I think the arrows are designed for left/right eye selection of a single subject not to switch subjects. It’s designed for large aperture primes during glamour shoots.
The R7 -- which I own -- is different than the R3 in that you cannot toggle the menu setting -- auto tracking ([ ]) -- with a custom button. It must be set in the menu. You can set tracking to a button that toggles "locked" tracking ([[ ]]) on both bodies. In conclusion, the single box is AUTO tracking (the camera selects the best it can). The double box is LOCKED tracking (the camera will stay with the subject you've selected the best it can). On the R3, you can toggle both settings. On the R7, you must toggle auto tracking in the menu system and toggle locked tracking with a button.
Hey, thanks. I just wish Canon would provide some documentation on how all this stuff interacts with each other. I like experimenting, but man, it can be almost impossible to try every combination of all the settings. I did not even cover what changing the size of the zone does to subject tracking. I just don't want the videos to get too long. Plus, I get tired of talking. Ha ha.
@@whistlingwingsphotography I totally agree. Documentation is terrible. Your videos are literally the only source of R3 AF info for wildlife on the internet. I had been searching nearly daily prior to you putting out this series.So its greatly appreciated. I found with the R5 I eventually kept it very simple for BBF. Tracking on one button and Spot AF on another for those times when Tracking just can't solve the issue. I think my R3 technique will become very similar the more I get comfortable with it and stop experimenting. The added benefit is subject/eye tracking overlaid over the AF areas. It's just SO fast to detect. Usually before the camera reaches my eye there is a tracking box on the subject. I feel it's like having a secret view into what the camera is seeing and just waiting for me to hit an AF button to begin focusing.
Way back when I first got my R6. I experimented with the tracking on with basketball and it drove me nuts. Focus seemed out of control. I hated it and turned it off and off ever since. Are you happy with the R3? Thx
Is there a way to contact you? I bought the r3 and the Canon ef with adapter 500 1.4 and I am about to sell it all because , I have watched 1000s of videos and practiced over a year and have 2 good photos . Someone told me the r3 and my 1dx mkii are junk for birds but I watch you do it... what am I doing wrong
So at this point in the video 9:11 if you're wanting to guide it to a specific bird (and gain a little control) my approach would be to either a) be in a tightened down Flex frame [1] focus pattern, thumb guide over to the bird I want (smart controller) and punch AF-On, or b) Eye control close to it and punch AF-On. If you're close enough for it to recognize the bird's eye (a key question) that usually works and it seems you can often do that fast enough in real life. Obviously aim the camera and BBF, is a little more direct if it's a bird out in the open and you don't need the eye awareness. And may still be faster, per your demonstration. I'm still practicing this stuff so I'm not yet convinced which is faster in the end.
Great series of videos, I am still waiting for my R3. I do need to mention (this is with an EOS R) that if you have the single layer box around a human eye (because the R only had human eye tracking) it means that its picking that subjects on its own. If you have the double box, it means that you are overriding it in some way, weather you are telling it focus on that eye with the touch screen or you are just taping an object to track. Just thought I would put my observation out there.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Great. I can’t wait to get it. I ordered it on day one from B&H and I call them every week for an update. They told me that I should be in the next shipment, but they dont have an ETA from Canon yet.
Hi Ron, I have a question. You earlier stated in a video that you have turned IBIS off on your camera (R5). Wondering how that is done. Did you also have to turn off IS on your lens? Or is there a way to turn off IBIS but keep lens IS turned on? Thanks.
IBIS and IS work as one, so if you turn IS off on the lens you turn IBIS off as well. If you are using a non-IS lens then there is a menu option to turn IBIS on or off. There is no way to turn IBIS off and leave IS on that I know of. Cheers.
An R3 with 45mp and Canon could have my money but there's not enough here to warrant a change from my R5. I get the AF is a bit more sophisticated, higher frame rate, no rolling shutter and sensor lower sensor noise but I couldn't bear to lose all those MP's and my ability to crop into my images. I think I'll wait for an R1 or an R5II.
Am I right in thinking you don’t use the SmartController? As Eye Control doesn’t work for me (I cant even get it to calibrate😳) I use the SmartController all the time. So my setup is quite different to yours. I also need to maintain some commonality in configuration with my 1DX II so when I swap it’s not too confusing!
Nope, I do not use the Smart Controller. I find I really do not need to move my AF points/areas around much anymore because by using the tracking modes you can recompose your images, putting the subject where you want it, in real time as the AF keeps the subject in focus. For me this jump in technology has fundamentally changed how I approach this aspect of my photography.
Thanks Ron...great video ... but I will have to go and lie down a in a dark room for awhile to give my brain a rest :-) Seriously I just love the effort and thought you put into these videos... very much appreciated. Looking forward to your flight shots with the R3 and your thoughts about it in the real world.
