Just How Good is this Combo for Wildlife Photography? (Real-world Testing)

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I'm testing the Canon R7 & RF 600mm F/11 Lens for Wildlife Photography out in the field - and sharing my thoughts with you. I also give you my conclusions on how good a combination this is for shooting wildlife. In this video I photograph: Small Birds, Waterfowl, Birds in Flight, Grey Seals and Long eared Owls.
0:01 Introduction
0:56 What is the Canon R7?
1:12 What is the RF 600mm?
1:38 Photographing Waterfowl
6:53 Birds in Flight (Gulls)
9:12 Photographing Small Birds
12:40 Grey Seals at Donna Nook
13:37 Red Kites in Flight
16:49 My Thoughts on...
17:04 The Lens
17:36 Dealing with F/11
18:15 Image Quality
20:14 Tracking Birds in Flight
21:09 R7 Build Quality
22:11 R7 with EF 300mm F/4 Lens
22:32 Canon R6 with RF 600mm F/11 Lens
23:11 Overall Conclusions
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This video was filmed with a Canon M50 and 15-45mm lens.
Equipment: Canon R7; Canon RF 600mm F/11 Lens; Black Rapid Strap
Music:
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Опубликовано:

6 янв 2024

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Комментарии : 67

@paulbaldwin2290 6 месяцев назад

Great information video Paul as usual 👍keep up the good work for the new year 👏👏

@doug433 Месяц назад

I use the R7 with the 600 f11 and get tack sharp shots. I use the 800 f11 (stabilizer off) on tripod and also get tack sharp shots.

@planestrainswildlife 6 месяцев назад

Happy New Year Paul, thank you for a good unbiased review of the R7 and the RF600mm f11. I must say I'm not surprised that it was so hit and miss, having had an R7 for some time now, I too have had the same issues with the focus and the rolling shutter on my R7 but with different lenses. My go to lens has been for a long time a Canon 100 400 L mkii. Pre the R7 this was on my earlier 80D & then on my 90D and I had always shot in jpg as I didn't post any images anywhere back then. Fast forward to RIAT last year I treated myself to a second body and I decided to go full frame and I bought an R6 mkii and I have to say after coming back from RIAT the R7 has not been used at all, the R6 mkii knocks spots off the R7 by a good mile, even to the point of cropping in to the same area that the 1.6 crop factor would be, it still gives you a better image than the R7 ever will. Yes I know the R6 mkii FF and the R7 1.6CF are two completely different beasts, but it just goes to show how the 32.5 million effective pixels of the R7 is no match for the much lower 24.2 M pixel count of the R6 mkii. In my opinion the R7 is not quite there in that it has some nice features and is fast shooting [but only capable of short bursts due to buffering] it just cant handle poor light very well, so anything other than a bright hardly a cloud in the sky day will bump up the iso substantially, often resulting in a grainy image that even DXO cant clean up and that is if you manage to find an image that is relatively close to being in focus. I was looking at this video/review to see if it would be worth me looking at putting the RF 600 f11 in my camera bag but thank to you Paul, I'll be keeping my hand in my pocket for now and I'll stick with the R6 mkii and my Sigma 60 600 sport lens for those far reaching shots. In fact I was putting it to the test yesterday on some local Waxwings and a pair of Kingfishers down on the Wye. ATB Andy

@ajc1482 12 дней назад

You do also realise the R6 ii has the advantage of the new AF system, a brand new sensor, tweaked processor and it's a prosumer body so it's aimed at a higher end of the market. The R7 is fantastic, you just need to be willing to take time and learn its limitations....Canon themselves admitted the AF algorithm and sensor in the R7 can't handle 30 FPS, they basically used that as a sales gimmick...it works best with mechanical or electronic 1st curtain. Canon should never have added the 30fps, it created to many high expectations.

@planestrainswildlife 12 дней назад

@@ajc1482 Yes I'm aware of the advantages as they were part of the decision making, FF to now and I still have my R7 but it is now my 3rd body as I have recently treated myself to another R6MK2 ready for RIAT, I used it quite extensively at RAF Cosford Air Show and it is a superb camera, even the military photographers were all mainly using R6MK2 for video and stills, I would like to think I will sell the R7 but not just yet😁👍 it does occasionally get attached to the 300 f2.8 with or without the 1.4 mkii converter for some situations 👍 ATB Andy

@davmarr62 6 месяцев назад

Happy New Year Paul! I've been using the R7/RF600 combo for about a year now and have had the exact same results as you. The auto-focus can be so frustrating in the R7, even when the system says your focus point was on the eye it is still off. I have yet to try it on my R6 Mii, but plan to do that this spring and see if the auto-focus responds any better.

