingram Machine Gun ... tbh what on earth was Canon thinking lol .
Actually, I did mention I used all RF lenses. And yes RF lenses perform better than adapted EF as should be the case. I have not worked with the silent shutter option so I did not and cannot report on that. I just don’t use MS much, so I worry about the MS sound. We all shoot differently, and there is no way for any one person to provide comprehensive review on a camera for all use cases. I report on what I know and that is bird photography. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. It is greatly appreciated.
A fair and extremely helpful review. Overall, it is an extremely impressive body at the price point. Configured properly (by turning the aed off) for BIF the af is really remarkable. Battery life is great too. I’m finding it prefers RF lenses and have experienced some BF with adapted ef lenses. Thanks for the great work!
Thanks so much for watching and adding your experiences here. I agree, the battery life on the R7 is very good.
What maybe a lot of people don’t realise is the hit rate of images in focus with the fast focusing rf100-400 and how light it is can’t be overlooked! Sure pair it with faster glass but it’s a great camera for the masses. Had mine since day one and I wish it had a battery grip
Fantastic, informative video ! TYSM :) I will definitely rent it to check it out. Thinking I might buy one as a backup for my R5. The biggest drawback for me is the small size :( And its bad enough that Canon says they wont make a grip for it... Heck, even if they did, it would almost surely be WAY over priced, like the grip for my R5, but what's worse, is that IMPO, Canon is now spending more $ on R&D to figure out ways to make grips unable to be copied... Which is why I had to pay nearly $400 for a Canon brand grip for my R5, which, without any bangs, bumps, or drops, failed 6 months after I got it :( Canon grips are a sore subject for me. Everything else about this camera, sounds great, or should I say, at least doable :) If I haven't bought one by next Spring, I'll certainly rent one as a backup for my cross country birding trips next Spring ;)
Hey, thanks so much and thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I agree. I wish they would have a grip or at least a 3rd party grip. We can only hope. Cheers, Ron
Just got an R7 upgrading from a 80D and it has already improved the number of useful and in focus images tremendously. The focus system is a huge difference coming from the 80D no more guessing where the focus point is as it sticks to the subject. Have it pared with a Sigma 150-600mm C lens with updated firmware and custom setting to make the eye tracking better. It was already a revolution without updated firmware and custom settings. 😊
Bob, the R7's Pro-capture feature may be a useful asset for your diving kingfisher photography.
Best, balanced review I've seen so far of the R7. Thanks so much for the great level of detail and objective opinions. I've yet to decide if the R7 is really for me (coming from 7dII and 1dIV), but this really helped move me along the decision curve.
Much appreciated! Glad it was helpful.
7d mii...you should upgrade. You will love getting a cleaner image above ISO 800.
Thanks for an interesting and informative video. I got rid of my Nikon gear earlier this year and purchased the R6 plus the RF24-240 and 100-500. Really pleased with results. I have got the R7 on order (not readily available in the UK yet - long waiting lists!) which I was going to use as a back up to my R6 but looking at your initial impressions of the focusing and crop factor it could easily become my main go to body. Look forward to your settings for bif video.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching and commenting. My BIF video for the R7 is available. Just FYI
FYI 21:41 -- this is defaulted to OFF (at least it was with mine)...good tip but it shouldn't be enabled from factory.
I am deeply disappointed. Trust lost. If they had released it before I bought my R3, I would not have bought the R3.
I have question, setting up using Fv if I change that will all adjustments change. I setup as you showed on video and now I move to manual.
Great initial impressions Ron, I’ll be getting one as a second body to my R3 and for BIF! Like you say it has limitations but for the price it’s pretty dam good. Thanks R 👍👊
Thanks for watching and adding your perspective.
I just had the R7 for several days. Tried it out on the RF 100-500 with and without RF 1.4x. Haven't had a chance for BIF yet. So far it is a very nice camera. Great details. Rolling shutter is very obvious with 30 fps electronic shutter with background having vertical images like light post and tree trunks. I will try 15 fps electronic shutter at cRAW. Very good reach with 1.6x crop factor. ISO 1600 is no problem, unlike the old DSLR 7D2. I think ISO is about one stop better than the 7D2. I wish it had three dials for the exposure triangle. I need to test it more. For now, I am going to keep it.
Yep, rolling shutter is present on background elements but there is always mechanical shutter if shooting in a scenario that demands it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Great review. Been shooting Canon since 1974. Been looking forward to this camera but seems too many compromises for BIF. The one thing is shutter shock which a lot reviewers talk about. So switch to electronic shutter and you get warping due to slow readout speed of the sensor. Curious as to anyone’s experiences with this camera regarding BIF performance. Thanks
Get some warping with electronic shutter, but not that bad. Usually shows up when panning and shooting at the same time. Two or three shots out of a burst are horrible. But most are ok. At least I'm not noticing the warp. Birds flying at me have been fine, and of course all those butt shots are great! But yeah, from all the talk, I honestly thought this camera would be unusable with electronic shutter. Not the case at all. I am shooting high speed (15fps) not high speed + (30), and am shooting in C-Raw. Tracking has been decent and allows for shots I would never have gotten before.
I appreciate the detailed review and your perspective of this new camera. Although I doubt I’ll get one this was very informative. Although, I may need one to avoid changing lenses as frequently on my R5 😂
Thanks so much for your comment and for watching.
