Canon R5 set up for Extreme Birds in Flight 

My pleasure!

Hey, thanks so much. Much appreciated

I am glad you found it useful. Thanks so much for commenting.

Hey, thanks so much for the comment. Always appreciated.

Thank you!

Thanks so much. It was great shooting with you JL.

Hope it works well. We shall see.

Thanks for the comment.

Great to hear!

Me too. It should be a lot of fun. See you soon.

Hey, thanks you for the inspiration you give me with your comments. It is much appreciated.

My pleasure

Thanks so much for the comment. It is greatly appreciated.

You are very welcome.

Rotterdam, de mooiste stad van het land!!!!

Thanks so much for the comment.

Hey, thanks for sharing my videos. Much appreciated! I hope at least a few folks are finding them useful.

I am doing the same to people having issues. Very helpful

Yes, I keep linking these videos to r5 groups on Facebook. Lots of people blaming the gear for their own lack of skill or knowledge.

My pleasure.

Hey, Harry. Thanks so much.

Thanks you!

Any time!

Good luck and thanks for the comment.

Hey, thanks so much. I really appreciate the comment. Good luck when you do get your R5. There is a learning curve but once you get the feel for the camera I believe you will start making images better than you ever have before. It has changed how I shoot.

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks so much for the comment.

Mike I have the same rig. Did you go ahead and get a Canon R series?

@@fgb3126 Yes I did. Purchased an R5 in late 2021 year and an R7 about six months ago. Use both with the RF 100-500mm. Love the R7's reach for perched birds, but I find the R5's AF more consistent for BIF.

I am glad you liked the video. Thanks for the comment.

Welcome aboard!

Very cool!

Thanks so much.

Thanks so much.

@@whistlingwingsphotography I am convinced that swallows are among the most difficult bird species to photograph, which makes it a desired subject. How close are you to the birds in these representative shots? Even at 30-40 feet the span between focus acquisition and pulling the trigger would need to be immediate.

@@bluemarblemark The birds were about 20 feet out from the boat.

@@whistlingwingsphotography WOW! That's some muscle memory talent!

Thanks for the visit

Yep.

Yep, half press to turn on the EVF but need option to just keep it on for certain scenarios. Good luck with the swallows.

I have found that the AF indicator often times is a bit behind where the camera has actually focused. It seems there is a delay in the camera placing the AF indicator. I have images from all my shoots with the indicator off the subject and the bird is sharp. Seems to me the system for placing the indicator needs to be refined.

@@whistlingwingsphotography Thanks Ron I agree with you I do have great shot in focus with the Focus all over the picture ! Your doing a great job and I appreciate all your hard work and sharing Thanks again.

Good point, Mike. Yes, if you are shooting something other than a single subject like the swallows, where there is only one subject to worry about at a time, you can set Eye AF as your main AF method as well. However, if you have your back button AF set up like I do with the AF-ON button defaulting to Eye AF , the AEL button set to initiate the AF method I have chose as my "Main" method, and my AF Point Selection button set to a registered AF method of 'Spot", if you also set your "Main" AF method to Eye AF you will have two back buttons that do principally the same thing; Eye AF. So you lose one AF method being at your thumb tip ready at a moments notice. In the end, it is what you need more for the shooting scenario you are in that dictates what set up you go with. Cheers.

Hey, thanks so much for the comment. You need good enough light to shoot 1/4000s to 1/8000s. I shot mostly 1/5000s for the swallows. My ISO was around 1600 and I was at 500mm, so f/7.1. That is wide open for the 100-500RF. Cheers.

Welcome

I shoot full Manual, so I do not use Auto ISO. I set my ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture to get the exposure I need to get the birds exposed correctly in the light I will be shooting them. If I let the camera's meter change any of the parameters (including ISO) it can mess up the exposure I want on my birds, because the meter is making changes based on the luminosity of the entire scene (unless you set it to center weighted or spot, which don't work well for most of what I do) which may change as I pan across the area the birds are traveling. By shooting full Manual the birds will always be exposed as I intend no matter the luminosity of the background behind them.

