There is no feeling like it when you know you nailed a shot. Patience most often pays off in joy. . I appreciate your videos as I most often come away with a nugget or two of very useful information to add to my knowledge base
As a programmer and familiar with AI, I've been impressed with Canon new AF system. It doesn't really surprise me too much that it can't totally make up its mind on some animals that evolved to camouflage themselves and not let their physical features pop too much from the background. The AF system has to constantly ask itself if the focus point it follows is still part of the subject that it was from when it started to focus. If it doesn't recognize the subject anymore for what it is, it has to back out to make sure it's not focusing on some random part of the bark of a tree that happens to look like an eye. To recognize any animals in all kinds of weird settings is a really daunting task without all the contextual knowledge humans have. I do expect that AI autofocus to evolve extremely quickly generation over generation of camera from now on, though.
This video and instruction has saved my elk rut season of shooting. I shoot with the R6 and had bought the 150-600 C . It started out good then started missing too many shots. After a firmware update on the body it was terrible! This work around applied to the custom setting works for me! Thank you, Simon and Brian!
Have just received my R7 on the weekend. Have adapted it with EF 70 300 lens. Started watching your R7 videos again to setup custom functions. Thanks for the content.
Another great video. Nothing like it when you know you have ‘Nailed’ the shot. Have the 150-600 on the R6 and have changed my settings as you have suggested. Will let you know how I go. Thanks again. Phil
Congratulations on the brown falcon! Their behavior reminds me of what we call an American kestrel, also called the sparrow hawk. Thank you for giving the Sigma such a thorough reviewing! I've watched all of them since I own one as well as the R7. I recommend your videos to all who have questions especially about birding and wildlife. Thank you again, Duade!
Duade, Thanks for this video and many of your others. I got the R7 the first week it came out and the Sigma 150-600c. Prior to the R7, I was using a Pentax KS2. With that I would spot focus, recompose and shoot. Switching to the R7, I use Servo and the touch screen (dragging the orange circle to the area I want the camera to focus on with my thumb). Before the settings change, the focus point would keep jumping around and lock onto things I did not care about. When the whole frame got out of focus (or I could not lock on with the orange circle) I have adjusted the manual focus ring to get it back in the neighborhood. Since July, I thought the issues I was having were all me learning a new system. Yesterday I went out with the new setting and found a bunch of Robins in an open stream and mud (-2C here). The animal detection and eye tracking worked tremendously better. I spent far less time less time moving my thumb to get it to find a bird and only had to use the manual override ring a few times. These setting also worked well with my Canon EF 70-300 4-5.6 L. I used the Canon lens freehand when I first found the birds and when the sun started to set. The Sigma I used on a monopod. Both seemed to behave similarly and better (so happy with the focusing I lost track of my ISO). I still had frames that the focus was locked on to an eye and but was not in focus (surrounding frames were in focus), so it is not perfect on either lens. Using a monopod and sitting in a snowbank, I left the IS on. I locked the aperture and let the shutter and ISO float. When using a monopod, should I have the IS off and what shutter speed should I try not to drop below (1/640)? FYI in September I tired the RF 100-400 but could not get it to behave when changing subjects at 400mm. The whole frame would be out of focus and I could not use the control ring to get it back in the neighborhood (like I do with the Sigma and RF 18-150). I figured that RF 100-400 being an f8 at 400 it was a light issue, zooming out focusing and then back in worked but most times the shot was gone. I did not keep the lens long enough to notice if it had a pulsing issue. The f8 also had me concerned because I read anything above 5.6 will be less sharp because of the crop sensor and pixel density of the R7. Is there and aperture you avoid going narrower then on the R7?
Thanks for sharing Dan, the IS is an interesting question and I don't know the proper answer. For me personally I leave IS on my Canon lenses as I would forget to turn it back on. With the Sigma I turned IS off as I found the viewfinder would jump around with it on if using a tripod. I think the SS can go lower than 1/640 if you are struggling for light and if the subject is static. You should be able to go very low. Often 1/200 is my lower limit and I shoot in burst to try to get some sharp. It really all depends if I have light or not. Yes, diffraction can be an issue with APSC bodies but I don't really notice it to be fair. I usually shoot at f7.1-f9 most of the time if I have plenty of light, otherwise I will shoot wide open in low light. Sorry to hear about the RF100-400 issues, that is a shame. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade , thanks for the reply. I am likely to set thing up at the beginning and forget to change them as conditions do. I will see if I notice it jumping in the viewfinder before turning IS off (and hoping I remember to turn it back on).
Thanks Duade! I just received my R7 yesterday and after my first light experience w the Sigma150-600 R7 combo, I am giving these settings a try. I’m looking forward to seeing the difference between my older RP and the R7.
@@Duade I have had the R7/Sigma combo out 3 times with the config changes and have gotten fantastic bird images. AF eye tracking is working awesome. Loving this new camera. Thanks for making this video.
Yet another great effort, Duade. Well done getting to the bottom of the Sigma 150-600mm contemporary lens! A big thanks to Simon as well for all of his testing & for sharing his wealth of experience. Also, nice of Brian to facilitate. I thought you had loads of great shots & it was nice to see the noticeable improvements in the AF with those settings. I thought the wood duck at 275 & 600mm were the best in that series & liked the falcon flight shot with perch better than without. Congrats on the excellent falcon set! How fantastic is it when life offers up those gems & we are there to realize & fully appreciate it? Glad you got those. Thanks again for the work & the collection of info, images & video in this one. Always a pleasure. I finally received my R7 yesterday after the 2 month wait. Am looking forward to discovering its usefulness. Have a good one & may another falcon like experience come your way before long. Best regards ~ Chris
Thanks, Duade. Only a couple of hundred shots in using our yard participants of chickadees, nuthatches & voles & very pleased with the upgrade. Eye tracking working quite well in this scenario w/used 100-400mm II I picked up. Looking forward to many more opportunities. Thanks again for all the great info you've provided.
Great video as always. You've got more patience with the Atomos than I do on the tweeeties ;) What I've noticed on the R7 and R10 in testing is that if you hold that eye auto on a subject that's not moving or very little movement, the focus is as you stated constantly looking for an eye and it will jump to something else that looks like an eye. And in turn it gets lost. The R10 will really have this issue. It happens more with the cheaper RF lenses and the 3rd party. The RF 100-500, EF 70-200, EF 500, etc. it doesn't happen as much. But it still happens. So it seems you need to focus pump like we used to do with DSLR's when your subject is more stationary.
Thanks mate, I wonder why these cameras are different to the R5/R6 in this regard, it really is noticeable which is a shame. I will be sure to try the pumping method next time, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I think you already stumbled on it even in your video ;) Sensors and their readout speeds are different on the r5/6 and the R7. R7 being slower and R10 as I'm finding is a touch slower than the R7. That affects focus and the wobble/rolling shutter.
@@WILDALASKA Yeah, I had to refocus a number of times, yes, I think you are right re the sensors, I wish this speed was reported accurately by the manufacturers, so we know the differences. The Canon wobble is real on the R7/R10 that is for sure. Cheers, Duade
i just found this today as i was testing the R7 sigma 150 - 600mm AF eye tracking on a toy meerkat in my kitchen (lol the things we do) pumping the AF but created less pulsing than just holding it down. The RF100-500mm had not issues when holding in in on my test
I have been following you & your youtube channel for about 7 days now & i have found the content to be a no nonsense helpful content. You have an amazing lucid style of delivery of the content. Keep it up & looking forward to many many more videos from you.
The falcon shots, beautiful! I boohooed with my first bald eagle in the wild to where I couldn't even take many pics. Thankfully, they came out great. I get a bit emotional while on a lot of my photo shoots. I'm in awe of Mother Nature. I'm ordering this lens today and can't wait to take it out to play! Your photos are beautiful and fun! Thank you for sharing 🙂
What wonderful shots you got mate. Just amazing the shots of the Brown Falcon. Good to know for those people that have this lens, that with the right settings, they can get some great results. Cheers, Bjoern
Thanks mate, yes, the Brown Falcon was an absolute highlight after years trying. I am sure you have had many similar experiences where for whatever reason you just get lucky, just happy I was there to capture it. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I can imagine that yes. And yes i have had some very exiting experience lately too. Just managed to photographing a bird, that have been extinted for over 100 years here in the state where i live, and one of the rarest birds in whole Brazil. Just pure luck did that i managed that. Was not going to go to that area that day, but a lot of wind made me to change my mind. Never thought i ever would see that bird here. Shared it with some birding friends, so they too could get to see this wonderful bird, so now it's more photos of it, but only this individual. So i have no idea of where it did come from. It's gone now, but at leas we know that it exist 😄📸 Have a great week mate. Cheers, Bjoern📷
G'day Duade. What a stroke of genius to use a rotating Jerry the Gala 😀 Really loved your Golden-headed Cisticola ! And then those awesome brown falcons, especially where they come together ! From the 3 focal length comparison with the wood duck, I'd say in this case I prefer the 275mm. The swallows were also great, and I was wowed by the Tree Martin with leaf. But also the grebe and frogmouth were great. So, even when I wasn't much interested in this specific gear, it's such a great joy to watch your beautiful YT's, thanks mate !! As for opening up the RF to the likes of Tamron and Sigma, I understand it may happen in few years, once Canon has more completed it's own set of of lenses, but more importantly they did seem to acknowledge their RF-protocol isn't matured just yet. Sounds like they still want to tweak it a bit to hopefully cure the Wobble and similar thingies. When they improve the protocol, they can easily issue firmware updates for their own lenses, but for third party this may get uglier .. hence the delay in allowing them I suppose.
Your argument with the RF protocoll has a strong point, and its definately immature when i think about it. But as a EF lens (mainly) user i can totally say: Even adapted EF glass just works great (in AF as well as stabilizer) without much or any downsides compared to the RF lenses. It just depends on the model... some sigma lenses work great but the chance they work better together you get with more modern canon EF glass. And yeah, the 275mm shot is definately the best, more context and still a nice view to the bird, the 150mm one is too wide
@@harrison00xXx Indeed, fully agree. EF works adapted at least as good as they did natively on DSLR .. at least when comparing the functionality which existed on these DSLR's .. and eye-AF wasn't around yet ;-)
Thanks Achiranda, I would like to but unfortunately I do not have access to the lens at the moment, I will see if I can get it again in the future. Cheers, Duade
I've been using my sigma on my R6 for about a year now. I've done all the recommended tweaks the the combo still has focusing issues. Most of the time I don't notice and come away with shots I'll keep. Recently I photographed some youths on a bmx track. They asked if I'd email them the pics. I got great airborne shots of them coming towards me for 3 of them but the fourth guy was only in focus for 1 shot of a burst. When doing close distance work of little birds I get let down by the focus. The system believes it is in focus but it isn't. I'm finally taking the plunge and changing my Sigma 150-600 to an RF 100-500. I don't think I'll miss the wider aperture or the extra 100mm reach. I'll keep you posted
Hi Duade. I shoot with the R7 and RF 100-500. I get a really low keeper rate. I find that, while the eye tracking box is on the eye, very often, the lens is focused somewhere on the body. I don’t find this with my R5. I have contacted Wex, where I purchased the camera. They said that many people have contacted them with this problem. Keep up the great work, Julian
Thanks for the feedback Julian, I have noticed a difference between the R7 and R5 also and I don't know why there is this difference and makes the eye tracking a bit of a challenge on the R7. I do hope it is something they can update with firmware. Cheers, Duade
I LOVE seeing your excitement - and that is what it is all about. I rarely shoot my R7 at the highest burst rate on the camera - too many shots. I also tell others, or ask.... how many sharp shots do you need, how many are you going to share? Out of the thousands I take I share a couple. The other thing I tell others is that for me, I really only need one shot to make me happy. IF - IF the only shot you got that was amazing was one of the hawks, that one shot still would have made your day. For me, I have been finding that I actually prefer the EF L lenses on this body other than than the RF 100-500. I do plan on renting the Canon RF 600mm F4 soon just to play with, but to be honest with you - I LOVE my 500mm EF adapted to the body. Works extremely well with the 1.4 tele as well. Fantastic video - love the excitement. I recently had that same feeling all over again when i pulled out my 90D and was shooting a DSLR again. Keep trying to review the image in the viewfinder...... 🤣 PS - my old 100-400 push/pull EF version one works really well on this body for what I want it to do - better than the RF version. The slow focus works for dragonflies in flight and it is faster which I prefer. It does conflict with the body now and again, but I turn it off and keep going. If I keep the shutter speed down, it will not do that. 🙏
Thanks for sharing John, yes, I too love playing with all my cameras, the 1DX is a blast and it is interesting how all the lenses perform. I too love my 500 apart from the weight and size. We lucky to have so many options, Cheers, Duade
Thank you so much! You save my money! Without this settings my Sigma 150-600 contemporary was veeery bad and with Canon 400d it was better than Canon r7 😂 I copy all from this video and i pay this Sigma USB-Dock. Today in Moscow i test this settings with wild owls and i have very beautiful results! Sorry for my English 😊
Duade, just wanted to say thank you for this video. Extremely informative. Helped me make the jump into the canon mirrorless series. Also wanted to say that the pulsing for me personally, was not that big of a deal afterall (it was a huge factor when I thought about switching to mirrorless). Chances are, the bird never gets that close to ya. For me, they always flush before I even get to the distance where the pulsing issue really shows. And in the case I do manage to get close, these settings you showed helped loads. Cheers.