I have had my R7 for about 5 or 6 weeks now. For me photography is a hobby so I am just under 5k images. I have not tried the mechanical shutter yet so I haven't encountered those issues you found. I have used electronic 1st curtain and full electronic. In my initial tests I didn't really notice any difference between full raw and craw, so I shoot in craw. The autofocus is very good like you said. I turned off the auto level before I ever took a picture. It is interesting the problems you had with it on.
Very good review.
Hey, thanks for taking the time to comment and add you input. Always appreciated.
Great review. Loving my R7 so far. Auto level works great for landscape. Also, last I tried topaz denoise it had issues changing the colours of my raw photos - which I found documented on their support pages. However, I gave DXO pureraw 2 a try - and I’m always sceptical - but it blew me away how well the images hold up at 6400 and even 12800. There’s no doubt Lightroom is losing detail if you import the raw there first…so DXO and DPP (also works quite well) to start processing files. Can’t wait for birds to start flying south so I can get some photos as they pass through!
Thanks for watching and providing your input.
Wouldn’t the R7 be perfect if it didn’t have the ubiquitous Canon rear side hinged rear LCD screen. I wonder how many bird and nature photographers decide to turn the camera on themselves during a shoot and do some selfies?
Canon please give us a choice, instead of your way or the highway….the tilt screen is so much faster and unobtrusive.
Great video btw, thank you.
I hear you, but one thing I really like about the full articulating LCD is that you can stow it away "backwards" and thus it is protected. It also is good when you shoot video and you want to set up the scene. I am doing a lot of video these days and it sure is nice. Thanks for watching and commenting. Ron
Thanks for a great video. Looking forward to your setup video. I’ve been shooting with an R6. I recently added the R7 body and do find the focusing system a bit confusing. Don’t have a problem with the new wheel. Use the control ring on the lens for the third wheel. Like the film cameras I used for thirty years.
Hey, thanks and thanks for watching.
Really interesting observation about auto leveling. Not seen anyone else discuss it and whether it helps with rolling shutter or not. Mine is still on backorder but when it eventually arrives I'll turn that straight off! Thanks.
Turning it off will not remedy the rolling shutter you see in background elements when panning quickly with a subject, but it seemed to eliminate the distortion of the subject itself. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
Nice job! I’ve had one of these since the end of June. I shoot primarily with the 100-500 in my search for a combo that doesn’t hurt my shoulder. I am happy with it.
Thanks so much for commenting. With respect to your shoulder you might want to check out my harness system. I designed it for the exact reason you state. I had a bad shoulder. You can find more information on my harness on my website in the Store. www.whistlingwingsphotography.com
Canon won't make a grip for the camera, but I am sure there will be Third party grips available!
Been thinking about a second body for my r6 Mainly shoot wildlife/landscape and concerts. Can’t decide on the r5 or r7. I love the idea of the crop (r7)for birds but think the r5 will be more versatile. If you only had the r6,would you get an r5 or r7 for a second body?
Great video yet again. Love the channel.
Just got my R7 two days ago. Have your ‘Set up’ video saved to rely on for when i set up the new cam. Thanks for sharing all your efforts and learnings with this R7! Now, if we could get Canon to make a high quality big-aperture mid-range zoom that can handle its pixel density...that'd be sweet.
Shot the Canon 80D for years until shutter died. Was forced to upgrade so it was either 90D or R7....I shoot wildlife as well as sports so the R7 was a no brainer (although hurt in the pocket book).
I shoot Sigma lenses (18-35 and 70-200) so had to get the adapter as well.
Will say the 15 / 30 fps over the 7 fps on my 80D is KILLER. The 651 AF points over the 45 is nice as well.
I have NO complaints for this camera body over my 80D.
$1500 hurt? You may need to update your idea of expensive in light of the bad inflation in the U.S. I get used to Older Times too and then sticker shock!
@@fgb3126 yep $2,400 CAD hurts on a single income
You and I have the same gear, same type of shooting and we've come to the same conclusion. I was going to send back the bodies and I'm keeping one.... I've not stopped shooting it. One of the cool features too is the pre-capture. I used it on Kingfishers in Kenya, where it is impossible to get the timing right for this bird (as you well know they give no tells as to flight) and this feature enables you to nail a launch like you planned it. Amazing bit of tech. I didn't run into any buffer issues however UNLESS I use that feature, my regular shooting style is less spray, so I never hit the buffer. For the money you're not touching this thing with any current lower end and even a lot of higher end bodies. If this is what Canon is offering for prosumer, I'm nearly frightened at how good the R1 will end up being. Great video as usual fella.
Vince, thanks for chiming in. I failed to go over the pre-capture in my video as I don't use it, or I should say have not used it yet. I pride myself on being able to anticipate and thus get the shot I am after, but you are correct sometimes it is almost impossible to do so. I will have to mess around with that feature. Overall, as you state, it is a great camera for the price point. I can't wait to see what the R1 brings, just as you are, I am literally scared to know. Also excited of course. Cheers, Ron
Sadly they are way behind on a potential R1,, and if the price point for the very mediocre R3 is an indication, the R1 is going to be super expensive! They really should think about pricing out their users who can go elsewhere for better cameras than they are currently producing. Should be interesting to see how it plays out. Right now they are behind the competition.