@drewhollings 6 месяцев назад

Thanks for the review Paul 👍 I have the R6 and the R7 and get far more keepers with the R6. The auto focus can really be inconsistent on the R7 but when it is working ok I find the picture quality very good, also using single point focus increases keeper rate.

@dangernba 6 месяцев назад

Great video, as usual. I would like to see you testing the Sony RX10 IV, which has a built-in 600 mm f/11 (equivalent) lens. Even more compact. Happy 2024!

@andrewwilson3145 6 месяцев назад

i bought the r7 with rf 100-400 good little combo also got a ef600f4 mk1 where i think the focusing seems to pulse on the r7 some good shots then seems to go off focus then back on agaiin be interesting to see how you get on with your 500f4 Paul great video

@photochop9657 6 месяцев назад

R7 with the 100-500mm,absolutely no problems, the rolling shutter problem can be mitigated by using less frames per second, and remember not every frame is affected. Some retailers currently have the R7 on sale for a little under a grand, that's a bargain.

@Dan-C-71 6 месяцев назад

Last summer I was shooting the 800mm f/11 with an R6 and was pleasantly surprised with the performance. I have since moved to an R5 and the RF 100-500.

@asystasyorg Месяц назад

Thanks for the valuable review (as this is a combination I had in mind, but for street/landscape/architecture and not wildlife), but I'll respectfully disagree with your opinion re: the R7, which I find to be a very solid and fast camera which produces great images with the 32.5MP sensor. This said, I agree with you that the AF/eye focus can be off at times. TIP: if you're shooting in Manual mode you can permanently adjust the exposure compensation by tapping the meter at the bottom of the touch display and shifting it accordingly - I use the R7 with the RF100-400 at the zoo and I find bumping EC up by a stop helps the eye focus a bit. Just tap it back to 0 to return to default.

@marksuchomelsr6698 6 месяцев назад

Hi Paul, I own both the 800 and the 600. I like to walk when I'm searching for birds, so the nice thing about these lenses is the weight and compactness. I use mine mainly on a Canon R5 but also on the R7. You are correct on many of the attributes of these lenses. The minimum focusing distances are a challenge, along with the fixed f 11 aperture, however, if you use them within each lenses restrictions they can produce great images. These were obviously designed for the average photographer in mind, to allow them to get into the 600-800 range of focal lengths that until now have been financially out of reach of most photographers. Are they perfect, no, but used within their limitations they can be great lenses for someone on a budget. I like them for traveling, because they are light and do not take up a lot of room in my camera bags. Thanks for the time you spent reviewing the lens and camera. keep up the great work

@doug433 24 дня назад

Average photographer? 50+ years of pro photography here and have them due to weight, can't always judge people on their lens.

@marksuchomelsr6698 22 дня назад

@@doug433 Average was the wrong word, I meant that it made long lenses available to more people. Not skill level.

@warrendobson2883 6 месяцев назад

For exposure compensation in manual press the m-fn button near the shutter button - it gives you a quick menu accessible with the dial. I've disabled everything bar exposure compensation via the custom buttons so whenever I press the m-fn button my dial then alters the exposure compensation.

@robertbrown6060 6 месяцев назад

This was really interesting to watch Paul. I’ve had some great images with this lens but on the R6. I don’t use it on the R7, it’s just too hard to use in combination with a crop lens camera like the R7 in my view. Fir exposure compensation on the R7 I use the top dial but that can be only done whilst pressing down the small SEL button. It’s incredibly fiddly. I use the R7 with the RF 100 - 400 which is a great light combination and also the EF 100 - 400. Both giving 640 mm reach and more light than the RF 600. There is no getting away from the fact that the auto focus on the R7 is not as good as the R6 or R5. Don’t even think about using it on a third party Ken’s.