Another awesome video Duade that will hopefully help a lot of people (and some absolutely beautiful shots also) . I have significant pulsing on my R7/Sigma combo and have been using Simons settings for a while now. Unfortunately as well as BIF I also do a lot of close up bird photography and have probably run out of patience as the pulsing is making me miss some great moments. Its such a shame as for birds in flight it has amazing reach and the tracking of the camera is outstanding. But after watching the hassle free AF performance of the RF 100 400 I think I may need to carry two lenses around for both scenarios.
Thanks for sharing your experience Michael, yes, the RF100-400 is great for close up work due to the very good MFD allowing almost macro style shots of bugs, reptiles etc. Cheers, Duade
For anything semi-macro and fast action, the RF100-400 does perform a lot better. For BIF I've had some good results with the sigma but it can be hit or miss as you said. I think you'd enjoy the 100-400, hassle free is the right word! It's so easy to carry, aim and shoot anything with it. You sacrifice 200mm but even that does help with framing subjects, having a better keeper rate, and I find it makes me into the habit of getting closer and closer to birds instead. They're a nice pair to own and really aren't redundant to have in my opinion, they both serve different purposes and are both great lenses. I've only recently purchased the 100-400 to pair my sigma and I'm always happy to reach for it. You might even find leaving the sigma at home sometimes! I love just going to my local nature park with nothing but the R7+100-400 on a cotton carrier and riding my bike with that. Cheers 🙂
Great video and great shots Duade. I have the Sigma lens and R7 camera. I found the video very helpful. I generally don't care if I get soft shots because some will be sharp and nobody else will know. Cheers.
It would be great if canon would just give sigma and Tamron the license to produce RF glass and we wouldn’t even be having to make these types of videos
Thanks James, I totally agree, I used the Tamron 150-500 on Sony and it was incredible so they have the technology, we just need Canon to come to the party. Cheers, Duade
@@jamesscharnitz7640 Totally agree with you James. When they refresh their a6xx they'll be a serious competitor to canon. The budget options like 100-400 have no match on Sony, and even the EF Sigma C is cheaper than any 600mm options on E mount. Not true actually, as I've seen very good results with the EF sigma C and metabones adapter on the a6300! But the upgrade paths are immensely better. The Tamron 150-500, updated sigma S and if course the amazingly well priced 200-600. What's gonna come first? a6xx refresh or 3rd party lenses on RF? Who knows, but I think both will come eventually. It's frustrating to not know where Canon stands on that point, rumors say not to expect until at least late 2024. For me I'm okay to wait a few years for an RF updated Sigma. If Sony releases an R7 competitor it probably won't make me switch personally, but it will affect my recommendations for new buyers. I'll tell you, it is a bit frustrating to have zero lenses with that native RF goodness beyond 400mm that aren't f11 other than the 100-500 which is beyond my budget or the EF 100-400 ii +1.4 which doesn't look like a great purchase for me personally. I really think the sigma is the best lens for me atm even with the pulsing, but it's disappointing to have no clear upgrade path for me in the foreseeable future. I'll just enjoy what I have now and wait to see how things unravel.
@@jamesscharnitz7640 Thanks James, given the FX30 an APSC stills camera cant be too far away, I would love to pick that up with the Sony 200-600. Cheers, Duade
As a sports shooter, I tried the Sigma 120 300 2.8 S and found the focus breathing unbearable. Wondering if I should try these settings on that lens. Thanks, great video, I have this combo as well. Love your work 😊
G'day, I have heard from many people about the 120-300 on R mount cameras and it appears lots of people had your experience. Sorry about that. Cheers, Duade
I have the Sigma Contemporary 150-500 EF mount on my Sony a6400 with the Sigma MC-11 adapter, and I absolutely get pulsing, especially when I go to full zoom.
Great shots of the Brown Falcon. I personally would leave the perch in the shot but I liked it either way. I liked the Duck shot at 600mm but it’s a bird that I’m not familiar with so I like to see the details. I sold my Sigma 600 soon after I got the R7 as I really hadn’t used it since I got the 100-500mm RF. The Sigma is the bargain of the century. I still haven’t made up my mind on the R7. I can live with the buffer but the rolling shutter is another thing. I love to photograph Hummingbirds here in the Americas and the R7 just can’t do it with the electronic shutter. I have an OM-1 that I am using now for Hummingbirds.
Thanks Rod, I was happy with those Falcon shots for sure. The 100-500 is a wonderful lens for sure. Yes, the rolling shutter is a shame in electronic, I wish Canon published the speed or some measurement of rolling shutter so we as consumers can make better choices. Cheers, Duade
Hey, nice video topic. I have the same issues with my camera/lens (Nikon D7200/Tamron 150-600 first version lens). It doesn't seem too matter which focal length I shoot at and my camera won't fire if it doesn't have focus. I've tried all the settings and I find that continuous auto works best. Still, like you mentioned I have maybe 1 out of 20 images that are decent! I'm seriously thinking about switching too mirrorless! Thanks for posting this video topic I found it very informative. Let me know about the pulsating AF with primes, it'd be very helpful! Cheers
Hi Duade, love your videos. Your R7 review and the one's with the sigma 150mm-600mm helped sell me on the R7. I was using the Sigma with a 7D Mark I, prior to upgrading to the R7. One thing I've noticed, and I haven't seen anyone comment on, is that I don't seem to get the same sort of scene freezing with the R7 that I did with the 7D when I have the sigma set on full stabilization. With the 7D when I'd hold down the back button focus and half press the shutter the lens would sort of freeze the scene and eliminate the vast majority of camera shake at 600mm. I expected that I'd experience similar if not better results with the R7 because of ibis but I don't. This combo seems to exhibit noticeable camera shake when I'm trying to focus on a subject and engaging the back button focus and half pressing the shutter. I've tried the dual AF setup you describe in this video but neither eye tracking nor traditional AF seems to resolve the issue. Have you noticed this? I prefer to shoot handheld most of the time so really rely on the IS of the lens at a minimum to help me get in focus and sharp shots. TIA.
G'day, sorry to hear you are having issues. It is possible you are using the custom OS mode via the dock that initiates OS when half depressing the shutter. In this mode there is no OS or IBIS working when framing the shot which would make it very difficult to use. I would turn off the custom OS mode and just try the standard modes, when using those IBIS will now work and you should notice a distinct difference with OS/IBIS compared to without. Give that a go and let me know how it goes. When used on a tripod I do use the custom OS mode. Cheers, Duade Also make sure auto level is turned off.
I'm thinking into buying canon r7 and as a beginner I don't have that many lenses for birding...I saw your video about the best lenses we can buy in 2023 and my question is between the sigma 150-600mm and the canon rf 600 what do you think its the best in terms of quality/price? And by the way, your videos are really helpfull and amazing! Keep doing a great work!
G'day, that is a tough choice. I think I would personally go with the Rf100-400 and 1.4x which has the advantage of being a native zoom. The Sigma is a great lens and if you don't shoot up close that often the AF might not be as big an issue. Good luck, Cheers, Duade 👍
Great video thanks. As it turns out the R7 has issues with other Sigma lenses, I have the 105mm 2.8 Macro, and I am getting all sorts of weird stuff going on, the play back / review button has a habit of not working, and when doing stacking in camera it often does not complete the processing claiming DOF is too deep. lines appearing on shot. weird, not all the time but enough to ensure I use my DSLR for close up work.
Xtra comment for the last part... it's obvious that I'd like to meet this Derek in person! () Second: I had to switch to full screen after your second inzoom of the Frogmouth and then go back to the first (150 mm?) clip. I did spot it then... That last inzoom/almost close-up was awesome! I ofc like the photos when it stared at you too. Those eyes are striking, to put it mildly. I've only seen one species of Frogmouth in my life (Sri Lanka FM), and would love to add at least one more, ho-hum. It's the stuff dreams are made of, what you photographed in these two sessions. (and this one as well:)
Thanks, we have three Frogmouths here but we only get the common Tawny down this way. I hope to see the other ones one day, very cool birds. Yes, Derek was very knowledgeable and it was a great chat. Cheers, Duade
of the three i prefer to see the 150mm and the 600mm, seeing both the habitat and the detail is good esp as its not my native country, i'm in the UK, falcon, the one with perch, as its just left t its important to have that reference,
Hi Duade! Really nice video, it helped me get my keeper rate up a bit. I just remembered, that you tried this and the Tamron G2 with the same issue, but what about the more modern sports version, or the 60-600 with the newer technology? I heard that the later has not plsing issue, although it is more expensive. It would be a nice review idea, if you get one from someone to test, maybe. I think it would be interestin for a lot of us! :)
Hey Duade, Love the videos have rewatched several and learned loads. I have a question about lens wraps, i wanted to get a wrap for my Sigma 150 - 600 contemporary. Do you have a company you would recommend also would you go neoprene or the tighter skin ? thanks in advance i know its not linked to this video :)
Great shots Duade! I like both the falcon shots. They are both worthy of framing. I have this same 150-600 Sigma but I use it more for astro work so I haven't come across the pulsing focus issue. I will however look into the update for it. Question, although I shoot the Nikon Z9 what are you using for a frame burst rate? I have a lake house here in Victoria BC Canada with a ton of birds so this will be my next project.
Hi! I have the same combination with the same AF problems!! Thank you very much for this video, after watching it I updated my settings and I am wondering if it's really worth buying the usb dock?? Greetings from Gran Canaria!
Fabio, I think the camera settings made the biggest difference so if you are happy with those and standard lens settings then no you don't need it. I guess the only thing is the firmware update if you need it. Cheers, Duade
Agree with Duade here, for some people standard and in certain situations standard speed and OIS are the best, and for the pulsing specifically accel deccel to -2 will give the biggest improvement by far
Thank you for so much work. You’ve nearly convinced me to upgrade my 90D to the R7. Excuse my ignorance, but is the animal eye tracking feature available when shooting through the viewfinder or only in live view? As you probably know, even the 90D has eye tracking for people, but only through live view. I appreciate all of your videos very much.
This video is really helpful for Sigma 150-600 C user that wants to swap their DSLR body to mirrorless. Have you tried the new setting with fullframe mirrorless body? Anyway, I really like your Australian Wood Duck on 150mm.
Hi duade! Will it be ok if you try doing a review on the sigma 60-600? I am thinking of upgrading from my canon 400mm f5.6 as I find it too short. My current body is an r7. Once again great video!
Oh yes, Tamron SP 150-600mm F5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 is unusable basically on R7. Its is such a shame and with canon banning 3rd party lenses I am reconsidering my canon choice before I invest even more, because basically I have to get their Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L for 3k ! that does not even work properly with extender - you loose short range, what a joke. I am reconsidering sony, yet I am trying to still get out there and see if there is anything I can do wtih tamron (and other short range lenses like Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM that seems to be working tad better), and in what situations it might work. I still have to carry my old 80d just in case I need to switch to reliable performance.
Sorry to hear, the camera settings from this video should help to reduce the pulsing on your Tamron also but we should not have to do this, it annoys me that Canon is not allowing Sigma/Tamron access to RF mount to fix the pulsing issue. Good luck, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Indeed, I will def give it a go. But as you said "we should not have to do this", and if I put my short range lense I will have to re-configure system. As someone who shoots multiple types of photography - go out birding, then continue with landscape or pick up macro in same session, it feels you will need to have multiple cameras, which is not an option for me. Will stay on a fence this year and will see where it goes. Appreciate all your effort in trying to make it work in the meantime, thank you!
www wide wild world, this is why I got the old school manual focus kind of lens. if you can focus manually with a lens instead of letting the autofocus you will get better results. 🦉 I restrained myself to a 300mm lens as anything further would be resting in the sky. who needs a telescope to catch a bird in the sky? 🐦
I have a different question on lens optical stabilization. Should I keep that turned on when hand holding an R5? I know the R5 has in body stabilization but wasnt sure how the results would be. First time getting the camera and trying to have my whole setup ready for less possible hiccups on the the field.
I currently have this lens with an entry level 760d, okay results but im planning to upgrade to mirrorless in the future, r10 or maybe r7, does the pulsing issue only happens while using the eye detection af? how about other af modes like one-shot?
I have recently discovered your channel and really appreciate all of the work you put into helping others. I am trying to help support by clicking through your affiliate links for some items you've helped me decide on, but the links are returning me a "Fatal error." Any workaround recommended?
