I just have to say it once more. Your videos are simply the best in the whole bird photography world! So much attention to detail, wonderfully structured, great pictures and so on. Greetings from Switzerland
I like Duade Paton's videos too. However also Jan Wegener is great (must be an Australian factor)! 🤣 In German I really like Fabian Fopp and Chris Kaula (just check them out @Patrick Lüscher)! 😉
I like it that you let your wife know you're still alive! My father never did that. Over time my mother of course learned not to worry too much, but I know she wold have appreciated any sign of life.
Just know your work is appreciated Duade. Lots of hours testing, filming and editing is beyond a full time job, so thanks for putting the effort into such a high quality production with relevant info and first hand experiences. Cheers Dylan
Duade, you have been a pleasant addition to my RUclips channel subscriptions. I really love the content you've produced and appreciate the hard work you've put into the videos you create. This will be a great resource for many people out there with a camera that is sure to be extremely popular with the enthusiast bird/wildlife community.
Kevin, thank you so much for your support I really do appreciate it and it helps me to continue with this long form content. I hope it is valuable to those looking for a wildlife lens in the future. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade, what a thorough and comprehensive overview of lens choices across good range of budgets for the R7. The amount of work you've put into this video is impressive, and shows a real dedication and love for both your bird photography and the community as a whole. I get the distinct feeling you enjoyed yourself in doing so too! Thanks for all your efforts, excellent example images, really well presented information and great production value. I've said so before, but will say again, your videos are always a highlight.
I am a hobbyist photographer for about 12 years. Recently I started to become interested in wildlife photography. Your honest reviews and great tips are really helpful for getting started in this field. Thanks a lot!
The cormorant shots were the "picks of the litter" for me. On the first, all subjects sharp showing profiles, the reflection and tones....elegant. I suggest putting that on the print list. :) The single cormorant was also quite nice. Also, I can see why you wanted that beautiful Kingfisher. Great shots. Your native birds are an embarrassment of riches.
Thanks Duane, your videos are wonderfully detailed and helpful. Your clear explanations are easy to follow and keep me watching til the end. It’s also great to watch an Australian working in Australian conditions.
Duade: “It’s taken me 11yrs to get this shot… Let’s test this stabilization.” Legendary stuff, best video yet. I agree w/ everything on the 800, only lens I have experience with out of those covered-sharp, no CA, and reach makes it a real experience…but… that AF has me reaching for the focus ring a lot. I can only assume this is in part bc canons focus wide open and wide open on this is only f11
Duade, you are so down to earth, I really appreciate the time you put into this to benefit us all!! I look forward to your amazing work!! Just awesome! Thank you!!
Great detailed review Duade. Best birder nreview for R7 to date.That Black & Gold commorant shot is the gold standard. What a shot that is. Nemesis bird Azure Kingfisher is awesome too. Worth my one hour watching this. Thank you again. If you ever come to Borneo island…let me know..
Finally! I was waiting for this video because I knew you were going to try the R7 with the 400mm F5.6 and I wanted to see how they both performed together before purchasing the camera. I already liked the video and I’ll watch it carefully later! Your reviews are really useful, for real. Thanks a lot.
The R7 and ef 100-400 mkll does it for me. After many decades in photography I can honestly say the R7 is an incredible camera, when shooting swallows and swifts against a clear background the focus point locks on instantly and sticks, incredible modern technology. Anybody who thinks it's slow should have a go at an older camera just to prove a point, having said that the mind boggles at what the future holds.
100-400 MKII is good for dragonflies as it focuses pretty close too giving native 0.3x mag 60cm from lens at 400mm although the RF 100-400 manages 0.4x
I have some issues focusing on a distant flying bird against the sky. I use the R7 and one ot these lenses: RF 100-500mm or RF 800 f11 or Tamron 150-600 G2. What are your settings, please, in order to achieve focus? My lens starts a focus hunting, goes beyond the bird who gets into focus for a split second, the camera does not identify the bird as a subject and the focus hunting continues. Is there a magic combination of setting like: subject detection, eye detection, focus area, tracking? Thank you.
@@Duade Definitely a good idea. It's a simple style of imagery, but beautiful imho. I'm pretty sure Artie Morris has incorporated similar styles of shots in his portfolio of images over the years.
55 minutes? Wow! I just know alot of work and editing went into this one! Loving my r7 so far. Thank you for the testings and keep up the amazing work!
Great video Duade. Very interesting to watch, even for me, as a Nikon shooter. I think Canon shooters will be very happy with all your efforts to help choose the right lens for them.
I am not a wildlife photographer but I have learned so much about photography, setting up, how improve the image and photography equipment. Thank you Duade. You are an excellent instructor and I like your authentic style!
Great video Duade! So you asked us to comment on the lenses. Well, I have the R7 and an R6. I started with the R7 and the RF800mm f11. I like the bigger AF area that the crop body provides but I found the lens to be too long at 1280mm FOV for birds in flight. I also found that I would have atmospheric issues every so often due to the length. I had wanted to upgrade to the Canon RF 100-500mm and was going to pull the trigger on a Canon Refurbished one at $2609 US but they ran out of stock. I finally got my sanity back and decided to look for a good used 100-400MK2. I was lucky in that I found a pristine one for $1,450. I had watched Jan's comparison with that lens and the RF100-500 as well as Gordon Laing where they both said that except for reach the image quality was pretty much the same. I haven't looked back. The 100-400mk2 stays on the R7. It is still an amazing lens. I think the RF100-500 would have been my lens choice if I had an R5 or R3 as I would need the reach. With the 1.6x crop body on the R7 I'm shooting at 640mm FOV at f5.6 and with the 1.4xIII extender I'm at 896mm at f8. Early mornings and late evenings I run without the extender and as the light gets better I throw it on. Although, in the end, I think I get better quality without the 1.4xIII and just cropping the difference in during post. So for $2,950 for the kit, in my opinion, it's a good way to go. I took the money saved from not buying the RF100-500 and put away to save for a 600mm f4 version II. One day I will probably still get a full frame R5 II or a used R5 when the R5II comes out and sell the R6. But for now, I'm loving the kit. One last thing. I borrowed a friends RF600mm f11 and used it for a few hours. While the RF800 f11 feels too long for birds in flight, the RF600 f11 was just right.
Thanks Rey, I appreciate your feedback and congrats on the 100-400, it is a wonderful lens and when picked up at that price it is hard to beat. I think ill pick up the RF600 and give it a go. Cheers, Duade
The Azure kingfisher story is brilliant. Great to share the moments of you getting some half decent shots of something that has been nemesis! Really appreciated the shared information about the lenses and the take homes from using them in the field etc. Great information for those who might be looking for it - I may come back to this one day when I need to switch across to something other than what I’ve got now . . . . I do go for stiller subjects - like the bush . . . . . Still good and helpful information. Keep up the great work with videos - as you are able. Love seeing them.
Amazing video with so much details, pics and information. Great work and thanks for all the effort to create this. The cormorants silhouette pic was beautiful and would enjoy more of the same 👍.
Hi Duade, I have a question for you that you may think a bit silly. Already owning the rf 100-500mm and the rf800mm, what would your preference to use be without taking cost into account. Would you go for a 1.4 teleconverter or would you prefer to use the r7 with these lenses ? The R7 gives a little more reach but would it be sharper than using a 1.4 teleconverter? Hope this question makes sense.
Great video, Duade. My opinion on the cormorant silhouette shot: fantastic! I purchased an RF100-500 (and 1.4x Extender) earlier this year to go with my R6. I then picked up the R7 on release day and agree that they are an unbeatable pair for birding. I am a beginner when it comes to shooting wildlife of any kind, so having IBIS & IS is no doubt helping me a lot! Your videos have helped me a LOT in my birding and gear selection journeys! I will say that I'm quite jealous of the colorful bird species you feature in your journeys. Just amazing! I'm forever grateful and appreciative of your expertise and candor in your videos! Terry in Wisconsin, USA.
Thanks for the feedback Terry, I appreciate it, glad to hear the Canon RF mount is working well for you, I agree the RF100-500 is a superb lens. Cheers, Duade
Another excellent video Duade! Even though I have no plans to convert to mirrorless cameras I still enjoy your videos for the great quality and amount of information you put into each one. Anyone who has made the leap to mirrorless needs to watch and learn from your blogs. Since doubtful I'll ever make it Australia I can enjoy a small piece of it from your outing.
Great comparison video about the available lens options for the r7. I own the ef 400 f5.6 the sigma 150-600 f6.3 C. and the rf 100-500 f4.5-7.1 and I absolutely agree with everything you said about these lenses. I am using the r7 with the rf 100-500 almost all the time for about two months now and I don't think I'll ever go back to the other lense mentioned above. Cheers from Canada.
An Epic video as you rightly said. Been waiting for this for a while. But as they say, good things comes to those who wait. Extremely helpful video to decide which lens to choose for the R7. Some fantastic images you took. Thanks! Appreciate all your videos and all your efforts.
Your channel is getting to be one of the best on youtube!!! Thank you, agree, we have both the 100-500 and the 100-400 f 8 (my wife’s). They are great!!
28:07 Oooh, so this was the lens you captured this photo with as well. My absolute favorite photo (that I know of, so far)! 👏You do realize you have to make an emoji of that one, of course? Nothing else will do...
Excellent review. I'm still waiting for my R7 to arrive and have just got a used ef 100-400mm mk2 with a 1.4x. Been testing on my Canon R and I'm very impressed with how sharp it is.
Wonderful video and beautiful images - as far a keeper rates I think these are all pretty good lenses as long as I get 1 or 2 great images I am happy! I have the rf 800 and the rf 100 - 500 and I have them on my R7 and R5 respectively! The images I get are amazing and I only shoot jpeg. Thank you for taking time to do this video - you are definitely one of my top 3 wildlife photographers whom I enjoy watching. Take care and be safe out there....
Epic is the word Duade. Congrats on such a comprehensive review. Learned a lot. It deserves millions of views. As a 400 f5.6 user, it was valuable. Pity about the R7s video IS though.
Thanks mate, yes, that 400 5.6 is a gem, its strange because the 300 f4 was also a great lens. If Canon released these in RF they would be amazing, unfortunately I cannot see it happening as they seem to be going with slower zooms these days. Yeah, not sure what is happening with the video IBIS, no doubt you would have far more success with your experience but I struggled. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Those are some really great suggestions for glass Duade. I just hope Canon are paying attention. I could imagine they would be super compact and light too. I'm aiming to use the R7 for my stock footage work and was hoping the video would be more stable. Thanks for testing that out too!