I've only had the R3 for 5 days and your videos helped me big time in getting oriented quickly as I'm leaving tomorrow for an extended trip. Coming from a 1Dx II, I've always been a BBF shooter, am mainly focused on Big Cats, and am trying to figure out how to do quick static portraits w/o having to set/use my * button to One Shot. My AF-ON, Selection and Mfn buttons are the same as yours and my Depth of Field button is set to Eye Control On/Off. So, I'm short one button for on the fly (meaning to hold it in addition to AF-ON) for temporarily switching Servo>One Shot (i.e., when a mammal stops/pauses). Ideally, I'd set up like you - zone + eye + spot BAM! - but feel that One Shot is faster for mammal portraits (sensitivity @ +1 plus the green light confirmation is helpful for subjects with spots). This allows me to tweak where I put my spot/single AF point depending on my depth of field. Any ideas? I guess I could use the Set button (instead of my preferred ISO button (easier for me than using the Mode wheel). In the old days, programmed buttons overrode menu settings when pressed + held as opposed to actually turning menu items on/off (i.e., MFns, depth of field and Mode buttons). At first, I programmed the Mode button for Servo:One Shot but then - ha! ha!- I couldn't change my shooting mode which was weird. Oh well, the camera still rocks and I'm going to need to learn to trust the camera more. Also, I love how we can set up 5 My Menu groups to get to menu items quickly.
Thanks Ron for advice regarding the camera setup. I wish You could asign one custom function to two buttons with different setup. One for start tracking from a spot AF. The 2nd to start tracking from a zone AF. I would have 4 different AF buttons 🙂
@@whistlingwingsphotography You could use C1, C2 & C3 to set different AF Area & different customization functions to a button, then use Custom shooting mode to toggle them. A bit too much of settings but once done, its easy to toggle
Glad it was helpful! To be honest I cannot say I understand how all these AF setting interact with each other. There is just so much going on. Maybe Canon will enlighten us with a document about all of this stuff.
Hi Ron, another great explanation...very informative. But...there is something really weird going on here with this M- Fn2 button. I don't have my M-Fn2 button mapped to AF-Point selection like you do, but when I press M-Fn2 it still turns Subject-Tracking On/Off (Main menu shows Subject Tracking On/Off). I still have my AF-Point selection button assigned as default (AF-Point Selection) and I have my M-Fn2 button defined as a registered shooting button (and Subject Tracking is selected). Bottom line, I think there is either a software bug or something special about M-Fn2 that has this Subject Tracking On/Off behavior in addition to whatever you have assigned. Boy could they make this more difficult? :-) Regards, Tim
Tim, the M-Fn2 button seems to be "hard wired" as a way to turn Subject Tracking on and off. You can assign another operation to the button, but it will always turn Subject Tracking on and off. At least that is the way I see it.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Does that seem to imply we should avoid assigning anything to M-Fn2? Otherwise we would be continually toggling Subject Tracking On/Off whenever we are trying to utilize whatever we were intending to do with our assigned function....Your thoughts?
@@timblank7767 Nope, not all assignments of the M-fn2 button will cause the issue you are describing. I have the AF Point Select button remapped to the M-Fn2 button and the first press of the button does that function and a quick second press, and subsequent quick presses, result in Subject Tracking being toggled on and off. If I understand how you have your M-fn2 button set up with a registered shooting function and that function contains Subject Tracking as a check marked option, that might be why when you press the M-fn2 button the first press toggles Subject Tracking to the alternate setting from what it was. I would mess around and see what assignments you can make to the M-fn2 button and get it work as a toggle for Subject Tracking. Hope this helps.
The Sigma 150-600 is the weak link in your list. I have two of them and the IQ just is not anywhere near the Canon RF 100-500. I don't use the Sigmas any more. Get the better glass (RF 100-500) is my suggestion. I am sure you will not regret it.
Hi Ron, thanks again for another great video on the R3, such great hints and tips! Are you happy for my to do a mention on my RU-vid channel and link to yours? I'm bringing out my first in the field review on the R3 this weekend and wanted to include you in it.Thanks R 👍
Japanese IT people are considered blue collar workers and paid peanuts. That may explain the inconsistency between different R-series firmwares and how those single/double box work differently on R5/6/3, if at all. I have a feeling they are just dumping features on us and let us experiment and see which ones we find useful and which don't work well and then sort it out with Mark II models when they come out.. or never. I am still waiting for Save Settings to Card option on R6, something old DSLRs had and now vanished on the R6 model.
An interesting take on this for sure. I don't know how they think, but there are a lot of features with very little good documentation as how they are meant to work and when.
@@whistlingwingsphotography Interestingly camera makers aren't releasing TUTORIAL on how to use them.. Canon does its best BUT that too went bad, ie, they made a tutorial about DUAL PIXEL being available for still photos in their DSLR. ( DP works only in LIVE view mode )