Hi Jen, thanks for the support and sorry to hear you are getting an error, not sure what is going on there, which product out of interest did you click on? Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I tried all of the links once I had trouble with the sigma. Looks like it's a problem with my desktop, I'll try through my phone later when I have my brain working all the way!
Can I just ask, if the AF Pulsing is across all AF settings at 150 upto 600mm, or is it just the eye tracking at 600mm? I did wonder about the lens settings, there are 3 Full, 2.8m - 7m & 7m to infinite and whether that makes any difference, for me if I am under 7m away I would just use the Sigma 18-300 for better results.
I gotta appreciate how you and Simon have gone above and beyond to try and help out people with this camera and lens combo. I'm a Nikon shooter personally but I have an old DSLR with no eye tracking, even with the pulsing my keeper rates would go way up merely by having the eye tracking!
Thanks Duade! Obviously I was really looking forward to this vid! Amazing moments captured, I was completely awed a couple times. Some further info for those still playing around with the settings: 1- You should probably play around with sensitivity in the AF menu and with the custom AF speeds/OIS modes to see which one you prefer. Accel/deccel at -2 is really the one setting to look out for. Edit: my modes are now as follows: Sensitivity 0, accel/deccel -2 C1: Slowest AF, moderate OIS C2: Standard AF, moderate. I also use the default settings when shooting handheld sometimes. C2 on monopod is now my preferred choice in many situations (still use handheld and tripod a lot) but I use all three from time to time. In low light with a close target, I'll often use C1. 2- Jan Wegener suggested -2 sensitivity too for his 100-500, and after playing around with it in the field I don't see that much of a difference, but perhaps it could help the tracking on a busy background. Right now mine is set to 0 I think. 3- I think background separation and distance from subject are really the two to look out for. Subject movement as well like Duade showcased (seeing Gary spin around was hilarious btw), but I found background separation made even more of a difference, especially if the background is moving (wind in branches for example). When you look at all the scenarios that had the worst pulsing, they were usually the ones with slightly less ideal background separation (bird in tall grass with wind, bird on the ground, odd reflections in the water). It just seems to trigger it for some reason. In my initial controlled testing I barely saw any pulsing past 7m but after trying it out more and more, it does happen a bit when the subject is on a busy/changing background. Maybe lower sensitivity would help? It's hard to test it but I'm still experimenting as I'm shooting in the field. For panning BIF however, haven't had too many issues so far are those are usually pretty far away and/or behind a sky background. Edit #2: I think my settings for stills are pretty dialed in at this point, but I'm still experimenting more with BIF and need more time to test it on gulls. I'll update the comment once I have some definitive results. But with my C2 from edit #1 or even default dock settings, handheld or on mono, it's fine, really. 4- I think most people will still prefer standard OIS for the ease of framing, especially if shooting at around 1/640-1000 where standard performs just fine. Maybe keep just one mode on moderate and only switch to it if using 1/320-400 and lower, you'll have a shaky viewfinder but better stabilization in those scenarios. Personally I use the Sigma on monopod a lot. I know Duade isn't a big fan of them but the Wimberley MH100 gimbal head is imo fantastic for ease of use, stabilization and ease of carrying around in the field on the shoulder. Moderate + a good monopod head is a killer combo as you get stabilization from camera/monopod shake and a stable viewfinder. Using a tripod gimbal on a monopod is also one of the best monopod heads you can use. Handheld is also good but there's a compromise between the OIS modes (stable image vs viewfinder) for sure. I shoot handheld a lot too and I do have a good tripod+gimbal similar to Duade I mostly use around my feeders but since trying out the Wimberley Gimbal head, I just reach out for it more and more. I get as much stabilization as I would ever need and it's so much easier to recompose/move around and walk with it. Personally if you have this combo, the first next purchase you should make with it is DXO PureRaw, the second is the Wimberly mono gimbal. Those are really the two best purchases I've made to improve my pics with the Sigma. But that's just my opinion ofc! If that mono gimbal didn't exist I wouldn't bother with monopods altogether, but it's just that good for me that it makes them worth it. 5- From the different AF speeds, I find the slowest one is fast enough once the subject is detected, but initial (prefocusing) acquisition is notably slower, as Duade said. Until you're really used to dual BBF and have dialed down your prefocusing technique it's probably best to use standard, and in situations that are less "sit and wait" you might prefer standard in general. Edit#3: been using more and more standard speed and I prefer it now in most scenarios, especially for pre-acquisition speed. I still think fastest speed is overkill and a bit jerky. 6- if you're wondering when to shoot at F8 vs f6.3, note that with the R7 and DXO PureRaw, 2-3k ISO is the max you should ever shoot at F8, unless you really really need that extra DOF. The increase in sharpness is pretty marginal and at higher ISOs you will gain more resolution from the extra light gathering by shooting wide open. I've recently tested this extensively. 7- Don't use TCs with the Sigma. It just doesn't scale well optically. 8- Personally I've recently purchased the RF100-400 after hearing all the good things about it and I'm really really happy with it. When people say you should own a zoom and a prime, getting the 100-400 has been eye opening in that regard. It's so easy to carry, point and shoot with it, my keeper rate with it blows me away. Even just the 200mm less reach makes it easier to frame, but I underestimated how much a lighter lens is easier for just aiming and shooting quick shots of small birds that jump in front of you in the trail when hiking for example. I think it's made me realize more why Duade likes the 100-500 so much now, I get it now. Still can't afford it sadly though! I think it really relates to your style of shooting. "Sit and wait" and "tracking down" are the two ways to hunt animals (in photography or with rifles!) and in french we even have specific words for those two techniques (affût and billebaude). Primes are better for sit and wait (feeders or lures for example), lighter zooms for tracking down. For me, the RF100-400 for tracking and the sigma for sit and wait serve those niches pretty well, within my budget. To me, the 100-400 serves the same purpose as Duade's 100-500, and the sigma serves the same purpose as his 500f4+1.4x. At a fraction of the price, it's not the same performance obviously but it's good enough for me so far. To be fair, the sigma can definitely bridge that gap, before getting the 100-400 I would go on day long hikes with it no problem, even with the monopod as it's so easy to carry on the shoulder if it's an easy hike. It's a pretty good do it all with some compromises like AF and weight, to an extent. 9- If you're looking for purchase advice, here's my opinion. If you're new to the hobby and getting your first ever lens, I think the 100-400 is a better option. It's so much easier to use and learn on and will ease you into the hobby much better. It will get you in the habit of getting closer to the animals which is really the crucial thing to learn. If you're looking for an upgrade to your current lens and need more reach, I think the sigma is a great option to consider for its price, versatility and great optics. Consider the f11 primes, but take into account your shooting style. If you shoot mostly waterfowl, live in an area with plenty of sunlight and/or are the kind of person to check the weather and avoid cloudy days for shooting anyway, the f11 primes are a great option. If you're like me and shoot almost everyday for fun no matter the weather, shoot mostly songbirds in dense boreal forests and live in a place like Quebec where the weather is pretty rock and roll, shoot anything that you come across including insects etc., Enjoy shooting at dusk and dawn, the Sigma is the clear choice imo. Note that the pulsing on the sigma is very minor past 6m, which is the minimum focus distance on the RF800! And I go up to 6-10-15 and even 20-25k ISO already at f6.3, so I can't imagine using an f11 lens personally. There's so many pictures I've taken with the Sigma that I know for a fact, would've been almost impossible to shoot at f11. I think that's about it. Go out with the Sigma and enjoy it y'all, it's a neat little lens 🙂 and make sure to tip Duade if you can afford it! We need to support content creators such as him, I don't know about y'all but I can't think of any wildlife RUclipsr that has better content, production quality and community outreach as he does. He's a pillar to the community! The fact he made an entire vid revisiting the Sigma after learning about these settings is a true testament of his commitment to rigorous methodology! And thanks to your mate for lending the lens, that Sigma has definitely gotten milked for content for sure by now 😅 Cheers Edit: for all the people thanking me for the experimenting, you're welcome! I got frustrated no one was doing this testing and felt it needed to be done, so I did it myself 🙂 testing your own lens+camera is tedious but worth it to learn more about it. Thanks for the kind words everyone. Check out the sigma's FB group for more info/results in my post history aswell as others.
Salut simon, je parle et lis difficilement l’anglais. J’aimerais bien comprendre le contenu de ton commentaires. Est-il possible de me le transmettre pour que je puisse y faire la traduction
Thanks Simon, I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this and letting me know about it. I love the lens also and the photos I have obtained for a lens that costs a fraction of my 500 f4 as you mention is remarkable. For its price it offers exceptional value. Great to hear you are enjoying the RF100-400, it is such a wonderful little lens and I must admit I have grabbed that over the 100-500 if I am just going for a quick wander around. I agree that you really need a light zoom for general work and macro style stuff and a longer lens when you can use a tripod/monopod etc. I am happy that the channel has a engaged community that is all about helping each other and I will continue to make content that helps others. On behalf of all Sigma owners, thanks again and happy birding. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Simon, all this is great insight personally i am looking to go with r10 and tamron g2 150-600 option but this is vital as sigma is also a good choice. I also agree that Duade is one of the more in depth and detailed vlogger for birding, and the best part is while he is now a sensation on RUclips and a celebrity in Oz land he still listens to us mere mortals and even replies, so thanks Duade🙏 and Simon
@@CrazyBlueMood you're very welcome. Many people saying they are pretty similar but not many actual tests out there. I suspect accel/deccel to -2 is probably a good idea too. I know wild Alaska tested that lens out with the R7, maybe check out his Video on it!
Hi Duade, love your video's I've been fallowing you for about 3 years now and find them very helpful. I presently shoot with the Canon 90D and the Sigma 150-600C and now thinking about the R7, still a little undecided but your video helps quite a bit, your honesty with equipment reviews is greatly appreciated. I should add that I just got into this hobby when I retired at age 73 from the CC of C in Nova Scotia and it gives me a good reason to get up in the morning and get going although a little slower now. Thanks Duade.
Thanks for sharing William, yes, I too have found it a great reason to get out into nature and makes a good change from the fast paced job. Good luck with your camera and lens, Cheers, Duade
I also have the 90d with the Sigma 150 600mm. Really thinking about the R7 at the moment. The pulsing problem wouldn't be an issue with me. I mostly shoot at the full 600mm. Is that an ef Sigma 150 600mm with an adapter. ?
One possibly important point to note when using C1 or C2 custom settings. Per the Sigma Manual, "For your regular use, please turn OFF the Custom Mode Switch. The Focus Limiter Switch does not function when the custom mode is ON and set to C1 or C2. "At around 4:00 in the video you suggest to leave the focus limiter setting alone because it can be adjusted on the lens. But, if I'm reading the manual correctly (always possible I'm not) then if you are in C1 or C2 modes, the Focus Limiter switch won't work, which I assume means your going to be in FULL focus range and can't switch to 2.8-to-10 or 10-to-∞ ? If that's the case then might it make sense to Set C1 as you suggest, but also set the focus limiter setting to say 2.0-10, and then set up C2 to have all the same settings, but set focus lifter to 10-to-∞ ? Does that make sense?
You, Sir, are a man of mystery. AF Pulsing? You stated Sigma’s recommendation to disable OS when using a tripod, and you ignored it. ??? Why? When you use the C1 setting that means you have OS enabled. AF Pulsing? The Sigma lens is not capable of Movie Servo AF because it is too slow to refocus, which also means it is not capable of Eye Tracking AF. Disable it. The camera is trying to track faster than the lens can react. AF Pulsing? The rated MFD for the lens is only valid at the minimum zoom setting because this is not a parfocal lens. This is why “AF pulsing” would seem to subside at greater distances when the lens is set to 600mm.
Very thankful for your testing. I use this lens along with several other Sigma lenses. I however have not made the jump to RF. My current Canon DSLR bodies do me well and since Canon has put up roadblocks for third-party RF lenses, I am not willing to make that jump at this time.
Thanks John, yes, it is very frustrating for sure and I am disappointed that we will not be getting any third party RF lenses in the near future. Cheers, Duade
Some wonderful images Duade. I just wish Canon would either support that lens or at least bring out a suitable alternative at this cost point. As much as the RF 100 - 500 is a decent lens its price makes it out of reach for a lot of people.
Better late than never. I have been using the Canon 7D II and 150-600 C Sigma for 6 years (about) and thanks to you and your in depth investigation of the issue with the Sigma lens with the Canon mirrorless bodies I too decided to bit the bullet and am now the (very) proud owner of an R5. Immediately I updated the firmware to 1.7 which came out in Nov. 22 and have not experienced any of the lense pulsing issues other users have described. I have intentionally tried to make it happen and it just won't do it. So, I am thinking that maybe something in the 1.7 has fixed the issue or my configuration settings (slightly different to those recommended by another user). In the AF speed setting I chose smooth, instead of standard. I did this because I noticed even with the 7D II the IS was a bit choppy and not an issue on the 7D II because it wasn't trying to track something. Anyway, no problems. I went out this morning and had a Duade inspired session in the bush and down by the bay, came home with 2135 photo's and covered in mud. Also, another tip I have not heard mentioned, to save battery another thing to try is don't use the back screen. I used to use it on the 7D II to check the exposure (the lazy way) and make menu changes sometimes but this is not needed now with all of these things available in the evf. Thanks again. Additional: also Moderate View mode in the OS setting dialog.