Thanks for a great review. I have three of the lenses so found it particularly interesting. Like you I’d find it difficult to part with the F/5.6 400mm, and agree with you on the Sigma and the RF 100 - 500. Time for my Sigma to go I think as I rarely use it now except sometimes for some moon photography using the x1.4 converter. I’d been thinking that the video must have taken an age to produce! Respect.
Thank you for all your effort and an amazing video! Still quite happy with my R7 and Sigma 150-600 combo. I'm very satisfied with the keeper rate and image quality I get and the pulsing issue has been very rare for me. I kinda wish there was a way to know how to isolate the specific conditions that cause the pulsing to happen in a replicable manner. It looks to me like the pulsing is a very specific behavior and it doesn't relate to how a worse lens normally hunts. It really feels like the lens "bugs out", even though Sigma says it can't be fixed with firmware. It does happen so rarely (to me it seems, hence why it doesn't really bother me) that I can't quite say exactly in what situations it happens and it feels a bit random. For me the few times I definitely noticed it, it seemed to always happen really close to the minimum focus distance (2.8 to around 5-6m) on a busy background. Last time it happened for me I was photographing a butterfly up close in full sunlight on tall grass, so even low light might not be what's causing it. I've gone ahead and put a focus limiter at 6m on one of the custom modes and I haven't had it happen so far with it, but I need to test more. But I really don't think I've ever noticed it past a certain distance, and the vast majority of the time the AF behaves exactly like it should to my eyes. Some regular hunting like you showed with the 800 in your vid, but nothing crazy. I'm definitely one of those that upped their keeper rate with this lens on the R7, the animal eye AF has been game changing! I thought of switching to an RF 800 after learning about this compatibility issue, but after using it, it really isn't enough of an issue for me to switch. The versatility of the Sigma (aperture, MFD, zoom) far outweighs the few rare times I've had pulsing. I don't think I've ever missed a shot when it happened too, always got a keeper in the burst. The thing that convinced me is: if it only happens to me below 6m, why switch to a lens that can't even focus at all below that? It's one way for me to put it in perspective and realize how much it's not that big of a deal. I just work with the focus limiter, and turn it off when I do need to get closer being aware there might be pulsing. And spot focus is also much easier to use at those distances anyway, which solves the problem of pulsing when you encounter it. If it pulsed all the time or at the distances I usually shoot at then it'd probably be a deal breaker. But until I personally get frustrated by missing shots because of it I can't part with my trusty sigma, I enjoy it too much! Outside of the pulsing which seems to be very specific, maybe it does regular hunting a bit more than the Canons, and they perform better in that regard but the 800 f11 doesn't look like it has that much better AF in most conditions, it also has its shortcomings on the R7. Like you said, I can wait for Sigma to release it on RF even if it takes a few years, I'm in no hurry. I'm aware that I might be biased and not spoiled enough by the performance of the new RF lenses. I'm sure that even if the particular issue of pulsing was fixed, the RF 100-500 would still outperform the sigma by a good margin in AF like it does now. Still there's just no way for me to justify selling mine and paying over 3x the price for the 100-500 even if I could afford it, my keeper rate is already more than satisfactory to me and I doubt I would pump out 3x more pictures with it, or enjoy shooting with it 3x more. I'm young, in good shape (and not rich! lol) so I don't mind the weight of the sigma at all though, for other people the weight advantage alone could justify the price if you simply can't carry a Sigma or if it makes your shooting experience less enjoyable. I will say, your initial video on the combo has been making a lot of discussion on forums/FB groups/subreddits! Lots of people are now saying to avoid the lens completely or avoid the R7 if using the lens, saying it's not compatible at all with any RF cameras. This is obviously a bit of an exaggeration and misquote of your vid, which pointed out the issues very fairly. And some people are still reporting zero pulsing issues with their R5/6/7 and the Sigma, which I'm almost certain is just because those people have never noticed it. Being a rare and fairly random occurrence I can totally see why some people might have never noticed the issue was even present. To me that says about how it's not really that big of a deal. All in all, while I can only vouch for my experience which has been great, I'm still not sure I'd be confident in recommending it for others until we know more about when the pulsing happens, what causes it and how often it occurs in those scenarios. Until then giving it the "most confusing" award is definitely fair, I'm still pretty confused about the whole situation to be honest! 😅 Must be frustrating as a reviewer because it's not like it's unusable and it does gets great pictures, but it's hard to recommend a lens that has known, unfixable issues with the electronics. Anyway, enough rambling, thanks again for an amazing video! Someone needed to do a lens comparaison on the R7 and who better than you to do it. That RF 100-400 looks so fun to use, and your results with it speak for themselves! And congrats on getting that azure kingfisher! Love watching your vids even just for your process as a wildlife photographer and of course, the fantastic showcase of Australian wildlife. Everytime I watch your vids I get jealous! Cheers from Quebec and merci beaucoup!
Thanks for the support and sharing your experience. Yes, the IQ from the Sigma is pretty incredible for the price and you will get load of good shots as you are. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for all the detailed insight & experiences on that kit, Simon. I have seriously considered that lens & may still go that route. It is good to have a more robust understanding with a greater number of other experiences.
I agree with your statements. Duade was very careful in how he commented on the pulsing issues and, in both his videos and an interchange with me, he confirmed that it seems to happen at close to minimum focusing distance (which seems to be our shared experience), and which is not an issue for me. It is fairly typical of human behaviour and the classic "Chinese Whisper" syndrome that it has been blown up way out of context. Yes, I am sure Sigma and Tamron will come out with RF mount lenses eventually, but in the meantime I have no issue in recommending porting these lenses across for long-medium tele work.
I agree with everything you have said in this reply. All except being young as I am old. haha. It does get heavy though. Just seen Simon d'Entremont on fototripper video about using a strap on the lens. Might give that a go.
Excellent reviews if all these lenses! Your time is much appreciated… I have the rf 600mm & 800mm f/11, rf 100-400mm, and 100-500mm. We got the r7 and my fiancé uses it with the 600 f11 and rf 100-400. I think the 600 f11 is a great combo with the r7. It was not used much until the r7 and it has a little more flexibility in comparison to the 800mm with its focus distance and field of view. She also loves the 100-400mm because it is so light in comparison to my 100-500mm. Thanks again, I will stick with the lenses we have for now, hopefully there is a rf 150-600mm in the near future!
Thanks for sharing your experience Sean, I might pick up the RF600 to test on the R10 as a budget combo. Great to hear all the lenses are working out well for you. Cheers, Duade
Duade; on numerous forums l have posted your videos as guides to help photographers make wise choices on which gear to buy. Of course if it is a R7 forum vs lets say a R5 forum, the price point of equipment shifts. This is another way of saying thank you for these articulate videos reviewing gear and also throwing in some extra photography lessons on the side. Thank you once again.
Amazing video!!! Duade you are the best video content out there for all bird photographers. I wish you’d tried the original 100-400 L, but you did so many others . Thanks man
You have excelled in this video. Your enthusiasm for photography really shines. Thank you for all the hard work that must go into making these videos. I love your Azure Kingfisher shots.
Excellent video. In some ways, its hard to choose because the images you show are so awesome with all the lenses you shoot. But the data you show and makes it much better. That cormorant photo is very awesome! I think the broader public would appreciate a photo like as well as birders but for "serious birders only" I think the ability to ID the birds would be difficult. But more people (including me) can appreciate the "artistic" composition of that photo. Very nice job. This is a long video so I'm going to have to come back and watch the rest because there is so much great content in here! My favorite line you say (and you have said it in other videos) is "I'm never going to sell this "lease/camera"". Its resonates very much with me - even if it's not the '"best" it you have a "history" with it that you are not willing to let go. Love it!
What absolutely perfect timing! I reserved my R7 today and am trying to narrow down my choices of lenses. Typing this before I start the video and I was leaning towards the EF400 5.6 and the RF 100-400 f8
Azure kingfisher story and photos were absolutely amazing! Seems like you really like the RF100-400 with the 1.4X. I have the EF400 5.6, and I think I will replace it with the RF100-400. Reasons: It's even lighter (this is an issue for me), and it has a better minimum focus distance. Everyone's use case is different, and I often have birds land close to me that I just can't capture or will scare off if I try to reposition. I also want to take pictures of insects, lizards, and flowers too while I'm out and I think the flexibility of that zoom is going to be just perfect. Next question for me is should I also get that extender... Great video as usual Duade. You really outdid yourself on this one after that 800MM F11 review which was your best done video imo.
Thanks for the comment and congrats on the R7, you will love that with the RF100-400, you will get so many wonderful photos. Good luck with it once it arrives. Cheers, Duade
Wow a very comprehensive video! Duade i'm so happy for you that you got to spend some good time with the Azure unlike your previous fleeting moment with the bird. That shot with the ef 100-400mm was my favourite, partly because i'm a sucker for detail but I do like the water as the background. I'm not currently interested in Canon gear but as always the video was still a great watch and I learnt lots. Amazing how slow shutter speed you could go on the f8 400mm and how light the 100-500mm is compared to my Sony, I think f7.1 and 500mm is a small sacrifice to save that much size and weight, especially when that lens is slightly sharper than the Sony.
Thanks Kurtis, yes it was a great session with the Azure that is for sure. I don't think there is one perfect lens out there and we always need to make compromises. I would like to have both the Sony 200-600 and the Canon 100-500 as they are both wonderful lenses with slightly different use cases. Cheers, Duade
Again, thank you for another impressive video. You doing the testing and comparison work really helps us "bird photographers" make informed decisions. I really appreciate all the hard work you do.
Epic shot of the kingfisher! Really like the cormorant shots too. Interesting about the slow shutter speeds, I’ve also been able to use 1/50th with stabilised zoom lens, the issue is more about the bird moving or twitching. I am still in the DSLR world so I can’t comment on the lenses except to say that if the Sigma 150-600 had the AF issues sorted it would be epic. Really appreciate the effort in this video, thank you. BTW Yea Wetlands is a good spot for Azure kingfisher :).
Thanks Lachlan, I will be sure to take my gear when I travel to Melbourne for work, I do drive past the Yea wetlands so will check it out. Are you in Yea or travel up from Melbourne? Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I’m in Melbourne so drive up every now and then. It is also usually good for rufous Whistler and Crested-shrike tit too. Never seen my nemesis pink robin though :). It’s an easy walk around. Hope you have a successful time there, Lachlan.