@@christophercarlimages9003 Not sure where you get that info, I work pretty closely with canon and have not seen any evidence of any of that. The R3 for what its intended purpose is, is priced as a pro body, which is what it is. It's a work horse tool, not really intended for hobby photographers. R1 again will be a pro body that is meant to be used by journalists etc, as a tool so you pay for tools usually. That said it might be a lot closer in cost to the R3 than you think. Who is making a better camera system at this point than Canon? Nikon isn't, Sony has a few advantages in a couple of spots and a lot of disadvantages so I beg to differ.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Hah I pride myself as well, but banging my head for days trying to get a king coming out of the water just right is brutal.
@@VinceMaidens as far as a total system Canon still has a lead IMO. However, the R3 is not even comparable to the Z9 or A1. This antiquated idea that pros must have 20mpx cameras is just that-antiquated. The days of media companies having in house photojournalists and providing equipment are way over as well. Canon has a quirky way of introducing different cameras and leaving features out of them, and then not even updating ones that they can with firmware updates. Don't get me wrong. They do make excellent cameras but I think they push this idea that you need all these different cameras because they can't make one to do it all. When you have a guy like Ron saying he's going to use an R7 in the field instead of the R3 at times, what does that say about the $6000 R3???? When the R1 comes out (if ever), the competition will already have been into the upgrade on their flagship model. Canon isn't going to price it in any way that will cannibalize the R3 sales. So you probably are looking at an $8000 45mpx camera that may be slightly better than a Z9 or A1. I'm sorry I don't buy the notion that you can't have a camera that can do it all. I would still be using my 1DX2 exclusively if the sensor was significantly larger. I wouldn't need an R3, R5, and R7 to swap around. I would be able to make whatever image with one camera. But that would cut into future sales and the idea of planned obsolescence. Too bad more photographers don't see that.
Awesome video on R7. I like your pace, voice, details, and everything about your video. Helps me decide to pull the trigger on getting one. Thanks!
We got this unit as an Xmas gift. It is complicated. Is there a auto setting that I can use so it is point and shoot like my iPhone camera?
Sure. Set the mode dial to P
Love your vids! I love my R5 and wanted a Crop camera as a backup, your vid made me buy an R7. Thanks so much and keep up the good work!
I can't imagine there won't be a third-party grip of some kind
There just may not be a battery grip
Since it can charge through USB, a battery grip should not be too difficult either
Let's hope.
Well, in the past, I would have agreed. But here we are almost 3 years after the introduction of the R5, and STILL no aftermarket grip, which is still a concern for me, as my factory one already failed once, fortunately under warranty, but I’m not confident that it won’t fail again, and the next time, it will likely cost me another $350 ! Urggg…
I think that it is no accident that the Canon publicity shots I have seen does not include the backside.
To me it is expensive : At least twice the price it should have sold at. Everything that is "wonderful" is stuff that is cheap to implement. It is basically no cost features. 30 FpS and 1 second buffer? You know now that the buffer cost money. Hence minimum buffer.
If I had seen the R7 before I bought my R3, I would not have bought the R3. I would probably have ordered the Olympus OM-1 with a 100-400mm (effectiv3ely 200-800mm) zoom. Which incidentally together is about the same price as the RF100-500.
Thanks for adding your opinion to the discussion.
Does the R5 handle EF lenses like the 500mm f4 II better than the R7?
That is really hard to answer. One thing I will state is that the RF system with RF lenses is the way to go if you can do it. You get the full speed of communication between body and lenses and that makes all the difference for both AF and IS/IBIS performance. If you need peak performance for fast action it is best to go with RF lenses. If you don't shoot fast action or can settle for a bit slower performance then the EF lenses in the 500 mk. II era do very well IMO. In the end you just have to realize the older EF lenses where not made with the future of the RF system in mind, so there is no way they will perform as well on an RF body and RF lenses do. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.
Excellent review - thank you! I'm in the process of working out what camera to buy. I shoot a lot under canopy in forests and have heard that in low light the auto focus doesn't work so well and at the higher ISOs I'll need the images suffer significantly. Have you tested the camera under these conditions? Thanks for your help!
Hi < greetings from Singapore . How is it with the EF 600 using the adapter? I have an R5 and a R6, shld I sell the R6 and buy this one ?
I would say the R7 works about the same AF and IS wise as the R6. Getting an R7 really depends on whether you need a cropped sensor and a bit more resolution than the R6 gives you. Given you have an R5, I would say you really have a great camera with good resolution, so not sure you need an R7. The issue with the R7 is rolling shutter with fast action when using the ES. You can get away from the rolling shutter by using MS. So, it depends on what type of shooting you do most. Not sure this helped much. Ron
@@whistlingwingsphotography i was only thinking abt tending the reach of the 600 without using a teleconverter
Just out of curiosity, why are any negative comments deleted?
I don't delete negative comments. I delete negative comments that do not have any constructive aspects to them. If negative comments are phrased in a respectful way they remain. If not, they get deleted because the serve no purpose to anyone.
I will never understand Canon's "high-end" APC cameras. With the 7d mii, it was a sensor with poor low light capability. With this it's a bunch of compromises for its purpose like the EVF. In the case of the 7D mii,, Canon didn't fix it, Nikon did with the D500. Even though Nikon is not in the same place, it looks like they will be the ones to fix it again. Seems odd, because in general Canon full frame bodies are great. I think they should have cut fewer corners, increased the price and gave a really compelling option. Just my opinion.
Yep, everyone is entitled to their opinion. At this time after shooting the R7 for a longer period, I think it is a heck of a body for the price. The AF system is outstanding and the ISO performance is really pretty good. I can't complain as it packs a lot for the price.