Another top video Duade! The 275mm and the 600mm each have their appeal. If strictly wanting to show off the bird or animal, then go with the max focal length you can get. If you want to show habitat as well as the subject you can't beat the 250 to 300 range. Any wider and the subject loses to much detail. Again great video! Enjoy that beautiful springtime weather!
Another great video and awesome images. I am leaning more and more toward wider shots as time goes on. I love that you ran into Derek another one of the RUclips channels I like to watch. I pretty much use the same settings on my R5 with the exception that I keep the half press for metering and autofocus on and use two back buttons for animal eye tracking and zone. That gives me three easily accessible options depending on circumstances. I have the auto focus button set to center the focus point. I find by keeping the focus point in the center and using the half-press to initially turn auto focus on, I can more easily grab birds that have a lot of background, then hitting the back button to grab the eye which seems to work as the quickest way to get sharp focus on the eye with fast moving small birds on complicated background situations that don't give you a lot of time.
Great video mate. Do you know which lens is the sharpest or better in any other way between the Canon 600mm f/11, Sigma EF 150-600mm, and the Canon 100-400mm with a 1.4x teleconverter ? I'll be putting it on an EOS R. Any input from anyone in here would be greatfully received
Thank you to all who made this possible. I’ve been holding off upgrading but due to all your help and information I can say that I am comfortable with moving from canon 90D to the R7 for wildlife. At the end of the day, despite the gear, you ended up with some amazing results. Results that as a Canon 90D owner I’m more than okay with. I’ve experienced great days and a few disappointments as well. When you get home to only realize they’re not sharp as you thought, especially the eye I feel is the most important feature in wildlife photography composition wise. Still it’s a great improvement to have a tool that will help you lock on to the eye of your subject resulting in a game changing experience for me personally. Grateful and soon to be over the moon as well. I’ll leave you guys with this. A great wildlife camera that will get you results with a small quirk… Japanese Leica? I can live with it.
Thanks for the feedback Diego, I am happy that the video helped highlight what this combination is capable of and good luck with the camera. Cheers, Duade
I never realized many of my shots with the sigma had ever so slightly out of focus eyes until I tried the R7 personally. Not all of them, but after using the R7 and looking at my old pics, I realized "wow, that eye's not actually tack focused" on many of them. Eye AF really is game changing in that regard. I'm confident you will be over the moon, I sure am! It really feels like magic when you try it for the first time.
Firmware 1.8.1 fix the Sigma 150-600mm pulsing issue on the R5. I have another fix besides the Firmware update. Let me know if you have luck with Firmware 1.8.1.
Amazing work Duade as always and thanks for sharing your valuable feedback on this important issue. I use Sigma 150-600 sports version with Canon R6. No pulsing. On the lens side, I set my custom C1 mode to Dynamic view and fast autofocus. On camera side, i use default case 3. I shoot wide open at 600mm f6.3. No pulsing in static or moving bird shoots. I shoot song birds as well as larger water birds as well.
Thanks for an excellent and deep review , its good to know that there are those af pulsing issues with some third party lenses on R mount. I had these Sigma 150-600c lenses both for C and N dslr almost ten years ago ,and they were very sharp. Now I got opportunity to get Sigma 500mm f4 sports for 2400 € .condition like new , so I bought it. I have been testing it shortly with my R8 on perched birds without any AF issues. But its good to know that they can mostly Be fixed. Cheers ,bird photography is really a joy😊
Great video!! Is it good for Aviation photography? I got the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary And I got Canon 5D MK IV. It will be the same on settings? Thanks!!
Hi Jeff, only the modern mirrorless cameras offer eye tracking unfortunately, there is no way to do this on a DSLR. You can use expanded AF zone and try to keep that on the subject and the DSLR will choose the AF point. Cheers, Duade
Thank you Duade, another very helpful video! I own the Sigma 150-600 currently shooting with a Canon 5DIV... and still waiting for my R7! Ordered 3 months ago and still waiting, hopefully I get it for Christmas 😅
Great video!!! One thing about the 3rd party lenes on RF mount, saying Tamron and Sigma are blocked is a little inaccurate based on the information we all currently have. While it is true that neither company has any RF glass that alone does not mean much other than there is no RF glass from these two. We do know for sure is Canon has asked a couple of Chinese lens cloners to stop infringing on their Autofocus IP. That said I do agree that Canon are not likely to license the mount until they have rolled out all their own lenes and even then given the close relationship Tamron has with Nikon and Sony I only see Sigma being invited to the game.
@@Duade it is all good, hard not to get caught up in the noise about Canon. Oh and since you are in Australia I think with the prices Canon is asking (even with the 5 year warranty) down under you are entitled to complain 😉
@@Ramage7070 well for the sake of accuracy, Viltrox and Samyang aren't "cloners"... Their designs are original. Essentially the banned lenses were unlicensed and using EF protocols. Kind of like if they had the EF RF adapter built in. Even from Canon's official statement it's not clear which patent they infriged. But I agree with the rest!
After learning a great amount of things from watching your videos, I struggle to understand how you are able to know every bird you are talking pictures/video of. If you made a video of how you identify which birds/animals that are being captured would be incredible to me. Thanks again for making so many great videos!
Thanks for the feedback, I think it is like anything, it is just time and experience, I see a bird, take a photo and then over the years you learn to tell them apart. If I went to a different country I would likely struggle a lot but having been watching and photography birds for 11 years I am reasonably confident on identification. I really need to work on my bird calls as I get confused and it would be helpful to know all the calls. Cheers, Duade
The Merlin phone app from Cornell university is amazing for IDing birds, highly recommend it. You can do manual ID through a sort of quiz that works really well. They even have photo ID through AI which works okay but I don't use much. An actually really useful feature is their Sound ID through AI. It records the sound from your phone's microphone and IDs birds from their call. It can have the odd miss here and there but if it hears the call a couple times usually it will get it right even with some complex warbler songs. It even saves the recording with timestamps on when it IDed species so you can review them manually and compare with a bank of calls from different potential species. Personally that's gotten me more and more into learning those bird calls, maybe you'd like it Duade! On hikes in national parks I use that feature a lot to ID from the trail. I also enjoy the explore feature. By using geolocation, current date and known distribution/migration patterns, it can tell you which species you're more likely to encounter that day in your spot. It's the first thing I check everytime I go out birding in a new spot so I know what to lookout for. Any birder should have it in their phone in my opinion 🙂 it's so good that some of my purist friends will say it makes birding too easy and prefer their guides! All preference of course.
@@andrewkeir2282 for plants it's what I use. For birds if I have a picture usually the Merlin quiz is usually faster and more precise as I can do it directly in the field :)
@@simonthibodeau7082 I find Merlin a little hit and miss (more miss than hit) with the call ID on southern aussie birds. But I do find the photo ID 90% of the time nails it for me.
Makes me wonder if it's a lens AF motor thing combined with PDAF vs CDAF. Pulsing in an out is generally a CDAF thing as it's trying to find sharp edges, if the lens AF motor overshoots back and forth the sensor is never really going to get those sharp edges to lock onto and it will keep on hunting. The closer the subject is the smaller the focus error will be so the lens will hunt more up close than farther away.
Thanks Johan, it could well be, it is just strange that the RF100-400 does not suffer from this. I assume it is something that could be fixed but perhaps Canon simply are not sharing the information for Sigma to fix it. Cheers, Duade
I have a very similar issue with Tamron 150-600 G2 and EOS R5. The lens worked beautifully with EOS 5Dmk4. On the R5 it works 90% of the time. the other times - usually when the camera goes to sleep and then wakes up with a press of a button - the focus just starts pulsing really quickly and the only fix for that is to power off the camera and then power it back on.
Sorry to hear about that, I did have some inconsistencies also which is frustrating, I only hope Canon comes to some agreement with third party so we can get an RF version. Cheers, Duade
DUADE, thanks so very very much for all the time and extreme effort we know it takes to produce these wonderful videos. Your session with the Brown Falcons was especially inspiring. Perhaps someday I will be able to capture something similar. But if that happens it will be because of you. Take care and keep shooting! A
Great video. I'm currently reviewing both the Contemporary and Sports versions of this lens to use with my newly acquired R6. I'm sceptical though that Canon will make any effort to solve their end of the pulsing problem. Have essentially barred third party manufacturers from the RF world, it leaves photographers the dilemma of purchasing their RF lenses for $$$ or sticking with some of the EF lenses. Good business model perhaps or monopolising the market?
Thanks Patrick, yes, it is unfortunate that this pulsing has not been rectified. I would love an RF version so we can only hope Canon and Sigma etc are able to work something out. Good luck with the research. Cheers, Duade 👍
There is no feeling like it when you know you nailed a shot. Patience most often pays off in joy.
. I appreciate your videos as I most often come away with a nugget or two of very useful information to add to my knowledge base
Thanks Ed, yes, I was very happy with the results I got with this combo, Cheers, Duade
My Sigma 150-600C pulses a lot. Now I love the 100-400mm RF thanks to your great video.
Thanks for sharing your feedback Wolfgang, Cheers, Duade
As a programmer and familiar with AI, I've been impressed with Canon new AF system. It doesn't really surprise me too much that it can't totally make up its mind on some animals that evolved to camouflage themselves and not let their physical features pop too much from the background. The AF system has to constantly ask itself if the focus point it follows is still part of the subject that it was from when it started to focus. If it doesn't recognize the subject anymore for what it is, it has to back out to make sure it's not focusing on some random part of the bark of a tree that happens to look like an eye. To recognize any animals in all kinds of weird settings is a really daunting task without all the contextual knowledge humans have. I do expect that AI autofocus to evolve extremely quickly generation over generation of camera from now on, though.
This video and instruction has saved my elk rut season of shooting. I shoot with the R6 and had bought the 150-600 C . It started out good then started missing too many shots. After a firmware update on the body it was terrible! This work around applied to the custom setting works for me! Thank you, Simon and Brian!
That is great to hear Leann, it is still not perfect but much better, have fun with the Elk, Cheers, Duade
Have just received my R7 on the weekend. Have adapted it with EF 70 300 lens. Started watching your R7 videos again to setup custom functions.
Thanks for the content.
It is my pleasure, have fun with your camera, Cheers, Duade
Another great video. Nothing like it when you know you have ‘Nailed’ the shot. Have the 150-600 on the R6 and have changed my settings as you have suggested. Will let you know how I go. Thanks again. Phil
Thanks Phil, yes, got a few keepers which was great, good luck with the settings, Cheers, Duade
Congratulations on the brown falcon! Their behavior reminds me of what we call an American kestrel, also called the sparrow hawk. Thank you for giving the Sigma such a thorough reviewing! I've watched all of them since I own one as well as the R7.
I recommend your videos to all who have questions especially about birding and wildlife. Thank you again, Duade!
Thanks Roger, I appreciate the support and great to hear you are enjoying your combo, Cheers, Duade
One of the most useful videos I have seen on the R7
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it, Cheers, Duade
Duade, Thanks for this video and many of your others. I got the R7 the first week it came out and the Sigma 150-600c. Prior to the R7, I was using a Pentax KS2. With that I would spot focus, recompose and shoot. Switching to the R7, I use Servo and the touch screen (dragging the orange circle to the area I want the camera to focus on with my thumb). Before the settings change, the focus point would keep jumping around and lock onto things I did not care about. When the whole frame got out of focus (or I could not lock on with the orange circle) I have adjusted the manual focus ring to get it back in the neighborhood. Since July, I thought the issues I was having were all me learning a new system. Yesterday I went out with the new setting and found a bunch of Robins in an open stream and mud (-2C here). The animal detection and eye tracking worked tremendously better. I spent far less time less time moving my thumb to get it to find a bird and only had to use the manual override ring a few times. These setting also worked well with my Canon EF 70-300 4-5.6 L. I used the Canon lens freehand when I first found the birds and when the sun started to set. The Sigma I used on a monopod. Both seemed to behave similarly and better (so happy with the focusing I lost track of my ISO). I still had frames that the focus was locked on to an eye and but was not in focus (surrounding frames were in focus), so it is not perfect on either lens. Using a monopod and sitting in a snowbank, I left the IS on. I locked the aperture and let the shutter and ISO float. When using a monopod, should I have the IS off and what shutter speed should I try not to drop below (1/640)? FYI in September I tired the RF 100-400 but could not get it to behave when changing subjects at 400mm. The whole frame would be out of focus and I could not use the control ring to get it back in the neighborhood (like I do with the Sigma and RF 18-150). I figured that RF 100-400 being an f8 at 400 it was a light issue, zooming out focusing and then back in worked but most times the shot was gone. I did not keep the lens long enough to notice if it had a pulsing issue. The f8 also had me concerned because I read anything above 5.6 will be less sharp because of the crop sensor and pixel density of the R7. Is there and aperture you avoid going narrower then on the R7?