@@lachlangraham1062 Thanks for that, I often work around Lilydale area so I drive through Yea a bit. Yes, the Pink Robin is tough to find that is for sure. Cheers, Duade
What a superb video, so much well presented information with examples of your excellent shots to illustrate the capabilities. I still have my Canon 400 f5.6 and will never sell it, in good light it is sharper than my 500mm f4L USM ii and is much lighter and easier to use, especially for flight shots.
Awesome video Duade. Good to see you finally capture the Azure kingfisher. Through your huge efforts people will have a comprehensive lens guide for the R7 for years to come.
As always another great video. My efforts to finally get some decent images took me from an APC cropped sensor to a full frame sensor. I started with an M-50 and an EF100-400 II. I got a few decent shots but mostly struggled with focusing and my keeper rate was low (a combination my skill and the camera but I blamed the camera). So I upgraded to an R5 with the RF 100-500 as a result of finding and watching all your videos. I immediately missed that cropped sensor and it's extra reach. I was still too green to fully grasp the difference between a cropped and full frame sensor on reach, so next picked up the RF 800, which as you say, in the right situation is incredible and in other situations a bit frustrating (but I still use it all the time and really like it in some situations). I did break down and purchase a used EF 500 F4 II and use it with a 1.4 TC all the time with a mono pod and mono gimble (which I love love love) between that and the 1-500 I feel like I have the focal range covered but hate switching lenses in the field. The R7 APC coupled with the 1 to 500 is awful tempting and I keep toying with having an R7 as a second body in my back pack. I can walk all day with the 500 and the F4 1.4 with a nice padded shoulder strap I around my neck with the mono gimble and an ultra light mono pod with a nice wrapped top section to act as handle to share the load, which fits me like a glove and allows me to act almost as fast as hand holding with nearly as much flexibility. I could see also having that R7 and the 1-500 on a cotton carrier or a back pack to cover all situations I encounter. I mostly just walk around and try to find subjects. I don't do set ups I'm more of a hiker so the ability to act quickly is a big plus for me as things tend to show up unexpectedly. On another note ... I just noticed that there is a #duadepaton on IG. Is this a good place for your students (as I consider myself ;) )to post their progress there are some nice images up there already ???
Thanks Dan, congrats on all the gear, sounds like you are well and truly sorted, I too have the 500 f4 and it works very well on the R5 with the 1.4. I agree that it is a bit of a pain changing lenses in the field. The R7 100-500 is another option for sure, you might find the R7 a little frustrating compared to the R5 in terms of AF and noise performance but the extra reach is nice and it is a light small body. I am no longer active on IG unfortunately, I may need to look at that in the future. I would love to see your shots though so feel free to email me direct at duade.paton@gmail.com. Cheers, Duade
Epic video, indeed! Can totally appreciate the all the time and tinkering and editing that went into this and it's why I wanted to take the minute to say THANK YOU. (Long time listener, first time caller.) As someone that's considering making the jump to mirrorless with the R7, it was really informative to see it at work with native and adapted lenses at long focal lengths and challenging autofocus circumstances. Some great shots along the way that you would never know were not from a full frame body. And glad you got rewarded with the Azure Kingfisher for your efforts!
fonthiller, thank you so much for taking the time to comment and I appreciate the feedback, good luck on your choice and with your photography. Cheers, Duade
Hey Duade, great resource for anyone entering the world of bird photography. Until a few months ago I was using my old EF100-400 L original (mk1) on the Canon R6 which gave some great images but the lens was overall very slow and the focal length and the sensor on the R6 just did not allow for any cropping at all. I went for the RF100-500 and now I don't think I will need to worry about gear for a while. Thanks for the great images and info.
Hi Duade. Thanks so much for this video - and the epic amount of work you've put in to it. I'm lucky enough to have the R5 and RF 100-500 along with the RF 1.4 extender, but have been thinking very hard about the R7 and RF 100-400 combo as a travel set up for a trip to Australia we've got planned for early 2023. I think watching your video has just cost me a few $ 🙂 (Well UK £ in my case). Thanks again, your videos are just the best for a bird photographer using Canon kit, and of course your Australian birds and countryside are always stunning.
Thanks John, I'm glad you enjoyed it, the R7 RF100-400 sure is a light kit and a pleasure to use. You will find the R7 is not as good as the R5 in low light AF etc but in good light the R7 performs well. We usually get plenty of that down here. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Thanks for the extra comments Duade, much appreciated. And you finally managed to get the Azure Kingfisher while putting in the hours for the video, brilliant. One for next years desktop calendar maybe?
@@johnclark9499 Thanks John, yes I will be sure to have it for next year. I made it an emoji also just write king between two : so : king : without the spaces 🙂
@@Duade HI Duade. Looking forward to seeing next years calendar. RF100-400 on order now, should arrive tomorrow . £669 is about the best UK price at the moment which is around 1150 $Aus I think. Not sure how that compares. As for the R7, might be a bit of a wait, in short supply in the UK. I think you said you were going to do a full R7 video review at some point? Look forward to it. After a suitable rest from your six lens review of course!! John
@@johnclark9499 Thanks John, yes, it is around $1100 AUD here at the moment so that price looks right. Sorry to hear about the R7 supply issue, I believe loads of people in the UK are waiting patiently. Yes, that was some review, I will look at the R7 review in the next month of two. I think people are getting a little R7 burnout :-)
Really outstanding video, I had no idea the 1.4x was viable on the rf 100-400. I think I'll be picking that up after seeing how well it did for you. I have the RF 100-400 and the RF 800 with the R6 and I've been very happy with that lens combo so far. This video is going to be super helpful for a lot of people! I also had no idea not all 400mm lenses looked the same at 400! Very interesting.
They should be similar at infinity but the closer you get to a subject the focal length changes and primes appear to hold their focal length much better than zooms. Good luck with the 1.4, it does work well when you have the light. Thanks for the support, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade My local hardware pusher tells med, that you can't use 1.4 converters on the RF 100-400. Any idea why they are saying that?. Thanks for your fantastics youtube channel - very inspiring for a newbee like me. I have an R10 thought, maybe that is the problem?
Another great review Duade, I have an R6 with both the 100-500 & the 800F11and I was possibly the first person on the Sunshine Coast to get the R7. I have taken some outstanding photos on the R7 with these lenses. However the R6 auto focus is faster and more consistent when using this lenses, particullaly the 800mm. I don't think the R7 is bad, it is just the R6 is extremely good. I bought the R7 for the extra reach and 32.5 megapixel censor and it has certainly delivered on these features. I can crop further and I have gotten photos I would not have with the R6. I think it is worth pointing out to anyone looking at the R7 with any of these lenses, that the final image quality depends a lot on the software you edit the files with. For me DXO pure raw gives me a much sharper images with better detail and Noise reduction compared to Lightroom. Mind you, I use DXO in combination with Lightroom and Photoshop because I love a lot of the features only available in those programs. I think my next lens will be either the EF 400mm F4 or EF 500mm F4. It will have to be second hand or I might end up divorced. I am thinking the bigger aperture would really help the R7 auto focus, have you used either of these lenses with the R7?
Congrats Nicolaas on the gear and lenses, nice to hear your experience re the focusing of the R6/R7. I do have the 500 f4 but I have not tested it properly on the R7 yet. I look forward to having a session with that combo. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade this is video I have been waiting for, your work is very much appreciated 👍 I own a 400mm 5.6 Canon and a 300mm f4 is as well as a 1.4 teleconverter just need the R7 now!
Thanks Duade! I had the sigma 150-600 and it was awesome to shoot before the R7. I noticed for me if it's a perch bird hardly moving the sigma is ok. But any bird in flight, motion is pulse really hard. So if anyone is shooting that's probably when you notice it. I swapped to the RF 100-500 I thought the f 7.1 aperture was an issue but no it's so smooth. Recommend people check with the major camera stores like b and h etc for financing the lens. For me shots at 7.1 and ISO 12800 still useable using dxo pure raw it's amazing coming from a Canon 200D. Love the cromat and kingfisher shots, stunning especially silhouettes. Thank you again for the awesome vid.
A lot of work went into this video Duade, thank you. For me the 100-500 and the 800mm have been a fantastic combo for wildlife. I usually have the 100-500mm on the R5 and the 800mm on the R, I anticipate in the very near future of switching the R for the R7 and I expect that I will only see an improvement in my keepers with this combo.
Thanks Autie, yes, that is a great combo and the R7 AF would be an improvement on the R. I wonder what the R2 might look like if rumours are to be believed. Cheers, Duade
Fantastic video, as usual :) I'm using the R5 + Sigma 150-600, and even in low light, I usually manage to get a few ringers, from any encounter, that puts the bird close enough, with decent lighting angles. The AF definitely misses plenty of them too :( Here shortly, I plan to rent several items > The R7, the RF 100-500mm, an RF 1.4 TC and an RF 2.0 TC, so that I can test several different combos myself. If I buy nothing else, I think I will at least need to pick up the R7, as it would be a bit crazy to do 4000 or 5000 mile birding road trips (which I'm planning next Spring) without a back up camera. Thanks again for the awesome video :)
Thanks mate, the R5 is a beautiful camera and the Sigma when it hits is hard to beat, if you shoot in bursts it is pretty reliable to get some great keepers. Good luck with the testing, Cheers, DUade
So much detailed and useful info about the lenses on the R7 (and in general). Your time and attention to detail are really appreciated and to top it off you looked like you enjoyed the process and captured heaps of wonderful shots of the birdlife. I have an EF100-400 and am contemplating the R7 so your reviews are fueling that decision. When they initially drained the lake (I live locally) the waterbirds had a feeding frenzy in all the shallow backwaters and I managed to get some great shots also. Congratulations on capturing your nemesis bird. There is a place not far from that location where I have regularly seen both the Azure and Sacred Kingfishers.
Thanks for sharing Chris, great to hear we live close by to one another. I would be happy to catch up for a cuppa next time I am up there, feel free to email me at duade.paton@gmail.com Cheers, Duade
Great video Duade! So comprehensive. I am using the R5 with 100-400 ii and 1.4x iii. I too get about a 50% keeper rate at 1/100s. I was hoping for a little better, but for the price secondhand I have been very happy with the quality and bokeh of this lens!