I have not had any issues with the swallows. Some issues with belted kingfisher but not enough to keep me from using the ES

Hey, thanks for the comment. I use evaluative metering and use the reading as a relative indicator to help set exposure. With mirrorless now basically showing you the exposure I pay less attention to the meter reading and more to the historgram in the viewfinder. Also, I shoot full Manual exposure, not Aperture or Shutter priority and I don't use Auto ISO, the meter does not affect my exposure. This is why I mention I use it as a relative gauge and then make any changes I need myself. Hope this is what you were looking for with regards to elaboration. Cheers. Ron

@@whistlingwingsphotography Thanks Ron, excellent description, and actually in line with how I manage it myself!

Thanks so much and have a great day.

I don't have that lens, so unfortunately I cannot say if it would work for this lens. My experience has been that third-party lenses usually do not behave quite the same way, so the only way to know is to experiment.

It really depends on the type of photography you do most. If you do a lot of hand held static bird photography then I would upgrade as soon as possible because the mode 1 IS/IBIS is just so so good. Much better than when using the 100-400. Otherwise, it is kind of a draw unless you really need the extra 100mm. I will say that the IQ of the 100-500 with the 1.4x TC really is excellent as well, so there is that to add to the equation.

I use a product called Mossy Oaks Graphics. Info is here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iM2I-Le_VYU.html thanks for the comment.

Nope. I have not tried that, but I will. Thanks for the comment.

Yes, it is quicker and better overall. Also the IS/IBIS is really good. Thanks for the comment

There are at least a few videos out there that have compared RAW to CRAW and they have found almost no perceivable difference. I am not sure how Canon worked it, but when I peeped in real close and manipulated the shadows and the highlights I saw no difference in the images. By far, this new Canon sensor is the best I have ever used when it comes to the malleability of the images it produces.

Yes, this is an option, but for a lot of my shooting scenarios I pre-focus on a spot and setting to Continuous AF makes that impossible. So, not a solution for me .

I generally turn IS/IBIS off but I used mode 1 in my experiment because it stabilized the viewfinder while panning was where mode 3 will not do that. Thanks

Good question. I am not sure. I will test this ASAP.

Ha, that is funny. Thanks so much.

It is DIY using a material call Mossy Oaks Graphics. This video has details: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iM2I-Le_VYU.html

@@whistlingwingsphotography Thank you! Love your videos

@@CarolineOrdHume Thank you for watching

No rolling shutter issues that I could detect. The background was water so no vertical items to be bent by RS and I have never seen RS issues in my subjects with the R5 except with wingtips of belted kingfishers. If the wing tip is moving very fast through the frame I do see some RS issues then, but not often enough to stop me from shooting ES. Cheers.

I would not use IS in mode 1 for slow BIF. I recommend turning off IS if you are shooting slower BIF and strive for good shutter speed to help with getting tack sharp images.

In the AF4 menu I suggest setting the Switching Tracked Subjects to "0" which the the "Intitail Priority" setting. It helps, but there is always going to some situations where it will think something other than an eye is an eye.

I do not have an R6 but I have shot one off and on since it came out and it is a very capable camera. For me, it really comes down to whether you need the 45mp and for me given I do so much bird photography I would not go less now that I can have 45mp and 20fps. That combo is a game changer for my photography. Overall, I do think the R5 AF is a bit better too.

Only once before the last firmware update. I have two R5s and freezing has not been an issue for me. Thanks for the comment.

@@whistlingwingsphotography I just noticed it a few times after an hour or so, then I turn it off and use the R6. But I’m using it with one LPE6NH battery. Do you think it would do better with the grip?

The grip might help. I have never shot my R5s without a grip.

@@whistlingwingsphotography thank u Ron, I have much further testing to do. I’m definitely not trying to use my old LPE6N batteries with burst shooting anymore. Trying to stock up on NH batteries, but that comes at a price.

f/7.1 and shutter was generally 1/5000s

thanks that was much faster than I thought - will try it

Thanks so much for the comment.

For the most part yes it has stayed the same. I have started to change the Tracking Sensitivity and Accelerate/decel settings based on shooting scenario and I only use the IS for static subjects now with the exception of really fast moving BIF such as the swallows.

Also, I am using animal eye detect with tracking 95% of the time no matter the scenario. It is that good for me.

@@whistlingwingsphotography Thanks. What do you have set for the Initial Servo AF Point (AF menu 5, first line)? Thanks for sharing!! And WOW... FANTASTIC images.

