EOS R TECH THREAD- Its time for others who will jump into canon Mirrorless bodies

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18987636
Have you actually tried using intelligent tracking on a human in action like sports? The R still doesn't have it, sorry, so I still have to use single point and controlled focus. The R is NOT a 5D4 replacement, thus it will not work with serious sports shooters.

Again, I am not getting into a BBF methodology discussion here. Neither camp is going to convince the other....

I don’t really use the R for sports or fast action, doesn’t seem all that appropriate..... the tracking is good enough that it renders BBAF useless. I’ll use AF-off in the rare occasion the AF has trouble figuring out the subject. If I’ve got an intelligent AF system, there is little need for BBAF, tools evolve. There is very little case to be made for BBAF when using intelligent tracking systems.

Your other option is to fight the system instead of adapting to its advantages, and using the horribly placed AF-on button.

Chocolate and vanilla guys. We have both flavors, and nobody's making anybody else eat what they don't like.

Charlie wrote in post #18987644
I don’t really use the R for sports or fast action, doesn’t seem all that appropriate..... the tracking is good enough that it renders BBAF useless. I’ll use AF-off in the rare occasion the AF has trouble figuring out the subject. If I’ve got an intelligent AF system, there is little need for BBAF, tools evolve. There is very little case to be made for BBAF when using intelligent tracking systems.

Your other option is to fight the system instead of adapting to its advantages, and using the horribly placed AF-on button.

Yawn.

Again while I have mixed systems for what I shoot, I will configure them and use them identically. The R is a backup, and I want it to act as close to my primary as I can, and knowing its deficiencies, how I have it set up now works. There is no fighting the system, I will configure the R to work quite well with what I shoot. I will even take it with me during the pending rugby season and knock off some action with it as a backup. If I can get action on the M50, I am quite certain the R will do even better, but eye AF won't even be an option I consider, or zone AF, neither will work.

I will try again during a game, but in testing thus far, it is too erratic and loses track of objects far too often.

Here is a Canon request for the future...

Give us the ability to "macro" the buttons. I want to program a button to change a few things in sequence. This way I can hit a button and immediately change up the AF mode, system, etc, and then another button to go to a different set of values. I could try to use the custom modes, but I think just having a button that could chain together a few setting changes would be better and could work in conjunction with the custom modes.

Also allow any button to do any function and not have the restrictions by button. Just like I can add any function or feature to My Menu, I should be able to map any button to any of those as well, and not be a restrictive set designed by Canon.

RDKirk wrote in post #18987509
Stop using it.

Move focus back to the shutter release and stop doing focus/recompose entirely.

New dog does new tricks.

This is in fact the first EOS Camera since my 10D and 1D where I do use the shutter button for AF,. but I have different needs for different situations, and have the AF On button/standard "BBF" set up under one of the custom shooting modes. I will continue to use BBF with the EOS R for those situations that call for it.

Like Teamspeed, I have my reasons.

One of them is I shoot multiple bodies, all the time, and right now, 4 out of 6 of them are EOS DSLR set to BBF. And these are my money making work tools. That the R will behave like these daily shooters is a HUGE PLUS! A Strong selling point for me.

So anytime I pick up the R, I am going to expect it to work the way I shoot, and not vice versa.

If the EOS-R did not allow me to that, if it did not have the vast majority of the Canon settings I am used to, if it was all new and tried to impose a totally different set of ergonomics and controls, it too would be relegated to the unused/sold/scrapheap of bodies I have abandoned, like the Nikon 1V, Fuji XT1, and heck the SL1 and other "rebels" have been.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18987824
This is in fact the first EOS Camera since my 10D and 1D where I do use the shutter button for AF,. but I have different needs for different situations, and have the AF On button/standard "BBF" set up under one of the custom shooting modes. I will continue to use BBF with the EOS R for those situations that call for it.

Like Teamspeed, I have my reasons.

One of them is I shoot multiple bodies, all the time, and right now, 4 out of 6 of them are EOS DSLR set to BBF. And these are my money making work tools. That the R will behave like these daily shooters is a HUGE PLUS! A Strong selling point for me.

So anytime I pick up the R, I am going to expect it to work the way I shoot, and not vice versa.

If the EOS-R did not allow me to that, if it did not have the vast majority of the Canon settings I am used to, if it was all new and tried to impose a totally different set of ergonomics and controls, it too would be relegated to the unused/sold/scrapheap of bodies I have abandoned, like the Nikon 1V, Fuji XT1, and heck the SL1 and other "rebels" have been.

none of your DSLR's behave like the R though, it's a bit counterproductive to make the R behave like DSLR's, considering how well eye detect and tracking work.

I'm sure you will change your view the more you use it. As time goes on, tracking is only going to get better, less confused, less of a reason to BBAF. Think of WHY we use BBAF in the first place... wanting focus to stay put, remain on subject, doesnt trip up when obstacles are introduced...... if tracking is intelligent enough to figure all of that out, pausing the AF is less necessary.