Excellent video, we have the R6 and R7 and we find the RF 100-500 our go to lens and absolutely love it, keep the fantastic videos coming here in the UK I am learning so much from them. Thank you Kevin
Great video, I really appreciate the amount of effort you put in to testing all these lenses and all the gear. You also have a great gift of presenting the information. So much so that it's hard to believe this video is nearly an hour long, it feels much shorter. Thank you for such amazing content. I also love the editing style you use, your pictures really pop without looking fake/over-edited, it's really great. Maybe consider doing a couple of videos on how you would edit pictures or ask your subs for some pictures and do a 'how I'd edit your pics' video, that would be pretty cool to watch :) Just an idea. After watching this I think i'll save up and get the RF 100-500 for my R6 and maybe the RF1.4x extender, might be a few months - a year before I buy it but you convinced me that it's worth it. Thank you.
Thanks Alan, yes, it took awhile to put this one together but a great resource for those looking for real world performance. Good luck saving for the lens. Yes, an editing video might be needed in the future. Cheers, Duade
Fantastic work, Duade! I enjoyed this entire video. I have the RF 100-400, RF 100-500, and the RF 800 f/11 and I like all of them. For me, the 800 is best for reach. The 100-500 is best all around, and the 100-400 is best for close or semi-macro shots, I love it for butterflies this time of year in the southeastern United States. Thanks for a great video!
Thanks for sharing your experience Phil, much appreciated. I have had the same experience. I have just spotted our first butterflies for this spring which is great. Cheers, Duade
Just 3 days back got my R7 with the RF 100-400 first of all to photograph butterflies which is one of my favourite themes ;) along with birds, of course ) Nice to hear the positive feedback of using it for the same purpose. Coming from 80D + EF 100-400 II. It's still so amazing to see the combo R7 + RF 100-400 weighs almost half kg less than the EF 100-400 II alone! ))) So light and versatile combo! Just enjoying a lot :)
I was really hoping for a Tamron 150-600 G2 review. I use it with my R7 and I haven't noticed any AF pulsing that Sigma has, so it might be a really good alternative.
I'd be curious too. I've heard of Tamron users reporting the same issue but I haven't seen video proof/comparaisons of it. I keep in mind that a lot of sigma users on EOS Rs report not having the pulsing issue but I'm pretty sure they just have never noticed it because it's definitely universal, but happens rarely at (mostly) random so it's easy to overlook it unless you know it exists.
Sorry, I no longer have access to the lens, maybe message Wild Alaska or watch his videos, he did use the Tamron on the R7. Cheers, Duade ruclips.net/video/XnvuGbBKqNU/видео.html
Fantastic video, not long at all and very interesting. Just having to wait ( can’t believe it ) for canon to get deliveries to the UK. Got the rf 100-400 and rf 800 on my RP, but longing for the R7 to try these on.
Incredible video! I bought the Rf100-500 this week. I love the minimum focus distance on it. I was able to shoot dragonflies with no issues. Where did you get your lens wrap?
Thanks for the support and great to hear you are enjoying your RF100-500. You can get the 3m Lens Cover online, I got mine from China via aliexpress but there maybe issues shipping to the US and other countries as some have had issues. It is also like a puzzle and takes at least 3+ hours to put on. I got mine here which took ages to arrive. www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002941757172.html but another option is here alphagvrd.com/products/canon-rf-100-500mm-f4-5-7-1-l-is-usm-lens-skin Cheers, Duade
Wow, what an amount of work you have put into this one. Thank you very much! It's by far the most comprehensive and useful lens/camera review I've seen, let alone targeted to bird photography. I have two of the presented lenses, the RF 800 and my old EF 100-400 IS II. Both work very well as walk-around lenses for me, one for good light and weather, birds small / far away situations, and the other one for low light, better bokeh, birds in flight as well as butterflies, flowers and insects. Overall I'm very happy, and together with the R5 I feel being far away from the point of mastering the abilities of my gear anyway, so buying more glass would be certainly a waste of money at this point. (But I should definitely give the 1.4x teleconverter on the 100-400 another chance.)
Thanks Christian, I appreciate the feedback, you have a wonderful combo with the R5 and those lenses, a lens for any situation. Have fun with your birding, Cheers, Duade
Absolutely one of your best videos. I've looking for this kind of in depth review by an expert like yo and you nailed it. Gotta start saving my money to afford the R7 and my lens(es)!
For beginners I recommend you visit a zoo if you struggle to find wildlife. Great way to learn the camera setup. Its like speedrunning the learning process. Only if you tolerate other people though.
Loving the video. Looks like you used the Sigma info card on the RF800 and the spelling of Brown Falcon RF800 shot. Appreciate all the videos and thank you for sharing so much of your research
Thanks for that, funny how I miss those things even though I watched it a few times, unfortunately I cannot update the video once posted which is a bummer. Cheers, Duade
Duade, Thanks for taking the time to Create Awesome content, also being a straight shoot with how to get your shots, Behind the scene, set ups or just walking around looking for birds. If giving the choice of a 1DX mark ii or a R7 which would you choose if you found one for under $2000? I currently own the R6 and I’m looking for a second body that can do birds and also everything else
Hi Nehemiah, thanks for the feedback, wow that is such a hard one to answer. The 1dx2 is a beast of a camera but will be similar to the R6 in terms of IQ and reach etc. It will have superior build quality, battery and is a pro level body. It is also much bigger and heavier than the r6/r7 and you cannot use RF lenses on it and it does not have the eye tracking of the R6 and R7. I guess the question is what do you want from the second body? If you want a light kit say paired with the RF100-400 that can do macro style stuff and wildlife then it is hard to go past the R7. But if you want a workhorse of a camera that is very similar to your R6 then the 1dx2 has an advantage. Cheers, Duade
I just have to say it once more. Your videos are simply the best in the whole bird photography world!
So much attention to detail, wonderfully structured, great pictures and so on.
Greetings from Switzerland
Thanks Patrick, you are too kind and thank you for the feedback, I really do appreciate it. Cheers, Duade
I like Duade Paton's videos too. However also Jan Wegener is great (must be an Australian factor)! 🤣
In German I really like Fabian Fopp and Chris Kaula (just check them out @Patrick Lüscher)! 😉
@@MusikPiratCH I couldn't agree more! I even know Fabian Fopp personally. He lives around the corner from me. 😉
I would say ONE of the best.
@@patrickluescher Oh, then you are the "Patrick" Fabian mentioned in his Sigma 150-600 Contemporary Review? 🤔
Great video mate worth all the effort. 100-500 is an amazing lens and way underrated
Ha ha! Not by us it isn't (fancy meeting you here... just joking! If it wasn't for you I hadn't found Duades channel.)
It's so lightweight and sharp. Super happy with it so far.
Thanks mate, it is a wonderful lens to be sure, Cheers, Duade
I like it that you let your wife know you're still alive! My father never did that. Over time my mother of course learned not to worry too much, but I know she wold have appreciated any sign of life.
Thanks Lau, yes, I always update her just so she doesn't worry, we do have tracking now via phones but still nice to touch base. Cheers, Duade
Just know your work is appreciated Duade. Lots of hours testing, filming and editing is beyond a full time job, so thanks for putting the effort into such a high quality production with relevant info and first hand experiences.
Cheers
Dylan
Thanks Dylan, I really appreciate the support, Cheers, Duade
That's the point it is a full-time (paying) job. RUclips is a money making way of utilizing your passions.
Duade, you have been a pleasant addition to my RUclips channel subscriptions. I really love the content you've produced and appreciate the hard work you've put into the videos you create. This will be a great resource for many people out there with a camera that is sure to be extremely popular with the enthusiast bird/wildlife community.
Kevin, thank you so much for your support I really do appreciate it and it helps me to continue with this long form content. I hope it is valuable to those looking for a wildlife lens in the future. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade, what a thorough and comprehensive overview of lens choices across good range of budgets for the R7. The amount of work you've put into this video is impressive, and shows a real dedication and love for both your bird photography and the community as a whole. I get the distinct feeling you enjoyed yourself in doing so too! Thanks for all your efforts, excellent example images, really well presented information and great production value. I've said so before, but will say again, your videos are always a highlight.
Thanks James, I appreciate the support and yes I really did enjoy myself out and about testing the lenses. Have fun out there, Cheers, Duade
Ahhh! The good old EF 400 f/5.6. I was thinking the same thing. I ain't going to sell mine. NEVER! Nice video Duade!
Thanks Abel, it is such a solid lens, they really made a winner with that one, crazy to think how old it is but so sharp. Cheers, Duade
That cormorant sunset was beautiful
Thank you, yes, I was happy with how that turned out. Cheers, Duade 👍
I am a hobbyist photographer for about 12 years. Recently I started to become interested in wildlife photography. Your honest reviews and great tips are really helpful for getting started in this field. Thanks a lot!
Thanks for sharing!
The shot of the little black cormorants with the sunset reflection was just great. What a cool unique shot
Thanks James, yes, I was very happy with how that came out, Cheers, Duade
The cormorant shots were the "picks of the litter" for me. On the first, all subjects sharp showing profiles, the reflection and tones....elegant. I suggest putting that on the print list. :) The single cormorant was also quite nice. Also, I can see why you wanted that beautiful Kingfisher. Great shots. Your native birds are an embarrassment of riches.
Thanks for the feedback, yes, I was happy with how that turned out for sure. Yes, we sure are. Cheers, Duade
Duade that silhouette pic of the cormorants is phenomenal 🔥🔥🔥😍
Thanks Ivan, I appreciate the feedback, Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duane, your videos are wonderfully detailed and helpful. Your clear explanations are easy to follow and keep me watching til the end. It’s also great to watch an Australian working in Australian conditions.
Thanks Cheryl, I really appreciate the support and glad to hear you enjoyed the video, Cheers, Duade
Love the Cormorants photo! Color is amazing.
Thanks Louisa, I liked them too, Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade. Your relaxed presentation style is great, your reviews spot on 👍.
Thanks Hedley, I really do appreciate the support, Cheers, Duade
Duade: “It’s taken me 11yrs to get this shot… Let’s test this stabilization.” Legendary stuff, best video yet. I agree w/ everything on the 800, only lens I have experience with out of those covered-sharp, no CA, and reach makes it a real experience…but… that AF has me reaching for the focus ring a lot. I can only assume this is in part bc canons focus wide open and wide open on this is only f11
Thanks for your feedback, yes you are right re the 800 and focus, I am probably expecting a bit much given its f/11 and its price. Cheers, Duade
Duade, you are so down to earth, I really appreciate the time you put into this to benefit us all!! I look forward to your amazing work!! Just awesome! Thank you!!
It is my pleasure, thanks for taking the time to comment. Cheers, Duade
The cormorants…Oh my what a stunning image…makes my heart smile !