Thanks for sharing Dan, the IS is an interesting question and I don't know the proper answer. For me personally I leave IS on my Canon lenses as I would forget to turn it back on. With the Sigma I turned IS off as I found the viewfinder would jump around with it on if using a tripod. I think the SS can go lower than 1/640 if you are struggling for light and if the subject is static. You should be able to go very low. Often 1/200 is my lower limit and I shoot in burst to try to get some sharp. It really all depends if I have light or not. Yes, diffraction can be an issue with APSC bodies but I don't really notice it to be fair. I usually shoot at f7.1-f9 most of the time if I have plenty of light, otherwise I will shoot wide open in low light. Sorry to hear about the RF100-400 issues, that is a shame. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade , thanks for the reply. I am likely to set thing up at the beginning and forget to change them as conditions do. I will see if I notice it jumping in the viewfinder before turning IS off (and hoping I remember to turn it back on).
Thanks Duade! I just received my R7 yesterday and after my first light experience w the Sigma150-600 R7 combo, I am giving these settings a try. I’m looking forward to seeing the difference between my older RP and the R7.
Thanks Ric, good luck with it, a great combo that I am sure will land you lots of nice shots, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I have had the R7/Sigma combo out 3 times with the config changes and have gotten fantastic bird images. AF eye tracking is working awesome. Loving this new camera. Thanks for making this video.
@@ricandersonva Great to hear Ric, thanks to Simon. Cheers, Duade
Yet another great effort, Duade. Well done getting to the bottom of the Sigma 150-600mm contemporary lens! A big thanks to Simon as well for all of his testing & for sharing his wealth of experience. Also, nice of Brian to facilitate. I thought you had loads of great shots & it was nice to see the noticeable improvements in the AF with those settings.
I thought the wood duck at 275 & 600mm were the best in that series & liked the falcon flight shot with perch better than without. Congrats on the excellent falcon set! How fantastic is it when life offers up those gems & we are there to realize & fully appreciate it? Glad you got those.
Thanks again for the work & the collection of info, images & video in this one. Always a pleasure. I finally received my R7 yesterday after the 2 month wait. Am looking forward to discovering its usefulness. Have a good one & may another falcon like experience come your way before long. Best regards ~ Chris
Congrats Chris on the R7, finally, have fun with it. Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. Cheers, Duade
Thanks, Duade. Only a couple of hundred shots in using our yard participants of chickadees, nuthatches & voles & very pleased with the upgrade. Eye tracking working quite well in this scenario w/used 100-400mm II I picked up. Looking forward to many more opportunities. Thanks again for all the great info you've provided.
@@utubify100 it is my pleasure and great to hear. Cheers, Duade 👍
Great video as always. You've got more patience with the Atomos than I do on the tweeeties ;)
What I've noticed on the R7 and R10 in testing is that if you hold that eye auto on a subject that's not moving or very little movement, the focus is as you stated constantly looking for an eye and it will jump to something else that looks like an eye. And in turn it gets lost. The R10 will really have this issue.
It happens more with the cheaper RF lenses and the 3rd party. The RF 100-500, EF 70-200, EF 500, etc. it doesn't happen as much. But it still happens.
So it seems you need to focus pump like we used to do with DSLR's when your subject is more stationary.
Thanks mate, I wonder why these cameras are different to the R5/R6 in this regard, it really is noticeable which is a shame. I will be sure to try the pumping method next time, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I think you already stumbled on it even in your video ;) Sensors and their readout speeds are different on the r5/6 and the R7. R7 being slower and R10 as I'm finding is a touch slower than the R7. That affects focus and the wobble/rolling shutter.
@@WILDALASKA Yeah, I had to refocus a number of times, yes, I think you are right re the sensors, I wish this speed was reported accurately by the manufacturers, so we know the differences. The Canon wobble is real on the R7/R10 that is for sure. Cheers, Duade
i just found this today as i was testing the R7 sigma 150 - 600mm AF eye tracking on a toy meerkat in my kitchen (lol the things we do) pumping the AF but created less pulsing than just holding it down. The RF100-500mm had not issues when holding in in on my test
@@wildlifeartjm very good to hear that its working for you (the focus pump)
I have been following you & your youtube channel for about 7 days now & i have found the content to be a no nonsense helpful content. You have an amazing lucid style of delivery of the content. Keep it up & looking forward to many many more videos from you.
Thanks Duade, I always learn something from you. I have applied the settings to my Sigma 150-600 lens and hopefully will be testing soon.
It is my pleasure Madelyn, good luck on your next outing, Cheers, Duade
The falcon shots, beautiful! I boohooed with my first bald eagle in the wild to where I couldn't even take many pics. Thankfully, they came out great. I get a bit emotional while on a lot of my photo shoots. I'm in awe of Mother Nature. I'm ordering this lens today and can't wait to take it out to play! Your photos are beautiful and fun! Thank you for sharing 🙂
What wonderful shots you got mate. Just amazing the shots of the Brown Falcon. Good to know for those people that have this lens, that with the right settings, they can get some great results.
Cheers, Bjoern
Thanks mate, yes, the Brown Falcon was an absolute highlight after years trying. I am sure you have had many similar experiences where for whatever reason you just get lucky, just happy I was there to capture it. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I can imagine that yes. And yes i have had some very exiting experience lately too. Just managed to photographing a bird, that have been extinted for over 100 years here in the state where i live, and one of the rarest birds in whole Brazil. Just pure luck did that i managed that. Was not going to go to that area that day, but a lot of wind made me to change my mind. Never thought i ever would see that bird here. Shared it with some birding friends, so they too could get to see this wonderful bird, so now it's more photos of it, but only this individual. So i have no idea of where it did come from. It's gone now, but at leas we know that it exist 😄📸
Have a great week mate.
Cheers, Bjoern📷
@@bjrn-einarnilsen687 Hey mate, sorry for the late reply, how awesome, what a great experience, well worth your effort, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Thanks a lot, and have a exelent week :)
G'day Duade. What a stroke of genius to use a rotating Jerry the Gala 😀
Really loved your Golden-headed Cisticola ! And then those awesome brown falcons, especially where they come together !
From the 3 focal length comparison with the wood duck, I'd say in this case I prefer the 275mm.
The swallows were also great, and I was wowed by the Tree Martin with leaf. But also the grebe and frogmouth were great.
So, even when I wasn't much interested in this specific gear, it's such a great joy to watch your beautiful YT's, thanks mate !!
As for opening up the RF to the likes of Tamron and Sigma, I understand it may happen in few years, once Canon has more completed it's own set of of lenses, but more importantly they did seem to acknowledge their RF-protocol isn't matured just yet. Sounds like they still want to tweak it a bit to hopefully cure the Wobble and similar thingies. When they improve the protocol, they can easily issue firmware updates for their own lenses, but for third party this may get uglier .. hence the delay in allowing them I suppose.
Your argument with the RF protocoll has a strong point, and its definately immature when i think about it.
But as a EF lens (mainly) user i can totally say: Even adapted EF glass just works great (in AF as well as stabilizer) without much or any downsides compared to the RF lenses. It just depends on the model... some sigma lenses work great but the chance they work better together you get with more modern canon EF glass.
And yeah, the 275mm shot is definately the best, more context and still a nice view to the bird, the 150mm one is too wide
@@harrison00xXx Indeed, fully agree. EF works adapted at least as good as they did natively on DSLR .. at least when comparing the functionality which existed on these DSLR's .. and eye-AF wasn't around yet ;-)
Thanks Werner, yes, EF works well and I do hope Canon open RF up in due course as Tamron and Sigma offer great lenses, Cheers, Duade
Wow. Very informative. Thanks so much for all the effort. My favourite shot is the two Brown Falcons on the stump with their wings spread. Cheers
Thanks Zsolt, I was happy with that shot for sure. Cheers, Duade
Please Duade Paton make a video on how th R7 perform with tamron 150-600mm G2!
I also have that lens. I am worry to update my camera body for this issue.
Thanks Achiranda, I would like to but unfortunately I do not have access to the lens at the moment, I will see if I can get it again in the future. Cheers, Duade
I've been using my sigma on my R6 for about a year now. I've done all the recommended tweaks the the combo still has focusing issues. Most of the time I don't notice and come away with shots I'll keep. Recently I photographed some youths on a bmx track. They asked if I'd email them the pics. I got great airborne shots of them coming towards me for 3 of them but the fourth guy was only in focus for 1 shot of a burst. When doing close distance work of little birds I get let down by the focus. The system believes it is in focus but it isn't. I'm finally taking the plunge and changing my Sigma 150-600 to an RF 100-500. I don't think I'll miss the wider aperture or the extra 100mm reach. I'll keep you posted
Hi Duade. I shoot with the R7 and RF 100-500. I get a really low keeper rate. I find that, while the eye tracking box is on the eye, very often, the lens is focused somewhere on the body. I don’t find this with my R5. I have contacted Wex, where I purchased the camera. They said that many people have contacted them with this problem.
Keep up the great work,
Julian
Thanks for the feedback Julian, I have noticed a difference between the R7 and R5 also and I don't know why there is this difference and makes the eye tracking a bit of a challenge on the R7. I do hope it is something they can update with firmware. Cheers, Duade
I LOVE seeing your excitement - and that is what it is all about. I rarely shoot my R7 at the highest burst rate on the camera - too many shots. I also tell others, or ask.... how many sharp shots do you need, how many are you going to share? Out of the thousands I take I share a couple. The other thing I tell others is that for me, I really only need one shot to make me happy. IF - IF the only shot you got that was amazing was one of the hawks, that one shot still would have made your day. For me, I have been finding that I actually prefer the EF L lenses on this body other than than the RF 100-500. I do plan on renting the Canon RF 600mm F4 soon just to play with, but to be honest with you - I LOVE my 500mm EF adapted to the body. Works extremely well with the 1.4 tele as well. Fantastic video - love the excitement. I recently had that same feeling all over again when i pulled out my 90D and was shooting a DSLR again. Keep trying to review the image in the viewfinder...... 🤣
PS - my old 100-400 push/pull EF version one works really well on this body for what I want it to do - better than the RF version. The slow focus works for dragonflies in flight and it is faster which I prefer. It does conflict with the body now and again, but I turn it off and keep going. If I keep the shutter speed down, it will not do that. 🙏
Thanks for sharing John, yes, I too love playing with all my cameras, the 1DX is a blast and it is interesting how all the lenses perform. I too love my 500 apart from the weight and size. We lucky to have so many options, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade 💖
Thank you so much! You save my money! Without this settings my Sigma 150-600 contemporary was veeery bad and with Canon 400d it was better than Canon r7 😂
I copy all from this video and i pay this Sigma USB-Dock.
Today in Moscow i test this settings with wild owls and i have very beautiful results!
Sorry for my English 😊
Glad I could help!
both falcon shots are great, i like the one without the perch....
Thanks Skip, yes, I was happy with how they turned out, Cheers, Duade
Duade, just wanted to say thank you for this video. Extremely informative. Helped me make the jump into the canon mirrorless series. Also wanted to say that the pulsing for me personally, was not that big of a deal afterall (it was a huge factor when I thought about switching to mirrorless). Chances are, the bird never gets that close to ya. For me, they always flush before I even get to the distance where the pulsing issue really shows. And in the case I do manage to get close, these settings you showed helped loads. Cheers.
Another awesome video Duade that will hopefully help a lot of people (and some absolutely beautiful shots also) . I have significant pulsing on my R7/Sigma combo and have been using Simons settings for a while now. Unfortunately as well as BIF I also do a lot of close up bird photography and have probably run out of patience as the pulsing is making me miss some great moments. Its such a shame as for birds in flight it has amazing reach and the tracking of the camera is outstanding. But after watching the hassle free AF performance of the RF 100 400 I think I may need to carry two lenses around for both scenarios.
Thanks for sharing your experience Michael, yes, the RF100-400 is great for close up work due to the very good MFD allowing almost macro style shots of bugs, reptiles etc. Cheers, Duade
For anything semi-macro and fast action, the RF100-400 does perform a lot better. For BIF I've had some good results with the sigma but it can be hit or miss as you said.
I think you'd enjoy the 100-400, hassle free is the right word! It's so easy to carry, aim and shoot anything with it. You sacrifice 200mm but even that does help with framing subjects, having a better keeper rate, and I find it makes me into the habit of getting closer and closer to birds instead. They're a nice pair to own and really aren't redundant to have in my opinion, they both serve different purposes and are both great lenses. I've only recently purchased the 100-400 to pair my sigma and I'm always happy to reach for it. You might even find leaving the sigma at home sometimes! I love just going to my local nature park with nothing but the R7+100-400 on a cotton carrier and riding my bike with that. Cheers 🙂
Great video, Duade! Thanks for the update on this camera/lens combination.