@@steveking6204 The second option. Cheers, Ron

Once focus is achieved you hold the button down. Cheers

@@whistlingwingsphotography thanks Ron

I would also like to know what Ron's "switching tracked subjects" settings are. Great vid, VERY informative.

I have and the setting does make a difference to the point where I have mine now set to "Initial Priority." I like to stay on the subject I have acquired almost always and if I want to switch I find that if I put the new bird in the center of the frame and pump the AF-ON button it still switches to that new centered subject. This tactic has worked well for me so far.

@@whistlingwingsphotography Oh, that's interesting. I was confused at first by the 'Initial Priority' description. These labels must have been changed since the first firmware. They were originally 'Disable', 'Enable (Slow) and 'Enable'. The new labels make more sense. I'll have to play around with this one. It reads a lot like tracking sensitivity to me but there must be a subtle difference. Thanks again!

@@SteveSSBB I am still figuring all this stuff out myself. That is one setting I have not messed with much, so my use of it and settings might change as I get into more different shooting scenarios. Take care.

I have not tried the 100-400 (I assume you are referring to the Mk. II version) Mk. II for swallows, I def. would give it a go with IS on mode 1 and see what happens. Like I have told some others, you can always turn it off if it is not working out.

I've always used mode 1 on my 100- 400 mkii without noticing any problems with birds in flight. For what it's worth.

My pleasure and good luck. I think you will be amazed at the shots you can now go after that were almost impossible before.

@@whistlingwingsphotography Well I gave it a shot! Thanks for the tips. I think I took about 1500 shots and started to get the hang of it. Here is a few of my keepers. Thanks again! facebook.com/TheHollingsworthGallery/posts/1106507099855167

@@chrishollingsworth7110 Chris, those are really great. Well done! You are getting the feel for it. Keep at it and the keepers will keep coming and get better and better. Ron __________________________________ Ron R Bielefeld Whistling Wings Photography Sebastian, FL 32958 Cell: 772-713-1216 www.whistlingwingsphotography.com

I have both my R5s set up with this setting. VF still shuts down a few seconds after I take my eye away. I have not idea. Maybe my cameras are defective?

@@whistlingwingsphotography Close the rear LCD and the evf should stay on. Looks like both the EVF and rear LCD can't be on at the same time.

tried that too, didn't work for me. Looks like Canon needs to address that.

@@akinipeters From what I can tell, the choices available under the Power Savings menu regarding the ViewFinder Off, which are 3 minutes, 5 minutes, or Disable, do absolutely nothing. I have tried them all and made other settings changes and the EVF goes off after approx. 8 seconds from taking my eye away from the viewfinder. It should be simple to do what we are trying to do, so yep, Canon needs to address this.

The only thing this does is ensures that the viewfinder doesn't turn off when you have your eye up to it. If you have it set to 1 min for example it will still turn off after a minute even if you're looking through the viewfinder. I'm guessing they have this option so that you don't accidentally engage the viewfinder with a bag or something and burn through more battery. It doesn't fix the issue where it takes like a second or so for the viewfinder to fire up after you bring the camera to your eye. I hope this is addressed in a future firmware update.

The only way to know is to give it a go.

No the images are not large crops. It is difficult, but doable. No rolling shutter issues that have mattered to my images so far with the R5. Not sure what you mean about aiming. With practice I have come to just pick the bird start swinging the camera and bring it to my eye and the bird is there. Practice practice practice over 30 years. Thanks for the comment.

@@whistlingwingsphotography thanks. Keep making those youtube videos, they’re very professional. I see a lot of experience.

Thank you so much for the compliment.

Thanks so much for the comment

@@whistlingwingsphotography I have the RF 100-500 and the Extender RF 1.4. I have seen mixed opinions on the Extender RF 2.0. What is your opinion? Thanks -

@@dewarner12 If you have ever used the EF 2.0x TC you get about the same drop off in image quality and AF performance with the RF 2.0x. It is pretty good, but you lose that tack sharpness you get from many of the Canon L lenses when they are shot naked.

Yep, but personally I don't think we should have to put tape on a sensor to get the EVF to stay on if that is what we need to get the images we are after. Seems like a simple menu item would not be difficult to implement.

@@whistlingwingsphotography.I guess if enough people raise it as an issue they could fix it in firmware. I agree it would be handy.

