What’s Up?
With help from several blog regulars, especially Ryan Sanderson and Joe Subolefsky, I continue to learn more about my Canon loaner gear, the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens with the Canon Extender RF 1.4x, and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. I had planned on publishing the big comparative blog post on the Canon gear above with the SONY 200-600/a9 ii/1.4X TC, but with the stuff I learned yesterday I need to do additional work on that post. I decided to share some of what I have learned with you here in a blog post that will set the stage for some of the information to be presented in the next blog post.
Below, I evaluate the performance of the R5’s Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF by way of ten images created on my first outing with the Canon loaner gear. Be sure to read down to my somewhat surprising conclusions. Questions and comments are welcome as always. And appreciated.
I dropped Anita North off at the Orlando Airport yesterday before noon for her flight back to Toronto. She hopes to make it to San Diego in January. All in all we had a great time and enjoyed some really good photography.
Most Important
As always, if what you read or learn here inspires or convinces you to purchase an R5 or 6, and/or the RF 100-500 lens, please use my B&H affiliate links or get in touch with Steve Elkins at Bedford to save 3% on your new gear and get it a lot quicker …
DPP4 (Digital Photo Professional 4.13.10 for macOS) Installation Successful! (for the most part …)
Huge thanks to the many who offered suggestions, especially Joel Eade and Patricia Hyde. None of their suggestions worked, but I tried them all and all were appreciated. And then I received an e-mail from (the very accomplished) British Professor, Sir Alan Fersht,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Fersht FRS FMedSci/Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, UK. He wrote:
The Canon Installer doesn’t work on some Macs because it doesn’t let the computer check for malware. The way to do it is to install it on another Mac which is compatible, and then copy the app onto a drive and transfer to your MacBook Pro.
Alternatively, I can upload you my copy to wetransfer.com and you can download it.
Alan
While he was following up on the latter, I tried the former. I downloaded the installer for the Catalina version of DPP4 to my old MacBook Pro (Mojave). That went off without a hitch. Fortunately, there was a copy of an older version of DPP4 on the old laptop. Once I successfully installed DPP4 (Version 4.13.10 for macOS) I tried to AirDrop the entire Canon Utilities folder to my new laptop, but the old laptop could not see my new laptop. So I AirDropped the folder to Anita’s MacBook Pro and she AirDropped it to my new machine.
Problem solved? Not quite yet, but I had hope. Anita successfully guided me through the installation, security settings, and permissions maze, and in short order I had the latest version of DPP 4 up and running on my current MacBook Pro. Hooray. Being able to Show Focus Points had me feeling like the proverbial kid in the candy store. See the R5 Face Detection + Tracking AF feature below to see what I learned. Huge thanks to both Alan and Anita.
I just learned that the installation was not 100% successful as a compatible version of the EOS Lens Registration Tool did not install. None-the-less, I am thrilled to be able to see the RF focus points and AF data.
Please Remember
With income from IPTs approaching zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes can always help out by clicking here if they see fit.
Back in Stock
We now have eighteen of the hugely popular Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro tripod heads in stock. Click on the preceding link to learn more about this amazing head, the ballhead that thinks its a gimbal head and — thanks to the amazing county-balanced spring mechanism — works great with any rig from the longest, heaviest super-telephoto lens to a camera-body-mounted wide angle. The latter is possible because of the bi-directional clamp; it is no longer necessary to travel with a gimbal head for long lens photography and a ballhead for scenic photography. And after just a moment’s adjustment, the double ball enables you to ensure that every image you take is on the level.
Topaz Still on Sale!
Right now Topaz is offering price reductions on the Utility Bundle and the Creator Bundle. The former normally sells for $359.96. It is on sale now for $249.95. Click here, scroll all the way down to the sale, and enter the ARTHUR15 code at checkout to save an additional 15%! The Creator Bundle usually sells for #279.97 and is now on sale for $149.99. Using the ARTHUR15 code at checkout brings the price down to $127.49!
The BAA Used Gear Page
The Used Gear page continues to be red hot! It is BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past ten months at the bottom of the page.
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Great Topaz News!
Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plugins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.
Topaz Stuff
As I said just a while back and have said often many times before, I should have listened sooner. If you, like me, are new to the Topaz party, please use this link to purchase. Right now I can wholeheartedly recommend both Topaz Sharpen AI and Topaz DeNoise AI. Though I have not yet worked with JPEGtoRAW AI or Gigapixel AI, I have installed both of these plug-ins and look forward to trying them on some I-Phone 11 images fairly soon. If you are thinking like me, consider the Utility Bundle that includes all four plug-ins mentioned above at a money-saving price.
Again, those who purchase Sharpen AI or DeNoise AI using my link, can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. I had a bit of trouble getting the two plug-ins installed and having them appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu. In addition, I will explain how to best learn about the two plug-ins by applying them on a Layer (in Photoshop). I amazed myself yesterday by completing this guide in the car on the way to and from Sebastian. Huge thanks to Anita for doing the driving. Please include a copy of your Topaz order when requesting the guide.
New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!
