Both the still and video AF performance are different in almost all the camera. Here is one of the video AF with
– CANON EOS R6, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– Tripod
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
The AF seem slower lock focus to the object compare to still AF. which normally require 1-4 seconds to lock the object. After locked focus, the tracking seem work well but still 20-40% chance lost focus especially bird eye/head not detectable. But it will get the object refocus very fast as long as we able to follow the bird movement.
After use the powerful R3, which it is almost not missing to find a bird when the bird within the sensor. (we dont use AF point to focus to the bird but let’s the camera to find the bird/bird eye and lock focus than track). Glad that I am able to get R5/R6 for more test on this entry level of full frame camera.
I am trying to sharing different kind of environment to lets the Camera find the bird itself and this may keep update later.
Condition 1 : Bird with contrast again Backgroung
– CANON EOS R6, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– M mode, Auto ISO, F5.6 (biggest aperture), 1/200
– Handheld
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R5/6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
THE FOCUS almost immediate lock on the bird head/eye and track.
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Condition 2 : closer Bird with lesser contrast again Background
– CANON EOS R6, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– M mode, Auto ISO, F5.6 (biggest aperture), 1/200
– Handheld
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R5/6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
THE FOCUS almost immediate lock on the bird head/eye and track.
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Condition 3 :further Bird with lesser contrast again Background
– CANON EOS R6, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– M mode, Auto ISO, F5.6 (biggest aperture), 1/200
– Handheld
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R5/6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
THE FOCUS require a bit time to look for a bird but very quick to get the bird focus locked and track on the head and eye
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Condition 4 : small bird low contrast over the similar and messy Background
– CANON EOS R6, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– M mode, Auto ISO, F5.6 (biggest aperture), 1/200
– Handheld
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R5/6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
THE FOCUS almost not possible to find the bird (trying to moving the camera at various position of the sensor). What we need to do just move the focus ring so the focus area near the bird than very soon it will be get the Bird/Bird eye focus and track.
R3 can easily use eye-Control AF to resolve this or I found R3 capable to find the even at this kind of environment.
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Condition 4 : very small bird with contrast
– CANON EOS R5, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, CANON 1.4x, CANON EF=EOS-R adapter
– M mode, Auto ISO, F5.6 (biggest aperture), 1/200
– Handheld
– AF method : the only method using Full sensor area in R5/6
+Tracking
– Subject to detect : Animals ; Eye detection : On
THE FOCUS almost not possible to find the bird (trying to moving the camera at various position of the sensor). What we need to do just move the focus ring so the focus area near the bird than very soon it will be get the Bird/Bird eye focus and track.
it is another series of picture captured while I am testing the CANON EOS R3
this bird sudden flying from sea toward mangrove, with the canon R3.. it is effortless just lock focus and track the bird even flying backlit BG and different BG
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– video clip create from a series of pictures captured with CANON R3
– while I am shooting Tern flying at Selangor coastal area. this Heron sudden flying from beach toward mangrove area.
Spend another morning for test one of the most difficult photograph objects, swift and swallow.
*** I will updating all the swift AF test here.
There are some setting that I change for this fast moving object which I think it may affect the performance
CANON R3, CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2, EF 1.4x TC III
AF area (whole sensor)
AFC, eye-control AF off
Drive mode: H (15fps) and H+ (30fps)
AI Servo (AF-C)
cRAW and use DPP straight convert to JPEG and resize.
No CROP
Len set to >10m which anything near than 10m will not be focus
no feeding, no fix location/direction for the bird. Everything here just a bird flying and I just point my Len direction and lets the camera lock the focus (on bird) and track by following the flying direction
few test, trying to show
i. near object
ii. far object
iii. flying at same Background (Green, sky)
iv. flying cross various background
– can see below, the birds will flying crossing sky, water surface, green etc
I am glad to given a chance to have a unit CANON EOS R3 to have a series of test on Birds/Nature Photography.
As for other camera, I plan to have series of tests which related to Tropical forest birds Photographer concerns eg. ISO performance, AF performance, Raw files dynamics range etc.