Thanks Myrna, it is my pleasure, Cheers, Duade
Great video and great shots Duade. I have the Sigma lens and R7 camera. I found the video very helpful. I generally don't care if I get soft shots because some will be sharp and nobody else will know. Cheers.
Very true indeed and thankfully we have plenty of FPS to get those sharp shots. For its price it offers great value, Cheers, Duade
It would be great if canon would just give sigma and Tamron the license to produce RF glass and we wouldn’t even be having to make these types of videos
Exactly!
Thanks James, I totally agree, I used the Tamron 150-500 on Sony and it was incredible so they have the technology, we just need Canon to come to the party. Cheers, Duade
As much as I love my R7 it would be tempting if Sony put out a serious APS-C body only for the lens options they have
@@jamesscharnitz7640 Totally agree with you James. When they refresh their a6xx they'll be a serious competitor to canon. The budget options like 100-400 have no match on Sony, and even the EF Sigma C is cheaper than any 600mm options on E mount. Not true actually, as I've seen very good results with the EF sigma C and metabones adapter on the a6300!
But the upgrade paths are immensely better. The Tamron 150-500, updated sigma S and if course the amazingly well priced 200-600.
What's gonna come first? a6xx refresh or 3rd party lenses on RF? Who knows, but I think both will come eventually. It's frustrating to not know where Canon stands on that point, rumors say not to expect until at least late 2024.
For me I'm okay to wait a few years for an RF updated Sigma. If Sony releases an R7 competitor it probably won't make me switch personally, but it will affect my recommendations for new buyers.
I'll tell you, it is a bit frustrating to have zero lenses with that native RF goodness beyond 400mm that aren't f11 other than the 100-500 which is beyond my budget or the EF 100-400 ii +1.4 which doesn't look like a great purchase for me personally. I really think the sigma is the best lens for me atm even with the pulsing, but it's disappointing to have no clear upgrade path for me in the foreseeable future. I'll just enjoy what I have now and wait to see how things unravel.
@@jamesscharnitz7640 Thanks James, given the FX30 an APSC stills camera cant be too far away, I would love to pick that up with the Sony 200-600. Cheers, Duade
As a sports shooter, I tried the Sigma 120 300 2.8 S and found the focus breathing unbearable. Wondering if I should try these settings on that lens. Thanks, great video, I have this combo as well. Love your work 😊
G'day, I have heard from many people about the 120-300 on R mount cameras and it appears lots of people had your experience. Sorry about that. Cheers, Duade
I have the Sigma Contemporary 150-500 EF mount on my Sony a6400 with the Sigma MC-11 adapter, and I absolutely get pulsing, especially when I go to full zoom.
Great shots of the Brown Falcon. I personally would leave the perch in the shot but I liked it either way. I liked the Duck shot at 600mm but it’s a bird that I’m not familiar with so I like to see the details. I sold my Sigma 600 soon after I got the R7 as I really hadn’t used it since I got the 100-500mm RF. The Sigma is the bargain of the century. I still haven’t made up my mind on the R7. I can live with the buffer but the rolling shutter is another thing. I love to photograph Hummingbirds here in the Americas and the R7 just can’t do it with the electronic shutter. I have an OM-1 that I am using now for Hummingbirds.
Thanks Rod, I was happy with those Falcon shots for sure. The 100-500 is a wonderful lens for sure. Yes, the rolling shutter is a shame in electronic, I wish Canon published the speed or some measurement of rolling shutter so we as consumers can make better choices. Cheers, Duade
Hey, nice video topic. I have the same issues with my camera/lens (Nikon D7200/Tamron 150-600 first version lens). It doesn't seem too matter which focal length I shoot at and my camera won't fire if it doesn't have focus. I've tried all the settings and I find that continuous auto works best. Still, like you mentioned I have maybe 1 out of 20 images that are decent! I'm seriously thinking about switching too mirrorless! Thanks for posting this video topic I found it very informative. Let me know about the pulsating AF with primes, it'd be very helpful! Cheers
Thanks so much for the tips. I love my Sigma 150-600 I will try these out for sure. Cheers
Great to hear and thanks for the support, good luck, Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade, love your videos. Your R7 review and the one's with the sigma 150mm-600mm helped sell me on the R7. I was using the Sigma with a 7D Mark I, prior to upgrading to the R7. One thing I've noticed, and I haven't seen anyone comment on, is that I don't seem to get the same sort of scene freezing with the R7 that I did with the 7D when I have the sigma set on full stabilization. With the 7D when I'd hold down the back button focus and half press the shutter the lens would sort of freeze the scene and eliminate the vast majority of camera shake at 600mm. I expected that I'd experience similar if not better results with the R7 because of ibis but I don't. This combo seems to exhibit noticeable camera shake when I'm trying to focus on a subject and engaging the back button focus and half pressing the shutter. I've tried the dual AF setup you describe in this video but neither eye tracking nor traditional AF seems to resolve the issue. Have you noticed this? I prefer to shoot handheld most of the time so really rely on the IS of the lens at a minimum to help me get in focus and sharp shots. TIA.
G'day, sorry to hear you are having issues. It is possible you are using the custom OS mode via the dock that initiates OS when half depressing the shutter. In this mode there is no OS or IBIS working when framing the shot which would make it very difficult to use. I would turn off the custom OS mode and just try the standard modes, when using those IBIS will now work and you should notice a distinct difference with OS/IBIS compared to without. Give that a go and let me know how it goes. When used on a tripod I do use the custom OS mode. Cheers, Duade
Also make sure auto level is turned off.
Hello Duade
I love your videos. they are very helpful. Can you perhaps show your complete camera settings?
I'm thinking into buying canon r7 and as a beginner I don't have that many lenses for birding...I saw your video about the best lenses we can buy in 2023 and my question is between the sigma 150-600mm and the canon rf 600 what do you think its the best in terms of quality/price?
And by the way, your videos are really helpfull and amazing! Keep doing a great work!
G'day, that is a tough choice. I think I would personally go with the Rf100-400 and 1.4x which has the advantage of being a native zoom. The Sigma is a great lens and if you don't shoot up close that often the AF might not be as big an issue. Good luck, Cheers, Duade 👍
Great video thanks. As it turns out the R7 has issues with other Sigma lenses, I have the 105mm 2.8 Macro, and I am getting all sorts of weird stuff going on, the play back / review button has a habit of not working, and when doing stacking in camera it often does not complete the processing claiming DOF is too deep. lines appearing on shot. weird, not all the time but enough to ensure I use my DSLR for close up work.
Thanks for sharing Ron, I had someone else ask about the lines in the stacking and I had no idea why that was happening. Cheers, Duade
Xtra comment for the last part... it's obvious that I'd like to meet this Derek in person! ()
Second: I had to switch to full screen after your second inzoom of the Frogmouth and then go back to the first (150 mm?) clip. I did spot it then... That last inzoom/almost close-up was awesome! I ofc like the photos when it stared at you too. Those eyes are striking, to put it mildly.
I've only seen one species of Frogmouth in my life (Sri Lanka FM), and would love to add at least one more, ho-hum. It's the stuff dreams are made of, what you photographed in these two sessions. (and this one as well:)
Thanks, we have three Frogmouths here but we only get the common Tawny down this way. I hope to see the other ones one day, very cool birds. Yes, Derek was very knowledgeable and it was a great chat. Cheers, Duade
of the three i prefer to see the 150mm and the 600mm, seeing both the habitat and the detail is good esp as its not my native country, i'm in the UK,
falcon, the one with perch, as its just left t its important to have that reference,
Thanks Laura, I appreciate your input, Cheers, Duade
Thank you so much Sir!!! Do we face the pulsing issues while video recording also ?
Hi Duade! Really nice video, it helped me get my keeper rate up a bit. I just remembered, that you tried this and the Tamron G2 with the same issue, but what about the more modern sports version, or the 60-600 with the newer technology? I heard that the later has not plsing issue, although it is more expensive. It would be a nice review idea, if you get one from someone to test, maybe. I think it would be interestin for a lot of us! :)
Hey Duade, Love the videos have rewatched several and learned loads. I have a question about lens wraps, i wanted to get a wrap for my Sigma 150 - 600 contemporary. Do you have a company you would recommend also would you go neoprene or the tighter skin ? thanks in advance i know its not linked to this video :)
The Sigma 120-400 hunted as well
Thanks Ad, good to know, Cheers, Duade
I had a problem with my school's sigma 50-100 art lens pulsing on my 90D
Great shots Duade! I like both the falcon shots. They are both worthy of framing. I have this same 150-600 Sigma but I use it more for astro work so I haven't come across the pulsing focus issue. I will however look into the update for it. Question, although I shoot the Nikon Z9 what are you using for a frame burst rate? I have a lake house here in Victoria BC Canada with a ton of birds so this will be my next project.
Hi! I have the same combination with the same AF problems!! Thank you very much for this video, after watching it I updated my settings and I am wondering if it's really worth buying the usb dock??
Greetings from Gran Canaria!
Fabio, I think the camera settings made the biggest difference so if you are happy with those and standard lens settings then no you don't need it. I guess the only thing is the firmware update if you need it. Cheers, Duade
Agree with Duade here, for some people standard and in certain situations standard speed and OIS are the best, and for the pulsing specifically accel deccel to -2 will give the biggest improvement by far
@@Duade thank you!
@@simonthibodeau7082 thank you, I will continue testing just with this camera settings! ;)
Thank you for so much work. You’ve nearly convinced me to upgrade my 90D to the R7. Excuse my ignorance, but is the animal eye tracking feature available when shooting through the viewfinder or only in live view? As you probably know, even the 90D has eye tracking for people, but only through live view. I appreciate all of your videos very much.
Hi Austin, it is through the viewfinder which is great. Cheers, Duade
This video is really helpful for Sigma 150-600 C user that wants to swap their DSLR body to mirrorless. Have you tried the new setting with fullframe mirrorless body? Anyway, I really like your Australian Wood Duck on 150mm.
Thanks Boas, it would be the same on the R5/R6 I suspect, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I hope I can see more bird photos in 150mm. Well, I just love it. Cheers mate.
your work is wonderful
Hi duade! Will it be ok if you try doing a review on the sigma 60-600? I am thinking of upgrading from my canon 400mm f5.6 as I find it too short. My current body is an r7. Once again great video!
I prefer the second one
Oh yes, Tamron SP 150-600mm F5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 is unusable basically on R7. Its is such a shame and with canon banning 3rd party lenses I am reconsidering my canon choice before I invest even more, because basically I have to get their Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L for 3k ! that does not even work properly with extender - you loose short range, what a joke. I am reconsidering sony, yet I am trying to still get out there and see if there is anything I can do wtih tamron (and other short range lenses like Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM that seems to be working tad better), and in what situations it might work. I still have to carry my old 80d just in case I need to switch to reliable performance.
Sorry to hear, the camera settings from this video should help to reduce the pulsing on your Tamron also but we should not have to do this, it annoys me that Canon is not allowing Sigma/Tamron access to RF mount to fix the pulsing issue. Good luck, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Indeed, I will def give it a go. But as you said "we should not have to do this", and if I put my short range lense I will have to re-configure system. As someone who shoots multiple types of photography - go out birding, then continue with landscape or pick up macro in same session, it feels you will need to have multiple cameras, which is not an option for me. Will stay on a fence this year and will see where it goes.
Appreciate all your effort in trying to make it work in the meantime, thank you!
Hi Duade, this may be a stupid question, would the settings be the same for the sigma 150mm-600mm and the Canon R5 combination, Thanks Lenny.
First Thanks for the Video, You think this setting can be replicated on my R5 using a Sigma EF Sport 60-600mm, because I have the pulsing issue.
www wide wild world, this is why I got the old school manual focus kind of lens. if you can focus manually with a lens instead of letting the autofocus you will get better results. 🦉 I restrained myself to a 300mm lens as anything further would be resting in the sky. who needs a telescope to catch a bird in the sky? 🐦
Thanks!
Thanks Jeffrey, I really appreciate the support, Cheers, Duade
might be a dumb question but this apply to R5 also?
I have a different question on lens optical stabilization. Should I keep that turned on when hand holding an R5? I know the R5 has in body stabilization but wasnt sure how the results would be. First time getting the camera and trying to have my whole setup ready for less possible hiccups on the the field.
I currently have this lens with an entry level 760d, okay results but im planning to upgrade to mirrorless in the future, r10 or maybe r7, does the pulsing issue only happens while using the eye detection af? how about other af modes like one-shot?
I have recently discovered your channel and really appreciate all of the work you put into helping others. I am trying to help support by clicking through your affiliate links for some items you've helped me decide on, but the links are returning me a "Fatal error." Any workaround recommended?
Hi Jen, thanks for the support and sorry to hear you are getting an error, not sure what is going on there, which product out of interest did you click on? Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I tried all of the links once I had trouble with the sigma. Looks like it's a problem with my desktop, I'll try through my phone later when I have my brain working all the way!