@OldJack1960 6 месяцев назад

Hi Paul. Personally, I prefer this lens with the R6, and the RF100-400 with the R7. As for the AF issues with the R7, I found a couple of tweaks worked to improve if not completely solve the problem. You'll already know these of course, but the info might be of interest to other amateurs like myself. The first thing I did was ensure firmware was up-to-date and that all the contacts were clean (my apologies for stating the obvious!) Then I removed the UV filters on all my lenses (Canon do not recommend the use of these, anyway, and I think you've made the same suggestion yourself in an earlier video). Finally, I switched subject tracking off, eye detection on, and expanded the focus point to centre plus four surrounds as with my 7d MkII (I've no idea whether or not this was a corrective factor) With both the R6 and R7 I use back button focus, triple and double respectively. To end with a cheeky closing request, if you manage to get your hands on a 200-800 to use with the R6, I don't think I'd be alone in being very interested to hear your thoughts. Cheers and happy new year! Edited as I forgot to include the basic error I keep repeating, which is - with stationary subjects - keeping my thumb down on the eye af instead of releasing, recomposing if necessary, and then taking the photo.

@jamesconibear2913 6 месяцев назад

R7 user here. I also own an R6. Despite having a higher end body, I still use the R7 for wildlife so that I have the extra reach of the crop body + more flexibility when cropping is required thanks to that 32.5 MP sensor. I use electronic first curtain most of the time, though if the subject is skittish I switch to electronic. I use the RF 100-400mm f/8 which is often enough reach, but am considering getting a 1.4 teleconverter for distant waders, waterfowl and the more skittish small birds. Am aware that this combo would, like the 600mm, put me at f/11, but I think it'll be worth it in certain scenarios, when the light is right. It won't be as hard to find and frame subjects as the 600mm either thanks to the flexibility of the zoom. Should also add that this lens has a great minimum focus distance and that I often use it to photograph creepy crawlies in the warmer half of the year!

@jeffolson4731 6 месяцев назад

I used to use my Canon R7 with the RF800 f11 all the time. It is pretty sharp and very light. I now use my RF 200-800 instead.

@Gaztography 6 месяцев назад

Hi Paul, I have the F11 600mm and find that the images I get of BIF Kites are similar to your experience. Never ever seem to be that sharp when reviewed closer, even when pushing the SS to 1/2000+ in good light. That’s on an R5 as well. I don’t see the focus issues you saw so I presume the R5 is just that much better. But at the price point I think you have to take these things into consideration and it does make a very good lens for people getting into birding.

@suznet 6 месяцев назад

Have you tried any AF lenses with the adapter on the R7, I have & Sometimes it won’t trigger the shutter, I find that I have to reset the adapter at the camera end, then it works okay, not gone down the line of those expensive RF lenses yet, as I still have the 80d & 6D Mkii

@drtools9226 6 месяцев назад

The rf 100-400 is banger. I Use 3 meike adapter without having Problems. But the native lenses are for shure faster

@Andy_Thomas 6 месяцев назад

I have the 800mm f/11 version, plus an R6 and an R7. Towards the end of the review, you appear to recognise that the autofocus problems are due to the camera, not the lens. That is my impression as well. The lens has a number of limitations, but if you can work with those limitations, you can get some very good shots, that maybe you would not otherwise be able to get. As for the R7, I agree with the problems with autofocus and noise. I can get some decent shots but invariably need to do some post-processing to clean them up. And the keeper rate is not at all what I would hope. People were hoping that Canon would produce a mirrorless version of the 7D, but I'm afraid they have disappointed a lot of people. Oh, and there is a issue with the rubber eyepiece shredding off with this model.

@stuartkenny 6 месяцев назад

So with the crop factor that would be the equivalent of a 960mm f18? Seems like you'd need very specific conditions for that.

@alanwinkley8811 6 месяцев назад

I use an R7 with the RF 100-500 for wildlife and have no reservations. I think the fixed f11 on the 600mm is the sticking point also add on the 1.6 crop factor giving you effectively 960mm with limited flexibility. Just my opinion guys and I am a newbie after 40 years of photography absence.

@Kellysher 5 месяцев назад

I’m impressed by your use of such slow shutter speeds. I’m shooting with the 100-500. I don’t shoot much under 800. Even perched birds are moving. Are you just super steady? Is this lens that much different? How your keeper rate?