@@whistlingwingsphotography I don't disagree. To get basically the R3 autofocus system in a $1500 body is pretty great.
Wow awesome video. 10x better than any of these more popular reviewers on youtube
Canon claims 51 full RAW shots with the fastest cards. Of course, like any camera, that reduces as you increase ISO. The 7dii advertised 31, but I typically got about 22. Still, I rarely hit the buffer with it. It was probably a foregone conclusion that they weren't going to plop a CFEXPRESS slot in here when they don't even have one in the R6. CFEXPRESS cards are outrageously expensive, so putting a slot for them in a 1500.00 camera wasn't likely. A better solution might have been a 24 megapixel sensor. Still, I think it's more of an issue to be aware of than to be concerned about.
I agree, you can work around the buffer limitations and on a 1500 camera limitations should be expected. Overall, the R7 is a great camera and I suspect just what a lot of people need for their applications.
Did I miss something?
I am curious to know how a videographer would rate the R7 with apsc sensor against a Panasonic GH5 or GH6 to use for wedding videography (which has been popular for wedding video in the past). Which would give better results in video image quality in general? (if both were shot by same videographer). Does a larger sensor make a difference? Not everyone will want to spend money on a R5 or R6 or a Sony FF starting out.
I have used my R5 and R3 for video quite extensively, but I have not yet worked with the R7 for video. So, I cannot help with your questions at this point. Maybe a viewer will chime in who has experience with video on the R7.
Great great review... Thanks! I'm curious to know wether the rolling shutter effect does get any better by using 15fps (instead of 30 fps) ??? Another thing... About back bouton focus. OK 2 boutons can be used, can the 3rd one (the one below) be assigned for a on/off eyes tracking ????. Thanks in advance for the informations. Best regards, Denis
Great questions, Denis. First, yes, you can set the AF Point Button to toggle eye detection on and off. With regards to rolling shutter at 15 versus 30 fps, yes, it does get a bit less at 15 fps it seems, but not much in what I have seen so far. It is still very noticeable at times when shooting 15 fps. Ron
I totally agree, it's a very good camera especially when you consider it's only 1500$.
I'll bet this camera will be a commercial succes for Canon and it will boost sales of "wildlife" lens.
I've been using it on multiday backcountry backpacking trips for landscapes and wildlife photography and I'm very happy so far. It's a light, compact, capable and affordable camera.
I'm looking forward to your setup video for the R7. It will be nice for me to compare my setup to your recommended setup and maybe learn some new tricks.
Big fan of your channel, please keep up the good work.
Paul, thanks so much. I appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment.
I've taken over 10k pics now with it, using a Tamron G2 and I've been disappointed most of the time. AF does not perform very well with EF lenses I think. My friend has the 100-400L EF and he has the same issues with it loosing focus on the bird and focusing on the background. We've tried all kinds of settings combinations, but it just likes to focus on leaves rather than huge Herons in the frame if they are moving at speed.
Good to know that it is not performing up to your standards with non-RF lenses. I have no complains with RF lenses, so I seems the improved communications the RF to RF connection provides is very important with this camera.
@@whistlingwingsphotography A shame that Canon don't mention this when selling the adapter
Glad you put this review up on the R7 Ron. It was nice to see you at the Sebastian Inlet today and know you are coming to speak to our group on September 28th. Both Jim and I look forward to doing the Kingfisher again when it works out, especially when we need more rain!
Great seeing you all at the Inlet. Hope you get something out of the video.
Ron thanks for an excellent review of R7.
I like rewarding useful videos by pressing the Thanks option (which you do not have on your site-which allows me to pay you $1.99 on Apple pay) Not sure if you can add this to your site.
I appreciate your comments on the autofocus system and using electronic shutter at H setting(15 frames/sec) and using Craw to midi gate small buffer. My guess is Canon had to do something to cripple this camera, otherwise how could they sell R3’s.
Am shooting mostly birds on the R6 along with RF 100-500, RF 800mm F11, and 1.4x now. So am thinking this might make a good second camera before I go to Europe next spring. When I moved from a 5D iii to the 7D ii I found I had a higher percentage of soft shots with the higher pixel density. You do not seem to have a similar problem with this camera with autofocus and camera stabilization. Thanks
Ron, I greatly appreciate your comments. Thanks. I will look into the Thanks button.
I was wondering instead of using the R7 and the R6 to be complementary, would the R5 (as single body) ticks the most important boxes ????
Sure, if you can get by with just one camera body then the R5 is a good option. A very good all around body for sure.
Thank you for your excellent tutorial. I hope I will get better and better with my canon r7 in bird photography 🤞. Merci
Thank you for watching.
Just subscribed! Haven't picked up a camera since my Nikon FM(as in fully manual) days 40 years ago in NYC, mostly street and fashion. New to digital photography and just picked up an R7. I now live in the Northeast (ADK's) and looking forward to getting into 4-season wildlife/outdoor photography. Thank you for your videos!!
Hey, thanks so much for subscribing. I am glad you find my videos helpful and that you are getting back into photography. I too come from the days of film. If you have any questions feel free to email me. Cheers, Ron
Thanks for the great info. I have the R6 and I love the electronic shutter but I am very concerned about the distortions of the rolling shutter for BIF specially on the wings. In your experience, do you think it is totally acceptable? Thanks!
I do not find the rolling shutter to be a problem on the birds I shoot.