After days of basic understanding the camera (actually it is like a upgraded version of my old CANON EOS 1dxm2). I will try share other view of the camera later in other posts, here lets share one of the major concern : AF performance.
For this test, I am using
CANON EOS R3
CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2
CANON 1.4x TC III
No feeding, No nesting and no idea what bird flying to/from which directions. Just base on what you see and trying the Camera capability to focus and capture.
Setting
AF area (whole sensor)
AFC, eye-control AF off
Drive mode: H (15fps)
AI Servo (AF-C)
RAW and use DPP straight convert to JPEG and resize.
I am glad to given a chance to have a unit CANON EOS R3 to have a series of test on Birds/Nature Photography.
As for other camera, I plan to have series of tests which related to Tropical forest birds Photographer concerns eg. ISO performance, AF performance, Raw files dynamics range etc.
After days of basic understanding the camera (actually it is like a upgraded version of my old CANON EOS 1dxm2). I will try share other view of the camera later in other posts, here lets share one of the major concern : AF performance.
For this test, I am using
CANON EOS R3
CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2
CANON 1.4x TC III
Handheld inside car
No feeding, No nesting and no idea what bird flying to/from which directions. Just base on what you see and trying the Camera capability to focus and capture.
Setting
AF area (whole sensor)
AFC, eye-control AF off
Drive mode: H (15fps)
AI Servo (AF-C)
RAW and use DPP straight convert to JPEG and resize.
All of sudden a White-throated Kingfisher flying infront of us, with immediate response I just point the Len toward the bird and lets the camera lock focus on the bird and track … capture the images in ~3-4s
this feature need to enable an electronic shutter and what it does
1. focus and HALF press the shutter
2. the camera start record pictures within the frame
3. press the Shutter button and anything pre-happen before shutter button press (~<1s) will be a record
e.g. 3 White-bellied Woodpecker Nesting
– another good opportunity to use this special function
– 这个环境非常容易的用这个功能
video by combine 17 pictures within ~1s while the bird flying out from the nest and I only press the shutter button after seeing the bird flying out from the nest
eg. 1 this bird keep “displaying” but what we need just one position
whats you need to do just
1. Turn ON Pre-shot (require ES)
2. focus on the bird and half-press the shutter just like on left and waiting for any action of the bird. Press the Shutter immediately after the desired moment happen to mean frame 6/7 (anything within ~1s) then all the previous pictures will be recorded into the memory card.
*In traditional to capture the desired moment (5th frame from left, we need to keep burst the shutter and hope lucky to get the frame with a few hundred shots.
* in this testing, I only enable 8 fps
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eg2. Bird flying out from Nest
in this condition, the bird may stay in the nest hole for minutes, hours before it flies out and when it flying out could be just a split second. So it is not easy to capture the moment.
here is the frame I got
1. Enable Pre-Shot
2. focus and Half-press shutter button. The bird can be in this position for minutes and hours.
3. all of sudden the bird fly out and this is when I press my shutter button
But all the other frames before this last moment already captured into the memory card
This is just a feature that captures pre-moment so it is not continuous focus, so pre-plan the angle where the bird expects to have the next move is important to have a better focus picture.
Besides that, to have a wider or not too big a subject the frame can allow u to have long series of action pictures.
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So Have fun trying this lovely feature. Besides Fujifilm Xt3/4. Understand Panasonic which first launches this feature under Pre-burst and Olympus follow later call Pro-capture.
– Smaller than Himalayan snowcock, this species has a grey head and neck with a white patch behind the eye and above the dark cheek. Chin, throat and breast are white, with two grey bands on the breast. Grey wing coverts and tertials have a white trim. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_snowcock
most of the species are winter visitors to Malaysia. Small and active birds, look-alike, and sometimes difficult to ID without pictures taken and call recording.