Great detailed review Duade. Best birder nreview for R7 to date.That Black & Gold commorant shot is the gold standard. What a shot that is. Nemesis bird Azure Kingfisher is awesome too. Worth my one hour watching this. Thank you again. If you ever come to Borneo island…let me know..
Thanks Gary, I appreciate the feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed the shots. Would love to travel to Borneo one day. Cheers, Duade
I love that you show the raw and final files!
Finally! I was waiting for this video because I knew you were going to try the R7 with the 400mm F5.6 and I wanted to see how they both performed together before purchasing the camera. I already liked the video and I’ll watch it carefully later!
Your reviews are really useful, for real. Thanks a lot.
Thanks Fernando, glad to help and I hope you enjoy the 400 5.6 content, plenty of great shots. Cheers, Duade
Great video as always! Thanks for confirming my thoughts on the r7 and 100-400. Saving up slowly but surely!
Thanks, good luck saving, Cheers, Duade
The R7 and ef 100-400 mkll does it for me. After many decades in photography I can honestly say the R7 is an incredible camera, when shooting swallows and swifts against a clear background the focus point locks on instantly and sticks, incredible modern technology. Anybody who thinks it's slow should have a go at an older camera just to prove a point, having said that the mind boggles at what the future holds.
Thanks, great to hear you are enjoying the R7, yes we have come a long way in terms of AF that is for sure, Cheers, Duade
100-400 MKII is good for dragonflies as it focuses pretty close too giving native 0.3x mag 60cm from lens at 400mm although the RF 100-400 manages 0.4x
I have some issues focusing on a distant flying bird against the sky. I use the R7 and one ot these lenses: RF 100-500mm or RF 800 f11 or Tamron 150-600 G2. What are your settings, please, in order to achieve focus? My lens starts a focus hunting, goes beyond the bird who gets into focus for a split second, the camera does not identify the bird as a subject and the focus hunting continues. Is there a magic combination of setting like: subject detection, eye detection, focus area, tracking? Thank you.
Love the cormorant shot Duade - simple, but beautiful mate.
Thanks David, yes, I was happy with how they came out, makes me want to explore more creative shots going forward. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Definitely a good idea. It's a simple style of imagery, but beautiful imho. I'm pretty sure Artie Morris has incorporated similar styles of shots in his portfolio of images over the years.
55 minutes? Wow! I just know alot of work and editing went into this one! Loving my r7 so far. Thank you for the testings and keep up the amazing work!
Thanks Anwar, yes, it was a marathon but hopefully a good resource for those looking for lenses for the R7/R10. Cheers, Duade
Great work, thank you
Great video Duade. Very interesting to watch, even for me, as a Nikon shooter. I think Canon shooters will be very happy with all your efforts to help choose the right lens for them.
Thanks Iris, I am glad you enjoyed the video, Cheers, Duade
Thank you Duade, lots of legwork here but it is appreciated. My R7 will be arriving today and plan on pairing it with my 100-400II.
Congrats on the R7 Terry, have fun, Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Cheers Duade. Started out with success and modified an old 50D grip to fit my hand. Really like the camera results.
Hey Duade ! The efforts you put into your videos reflect through your photos. Keep up the good work !
Thanks Siraj, it is my pleasure, Cheers, Duade
I am not a wildlife photographer but I have learned so much about photography, setting up, how improve the image and photography equipment. Thank you Duade. You are an excellent instructor and I like your authentic style!
It is my pleasure Cindy, thank you so much for the support and glad to hear the channel is helping, Cheers, Duade
E1
Great video Duade! So you asked us to comment on the lenses. Well, I have the R7 and an R6. I started with the R7 and the RF800mm f11. I like the bigger AF area that the crop body provides but I found the lens to be too long at 1280mm FOV for birds in flight. I also found that I would have atmospheric issues every so often due to the length. I had wanted to upgrade to the Canon RF 100-500mm and was going to pull the trigger on a Canon Refurbished one at $2609 US but they ran out of stock. I finally got my sanity back and decided to look for a good used 100-400MK2. I was lucky in that I found a pristine one for $1,450. I had watched Jan's comparison with that lens and the RF100-500 as well as Gordon Laing where they both said that except for reach the image quality was pretty much the same. I haven't looked back. The 100-400mk2 stays on the R7. It is still an amazing lens. I think the RF100-500 would have been my lens choice if I had an R5 or R3 as I would need the reach. With the 1.6x crop body on the R7 I'm shooting at 640mm FOV at f5.6 and with the 1.4xIII extender I'm at 896mm at f8. Early mornings and late evenings I run without the extender and as the light gets better I throw it on. Although, in the end, I think I get better quality without the 1.4xIII and just cropping the difference in during post. So for $2,950 for the kit, in my opinion, it's a good way to go. I took the money saved from not buying the RF100-500 and put away to save for a 600mm f4 version II. One day I will probably still get a full frame R5 II or a used R5 when the R5II comes out and sell the R6. But for now, I'm loving the kit. One last thing. I borrowed a friends RF600mm f11 and used it for a few hours. While the RF800 f11 feels too long for birds in flight, the RF600 f11 was just right.
Thanks Rey, I appreciate your feedback and congrats on the 100-400, it is a wonderful lens and when picked up at that price it is hard to beat. I think ill pick up the RF600 and give it a go. Cheers, Duade
simply best EFFORT bring the best VIDEO!! thanks duade
Thanks Adhi, it is my pleasure, Cheers, DUade
Thanks for your great and helpful teaching.
You are very welcome, thank you so much for the support. Cheers, Duade
The Azure kingfisher story is brilliant. Great to share the moments of you getting some half decent shots of something that has been nemesis! Really appreciated the shared information about the lenses and the take homes from using them in the field etc. Great information for those who might be looking for it - I may come back to this one day when I need to switch across to something other than what I’ve got now . . . . I do go for stiller subjects - like the bush . . . . . Still good and helpful information. Keep up the great work with videos - as you are able. Love seeing them.
Thanks for your nice comment Denise, I appreciate the feedback, Cheers, Duade
Amazing video with so much details, pics and information. Great work and thanks for all the effort to create this. The cormorants silhouette pic was beautiful and would enjoy more of the same 👍.
Thanks Vinayak, yes they really were a highlight, Cheers, Duade
Ripper video Duade, thank you for putting in so much effort. 👌
It is my pleasure Graeme, Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade, I have a question for you that you may think a bit silly. Already owning the rf 100-500mm and the rf800mm, what would your preference to use be without taking cost into account.
Would you go for a 1.4 teleconverter or would you prefer to use the r7 with these lenses ?
The R7 gives a little more reach but would it be sharper than using a 1.4 teleconverter? Hope this question makes sense.
@@graemeraymond2939 Hi Grame, I would use the R5 and crop to be honest, The R5 sensor, AF etc are far superior. Cheers, Duade
Thankyou for all your efforts.
Epic vid and a huge congrats on your kingfisher shots they are primo.
Thanks mate, yes, I was very happy with the haul. Cheers, Duade
I love that photo of the cormorants on that log!
Thanks Michael, yes, I was stoked to get that one, Cheers, Duade
Great video, Duade. My opinion on the cormorant silhouette shot: fantastic! I purchased an RF100-500 (and 1.4x Extender) earlier this year to go with my R6. I then picked up the R7 on release day and agree that they are an unbeatable pair for birding. I am a beginner when it comes to shooting wildlife of any kind, so having IBIS & IS is no doubt helping me a lot! Your videos have helped me a LOT in my birding and gear selection journeys! I will say that I'm quite jealous of the colorful bird species you feature in your journeys. Just amazing!
I'm forever grateful and appreciative of your expertise and candor in your videos!
Terry in Wisconsin, USA.
Thanks for the feedback Terry, I appreciate it, glad to hear the Canon RF mount is working well for you, I agree the RF100-500 is a superb lens. Cheers, Duade
That was an epic video Duade! Thanks. It’s always good to know that the kit you already have is the best 😁😁😁😁
Thanks Julian, yes 100%, Cheers, Duade
Another excellent video Duade! Even though I have no plans to convert to mirrorless cameras I still enjoy your videos for the great quality and amount of information you put into each one. Anyone who has made the leap to mirrorless needs to watch and learn from your blogs.
Since doubtful I'll ever make it Australia I can enjoy a small piece of it from your outing.
Thanks Guy, I appreciate the comment and glad to hear you are enjoying the content. Cheers, Duade
Great comparison video about the available lens options for the r7. I own the ef 400 f5.6 the sigma 150-600 f6.3 C. and the rf 100-500 f4.5-7.1 and I absolutely agree with everything you said about these lenses. I am using the r7 with the rf 100-500 almost all the time for about two months now and I don't think I'll ever go back to the other lense mentioned above. Cheers from Canada.
Thanks for sharing Laszlo, great to hear from those with the lenses long term. Cheers, Duade
An Epic video as you rightly said. Been waiting for this for a while. But as they say, good things comes to those who wait. Extremely helpful video to decide which lens to choose for the R7. Some fantastic images you took.
Thanks! Appreciate all your videos and all your efforts.
Thanks for all the support Amit, I really do appreciate it, I am glad it was worth the wait. Cheers, Duade
Love this comparison and love your videos where you show your raw product and your crop.
Superb video, Duade, and so helpful to many people, including myself. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this.
Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate it, Cheers, Duade
Your channel is getting to be one of the best on youtube!!! Thank you, agree, we have both the 100-500 and the 100-400 f 8 (my wife’s). They are great!!
Great to hear Ray, glad to hear you are enjoying the lenses, Cheers, Duade
Great job on the comparisons! Happy with my upgrade from 400mm f5.6 + 1.4 iii to RF100-500. Keep it up!
Congrats on the RF100-500, a wonderful lens, Cheers, Duade
28:07 Oooh, so this was the lens you captured this photo with as well. My absolute favorite photo (that I know of, so far)! 👏You do realize you have to make an emoji of that one, of course? Nothing else will do...
Oh yes, that would make a good emoji. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Well done, Sir! Here they come, in a cute and crowd-pleasing parade:
@@Hummingbirder1 Looking good, Cheers, Duade
Excellent review. I'm still waiting for my R7 to arrive and have just got a used ef 100-400mm mk2 with a 1.4x.
Been testing on my Canon R and I'm very impressed with how sharp it is.