The issue with auto leveling, any idea if that applies to Mech. Shutter as well? Or just electronic? Thanks!
I have only seen it in ES. And that makes sense if you thing about the physics of the issue. But, I do not shoot MS much, so my sample size if pretty small when it comes to being able to detect any issues with shooting MS. Cheers, Ron
Thanks very much for your initial impressions which were most interesting and informative. I don't recall you making any mention of elec. 1st-curtain shutter mode?
I did not mention it. I don't use that shutter setting, so I really cannot provide comment on it. Using it could reduce rolling shutter a bit when compared to full ES. But, given I don't really have an issue with rolling shutter in ES I have not given it much of a try.
The body size is the thing that really has made me not have any interest in buying the R7. The wheel placement and buttons seem odd also but maybe I would get used to it. I wonder if they will continue with that design or drop it like the multi function bar on the original R body.
The 1DX2 always felt perfect in my hand and now my R5’s with grips feel pretty good, I haven’t got my hands on an R3 yet but I’m sure that would feel great. For my hands a small body isn’t comfortable to use, but I’m sure the image quality from the R7 is very good.
The R3 is has the best grip I have ever held. Much better than the R5 with grip. I am hoping a grip will come out for the R7. It will make it a better camera for me as far as usability. I can handle it now given I have small hands, but I can see someone with large hands feeling stymied by the small size. Small can be good, but sometime a bit bigger is better.
Great video and honest opinion which is good .so many people have trashed this camera .I use a z9 as a Nikon user ,but got my r7 today with the 100`-400mm and think it great especially for when I out walking and can still get wild life pictures without the weight 😊👍
Thanks so much for watching and commenting.
Regarding autofocus issues in "H" drive mode. I had this problem the other day where my keeper rate was greatly reduced in this mode. It has happened occasionally but this was the first time I had the feeling that it might be related to the H drive mode.
The other issue I had occasionally (Possibly also in H mode) was run-on shutter where the camera kept firing after releasing the shutter button. The first time it happened I had to shut the camera off to stop it.
Interesting to hear your experience with the H drive mode and the out of control shooting situation. I have not had that happen yet. I did have the camera freeze on me this morning for the first time. I hope that does not become an issue.
best review, no crying about the equipment. Just usefull and pro tips, thank you!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment.
Thanks like your presentation’s very straightforward easy for me to understand.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching
No grip, small/slow buffer made it simple to say no it. Mirrorless cameras eat batteries for breakfast and having the right arm sticking up in the air when camera in portrait orientation makes it difficult stabilize the setup. My first dSLR the Canon to 30D all the way to the 7D Mk II had a battery grip. Each person is different and I want the grip for many reasons. Heck I can go through 2 sets of dual batteries on my mirrorless camera doing a full day of shooting. Changing batteries in the middle of action.....
I will say this. The R7 is much easier on batteries than the R5 and R3. However, I too still think a battery grip is a good option for all mirrorless cameras. I am hoping a 3rd party makes one for the R7 soon. I would not hold my breath, however.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Big question being, are there any contacts inside the battery compartment. If not, then you will have an extra battery and shutter release via cable. So no back button focus,, no focus selection and so on. If the camera fits their needs, then good. Too crippled for my needs. The OM-1 is my choice at the moment. Only wish it has a larger sensor, maybe 24MP. Used Canon for 11 years and now micro 4/3 for 3 years.
Sounds like a very capable camera . I have been waiting to see when canon would bring back the line APS-C line and this R7 is pretty good.. Unfortunately this is a no go for me . It is way to small for most men's hands and no option of a battery grip what are canon thinking of this smacks of Sony when they started to produce cameras . Why do they think that smaller is better just because a few wimps that have small hands and anything over the weight of 1.5 pounds is going to break their wrists or fingers .The old 7D Mk II was just a perfect size weight and had the option of a battery grip this should be the photographers choice .The cost to include the connections are minuscule. For this not to be an option is disgraceful on Canons Part . I hope they will reverse this decision because i can see canon losing a lot of sales . The R7 would be a safe bet otherwise for a APS-C family again.
We can only hope that a third party will produce a grip for the R7.
@@whistlingwingsphotography I can't see it happening as canon will slap a patent's ban on them ASAP
As a good birder and average photographer, I found this video to be extraordinarily helpful. I'm leaning toward the R7 and really appreciate the detail provided here.
Hey, thanks so much for the comments and for watching. I hope you enjoy whatever camera you choose to acquire.
This review sets a high bar for engaging presentation style, quality of information, and production values. A lot of utility here. I have subscribed!
Wow, thanks! I appreciate your input. Ron
Great video W W P this being one of the best & honest reviews I've seen on the Canon R7, so thank you and will be looking forward to your R7 Settings video.
I appreciate that! I am glad you liked the video. I hope to have my settings video out by Friday.
Good job. I really liked the points you covered. I have one on order and I am really looking forward to using it.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment.
Awesome review no wonder I like the r7 so much that I gave my r6 to my wife ha ha
Hey, thanks. I am glad you like your R7. I love mine as well.
Hi Ron, Fantastic video and gallery of images. I'm currently using a Canon r6 with a Sigma 150-600 mm lens entirely for bird photography, and I have been looking at swapping the r6 for the r7 for the extra reach, greater megapixels and better autofocus. Just wondering your thoughts on this, and if you think the swap would be a step backwards (i.e. in going from a full frame to APSC camera)? Many thanks in advance.