– in North Borneo (KNP, Crocker Range etc) both Yellowish and this Gray-light greenish exist
– 小而活跃。通常在海拔800米以上
– 黑头。翅膀没纹。在北婆罗洲（沙巴）有黄 或 这灰-浅绿 两种。
201603, KNP, Sabah, Malaysia
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2. Yellow-browed Warbler, 黄眉柳莺, 黃眉柳鶯, Phylloscopus inornatus, キマユムシクイ, CEKUP-DAUN KECIL BIASA
– Small, active warbler with greenish upperparts, white underparts, distinct pale yellowish eyebrow, and distinct pale wingbars (upper wingbar short and less distinct) *Ebird
– Dull, relatively unmarked olive-brown warbler with a prominent yellowish-white eyestripe, faint wingbars, and pale whitish underparts. Visually inseparable from Japanese and Kamchatka Leaf Warblers; listen for song, an electric chattery trill. Also gives a metallic two-noted call and a short harsh buzz. Breeds in shrubby areas, often near water, throughout the Eurasian taiga. Breeding range extends to Alaska, where it is the only leaf warbler. Winters in lowland and foothill forest, forest edge, and gardens, primarily in Southeast Asia. (Ebird)
– it is under the same species but looks different from the one found in Peninsular Malaysia. The Bali one, head over all more red-black instead of red-yellow-black
– 与马来西亚半岛的头部很不一样。红-黑而已。
update 202105
201605, West Balu National Park, Bali, Indonesia
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2. Green Junglefowl, 绿原鸡, 綠原雞, Gallus varius, アオエリヤケイ, Ayam-hutan hijau
– the male, very colorful, The back neck is metallic green-blue-yellow
– previously under the same species of Banded Pitta which now split to 3 different species. Malayan Banded Pitta, Borneo Banded Pitta, and Javan Banded Pitta. all of them with slightly different looks especially male. But all with the same call, behavior.
– 之前与其他两种马来亚，与婆罗洲归为同种。叫声一样。
– 爪哇特有种
update 202105
– male bird with a blue neck, head yellow instead of rufuos
– 公鸟。颈部有蓝边，头部是黄不是棕色。
201605, Bali, Indonesia
7. Bali Myna, 长冠八哥, 峇里島長冠八哥, Leucopsar rothschildi, カンムリシロムク, Jalak Bali
An eye-catching white starling with black tips to the tail and wings, bare blue facial skin, and long plumes that hang down the nape. Juvenile is shorter-crested than adult, with yellow wash. Found in small groups in open forest, where it spends time in the trees and foraging on the ground. Avoids dense forest. Restricted to northwest Bali. Differs from Black-winged Starling in having the black on the wings confined to tips, and in showing blue facial skin. Song is an untidy jumble of scratchy, chattering notes and whistles. [Ebird]
– a very special and beautiful endemic for Bali, wont wrong as long as you see medium size and white bird .. think only near Bali National Park area
– 非常特别的巴厘岛特有种，白
2016, West Bali, Indonesia
8. Small Blue Kingfisher, 小蓝翠鸟, 小藍翠鳥, Alcedo coerulescens, ヒメアオカワセミ, Rajaudang Biru
a very common small blue-white small Kingfisher at Bali-Java, can be seen almost any where near stream, pond …but quite shy as usual
这小翠鸟在巴厘岛几乎蛮普通，可是还是不容易拍。很害羞。
update 202402
– this is a very good example of need more fps .. so not always correct we do not need .. I normally shoot ~15fps in most of the camera by default … when this bird sudden dive in I am too late to change the fps .. and most of the frame without very good “eye contact” or I would say too less frame within the dive action (~7frames)
– a transit easy shooting near ours hotel, saw few of them and need small movement to get close to get closer pictures.
– 再去看松巴岛前，在巴厘岛酒店附近就找到。还蛮还几只，慢慢的走近还是可以拍好。
20240118, Bali, Indonesia
9. Little Black Cormorant, 小黑鸬鹚, 小黑鸕鷀, Phalacrocorax sulcirostris, ミナミクロヒメウ, Pecuk-padi hitam
– overall black and mid size of bird always found near ponds, river.
update 202401
– transit to Sumba Island so spent some time in Bali for casual birding, managed to have this pond for small fun for everyone .. this bird very common here first arrive every one chase haha .. and day2 everyone target other bird except me waiting some bird fall into better light position but saw these 2 birds fighting for fish even not at the direction I wanted but just capture the moment 😀
+Tracking