Not every shot is about the eyes.... The R is even less capable tracking an object, I have tried it often over my holiday break. The next R version might change all this, time will tell.

Charlie wrote in post #18987855
none of your DSLR's behave like the R though, it's a bit counterproductive to make the R behave like DSLR's, considering how well eye detect and tracking work.

I'm sure you will change your view the more you use it. As time goes on, tracking is only going to get better, less confused, less of a reason to BBAF. Think of WHY we use BBAF in the first place... wanting focus to stay put, remain on subject, doesnt trip up when obstacles are introduced...... if tracking is intelligent enough to figure all of that out, pausing the AF is less necessary.

This post is only serving to clarify your ignorance of the many different ways that OTHER people may be using their own EOS R. As I have said multiple times, there are times that I do prefer to use the R without BBF, but there are times that this is not the case. They don't involve subject tracking or eyes. (I hope that statement doesn't offend you, it is not meant to I assure you. However if it does, you might want to spend less time instructing others how they should do things when you know so little about what it is they are trying to do.)

A really cool thing I learned here on the forum is using the touch screen to change the focus point while shooting using the EVF. That's another new trick I really like. But it's uses are limited. It would never be the ONLY way I would use the R.

Also, I've had live view and tilty screens before, but I have found the EOS R to have quickly become my favorite for "product" style photography. I'm not pro, but tripod or hand held, using the tilty screen to frame up a stationary subject, without having to bend over etc. it's just so much easier.

Charlie wrote in post #18987644
I don’t really use the R for sports or fast action, doesn’t seem all that appropriate..... the tracking is good enough that it renders BBAF useless. I’ll use AF-off in the rare occasion the AF has trouble figuring out the subject. If I’ve got an intelligent AF system, there is little need for BBAF, tools evolve. There is very little case to be made for BBAF when using intelligent tracking systems.

Your other option is to fight the system instead of adapting to its advantages, and using the horribly placed AF-on button.

But for landscape shooters like me that don't track stuff BBF makes sense. I focus and let go. I don't want it to change focus when I press the shutter.

For band shooting I use BBF because the drummer is almost always in the dark. When he is lit I focus and let go so I don't lose focus under the constantly changing lights, or lack there of.

AF on shutter may be a case for shooting people in good light, but yes, there are cases for BBF as well.

C Scott IV wrote in post #18988033
But for landscape shooters like me that don't track stuff BBF makes sense. I focus and let go. I don't want it to change focus when I press the shutter.

For band shooting I use BBF because the drummer is almost always in the dark. When he is lit I focus and let go so I don't lose focus under the constantly changing lights, or lack there of.

AF on shutter may be a case for shooting people in good light, but yes, there are cases for BBF as well.

But it's not going to "change focus." It's going to focus where you've placed the focus point.

I have particularly changed back to shutter button focus for stage productions specifically so that I can use touch and drag with my right thumb to keep the focus point on the performer I want to focus on in that moment.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18987933
A really cool thing I learned here on the forum is using the touch screen to change the focus point while shooting using the EVF. That's another new trick I really like. But it's uses are limited. It would never be the ONLY way I would use the R.

The option to drag that focus point around while looking through the view finder is why I haven't gone back to the back button focus way of doing things. I can just set that focus point on the thing I want to focus on instead of moving the camera around to get the focus on what I want and then doing the recompose thing. The one downside to the touch screen focus is every now and then I discover the focus point way down in the corner of the frame - oops, didn't mean to do that.

patrick j wrote in post #18988395
The option to drag that focus point around while looking through the view finder is why I haven't gone back to the back button focus way of doing things. I can just set that focus point on the thing I want to focus on instead of moving the camera around to get the focus on what I want and then doing the recompose thing. The one downside to the touch screen focus is every now and then I discover the focus point way down in the corner of the frame - oops, didn't mean to do that.

I am considering changing one of the direction pad arrows to be the drag AF toggle. So I have to hit a button to activate the drag feature, then hit it to lock it into place. I haven't decided if it is worth it yet or not.

patrick j wrote in post #18988395
The option to drag that focus point around while looking through the view finder is why I haven't gone back to the back button focus way of doing things. I can just set that focus point on the thing I want to focus on instead of moving the camera around to get the focus on what I want and then doing the recompose thing. The one downside to the touch screen focus is every now and then I discover the focus point way down in the corner of the frame - oops, didn't mean to do that.

One of the differences between the relative and absolute settings is whether you develop the knack of initially touching where the focus point is or touching where you want the focus point to be.

A future option I'd like to see is a setting where after each shutter release (at least in single-shot mode) the focus point automatically returns to the center or to a designated location.

patrick j wrote in post #18988395
The option to drag that focus point around while looking through the view finder is why I haven't gone back to the back button focus way of doing things. I can just set that focus point on the thing I want to focus on instead of moving the camera around to get the focus on what I want and then doing the recompose thing. The one downside to the touch screen focus is every now and then I discover the focus point way down in the corner of the frame - oops, didn't mean to do that.

Yep ! And press the delete button and it pops right back to the middle.