This is such a hard question to answer given we all shoot a bit differently and under different scenarios. For me, I would never be without a full frame sensor camera. The performance you get with respect to image quality is just so nice, especially in lower light. That being stated, the R7 is a great camera and the AF performance is top notch IMO. Also, the noise at up to ISO 1600 is still very good and with AI noise reduction now widely available in apps such as TOPAZ noise is not the issue it used to be. So, for me I would def consider changing out an R6 for an R7. One additional thing I will mention is the very large gain in performance I have seen in using native RF lenses with the RF bodies. I have used Sigma, and EF lenses adapted to the R bodies and they work. But, if you want/need top performance the unabridged communication achieved by using RF lens on RF bodies really takes the IS/IBIS and AF performance to a new level, even when using TCs. I know for me, being a bird photographer I cherish this performance as birds in flight is the most demanding form of photography that exists IMO.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Many thanks for your detailed response. I'm considering picking up an r7 and using it for a while to see which one I prefer. I'd love an RF 100-500 in the future, but the price is a massive jump up from the Sigma, and it is not really an affordable option for me at the moment - hopefully I can buy one in the future. Many thanks again - much appreciated :)
Merci pour ses premières impressions du R7. Je suis avec attention toutes vos publications depuis le début car vous êtes vraiment un pro du BIF. Je suis encore indécis pour acheter un R7 en complément de mon R5 + canon EF400 F4do v2. Ma tolérance au bruit est assez limitée. Pouvez vous mettre à disposition quelques raw afin de se faire une opinion sur le traitement de fichiers brut. Remerciements et bonjour de France (Normandie 14).
Thanks so much for following my videos. I will do my best to get some files available that show the noise levels at various ISO settings. I am doing a lot day tours, so my time is stretched quite thin at the moment. Cheers, Ron
As always Ron great video R7 is an amazing camera especially with it's compatible to Rf lens and lightness my wife loves the weight
Thanks again
Thanks for sharing and for watching. Cheers, Ron
Okay Ron I watched your video you put up a lot of good notes about the R7 my first impressions of the R7 when I looked at one and my local camera store looking through the viewfinder it looked like someone put Vaseline in the viewfinder it was so blurry I couldn't believe what I was looking through and one of the things about the R7 that I can't stand is no vertical grip being a bird photographer I will not own a camera without a vertical grip and I will not have a car without a sunroof obviously for photographing Birds so one more item you did not talk about the low light capability of this camera you've had it for a long time so please let me and others that read your messages know about the low-light capabilities is it like the R3 and that aspect because on the R3 is outstanding thank you Ron .
Regarding the blurry look through the VF, was the diopter adjusted for your eyes? If not, that is likely the reason for the blur. No, the low-light capabilities of the R7 is not as good as the R3 and I would not expect it to be. The R7 is higher resolution and a cropped sensor, so it will be noisier. However, compared to say the 7D II, the last cropped sensor camera I would compare the R7 to, the R7 is much better. I don't mind shooting at ISO 1600 on the R7 and for me that works.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Thank you for there Ron .
So let me get this right. I give Canon £1,500 and they give me a 30fps RAW camera that I have use at 15fps CompressedRAW? That's rubbish! It's like buying a Ferrari but you'll break it if you go above thrid gear.
Did you take it out in the rain? Probably best if you don't, the weather sealing is pretty poor - not a great idea for a wildlife camera.
@WhistleBit So I drop Canon £1,500 and I can shoot 30 fps RAW but only for onw second? I then have to wait 8 seconds for the buffer to clear. I am sure the BIF will wait for me.........
" It is up to you.. Just like when you buy a Ferrari...or a MiNi." - you do get that that doesn't actually make sense. You think that people buy Ferraris and don't go beyond 3rd gear?
I really don't understand "You are not weatherproof rubbish" - maybe English isn't your first language.
This camera is supposed to be a wildlife camera and there are no rubber seals. It's not just water, it's humidity, also dust. Even OLY managed to realise that weather proofing was essential for a wildlife camera. Strange Canon can't. 8 years ago Canon brought out the 7D Mk2, weather sealed, 10 fps, never hit the buffer, dual slot. The R7 isn't worthy of lacing it's boots. If people want compromise buy the R10 and save the money or if you want a proper wildlife camera maybe OLY is the answer or the new Fuji - the stills coming out of that are amazing.
I should also add that it has the noisy old sensor from the 90D and the rolling shutter is truely hideous because the sensor read is quite slow.
There are a lot of people on youtube that have a vested interest in various camera companies. Whether they acta as an ambassador, or future ambassador (as OLY plays the game) or whether it is via sponsorship, and sometimes it is simply that aspire to go down this route. But all you have to do is look at the cold hard facts and you can see that this is not a great camera in any way shape or form. It is an attempt to sell to the 7D Mk2 and 90D guys but it will never convert anyone from Nikon or Sony, not a chance.
@WhistleBit "The R7 is one of the best cameras Canon makes" - Apart from every R camera except the R10. You could argue that the R10 is better value for money.
What you are saying is that 8 years Canon created a better camera than the 7D Mk2, let's examine that:
The 7D Mk2 was heralded as the best wildlife camera of it's day. It had dual card slot, one of which was CF, 65 point dual pixel autofocus, a tough magnesium alloy body, 20.2mp, and you can shoot for over 3 seconds at 10 fps before you hit the buffer which clears in under 4 seconds. It was agreed by all critics that this camera was at launch the best in it's field and truely semi-pro.