My canon ef 75-300 mm Lense is always pulsating
Has anyone seen pulsing when not using tracking but just group after in continuous?
Can I just ask, if the AF Pulsing is across all AF settings at 150 upto 600mm, or is it just the eye tracking at 600mm? I did wonder about the lens settings, there are 3 Full, 2.8m - 7m & 7m to infinite and whether that makes any difference, for me if I am under 7m away I would just use the Sigma 18-300 for better results.
I gotta appreciate how you and Simon have gone above and beyond to try and help out people with this camera and lens combo. I'm a Nikon shooter personally but I have an old DSLR with no eye tracking, even with the pulsing my keeper rates would go way up merely by having the eye tracking!
Thanks, it is my pleasure, I love the community we have here on the channel and look forward to sharing more helpful info in the future. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade! Obviously I was really looking forward to this vid! Amazing moments captured, I was completely awed a couple times.
Some further info for those still playing around with the settings:
1- You should probably play around with sensitivity in the AF menu and with the custom AF speeds/OIS modes to see which one you prefer. Accel/deccel at -2 is really the one setting to look out for.
Edit: my modes are now as follows:
Sensitivity 0, accel/deccel -2
C1: Slowest AF, moderate OIS
C2: Standard AF, moderate.
I also use the default settings when shooting handheld sometimes.
C2 on monopod is now my preferred choice in many situations (still use handheld and tripod a lot) but I use all three from time to time. In low light with a close target, I'll often use C1.
2- Jan Wegener suggested -2 sensitivity too for his 100-500, and after playing around with it in the field I don't see that much of a difference, but perhaps it could help the tracking on a busy background. Right now mine is set to 0 I think.
3- I think background separation and distance from subject are really the two to look out for. Subject movement as well like Duade showcased (seeing Gary spin around was hilarious btw), but I found background separation made even more of a difference, especially if the background is moving (wind in branches for example). When you look at all the scenarios that had the worst pulsing, they were usually the ones with slightly less ideal background separation (bird in tall grass with wind, bird on the ground, odd reflections in the water). It just seems to trigger it for some reason. In my initial controlled testing I barely saw any pulsing past 7m but after trying it out more and more, it does happen a bit when the subject is on a busy/changing background. Maybe lower sensitivity would help? It's hard to test it but I'm still experimenting as I'm shooting in the field.
For panning BIF however, haven't had too many issues so far are those are usually pretty far away and/or behind a sky background.
Edit #2: I think my settings for stills are pretty dialed in at this point, but I'm still experimenting more with BIF and need more time to test it on gulls. I'll update the comment once I have some definitive results. But with my C2 from edit #1 or even default dock settings, handheld or on mono, it's fine, really.
4- I think most people will still prefer standard OIS for the ease of framing, especially if shooting at around 1/640-1000 where standard performs just fine. Maybe keep just one mode on moderate and only switch to it if using 1/320-400 and lower, you'll have a shaky viewfinder but better stabilization in those scenarios.
Personally I use the Sigma on monopod a lot. I know Duade isn't a big fan of them but the Wimberley MH100 gimbal head is imo fantastic for ease of use, stabilization and ease of carrying around in the field on the shoulder. Moderate + a good monopod head is a killer combo as you get stabilization from camera/monopod shake and a stable viewfinder. Using a tripod gimbal on a monopod is also one of the best monopod heads you can use. Handheld is also good but there's a compromise between the OIS modes (stable image vs viewfinder) for sure.
I shoot handheld a lot too and I do have a good tripod+gimbal similar to Duade I mostly use around my feeders but since trying out the Wimberley Gimbal head, I just reach out for it more and more. I get as much stabilization as I would ever need and it's so much easier to recompose/move around and walk with it.
Personally if you have this combo, the first next purchase you should make with it is DXO PureRaw, the second is the Wimberly mono gimbal. Those are really the two best purchases I've made to improve my pics with the Sigma. But that's just my opinion ofc! If that mono gimbal didn't exist I wouldn't bother with monopods altogether, but it's just that good for me that it makes them worth it.
5- From the different AF speeds, I find the slowest one is fast enough once the subject is detected, but initial (prefocusing) acquisition is notably slower, as Duade said. Until you're really used to dual BBF and have dialed down your prefocusing technique it's probably best to use standard, and in situations that are less "sit and wait" you might prefer standard in general.
Edit#3: been using more and more standard speed and I prefer it now in most scenarios, especially for pre-acquisition speed. I still think fastest speed is overkill and a bit jerky.
6- if you're wondering when to shoot at F8 vs f6.3, note that with the R7 and DXO PureRaw, 2-3k ISO is the max you should ever shoot at F8, unless you really really need that extra DOF. The increase in sharpness is pretty marginal and at higher ISOs you will gain more resolution from the extra light gathering by shooting wide open. I've recently tested this extensively.
7- Don't use TCs with the Sigma. It just doesn't scale well optically.
8- Personally I've recently purchased the RF100-400 after hearing all the good things about it and I'm really really happy with it.
When people say you should own a zoom and a prime, getting the 100-400 has been eye opening in that regard. It's so easy to carry, point and shoot with it, my keeper rate with it blows me away. Even just the 200mm less reach makes it easier to frame, but I underestimated how much a lighter lens is easier for just aiming and shooting quick shots of small birds that jump in front of you in the trail when hiking for example. I think it's made me realize more why Duade likes the 100-500 so much now, I get it now. Still can't afford it sadly though!
I think it really relates to your style of shooting. "Sit and wait" and "tracking down" are the two ways to hunt animals (in photography or with rifles!) and in french we even have specific words for those two techniques (affût and billebaude).
Primes are better for sit and wait (feeders or lures for example), lighter zooms for tracking down. For me, the RF100-400 for tracking and the sigma for sit and wait serve those niches pretty well, within my budget. To me, the 100-400 serves the same purpose as Duade's 100-500, and the sigma serves the same purpose as his 500f4+1.4x. At a fraction of the price, it's not the same performance obviously but it's good enough for me so far.
To be fair, the sigma can definitely bridge that gap, before getting the 100-400 I would go on day long hikes with it no problem, even with the monopod as it's so easy to carry on the shoulder if it's an easy hike. It's a pretty good do it all with some compromises like AF and weight, to an extent.
9- If you're looking for purchase advice, here's my opinion. If you're new to the hobby and getting your first ever lens, I think the 100-400 is a better option. It's so much easier to use and learn on and will ease you into the hobby much better. It will get you in the habit of getting closer to the animals which is really the crucial thing to learn.
If you're looking for an upgrade to your current lens and need more reach, I think the sigma is a great option to consider for its price, versatility and great optics.
Consider the f11 primes, but take into account your shooting style. If you shoot mostly waterfowl, live in an area with plenty of sunlight and/or are the kind of person to check the weather and avoid cloudy days for shooting anyway, the f11 primes are a great option.
If you're like me and shoot almost everyday for fun no matter the weather, shoot mostly songbirds in dense boreal forests and live in a place like Quebec where the weather is pretty rock and roll, shoot anything that you come across including insects etc., Enjoy shooting at dusk and dawn, the Sigma is the clear choice imo. Note that the pulsing on the sigma is very minor past 6m, which is the minimum focus distance on the RF800! And I go up to 6-10-15 and even 20-25k ISO already at f6.3, so I can't imagine using an f11 lens personally. There's so many pictures I've taken with the Sigma that I know for a fact, would've been almost impossible to shoot at f11.
I think that's about it. Go out with the Sigma and enjoy it y'all, it's a neat little lens 🙂 and make sure to tip Duade if you can afford it! We need to support content creators such as him, I don't know about y'all but I can't think of any wildlife RUclipsr that has better content, production quality and community outreach as he does. He's a pillar to the community! The fact he made an entire vid revisiting the Sigma after learning about these settings is a true testament of his commitment to rigorous methodology! And thanks to your mate for lending the lens, that Sigma has definitely gotten milked for content for sure by now 😅 Cheers
Edit: for all the people thanking me for the experimenting, you're welcome! I got frustrated no one was doing this testing and felt it needed to be done, so I did it myself 🙂 testing your own lens+camera is tedious but worth it to learn more about it. Thanks for the kind words everyone. Check out the sigma's FB group for more info/results in my post history aswell as others.
Salut simon, je parle et lis difficilement l’anglais. J’aimerais bien comprendre le contenu de ton commentaires. Est-il possible de me le transmettre pour que je puisse y faire la traduction
Thanks Simon, I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this and letting me know about it. I love the lens also and the photos I have obtained for a lens that costs a fraction of my 500 f4 as you mention is remarkable. For its price it offers exceptional value.
Great to hear you are enjoying the RF100-400, it is such a wonderful little lens and I must admit I have grabbed that over the 100-500 if I am just going for a quick wander around. I agree that you really need a light zoom for general work and macro style stuff and a longer lens when you can use a tripod/monopod etc.
I am happy that the channel has a engaged community that is all about helping each other and I will continue to make content that helps others. On behalf of all Sigma owners, thanks again and happy birding. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Simon, all this is great insight personally i am looking to go with r10 and tamron g2 150-600 option but this is vital as sigma is also a good choice.
I also agree that Duade is one of the more in depth and detailed vlogger for birding, and the best part is while he is now a sensation on RUclips and a celebrity in Oz land he still listens to us mere mortals and even replies, so thanks Duade🙏 and Simon
@@jeansmith2970 ça va me faire plaisir, je t'envoie ça bientôt!
@@CrazyBlueMood you're very welcome. Many people saying they are pretty similar but not many actual tests out there. I suspect accel/deccel to -2 is probably a good idea too. I know wild Alaska tested that lens out with the R7, maybe check out his Video on it!
I’m assuming you have the adapter es to rf?
Yes, I use the adapter to get the lens to work, Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade, love your video's I've been fallowing you for about 3 years now and find them very helpful. I presently shoot with the Canon 90D and the Sigma 150-600C and now thinking about the R7, still a little undecided but your video helps quite a bit, your honesty with equipment reviews is greatly appreciated. I should add that I just got into this hobby when I retired at age 73 from the CC of C in Nova Scotia and it gives me a good reason to get up in the morning and get going although a little slower now. Thanks Duade.
Thanks for sharing William, yes, I too have found it a great reason to get out into nature and makes a good change from the fast paced job. Good luck with your camera and lens, Cheers, Duade
I also have the 90d with the Sigma 150 600mm.
Really thinking about the R7 at the moment. The pulsing problem wouldn't be an issue with me. I mostly shoot at the full 600mm. Is that an ef Sigma 150 600mm with an adapter. ?
One possibly important point to note when using C1 or C2 custom settings. Per the Sigma Manual, "For your regular use, please turn OFF the Custom Mode Switch. The Focus Limiter Switch does not function when the custom mode is ON and set to C1 or C2.
"At around 4:00 in the video you suggest to leave the focus limiter setting alone because it can be adjusted on the lens. But, if I'm reading the manual correctly (always possible I'm not) then if you are in C1 or C2 modes, the Focus Limiter switch won't work, which I assume means your going to be in FULL focus range and can't switch to 2.8-to-10 or 10-to-∞ ? If that's the case then might it make sense to Set C1 as you suggest, but also set the focus limiter setting to say 2.0-10, and then set up C2 to have all the same settings, but set focus lifter to 10-to-∞ ? Does that make sense?
You, Sir, are a man of mystery.
AF Pulsing? You stated Sigma’s recommendation to disable OS when using a tripod, and you ignored it. ??? Why? When you use the C1 setting that means you have OS enabled.
AF Pulsing? The Sigma lens is not capable of Movie Servo AF because it is too slow to refocus, which also means it is not capable of Eye Tracking AF. Disable it. The camera is trying to track faster than the lens can react.
AF Pulsing? The rated MFD for the lens is only valid at the minimum zoom setting because this is not a parfocal lens. This is why “AF pulsing” would seem to subside at greater distances when the lens is set to 600mm.
Duade, stop trying to force a square peg into a round hole!
Very thankful for your testing. I use this lens along with several other Sigma lenses. I however have not made the jump to RF. My current Canon DSLR bodies do me well and since Canon has put up roadblocks for third-party RF lenses, I am not willing to make that jump at this time.
Thanks John, yes, it is very frustrating for sure and I am disappointed that we will not be getting any third party RF lenses in the near future. Cheers, Duade
Some wonderful images Duade. I just wish Canon would either support that lens or at least bring out a suitable alternative at this cost point. As much as the RF 100 - 500 is a decent lens its price makes it out of reach for a lot of people.