@PaulMiguelPhotography 4 месяца назад

Keeper rate was fairly average. Yes, birds will always move their heads, but in terms of camera shake you can probably get down to 1/250 with that lens, if your camera also has stabilisation.

@deegreen3351 6 месяцев назад

1st curtain is recommended as default shutter setting on the R7. Mechanical not really of benefit only if using wide aperture lens (stops irregular bokeh). R7 seems to focus better if not on the highest fps mode in my opinion. Also remember these aren’t USM lenses just STM so fast moving subjects won’t be so easy to track

@markjohnson6132 6 месяцев назад

Thank you Paul that’s an excellent review! Your R6 knocks the R7 for six as does the R5 (IMO) but then with the price difference …. I will keep saving past the R7 but again thank you for all your efforts!

@PaulMiguelPhotography 6 месяцев назад

Cheers Mark. I am very glad to have the R6

@mikebrownhill4662 6 месяцев назад

I've used the R7 since it was released as a stepping stone to learn the mirrorless system. I've kept and still use my 5DIV for those times when I know I want full frame. I've held off on going mirrorless full frame until there's a Canon body with a stacked sensor north of 35 megapixels. My experience with the R7 has been mixed - it can be a nice camera, but it can also be an utter dud! I've learned to live with problems like the small buffer (I don't use H+ in electronic and I shoot short bursts), rolling shutter (I use first curtain electronic instead of fully electronic) and low light performance (which is actually better than I expected from a crop sensor). However, autofocus is the real killer for me. I know some people won't accept that there is an issue and that any problems are user error but I strongly disagree. I've got more than 20 years of experience with Canon bodies, both full frame and crop, and I've learned a few things about getting sharp images. Autofocus on the R7 can be hit and miss in any light, but in less than optimal light it's a real lottery. I find myself over-shooting and coming home with thousands of images to trawl through for the sharp keepers, when previously I'd come home with a few hundred images, of which more than 90 per cent would be sharp. It makes my post-shooting image cull a chore which I put off for as long as possible! I don't hate the R7 - I actually enjoy using it - but I really hope Canon is going to release a new crop sensor body with enough power under the hood to make it a wildlife photographer's dream.

@danieldougan269 20 дней назад

An f11 lens on an APS-C camera sounds very limited. I wish instead of making both lenses f11, they made a 600mm f8 lens (akin to the Olympus 300mm f4 PRO for Micro Four Thirds) and a teleconverter in case someone wanted to zoom in tighter. Even then, I would want a full-frame camera for that.

@stevemartin239 6 месяцев назад

Happy New Year Paul. 600 f11, circa £500 maybe a reasonable starter lens for wildlife?

@CZOV 6 месяцев назад

It is if you using R6 models which let you run ISO up to 25000. It works really well on R6 Mark II, both the 600 and 800 f/11. On R7 where 6400 is streching it, not so good. Overall R7 is a 'blip' camera, half-cocked nerfed body made of old parts and overpriced as hell. So far no good crop sensor body exist on the market from the big 3.

@PaulMiguelPhotography 6 месяцев назад

I think it's worth considering, yes.

@tysonator5433 6 месяцев назад

I have 7Dii, R7 and sony A6600 and both mirrorless cameras IQ are better than my 7Dii most of the time. The R7 has a lot of issues and short comings. What i wanted was a mirrorless 7Dii and whatvwe got was hybrid 7Dii, 90D in a mirrorless tech body. With all that mentioned what we are getirng is canons AF eye tracking for a cheap price ! The main reason for the inconsistent AF is the sensor read out speed is pretty slow for a wild life camera. To manage this 1st curtain, single / single expanded AF, and only use 15fps. If you try to use 30fps the sensor can not cope with the data transfer speed. I can not wait for the R7 Mkii to be released or i will buy a cheap used R6mkii !

@PaulMiguelPhotography 6 месяцев назад

Thanks very much for the information. I think that's invaluable for anyone looking at the R7. Really appreciate it.

@arnaudontrack499 3 месяца назад

Squirrel behind you at 21:33 Second time i watch the video. In the meantime i bought a RF100 500 to pair with my R7 and am very happy with. I have better images now compare to my EF 300 F4 and 400 F5.6 that i've sold :( and can't say if it's coming from the range which is better. But i still feel the lack of reach when raptorial birds are high in the sky and am still thinking of one this RF 600 / 800 and don't know which one to choose with R7.