The R7 has the autofocus from the R3, although real wrold shooting suggests that Canon have hobbled this a little, but it is great. It is relatively cheap - great. 32mp good, but it's a crop sensor, you shouldn't need to crop and cropping from a crop sensor isn't great in any camera.
The downside is: the 30 fps per second is total impracticle because they crippled the buffer. You get 1 second of shooting. Would I rather have 10 fps x 3 seconds or 30 fps x 1 second. So one of it's USP is basically pants. 8 seconds to clear the buffer! Your target is not going to wait of you. Wildlife is unpredictable, apart from one aspect, animals and birds don't like humans, they run and fly away.
The sensor is better than the 7D Mk2. It is the old sensor from the 90D, but that sensor was barely better than the 7D Mk2 and all reviews said so.
It also shares the weather sealing (or lack of) from the 90D. A huge critisism at the time and one of the main reasons 7D Mk2 users did not do what Canon asked and buy the 90D. Canon admitted that there 90D sales were no where near expectations and blamed it on the market. Nikon's D500 however sold better. The mistake that people make is that it is not just rain you need to worry about. Humidity and dust damage more cameras than rain. As for a raincoat, ever tried to shoot with one? Never used one in my life.
Let's talk about rolling shutter and the horrendous warping in so many pictures. The sensor read is so slow it just cripples anything moving at high speed.
"This camera is for Canon shooters that have old glass they want to use on a canon camera." - I have EF Canon glass and it is way too good for this camera. This camera is Canon's best wildlife camera, it is the best they do, that is it. The R10 is better value for money and can look after some of the cross-over users. But the R7 was meant to replace the 7D Mk2 and 90D, it fails.
"Sony and Nikon shooters have already been converted by the R6, R5, & R3" - to start with there are lots of APS-C users that could not have already been converted because these arethe first APS-C camera Canon has. Secondly the figures don't seem to prove your point. Forums don't suggest it either.
I think the R3 is a great camera, took one for a spin and it is truely great, The R5 and R6 are incredibly good too. The R10 and R7 look like rush jobs. They would have been better releasing the R10 and getting the R7 right.
The new Fuji X-H2S is £500 more, with a much larger range of APS-C lenses, that are much cheaper than Canon. With a brand new stacked sensor so no rolling shutter, CF card, decent buffer 40 fps, completely weather sealed and although their autofocus for video isn't amazing for stills it is incredibly good. You can adjust the speed of acquisition and stickiness. 7 presets - a real pro camera, barely any more money that you would save on lenses. The 150-600 you can buy for £1,900, the Canon equivilent is the best part of £3k! and doesn't work that well with a tele-converter.
Competition is great!
Thanks for this Ron. After ordering on the first announcement of the release, my R7 is finally arriving tomorrow. Looking forward to setting it up.
I tend not to use ES with my R5. Electronic First Shutter is my first port of call for most images, particularly if I'm expecting flight shots as I walk around, to avoid rolling shutter (R5/RF 100-500). I'll use ES occasionally for static, perched or slow-moving subjects, especially if stealth is a priority. CRAW is my standard setting to keep file size manageable and 15FPS is plenty fast enough for me in most situations, so I'm not too worried about the buffer size.
One thing that concerns me is the lack of a lock button on the mode dial. My 7DII was like this when I got it on the first day of release in 2014, and it was a nuisance because it was so easy to move. I'd think I was shooting in manual, but then when I raised my camera for a sudden shot, I'd find I was shooting in AV or some other outlandish mode because an inadverent touch from my clothing had turned the dial slightly. This was remedied when my shutter failed after a few months. The camera store phoned me to say the shutter was replaceable under warranty, but they offered me (at additional cost) the choice of a push-button lock switch being fitted in the centre of the mode dial to prevent accidental movement. That button was invaluable. No more mode mistakes.
Is the dial on the R7 stiffer than on the 7D ii, or must I wait for a similar upgrade to become available to prevent accidents?
I find it a bit stiffer. But without a lock it can still be inadvertently turned. I have not had a problem so far, but I am in the habit of always checking the setting.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Thanks for the reply Ron. I'll just have to try not to be clumsy.
i have this on pre-order in the UK great video and seen your set-up video great stuff **subbed**
Awesome! Thank you! And thank you for the Sub.
Outstanding review, as always. Hoping to get my brother to pick one of these up. He got me started on photography ages ago when I saw his great pictures from a Canon Rebel, but he has not had the pleasure of experiencing how good things have gotten over the years. I'm absolutely floored by the R5, and very happy to hear that the more affordable R7 is doing yeoman's work, as well. Thank you for the detailed review, and tips on settings.
You are very welcome. I hope your brother gets an R7. Ron
Well done as always. Good solid information. When do you thinks you will release your R7 settings video?
Hey, thanks so much. I plan on posting the settings video on Friday next week. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Ron, excellent piece on the R-7. Informative and real world with the flagging of several key settings and preferred shutter speed ranges. Looking forward to your next video. Thank you and keep up the great work 😊
Hey, thanks so much JL. Always great to hear from you. Ron
If a $1500 camera is what I could afford, I would be interested.
I understand. We all have our budgets. You will be able to get a used R7 for under 1000 at some point down the line. Might be worth waiting for.