Thanks Gary, yes, it is very expensive for what it is, the RF100-400 is the closest but is a lot shorter at 400mm. Cheers, Duade
Awesome video like always, I learned to live with the pulsating on my Sigma lens but I find it to be minimal, I get more keeper shots with my R7 🐦❤️👍
Great to hear Miguel, I think most people are the same, for its price it is a wonderful lens. Cheers, Duade
Better late than never. I have been using the Canon 7D II and 150-600 C Sigma for 6 years (about) and thanks to you and your in depth investigation of the issue with the Sigma lens with the Canon mirrorless bodies I too decided to bit the bullet and am now the (very) proud owner of an R5.
Immediately I updated the firmware to 1.7 which came out in Nov. 22 and have not experienced any of the lense pulsing issues other users have described. I have intentionally tried to make it happen and it just won't do it. So, I am thinking that maybe something in the 1.7 has fixed the issue or my configuration settings (slightly different to those recommended by another user). In the AF speed setting I chose smooth, instead of standard. I did this because I noticed even with the 7D II the IS was a bit choppy and not an issue on the 7D II because it wasn't trying to track something. Anyway, no problems. I went out this morning and had a Duade inspired session in the bush and down by the bay, came home with 2135 photo's and covered in mud. Also, another tip I have not heard mentioned, to save battery another thing to try is don't use the back screen. I used to use it on the 7D II to check the exposure (the lazy way) and make menu changes sometimes but this is not needed now with all of these things available in the evf. Thanks again. Additional: also Moderate View mode in the OS setting dialog.
Another top video Duade!
The 275mm and the 600mm each have their appeal. If strictly wanting to show off the bird or animal, then go with the max focal length you can get. If you want to show habitat as well as the subject you can't beat the 250 to 300 range. Any wider and the subject loses to much detail.
Again great video!
Enjoy that beautiful springtime weather!
Thanks Guy, I agree with your comments, yes, its a nice day here but I think we have more rain on the horizon, Cheers, Duade
My EF-S 55-250mm F/4.0-5.6 struggle like the sigma with the eye tracking when I'm close to my subject
Another great video and awesome images. I am leaning more and more toward wider shots as time goes on. I love that you ran into Derek another one of the RUclips channels I like to watch. I pretty much use the same settings on my R5 with the exception that I keep the half press for metering and autofocus on and use two back buttons for animal eye tracking and zone. That gives me three easily accessible options depending on circumstances. I have the auto focus button set to center the focus point. I find by keeping the focus point in the center and using the half-press to initially turn auto focus on, I can more easily grab birds that have a lot of background, then hitting the back button to grab the eye which seems to work as the quickest way to get sharp focus on the eye with fast moving small birds on complicated background situations that don't give you a lot of time.
Thanks Dan, I might have to give that a go, having the three options would be handy. Cheers, Duade
My Sigma 70-200 F/2.8 APO had this problem and I think it may have actually killed the AF drive motor
Sorry to hear that, the pulsing is annoying for sure and I don't know exactly why it happens. Cheers, Duade
Great video mate.
Do you know which lens is the sharpest or better in any other way between the Canon 600mm f/11, Sigma EF 150-600mm, and the Canon 100-400mm with a 1.4x teleconverter ? I'll be putting it on an EOS R. Any input from anyone in here would be greatfully received
Hi Duade, a wonderful and informative episode as always. Thanks for your clear illustration and useful hands-on experience of Simon.
Thanks Lawrence, I appreciate the feedback, Cheers, Duade
Thank you to all who made this possible. I’ve been holding off upgrading but due to all your help and information I can say that I am comfortable with moving from canon 90D to the R7 for wildlife. At the end of the day, despite the gear, you ended up with some amazing results. Results that as a Canon 90D owner I’m more than okay with. I’ve experienced great days and a few disappointments as well. When you get home to only realize they’re not sharp as you thought, especially the eye I feel is the most important feature in wildlife photography composition wise. Still it’s a great improvement to have a tool that will help you lock on to the eye of your subject resulting in a game changing experience for me personally. Grateful and soon to be over the moon as well. I’ll leave you guys with this. A great wildlife camera that will get you results with a small quirk… Japanese Leica? I can live with it.
Thanks for the feedback Diego, I am happy that the video helped highlight what this combination is capable of and good luck with the camera. Cheers, Duade
I never realized many of my shots with the sigma had ever so slightly out of focus eyes until I tried the R7 personally. Not all of them, but after using the R7 and looking at my old pics, I realized "wow, that eye's not actually tack focused" on many of them. Eye AF really is game changing in that regard. I'm confident you will be over the moon, I sure am! It really feels like magic when you try it for the first time.
@@simonthibodeau7082 I have upgraded from a 90D with the Sigma to an R7 with a 100-500 and I am really very pleased with the new setup.
Hi Diego. Currently looking at doing a similar upgrade, have you found it to be worth it?
@@simonthibodeau7082I know I am here very late but I am wondering what converter you use for the sigma to r7
Firmware 1.8.1 fix the Sigma 150-600mm pulsing issue on the R5. I have another fix besides the Firmware update. Let me know if you have luck with Firmware 1.8.1.
Thanks Melchior, I have not got the lens to test unfortunately, glad to hear it is working well for you. Cheers, Duade
As always great video! thanks for sharing your trials, knowledge and time out shooting.
Thanks Ray, it is my pleasure, Cheers, Duade
Amazing work Duade as always and thanks for sharing your valuable feedback on this important issue. I use Sigma 150-600 sports version with Canon R6. No pulsing. On the lens side, I set my custom C1 mode to Dynamic view and fast autofocus. On camera side, i use default case 3. I shoot wide open at 600mm f6.3. No pulsing in static or moving bird shoots. I shoot song birds as well as larger water birds as well.
Thanks for sharing your experience Omer, that is great to hear you are not experiencing pulsing on your Sport lens with the R6. Cheers, Duade
Have you been happy with this set up with the R6?
Yes, except for the weight of the Sports version
Thanks for an excellent and deep review , its good to know that there are those af pulsing issues with some third party lenses on R mount. I had these Sigma 150-600c lenses both for C and N dslr almost ten years ago ,and they were very sharp. Now I got opportunity to get Sigma 500mm f4 sports for 2400 € .condition like new , so I bought it. I have been testing it shortly with my R8 on perched birds without any AF issues. But its good to know that they can mostly Be fixed. Cheers ,bird photography is really a joy😊
Great video!! Is it good for Aviation photography?
I got the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary
And I got Canon 5D MK IV. It will be the same on settings?
Thanks!!
The issues only seem to be with eye tracking of mirrorless bodies so it should not have any issues on the 5D4. Cheers, Duade
@Duade Paton Thanks. I wish I could upgrade to the R5..
Can you figure out how to fix the Tamron 150-600mm G2?
Perhaps try accel/deccel to -2 in the AF menu, it's the main one to look out for.
If you try the settings from this video, that should help reduce the pulsing, Cheers, Duade
I have the pulsing too, but I am using the lens with an DSLR (Canon EOS 250D).
thank you so much for sharting the settings, any word from sigma on any attempts to improve this via firmware updates?
G'day, not yet as far as I am aware, I have heard the 60-600 maybe better but I have not tested it yet. Cheers, Duade
Does the Canon 7d mark ii have the Eye Detection AF? If not, is it possible to get my camera to track the eye as a focus point? If so, how?
Hi Jeff, only the modern mirrorless cameras offer eye tracking unfortunately, there is no way to do this on a DSLR. You can use expanded AF zone and try to keep that on the subject and the DSLR will choose the AF point. Cheers, Duade
Thank you Duade, another very helpful video! I own the Sigma 150-600 currently shooting with a Canon 5DIV... and still waiting for my R7! Ordered 3 months ago and still waiting, hopefully I get it for Christmas 😅
Thanks Azor, oh that is a long wait, hopefully not too much longer, good luck when you get it. Cheers, Duade
Great video!!!
One thing about the 3rd party lenes on RF mount, saying Tamron and Sigma are blocked is a little inaccurate based on the information we all currently have. While it is true that neither company has any RF glass that alone does not mean much other than there is no RF glass from these two.
We do know for sure is Canon has asked a couple of Chinese lens cloners to stop infringing on their Autofocus IP.
That said I do agree that Canon are not likely to license the mount until they have rolled out all their own lenes and even then given the close relationship Tamron has with Nikon and Sony I only see Sigma being invited to the game.
Thanks Jonathan, fair call re Canon and third party lenses, I will be sure to change my wording next time. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade it is all good, hard not to get caught up in the noise about Canon. Oh and since you are in Australia I think with the prices Canon is asking (even with the 5 year warranty) down under you are entitled to complain 😉
@@Ramage7070 well for the sake of accuracy, Viltrox and Samyang aren't "cloners"... Their designs are original. Essentially the banned lenses were unlicensed and using EF protocols. Kind of like if they had the EF RF adapter built in. Even from Canon's official statement it's not clear which patent they infriged. But I agree with the rest!
After learning a great amount of things from watching your videos, I struggle to understand how you are able to know every bird you are talking pictures/video of. If you made a video of how you identify which birds/animals that are being captured would be incredible to me. Thanks again for making so many great videos!
Thanks for the feedback, I think it is like anything, it is just time and experience, I see a bird, take a photo and then over the years you learn to tell them apart. If I went to a different country I would likely struggle a lot but having been watching and photography birds for 11 years I am reasonably confident on identification. I really need to work on my bird calls as I get confused and it would be helpful to know all the calls. Cheers, Duade
The Merlin phone app from Cornell university is amazing for IDing birds, highly recommend it. You can do manual ID through a sort of quiz that works really well. They even have photo ID through AI which works okay but I don't use much.
An actually really useful feature is their Sound ID through AI. It records the sound from your phone's microphone and IDs birds from their call. It can have the odd miss here and there but if it hears the call a couple times usually it will get it right even with some complex warbler songs. It even saves the recording with timestamps on when it IDed species so you can review them manually and compare with a bank of calls from different potential species. Personally that's gotten me more and more into learning those bird calls, maybe you'd like it Duade! On hikes in national parks I use that feature a lot to ID from the trail.
I also enjoy the explore feature. By using geolocation, current date and known distribution/migration patterns, it can tell you which species you're more likely to encounter that day in your spot. It's the first thing I check everytime I go out birding in a new spot so I know what to lookout for.
Any birder should have it in their phone in my opinion 🙂 it's so good that some of my purist friends will say it makes birding too easy and prefer their guides! All preference of course.
Another great tool is Google Lens. It can look at your photo and provide a bird ID ... or a group of possibilities really quickly
@@andrewkeir2282 for plants it's what I use. For birds if I have a picture usually the Merlin quiz is usually faster and more precise as I can do it directly in the field :)
@@simonthibodeau7082 I find Merlin a little hit and miss (more miss than hit) with the call ID on southern aussie birds. But I do find the photo ID 90% of the time nails it for me.
Hi Duade; hope you r fine.
I wonder if this lens will have pulsing or not with a canon 90D?
Hi Carola, no pulsing with the 90D as it is not a mirrorless body. Cheers, Duade
Makes me wonder if it's a lens AF motor thing combined with PDAF vs CDAF. Pulsing in an out is generally a CDAF thing as it's trying to find sharp edges, if the lens AF motor overshoots back and forth the sensor is never really going to get those sharp edges to lock onto and it will keep on hunting.
The closer the subject is the smaller the focus error will be so the lens will hunt more up close than farther away.
Thanks Johan, it could well be, it is just strange that the RF100-400 does not suffer from this. I assume it is something that could be fixed but perhaps Canon simply are not sharing the information for Sigma to fix it. Cheers, Duade
I have a very similar issue with Tamron 150-600 G2 and EOS R5. The lens worked beautifully with EOS 5Dmk4. On the R5 it works 90% of the time. the other times - usually when the camera goes to sleep and then wakes up with a press of a button - the focus just starts pulsing really quickly and the only fix for that is to power off the camera and then power it back on.
Sorry to hear about that, I did have some inconsistencies also which is frustrating, I only hope Canon comes to some agreement with third party so we can get an RF version. Cheers, Duade
Does the pulsation reduce when we goo below 500mm at closer distances..
Good question and I don't know the answer unfortunately. Cheers, DUade
Is that the contemporary or sports lens?
It is the contemporary version, Cheers, Duade
DUADE, thanks so very very much for all the time and extreme effort we know it takes to produce these wonderful videos. Your session with the Brown Falcons was especially inspiring. Perhaps someday I will be able to capture something similar. But if that happens it will be because of you. Take care and keep shooting!
A
Thanks James, you are too kind and I really appreciate the feedback, good luck with your local Falcons. Cheers, Duade
Great video. I'm currently reviewing both the Contemporary and Sports versions of this lens to use with my newly acquired R6.
I'm sceptical though that Canon will make any effort to solve their end of the pulsing problem. Have essentially barred third party manufacturers from the RF world, it leaves photographers the dilemma of purchasing their RF lenses for $$$ or sticking with some of the EF lenses. Good business model perhaps or monopolising the market?
Thanks Patrick, yes, it is unfortunate that this pulsing has not been rectified. I would love an RF version so we can only hope Canon and Sigma etc are able to work something out. Good luck with the research. Cheers, Duade 👍