@PaulMiguelPhotography 2 месяца назад

It's a decent combination - good reach. I have only tested the RF 600mm so I'm really not sure about the 800

@arnaudontrack499 2 месяца назад

@@PaulMiguelPhotography Hello, I’ve bought the 1.4 converter so my problem is solved ^^

@arnaudontrack499 3 месяца назад

Very informative. It's what fears me..the fact that the bird is too big in the viewfinder when flying. Otherwise it seems very convincing.

@PaulMiguelPhotography 3 месяца назад

Yes, I think that is difficult for sure.

@dm51964 6 месяцев назад

Overall I found the 600 f11 with the R7 the same as you. The 800 f11 was sharper but no good for flight shots and gone back to the old 400 f5.6

@CamillaI 6 месяцев назад

F11 not something I really want to be shooting at but reach and sharp in the middle 🤔

@deanlowe2580 6 месяцев назад

F11, holy high iso Batman, my advice also buy topaz denoise to get even better results from the images from this lens.

@abritandhisbikeinpoland6802 6 месяцев назад

One year ago I thought I would join the new gang and buy a mirrorless. Ok I could only justify the price of a R10. Three weeks ago I sold it, it was like a gimmicky cheap plastic children's toy, with tiny little buttons and dials, I probably only used it 10 times, I hated it. Two weeks ago I bought an almost new condition 80D and photography is beautiful again. And as for a 600mm with only f11, I got the impression from you it was a lottery lens, and I'm not referring to the price.

@nsbhagwat 6 месяцев назад

R7 struggles at iso 5000 n above, shutter speed 1/1000 n above, F9 and not so good light/ foggy morning condition.

@johnlangford7788 6 месяцев назад

I looked into the r7 but the more I read and watched the more I hated it. Now I see canon recommend not to use it in h+ as focus might not keep up. That and the lens I'd never buy.

@gpfeiffer1 6 месяцев назад

The R7 has way too many problems and faults for me to have any interest whatsoever. If there ever was a candidate for a version II makeover, this is it. Truly a shame that Canon produced such a poor successor to the 7D mark II.

@PaulMiguelPhotography 6 месяцев назад

My experience of it was pretty poor.

@DHutchinsonPhoto 6 месяцев назад

I bought an R7 when they first came out. I was not impressed by the AF at all. On perched birds I could only manage a 50% hit rate as oppose to 95% using my 7D mk2. The lenses used were the EF100-400 L mk2 and the EF300 f4 L and the testing was all done in bright sun (ideal conditions). I also thought the images were very noisy, no improvement on the 7D mk2. After a month of talking with Canon technical support I sent it back for a full refund. I wouldnt buy an f11 lens, far to slow no matter how good the IS. This experience put me off Canon altogether and since then I have moved over to OM systems OM1.

@colintraveller 6 месяцев назад

Wish more reviewers were honest like you

@ajc1482 6 месяцев назад

The one thing I learned after buying the R7 is it's AF algorithm can't handle 30fps. Canon just slap 30fps on the specs to sell units. It's at its best when you're shooting elec 1st curtain at 15fps. Not sure about your noise issues, I'd say that's an issue with your shooting style as I was pushing it up to 6400 iso with no issues.

@bensonemery 6 месяцев назад

I bought an r7 and have never had a problem with focus

@ZaberAnsaryOfficial 6 месяцев назад

Should've been F9 tbh.

@dangernba 6 месяцев назад

Try the 800 mm f/11 mounted on a full frame body (R8, maybe).

@CZOV 6 месяцев назад

It can't interfere with the new 200-800 f/9, can it? Canon.

@andyblessett1951 6 месяцев назад

Doesnt sound like a very good combo to me!!

@sexysilversurfer 6 месяцев назад

The world’s first disposable lens, use once and left in the cupboard! 😂

@colintraveller 6 месяцев назад

Why not be brutally honest that the 600 f11 is waste of money .. piss poor .

@ajc1482 12 дней назад

Because it's not piss poor, it's a very niche lens but for what it costs it's great and on top of that if he hasn't taken the time to set up the R7 AF properly it will struggle.