Superb video and looking forward to more of your views and comments on it. Mine arrived today and now looking forward to seeing what I can get out of it
Thanks so much. Like all cameras it has its idiosyncrasies but overall I think you will find it a very capable tool.
Great video, I'm a Nikon shooter (Z9) which I really like but something is telling me to jump ship to Canon.
Nah! Nikon, Sony, Canon they are all great. There really is no better or worse, just options, which is always a good thing. I have shot Canon for over 30 years and so I am comfortable with Canon and I get great images using their gear. If you are happy with your images and enjoying your photography, there is no reason to switch IMO. Cheers, Ron
@@whistlingwingsphotography Yeah I know I love the Z9 as it's a great camera but I'm wondering when Nikon is going to release their crop camera for us.
@@HotGates I think the Z8 is coming soon.
@@HotGates I am a Canon shooter and have the R3 and R5 and I am very happy, might even add the R7 as I photograph birds too, but I agree with Ron, no way should you switch, no bad cameras out there and every manufacturer has something we all want, I would love Canon to bring out a PF 800mm 6.3 I am so envious Nikon users they can buy that lens especially for the money, and Sony with the 200-600mm what a lens for little money, I think in time we will all get what we want 😀 not to mention the Z9 is amazing.
@@tonyesposito9602 I started with Canon in 2003 and left for Nikon in 2014, What I would like to know is how the Z9 fairs in AF tracking against the R3? But the lens I am waiting for is the Nikkor Z 200-600 but the Z 400 4.5 looks sweet too, You know one thing is for sure is no matter what camera you have the grass looks greener on the other side lol;)
This is great info Ron. Thank you! I was wondering what memory cards you are using for the R7?
I am using Lexar Professional for the most part. 1667 250MB/s. Thanks for watching.
What about the rolling shutter? How bad is it in electronic shutter mode?
I show some images in the video that point to the rolling shutter on background elements. It is def there and is about the same as the R5 or a bit worse. For me, it will likely not be much of an issue given where I shoot and the types of backgrounds present. For some, it will be an issue. There is always mechanical shutter at 15 fps as a way to get around the rolling shutter in ES. 15fps is not slouch for a body at this price point IMO. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Cheers, Ron
Nice review
Thanks!
Great review. I have the R7 and the RF 100-500 and I love both. Your review seems right on the money. I don’t have a teleconverter, but I’m thinking about getting a 1.4x based on your evaluation. Looking forward to your settings video!
Thanks so much for watching. I should have my set up video out on Friday.
One thing to be aware of, which could be very important depending on your shooting subjects, when using a teleconverter the 100-500mm lens will not open wider than 300mm which is a tremendous bummer if a large bird gets close to you all of a sudden.
Thank you Ron. That is a terrific and extremely helpful review!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
My pleasure.
I had an EG-E1 minigrip on my RP, I bet something like that would be great for the R7 as well
Thanks for the input. I really hope Canon comes out with a grip for the R7. I am one who thinks having options is a good thing. I would love to have the option of putting a grip on this camera.
Neewer et al will offer something, eventually. Alignment holes aren't a deal breaker. There will have to be a cable for vertical shooting (like with the RP).
I would think so. Given the R7 is going to be a popular camera among the "masses" it likely would be profitable for a third party to make a grip for this camera. We can only hope. Cheers.
Question, I have the EF 600 version iii, does the RF 600 work better with RF TCs than the EF in a real world situation?
I have found the RF system in general to be quite a bit better than the EF system. When I use RF TCs, both 1.4 and 2.0x, on my 600 RF I don't see much if any difference in AF performance and IQ is excellent. I always thought the EF performance with TCs was great for its time and place, but the RF system takes all this to the next level IMO.
@@whistlingwingsphotography thank you, also, where do I go to see your schedule for your workshops
@@perryelder5045 You can go to my website and all my day tours and multi-day tours are listed. For my day tours I do not have fixed dates, I work with you to find a day that fits your schedule and I have an opening. Here is link to my website: www.whistlingwingsphotography.com/
Really nice overview and first impressions video. 👍👍
Thanks and thanks for watching.
The sound of the MS on the r7 is “unrefined”. :)
That is a great way to put it. Thanks. Ron
Thanks for this very instructive video
You are very welcome. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the great review.
Thank you for watching and commenting. Always good to hear from you Mike.
compared to my R5? should i change?
I can’t say given I don’t know your needs at all. Best thing to do is rent or borrow one and try it. It is the only way to know whether this camera is a tool that will benefit you.
@@whistlingwingsphotography I stumbled across your review and found it very helpful, thank you. I am just getting into mirrorless, mainly shooting wildlife on jeep safaris (birds and mammals), a bit of birding in the rainforest, and wondering whether to get the R5 or R7 for the Canon 100-500. Extra reach in the R7 would be great, and I do have Denoise, but not sure if the loud mechanical shutter (to overcome rolling shutter) will disturb birds when you are trekking through the forest.... the lighter weight than the R5＋100-500+1.4 will surely help though.......so quite confused. There's no renting available here for either of those to try. In this scenario, if you could only by one camera at the moment, which would you buy? TIA!
@@rishanim.gunasinghe76 For an all around camera I would get the R5. The extra res helps offset the cropped sensor on the R7 IMO. If you don't put a grip on the R7 it is still a small and rather light camera. The mech shutter on the R5 is more refined and thus less likely to disturb birds and other wildlife. Cheers, Ron
thank you!!
You're welcome!