Great to hear Jon, it is a wonderful lens, Cheers, Duade
Wonderful video and beautiful images - as far a keeper rates I think these are all pretty good lenses as long as I get 1 or 2 great images I am happy! I have the rf 800 and the rf 100 - 500 and I have them on my R7 and R5 respectively! The images I get are amazing and I only shoot jpeg. Thank you for taking time to do this video - you are definitely one of my top 3 wildlife photographers whom I enjoy watching. Take care and be safe out there....
Thanks Frederick, I appreciate the feedback, congrats on the gear and great to hear you are having fun, Cheers, Duade
Epic is the word Duade. Congrats on such a comprehensive review. Learned a lot. It deserves millions of views. As a 400 f5.6 user, it was valuable. Pity about the R7s video IS though.
Thanks mate, yes, that 400 5.6 is a gem, its strange because the 300 f4 was also a great lens. If Canon released these in RF they would be amazing, unfortunately I cannot see it happening as they seem to be going with slower zooms these days. Yeah, not sure what is happening with the video IBIS, no doubt you would have far more success with your experience but I struggled. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Those are some really great suggestions for glass Duade. I just hope Canon are paying attention. I could imagine they would be super compact and light too. I'm aiming to use the R7 for my stock footage work and was hoping the video would be more stable. Thanks for testing that out too!
Really enjoy all your videos. I don't shoot Canon but still learn a ton watching your approach to bird photography and the gear to goes with it.
Thanks Dalin, I appreciate the support, Cheers, Duade
Thanks for a great review. I have three of the lenses so found it particularly interesting. Like you I’d find it difficult to part with the F/5.6 400mm, and agree with you on the Sigma and the RF 100 - 500. Time for my Sigma to go I think as I rarely use it now except sometimes for some moon photography using the x1.4 converter.
I’d been thinking that the video must have taken an age to produce! Respect.
Thanks for the feedback and sharing your experience, always nice to hear from others with the lenses. Cheers, Duade
Really helpful Duade, you have helped me make up my mind, R5 & RF 100-55MM here I come! Looking forward to the next video :)
Good luck with it when it arrives, Cheers, Duade
Thank you for all your effort and an amazing video!
Still quite happy with my R7 and Sigma 150-600 combo. I'm very satisfied with the keeper rate and image quality I get and the pulsing issue has been very rare for me. I kinda wish there was a way to know how to isolate the specific conditions that cause the pulsing to happen in a replicable manner. It looks to me like the pulsing is a very specific behavior and it doesn't relate to how a worse lens normally hunts. It really feels like the lens "bugs out", even though Sigma says it can't be fixed with firmware.
It does happen so rarely (to me it seems, hence why it doesn't really bother me) that I can't quite say exactly in what situations it happens and it feels a bit random. For me the few times I definitely noticed it, it seemed to always happen really close to the minimum focus distance (2.8 to around 5-6m) on a busy background. Last time it happened for me I was photographing a butterfly up close in full sunlight on tall grass, so even low light might not be what's causing it. I've gone ahead and put a focus limiter at 6m on one of the custom modes and I haven't had it happen so far with it, but I need to test more. But I really don't think I've ever noticed it past a certain distance, and the vast majority of the time the AF behaves exactly like it should to my eyes. Some regular hunting like you showed with the 800 in your vid, but nothing crazy. I'm definitely one of those that upped their keeper rate with this lens on the R7, the animal eye AF has been game changing!
I thought of switching to an RF 800 after learning about this compatibility issue, but after using it, it really isn't enough of an issue for me to switch. The versatility of the Sigma (aperture, MFD, zoom) far outweighs the few rare times I've had pulsing. I don't think I've ever missed a shot when it happened too, always got a keeper in the burst. The thing that convinced me is: if it only happens to me below 6m, why switch to a lens that can't even focus at all below that? It's one way for me to put it in perspective and realize how much it's not that big of a deal. I just work with the focus limiter, and turn it off when I do need to get closer being aware there might be pulsing. And spot focus is also much easier to use at those distances anyway, which solves the problem of pulsing when you encounter it. If it pulsed all the time or at the distances I usually shoot at then it'd probably be a deal breaker. But until I personally get frustrated by missing shots because of it I can't part with my trusty sigma, I enjoy it too much!
Outside of the pulsing which seems to be very specific, maybe it does regular hunting a bit more than the Canons, and they perform better in that regard but the 800 f11 doesn't look like it has that much better AF in most conditions, it also has its shortcomings on the R7. Like you said, I can wait for Sigma to release it on RF even if it takes a few years, I'm in no hurry.
I'm aware that I might be biased and not spoiled enough by the performance of the new RF lenses. I'm sure that even if the particular issue of pulsing was fixed, the RF 100-500 would still outperform the sigma by a good margin in AF like it does now. Still there's just no way for me to justify selling mine and paying over 3x the price for the 100-500 even if I could afford it, my keeper rate is already more than satisfactory to me and I doubt I would pump out 3x more pictures with it, or enjoy shooting with it 3x more. I'm young, in good shape (and not rich! lol) so I don't mind the weight of the sigma at all though, for other people the weight advantage alone could justify the price if you simply can't carry a Sigma or if it makes your shooting experience less enjoyable.
I will say, your initial video on the combo has been making a lot of discussion on forums/FB groups/subreddits! Lots of people are now saying to avoid the lens completely or avoid the R7 if using the lens, saying it's not compatible at all with any RF cameras. This is obviously a bit of an exaggeration and misquote of your vid, which pointed out the issues very fairly. And some people are still reporting zero pulsing issues with their R5/6/7 and the Sigma, which I'm almost certain is just because those people have never noticed it. Being a rare and fairly random occurrence I can totally see why some people might have never noticed the issue was even present. To me that says about how it's not really that big of a deal.
All in all, while I can only vouch for my experience which has been great, I'm still not sure I'd be confident in recommending it for others until we know more about when the pulsing happens, what causes it and how often it occurs in those scenarios. Until then giving it the "most confusing" award is definitely fair, I'm still pretty confused about the whole situation to be honest! 😅 Must be frustrating as a reviewer because it's not like it's unusable and it does gets great pictures, but it's hard to recommend a lens that has known, unfixable issues with the electronics.
Anyway, enough rambling, thanks again for an amazing video! Someone needed to do a lens comparaison on the R7 and who better than you to do it. That RF 100-400 looks so fun to use, and your results with it speak for themselves! And congrats on getting that azure kingfisher! Love watching your vids even just for your process as a wildlife photographer and of course, the fantastic showcase of Australian wildlife. Everytime I watch your vids I get jealous! Cheers from Quebec and merci beaucoup!
Thanks for the support and sharing your experience. Yes, the IQ from the Sigma is pretty incredible for the price and you will get load of good shots as you are. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for all the detailed insight & experiences on that kit, Simon. I have seriously considered that lens & may still go that route. It is good to have a more robust understanding with a greater number of other experiences.
I agree with your statements. Duade was very careful in how he commented on the pulsing issues and, in both his videos and an interchange with me, he confirmed that it seems to happen at close to minimum focusing distance (which seems to be our shared experience), and which is not an issue for me. It is fairly typical of human behaviour and the classic "Chinese Whisper" syndrome that it has been blown up way out of context. Yes, I am sure Sigma and Tamron will come out with RF mount lenses eventually, but in the meantime I have no issue in recommending porting these lenses across for long-medium tele work.
In my experience, if you can get Eye AF to activate, it pulses and hunts a bit less.
I agree with everything you have said in this reply. All except being young as I am old. haha. It does get heavy though. Just seen Simon d'Entremont on fototripper video about using a strap on the lens. Might give that a go.
That was a mega review Duade. Thank you so much. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thanks for the support mate and thanks for the donation, I appreciate it. Cheers, Duade
Excellent reviews if all these lenses! Your time is much appreciated… I have the rf 600mm & 800mm f/11, rf 100-400mm, and 100-500mm. We got the r7 and my fiancé uses it with the 600 f11 and rf 100-400. I think the 600 f11 is a great combo with the r7. It was not used much until the r7 and it has a little more flexibility in comparison to the 800mm with its focus distance and field of view. She also loves the 100-400mm because it is so light in comparison to my 100-500mm. Thanks again, I will stick with the lenses we have for now, hopefully there is a rf 150-600mm in the near future!
Thanks for sharing your experience Sean, I might pick up the RF600 to test on the R10 as a budget combo. Great to hear all the lenses are working out well for you. Cheers, Duade
Duade; on numerous forums l have posted your videos as guides to help photographers make wise choices on which gear to buy. Of course if it is a R7 forum vs lets say a R5 forum, the price point of equipment shifts. This is another way of saying thank you for these articulate videos reviewing gear and also throwing in some extra photography lessons on the side. Thank you once again.
Jeff, thank you so much for the support, I really do appreciate it. I do hope people get benefit from the videos. Cheers. Duade
Amazing video!!! Duade you are the best video content out there for all bird photographers. I wish you’d tried the original 100-400 L, but you did so many others . Thanks man
Thanks for the kind comment, I have not tried the 100-400L unfortunately, Cheers,Duade
You have excelled in this video. Your enthusiasm for photography really shines. Thank you for all the hard work that must go into making these videos. I love your Azure Kingfisher shots.
Thanks John, yes, it was a long video to put together but a lot of fun and hopefully helpful for people in the future. Cheers, Duade
Excellent video. In some ways, its hard to choose because the images you show are so awesome with all the lenses you shoot. But the data you show and makes it much better. That cormorant photo is very awesome! I think the broader public would appreciate a photo like as well as birders but for "serious birders only" I think the ability to ID the birds would be difficult. But more people (including me) can appreciate the "artistic" composition of that photo. Very nice job. This is a long video so I'm going to have to come back and watch the rest because there is so much great content in here! My favorite line you say (and you have said it in other videos) is "I'm never going to sell this "lease/camera"". Its resonates very much with me - even if it's not the '"best" it you have a "history" with it that you are not willing to let go. Love it!
Thanks for the feedback, yes I agree with what you have said. Yep, the EF400 5.6 will be with me forever. So much history. Cheers, Duade
Some truly beautiful photographs scattered throughout this video, along with some very valuable info too :) - thankyou
Thanks, you are too kind, I was happy to capture those images that is for sure. Cheers, Duade 👍
What absolutely perfect timing! I reserved my R7 today and am trying to narrow down my choices of lenses. Typing this before I start the video and I was leaning towards the EF400 5.6 and the RF 100-400 f8
Azure kingfisher story and photos were absolutely amazing! Seems like you really like the RF100-400 with the 1.4X. I have the EF400 5.6, and I think I will replace it with the RF100-400. Reasons: It's even lighter (this is an issue for me), and it has a better minimum focus distance. Everyone's use case is different, and I often have birds land close to me that I just can't capture or will scare off if I try to reposition. I also want to take pictures of insects, lizards, and flowers too while I'm out and I think the flexibility of that zoom is going to be just perfect. Next question for me is should I also get that extender...