Both IS on set to mode 1 and set to off worked for me. However, I liked the look through the EVF (stabilized) with the IS set to mode 1 best and it did not seem to negatively affect the sharpness of my images. However, and I stressed this in the video, this only works for me if I am panning very quickly. If I am shooting "normal" BIF then I turn IS/IBIS off. I had no rolling shutter issues with the swallows. However, I have seen in my images of kingfishers in flight the "weird" wings you mention. That is indeed rolling shutter, or read delay issues. However, for me it happens only rarely and so I still use ES for the 20 fps when I am shooting very fast action so I maximize my chances of getting the ultimate image.

@@whistlingwingsphotography Awesome. Will try your recommendations when I find a big group of flying Swallows. Thank you.

I have tried it and it works as you would expect. You lose some detail in images, but the AF works really well. I just don't use it because it make the lens too slow for most of what I do. If you can handle the huge f you get then it might fit your shooting.

I don't know Art Morris' focus method. I personally have great success with BBF and can set up 3 different AF methods on the 3 Back buttons and have them ready at all times at my thumb tip. I have no reason to change, but other should always experiment to find what works best for them.

What exactly is Art Morris' focus method? Thanks.

@@bd-nc7lc This is some of the main points from AMs Canon R5 userguide. I Can send the whole guide to you if want that: Limit AF methods. This one is so important that you will want to add it to page 1 of your My Menu. Setting this correctly is step one in eliminating the insanity of using multiple back buttons for bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight. Check the box for Face Detection plus Tracking. The next one, Spot AF, is optional. If you shoot birds in cluttered situations, you may want to check this box. If not, un-check it as I do. Next is 1-point AF. This box cannot be un-checked and often comes in handy. The next two boxes are Expand AF method (five points) and Expand AF method: Around (nine points). Un-check those two. Then check the box for Zone AF. Now un-check the last two boxes: Large Zone AF: Vertical and Large Zone AF: Horizontal. You must remember to scroll to OK and hit the Set button or your changes will not stick.... The AF Method Switching Solution By now, you are probably asking, So what is the magic solution? Just how do we switch the AF Method quickly and easily? Here’s how you do it: Go to the Custom Functions 3 (Orange) Menu. The third item down is Customize Buttons. Hit the Set button and scroll down in the left column (camera as opposed to video) until you get to Set Button. Then hit the Set button again. A screen with a multitude of options will pop up. Fortunately, the item we want is the third one in the top row: Direct AF method selection. Scroll to that and hit Set. Now you are ready for the magic. With the camera turned on (and a lens attached with the M/AF switch set to AF), press the Set button until you see the large square that indicate Zone AF. Press the set button again and you will be in Face Detection + Tracking AF. Press it again, and you will be in 1-point AF. Pressing it once more toggles you back to Zone AF..... With all of the cameras I have ever used, this is the neatest, fastest, easiest, most convenient way to toggle through the AF Methods or Modes. For those currently using the multiple back button focus technique who feel that Zone acquires focus on birds in flight faster than Face Detection + Tracking AF, they can simply start with Large Zone AF, acquire focus, and then hit the Set button once to instantly switch to Face Detection + Tracking AF. Remember that the more AF Methods you have enabled (by checking the box under Limit AF methods), the longer it will take you to scroll through the various AF Methods. Three (or four if you go with Spot AF) will work just fine. With Limit AF methods on your My Menu page, you can easily add a Focus Method when you need one for a specific situation. And then remove it. Kind Regard Eyvind Rugland

@@eyvindru Thanks so much for providing this. I've never been comfortable strictly using BBF. A lot to consider here. The whole guide might be useful if it's no trouble. Thanks again.

@@bd-nc7lc If you give me your emailadress I can send you the whole guide

Yes, if you have the light to get to a fast enough shutter speed. When shooting birds like swallows or anything that is super fast or erratic I like to get to 1/4000s with the R5. For me it makes all the difference in getting tack sharp images. The AF on the 800 and 600 f/11 is very good as is the overall image quality. The only limitation is the speed of the lenses.

Or orange menu , tab 2 "Power Saving" "Viewfinder off" Disable.

I really love the 45mp of res of the R5. I always felt 20mp was a bit low to get max details out of small birds given the inherent need to crop a lot of bird images. But, Can you get nice looking images from the lesser res of the R6, absolutely