Great video as usual Duade. You really outdid yourself on this one after that 800MM F11 review which was your best done video imo.
Thanks for the comment and congrats on the R7, you will love that with the RF100-400, you will get so many wonderful photos. Good luck with it once it arrives. Cheers, Duade
Thanks! This would help me decide what I actually need for pursuing my Wildlife photography passion.
That is great to hear Mohd, so happy to hear it was helpful, Cheers, Duade
Wow a very comprehensive video! Duade i'm so happy for you that you got to spend some good time with the Azure unlike your previous fleeting moment with the bird. That shot with the ef 100-400mm was my favourite, partly because i'm a sucker for detail but I do like the water as the background.
I'm not currently interested in Canon gear but as always the video was still a great watch and I learnt lots. Amazing how slow shutter speed you could go on the f8 400mm and how light the 100-500mm is compared to my Sony, I think f7.1 and 500mm is a small sacrifice to save that much size and weight, especially when that lens is slightly sharper than the Sony.
Thanks Kurtis, yes it was a great session with the Azure that is for sure. I don't think there is one perfect lens out there and we always need to make compromises. I would like to have both the Sony 200-600 and the Canon 100-500 as they are both wonderful lenses with slightly different use cases. Cheers, Duade
Again, thank you for another impressive video. You doing the testing and comparison work really helps us "bird photographers" make informed decisions. I really appreciate all the hard work you do.
Thanks Bruce, I appreciate the support. Cheers, Duade 👍
Epic shot of the kingfisher! Really like the cormorant shots too. Interesting about the slow shutter speeds, I’ve also been able to use 1/50th with stabilised zoom lens, the issue is more about the bird moving or twitching. I am still in the DSLR world so I can’t comment on the lenses except to say that if the Sigma 150-600 had the AF issues sorted it would be epic. Really appreciate the effort in this video, thank you. BTW Yea Wetlands is a good spot for Azure kingfisher :).
Thanks Lachlan, I will be sure to take my gear when I travel to Melbourne for work, I do drive past the Yea wetlands so will check it out. Are you in Yea or travel up from Melbourne? Cheers, Duade
@@Duade I’m in Melbourne so drive up every now and then. It is also usually good for rufous Whistler and Crested-shrike tit too. Never seen my nemesis pink robin though :). It’s an easy walk around. Hope you have a successful time there, Lachlan.
@@lachlangraham1062 Thanks for that, I often work around Lilydale area so I drive through Yea a bit. Yes, the Pink Robin is tough to find that is for sure. Cheers, Duade
Honestly THE best channel I’ve found for in depth reviews! Thank you for everything you do
What a superb video, so much well presented information with examples of your excellent shots to illustrate the capabilities. I still have my Canon 400 f5.6 and will never sell it, in good light it is sharper than my 500mm f4L USM ii and is much lighter and easier to use, especially for flight shots.
Thanks Stephen, it really is a remarkable lens for its age and price. I would love an RF version but cannot see that happening. Cheers, Duade
Awesome video Duade. Good to see you finally capture the Azure kingfisher.
Through your huge efforts people will have a comprehensive lens guide for the R7 for years to come.
Thanks Michael, I am happy that it will be a good resource going forward. Cheers, Duade
As always another great video. My efforts to finally get some decent images took me from an APC cropped sensor to a full frame sensor. I started with an M-50 and an EF100-400 II. I got a few decent shots but mostly struggled with focusing and my keeper rate was low (a combination my skill and the camera but I blamed the camera). So I upgraded to an R5 with the RF 100-500 as a result of finding and watching all your videos. I immediately missed that cropped sensor and it's extra reach. I was still too green to fully grasp the difference between a cropped and full frame sensor on reach, so next picked up the RF 800, which as you say, in the right situation is incredible and in other situations a bit frustrating (but I still use it all the time and really like it in some situations). I did break down and purchase a used EF 500 F4 II and use it with a 1.4 TC all the time with a mono pod and mono gimble (which I love love love) between that and the 1-500 I feel like I have the focal range covered but hate switching lenses in the field. The R7 APC coupled with the 1 to 500 is awful tempting and I keep toying with having an R7 as a second body in my back pack. I can walk all day with the 500 and the F4 1.4 with a nice padded shoulder strap I around my neck with the mono gimble and an ultra light mono pod with a nice wrapped top section to act as handle to share the load, which fits me like a glove and allows me to act almost as fast as hand holding with nearly as much flexibility. I could see also having that R7 and the 1-500 on a cotton carrier or a back pack to cover all situations I encounter. I mostly just walk around and try to find subjects. I don't do set ups I'm more of a hiker so the ability to act quickly is a big plus for me as things tend to show up unexpectedly. On another note ... I just noticed that there is a #duadepaton on IG. Is this a good place for your students (as I consider myself ;) )to post their progress there are some nice images up there already ???
Thanks Dan, congrats on all the gear, sounds like you are well and truly sorted, I too have the 500 f4 and it works very well on the R5 with the 1.4. I agree that it is a bit of a pain changing lenses in the field. The R7 100-500 is another option for sure, you might find the R7 a little frustrating compared to the R5 in terms of AF and noise performance but the extra reach is nice and it is a light small body. I am no longer active on IG unfortunately, I may need to look at that in the future. I would love to see your shots though so feel free to email me direct at duade.paton@gmail.com. Cheers, Duade
Epic video, indeed! Can totally appreciate the all the time and tinkering and editing that went into this and it's why I wanted to take the minute to say THANK YOU. (Long time listener, first time caller.) As someone that's considering making the jump to mirrorless with the R7, it was really informative to see it at work with native and adapted lenses at long focal lengths and challenging autofocus circumstances. Some great shots along the way that you would never know were not from a full frame body. And glad you got rewarded with the Azure Kingfisher for your efforts!
fonthiller, thank you so much for taking the time to comment and I appreciate the feedback, good luck on your choice and with your photography. Cheers, Duade
Hey Duade, great resource for anyone entering the world of bird photography. Until a few months ago I was using my old EF100-400 L original (mk1) on the Canon R6 which gave some great images but the lens was overall very slow and the focal length and the sensor on the R6 just did not allow for any cropping at all. I went for the RF100-500 and now I don't think I will need to worry about gear for a while. Thanks for the great images and info.
Thanks for your support and sharing your experience, congrats on the RF100-500, a great lens for sure, Cheers, Duade
Very good comparison. Thank you Duade!
It is my pleasure, Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade. Thanks so much for this video - and the epic amount of work you've put in to it. I'm lucky enough to have the R5 and RF 100-500 along with the RF 1.4 extender, but have been thinking very hard about the R7 and RF 100-400 combo as a travel set up for a trip to Australia we've got planned for early 2023. I think watching your video has just cost me a few $ 🙂 (Well UK £ in my case). Thanks again, your videos are just the best for a bird photographer using Canon kit, and of course your Australian birds and countryside are always stunning.
Thanks John, I'm glad you enjoyed it, the R7 RF100-400 sure is a light kit and a pleasure to use. You will find the R7 is not as good as the R5 in low light AF etc but in good light the R7 performs well. We usually get plenty of that down here. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Thanks for the extra comments Duade, much appreciated. And you finally managed to get the Azure Kingfisher while putting in the hours for the video, brilliant. One for next years desktop calendar maybe?
@@johnclark9499 Thanks John, yes I will be sure to have it for next year. I made it an emoji also just write king between two : so : king : without the spaces 🙂
@@Duade HI Duade. Looking forward to seeing next years calendar. RF100-400 on order now, should arrive tomorrow . £669 is about the best UK price at the moment which is around 1150 $Aus I think. Not sure how that compares. As for the R7, might be a bit of a wait, in short supply in the UK. I think you said you were going to do a full R7 video review at some point? Look forward to it. After a suitable rest from your six lens review of course!! John
@@johnclark9499 Thanks John, yes, it is around $1100 AUD here at the moment so that price looks right. Sorry to hear about the R7 supply issue, I believe loads of people in the UK are waiting patiently. Yes, that was some review, I will look at the R7 review in the next month of two. I think people are getting a little R7 burnout :-)
You do some very beautiful work. Both the cormorant shots were excellent!
Thanks Ted, Cheers, Duade
Really outstanding video, I had no idea the 1.4x was viable on the rf 100-400. I think I'll be picking that up after seeing how well it did for you. I have the RF 100-400 and the RF 800 with the R6 and I've been very happy with that lens combo so far. This video is going to be super helpful for a lot of people! I also had no idea not all 400mm lenses looked the same at 400! Very interesting.
Now I just need to find a kingfisher to photograph! 😁
They should be similar at infinity but the closer you get to a subject the focal length changes and primes appear to hold their focal length much better than zooms. Good luck with the 1.4, it does work well when you have the light. Thanks for the support, Cheers, Duade
It only took me 11 years lol
@@Duade My local hardware pusher tells med, that you can't use 1.4 converters on the RF 100-400. Any idea why they are saying that?. Thanks for your fantastics youtube channel - very inspiring for a newbee like me. I have an R10 thought, maybe that is the problem?
@@jrgenschmidt3372 also the 400 5.6 I tried one and it stopped the auto focus completely. No idea how Duade is getting it working.
Another great and informative video, Duade.🙂👍
Thanks Ruairi, I appreciate the support, Cheers, Duade
Another great review Duade, I have an R6 with both the 100-500 & the 800F11and I was possibly the first person on the Sunshine Coast to get the R7. I have taken some outstanding photos on the R7 with these lenses. However the R6 auto focus is faster and more consistent when using this lenses, particullaly the 800mm. I don't think the R7 is bad, it is just the R6 is extremely good. I bought the R7 for the extra reach and 32.5 megapixel censor and it has certainly delivered on these features. I can crop further and I have gotten photos I would not have with the R6. I think it is worth pointing out to anyone looking at the R7 with any of these lenses, that the final image quality depends a lot on the software you edit the files with. For me DXO pure raw gives me a much sharper images with better detail and Noise reduction compared to Lightroom. Mind you, I use DXO in combination with Lightroom and Photoshop because I love a lot of the features only available in those programs. I think my next lens will be either the EF 400mm F4 or EF 500mm F4. It will have to be second hand or I might end up divorced. I am thinking the bigger aperture would really help the R7 auto focus, have you used either of these lenses with the R7?
Congrats Nicolaas on the gear and lenses, nice to hear your experience re the focusing of the R6/R7. I do have the 500 f4 but I have not tested it properly on the R7 yet. I look forward to having a session with that combo. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade this is video I have been waiting for, your work is very much appreciated 👍
I own a 400mm 5.6 Canon and a 300mm f4 is as well as a 1.4 teleconverter just need the R7 now!
Thanks Paul, good luck getting the R7, it will work well on those lenses. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade! I had the sigma 150-600 and it was awesome to shoot before the R7. I noticed for me if it's a perch bird hardly moving the sigma is ok. But any bird in flight, motion is pulse really hard. So if anyone is shooting that's probably when you notice it. I swapped to the RF 100-500 I thought the f 7.1 aperture was an issue but no it's so smooth. Recommend people check with the major camera stores like b and h etc for financing the lens. For me shots at 7.1 and ISO 12800 still useable using dxo pure raw it's amazing coming from a Canon 200D. Love the cromat and kingfisher shots, stunning especially silhouettes. Thank you again for the awesome vid.
Thanks for sharing your experience Angel, glad to hear you are enjoying the RF100-500, lets hope Sigma get an RF version out soon. Cheers, Duade
Great video! I’m glad you finally got the Azure Kingfisher. Beautiful shots.
Thanks Rod, yes, I was very happy to finally get that species, Cheers, Duade
A lot of work went into this video Duade, thank you. For me the 100-500 and the 800mm have been a fantastic combo for wildlife. I usually have the 100-500mm on the R5 and the 800mm on the R, I anticipate in the very near future of switching the R for the R7 and I expect that I will only see an improvement in my keepers with this combo.
Thanks Autie, yes, that is a great combo and the R7 AF would be an improvement on the R. I wonder what the R2 might look like if rumours are to be believed. Cheers, Duade
Thanks Duade great video, most informative and enjoyable ,well done on the Kingfisher, best wishes from South Africa.
Thanks Dave, yes, I was happy to finally nail that bird, Cheers, Duade
Fantastic video, as usual :) I'm using the R5 + Sigma 150-600, and even in low light, I usually manage to get a few ringers, from any encounter, that puts the bird close enough, with decent lighting angles. The AF definitely misses plenty of them too :( Here shortly, I plan to rent several items > The R7, the RF 100-500mm, an RF 1.4 TC and an RF 2.0 TC, so that I can test several different combos myself. If I buy nothing else, I think I will at least need to pick up the R7, as it would be a bit crazy to do 4000 or 5000 mile birding road trips (which I'm planning next Spring) without a back up camera. Thanks again for the awesome video :)
Thanks mate, the R5 is a beautiful camera and the Sigma when it hits is hard to beat, if you shoot in bursts it is pretty reliable to get some great keepers. Good luck with the testing, Cheers, DUade
So much detailed and useful info about the lenses on the R7 (and in general). Your time and attention to detail are really appreciated and to top it off you looked like you enjoyed the process and captured heaps of wonderful shots of the birdlife. I have an EF100-400 and am contemplating the R7 so your reviews are fueling that decision.
When they initially drained the lake (I live locally) the waterbirds had a feeding frenzy in all the shallow backwaters and I managed to get some great shots also. Congratulations on capturing your nemesis bird. There is a place not far from that location where I have regularly seen both the Azure and Sacred Kingfishers.
Thanks for sharing Chris, great to hear we live close by to one another. I would be happy to catch up for a cuppa next time I am up there, feel free to email me at duade.paton@gmail.com Cheers, Duade
Great video Duade! So comprehensive. I am using the R5 with 100-400 ii and 1.4x iii. I too get about a 50% keeper rate at 1/100s. I was hoping for a little better, but for the price secondhand I have been very happy with the quality and bokeh of this lens!
Thanks for sharing Shravan, that is good to know, glad to hear you are enjoying the lens on your R5. Cheers, Duade
Excellent video, we have the R6 and R7 and we find the RF 100-500 our go to lens and absolutely love it, keep the fantastic videos coming here in the UK I am learning so much from them. Thank you Kevin
Great to hear Kevin, glad to hear the lens is working well for you, Cheers, Duade
Great video, I really appreciate the amount of effort you put in to testing all these lenses and all the gear. You also have a great gift of presenting the information. So much so that it's hard to believe this video is nearly an hour long, it feels much shorter. Thank you for such amazing content. I also love the editing style you use, your pictures really pop without looking fake/over-edited, it's really great. Maybe consider doing a couple of videos on how you would edit pictures or ask your subs for some pictures and do a 'how I'd edit your pics' video, that would be pretty cool to watch :) Just an idea.
After watching this I think i'll save up and get the RF 100-500 for my R6 and maybe the RF1.4x extender, might be a few months - a year before I buy it but you convinced me that it's worth it. Thank you.
Thanks Alan, yes, it took awhile to put this one together but a great resource for those looking for real world performance. Good luck saving for the lens. Yes, an editing video might be needed in the future. Cheers, Duade
Fantastic work, Duade! I enjoyed this entire video. I have the RF 100-400, RF 100-500, and the RF 800 f/11 and I like all of them. For me, the 800 is best for reach. The 100-500 is best all around, and the 100-400 is best for close or semi-macro shots, I love it for butterflies this time of year in the southeastern United States. Thanks for a great video!
Thanks for sharing your experience Phil, much appreciated. I have had the same experience. I have just spotted our first butterflies for this spring which is great. Cheers, Duade
Just 3 days back got my R7 with the RF 100-400 first of all to photograph butterflies which is one of my favourite themes ;) along with birds, of course ) Nice to hear the positive feedback of using it for the same purpose. Coming from 80D + EF 100-400 II. It's still so amazing to see the combo R7 + RF 100-400 weighs almost half kg less than the EF 100-400 II alone! ))) So light and versatile combo! Just enjoying a lot :)
I was really hoping for a Tamron 150-600 G2 review. I use it with my R7 and I haven't noticed any AF pulsing that Sigma has, so it might be a really good alternative.
I am following this, because I am sure with the camera , I mean it will be R7 but now I need to do more research on Tamron G2 ..instead of sigma 🙄🙄🙄
Salle issue though
I'd be curious too. I've heard of Tamron users reporting the same issue but I haven't seen video proof/comparaisons of it. I keep in mind that a lot of sigma users on EOS Rs report not having the pulsing issue but I'm pretty sure they just have never noticed it because it's definitely universal, but happens rarely at (mostly) random so it's easy to overlook it unless you know it exists.
Sorry, I no longer have access to the lens, maybe message Wild Alaska or watch his videos, he did use the Tamron on the R7. Cheers, Duade ruclips.net/video/XnvuGbBKqNU/видео.html
Fantastic video, not long at all and very interesting. Just having to wait ( can’t believe it ) for canon to get deliveries to the UK. Got the rf 100-400 and rf 800 on my RP, but longing for the R7 to try these on.
Sorry to hear about the delay in the R7 Harry, that must be very frustrating for sure. Good luck when it arrives. Cheers, Duade
Incredible video! I bought the Rf100-500 this week. I love the minimum focus distance on it. I was able to shoot dragonflies with no issues. Where did you get your lens wrap?
Thanks for the support and great to hear you are enjoying your RF100-500. You can get the 3m Lens Cover online, I got mine from China via aliexpress but there maybe issues shipping to the US and other countries as some have had issues. It is also like a puzzle and takes at least 3+ hours to put on. I got mine here which took ages to arrive. www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002941757172.html but another option is here alphagvrd.com/products/canon-rf-100-500mm-f4-5-7-1-l-is-usm-lens-skin Cheers, Duade
@@Duade thank you!
Thanks, Duade for the great video! You covered pretty much all the important aspects. RUclips gold.
Thanks, I appreciate it, Cheers, Duade
Wow, what an amount of work you have put into this one. Thank you very much! It's by far the most comprehensive and useful lens/camera review I've seen, let alone targeted to bird photography. I have two of the presented lenses, the RF 800 and my old EF 100-400 IS II. Both work very well as walk-around lenses for me, one for good light and weather, birds small / far away situations, and the other one for low light, better bokeh, birds in flight as well as butterflies, flowers and insects. Overall I'm very happy, and together with the R5 I feel being far away from the point of mastering the abilities of my gear anyway, so buying more glass would be certainly a waste of money at this point. (But I should definitely give the 1.4x teleconverter on the 100-400 another chance.)
Thanks Christian, I appreciate the feedback, you have a wonderful combo with the R5 and those lenses, a lens for any situation. Have fun with your birding, Cheers, Duade
Absolutely one of your best videos. I've looking for this kind of in depth review by an expert like yo and you nailed it. Gotta start saving my money to afford the R7 and my lens(es)!
Thanks, you are too kind, not sure I am an expert but I do love taking photos of birds :-) Good luck saving for the gear. Cheers, Duade
For beginners I recommend you visit a zoo if you struggle to find wildlife. Great way to learn the camera setup. Its like speedrunning the learning process. Only if you tolerate other people though.
Some good advice, yes a great way to learn your camera and settings. Cheers, Duade
Loving the video. Looks like you used the Sigma info card on the RF800 and the spelling of Brown Falcon RF800 shot. Appreciate all the videos and thank you for sharing so much of your research
Thanks for that, funny how I miss those things even though I watched it a few times, unfortunately I cannot update the video once posted which is a bummer. Cheers, Duade
Duade, Thanks for taking the time to Create Awesome content, also being a straight shoot with how to get your shots, Behind the scene, set ups or just walking around looking for birds. If giving the choice of a 1DX mark ii or a R7 which would you choose if you found one for under $2000? I currently own the R6 and I’m looking for a second body that can do birds and also everything else
Hi Nehemiah, thanks for the feedback, wow that is such a hard one to answer. The 1dx2 is a beast of a camera but will be similar to the R6 in terms of IQ and reach etc. It will have superior build quality, battery and is a pro level body. It is also much bigger and heavier than the r6/r7 and you cannot use RF lenses on it and it does not have the eye tracking of the R6 and R7.
I guess the question is what do you want from the second body? If you want a light kit say paired with the RF100-400 that can do macro style stuff and wildlife then it is hard to go past the R7. But if you want a workhorse of a camera that is very similar to your R6 then the 1dx2 has an advantage. Cheers, Duade
Oh my god, What a fantastic review.... thank you.....
Thanks Daniel, it is my pleasure, Cheers, DUade