You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.
Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.
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124 sold to rave reviews. The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris |
The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (and Videos)
Click here to purchase the guide with one Camera Set-up Video. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your camera body so that we can send you a link for the correct video.
Click here to purchase the guide with two Camera Set-up Videos. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your two camera bodies so that we can send you links for the correct videos.
Click here to learn more about the SONY e-Guide.
Money Saving Reminder
Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free overnight shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
Puns for the Educated
Thanks to many multiple IPT veteran and dear friend John Dupps for sharing this internet pass-along with me via e-mail. The only one that I’d heard before is the one about the vulture and its carry-on. If you know any others or wish to share your favorite from the list below, please feel free to leave a comment. My favorites are 3, 19, and 25. And 11. And 16. Heck, they are all funny and very clever.
1. The fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: ‘You stay here; I’ll go on a head.’
13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: ‘Keep off the Grass.’
15. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
16. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
17. A backward poet writes inverse.
18. In a democracy it’s your vote that counts. In feudalism it’s your count that votes.
19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you’d be in Seine .
21. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, ‘I’m sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.’
22. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says ‘Dam!’
23. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too.
24. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, ‘I’ve lost my electron.’ The other says ‘Are you sure?’ The first replies, ‘Yes, I’m positive.
25. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
26. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
My Misunderstanding of Focus Breathing
What is Focus Breathing?
From the PhotographyLife.com article here.
Focus breathing is a term that describes the change in focal length that occurs as a result of adjusting the focusing distance of a lens. It is a common issue that occurs on many photographic lenses. As focus is adjusted from close focus to infinity, focus breathing causes noticeable changes in both angle of view and magnification.
These changes are often clearly visible to the photographer during the process of focusing, with different lenses exhibiting varying levels of focal length changes. Focus breathing issues can occur on both prime and zoom lenses.
I e-mailed this to Patrick Sparkman:
The quote below is from the article here.
“(It is) normal is for the composition to change size in the frame (sometimes significantly) as focus is pulled from one extent to the other. This is referred to as focus breathing, a change in focal length resulting from a change in focus distance. Focus breathing negatively impacts photographers intending to use focus stacking techniques, videographers pulling focus, and anyone very-critically framing while adjusting focus. This Canon RF 100-500 shows a moderate amount of focus breathing.”
That totally screws up what I thought was my correct understanding of focus breathing; I though that lenses that change the physical length when zooming did NOT suffer from focus breathing …
Patrick replied:
All lenses have focus breathing to some extent, and zooms generally have more of it. It all depends on what the designers prioritized. Like most things, designing a lens is full of compromises, especially with zoom lenses. Allowing the lens to change length while focusing might help focus breathing, but brings other compromises like mechanical complexity and cost as well the potential for lens elements to move out of alignment while moving. So to say a lens that changes length does not have focus breathing is incorrect. The designer might have made that decision for many reasons and the lens might still have focus breathing.
The Truth About R5 (and R6) Face Detection + Tracking AF (as I see It after my first session)
For as long as anyone has been photographing birds with the Canon R5 and R6, I have been hearing great things about Face Detection + Tracking AF. “It works perfectly every time. It is totally amazing. It never fails; ever!” I thought to myself, All of that would be great if it were true. Finding out how true these statements are is one of the many reasons that I wanted to get to field test an R5, and the main reason I wanted to get DPP4 up and running.
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Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Little Blue Heron in pre-dawn light |
The First Bird …
This is the first bird that I photographed with the R5. Light and contrast were low. When the AF point grabbed the relatively-small-in-the-frame subject’s eye and held onto it, I was very impressed. Could everything I had heard have been true?
Note that in each of today’s images that the red box signifies the AF point or area that was active at the moment of exposure.
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Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Great Egret landing |
The Second Bird
This is the 2nd bird that I photographed with the Canon loaner gear. Image #2 is one of a four keepers from a seven-frame sequence. All of the images suffered from motion blur. Three of the images had the wings clipped. Learn more about this situation in the next blog post. When I saw that the AF point was on the bird’s face or eye in all six frames, I could barely believe it …
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Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #3: Great Egret vertical |
The Same Bird
The bird in Image #3 is the same bird as the bird in Image #2. If you were not impressed by the first two examples, this one should floor you.
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Be sure to click on the image to better see the noise reduction on the water background. Image #3A: Topaz DeNoise AI on Auto on the Great Egret vertical at 100% |
Topaz DeNoise AI on the Great Egret vertical image
I included this here in part to dispel the myth that R5 images are close to being noise free. As expected, you can see what I call “small pixel” noise in the before image on the left. Small pixel noise is a given with high megapixel cameras like the R5 (45 MP). Then note how beautifully Topaz DeNoise AI completely removed the noise from the blue water background and sharpened the image non-destructively as well.
Note also in the 100% view that Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF performed absolutely perfectly in a somewhat difficult situation. This image shows face detection at its best.
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Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #4: Two Dunlin resting |
The First Chink in the Armor?
Here is was using Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF but the system inexplicably could not pick up the birds eye. The AF system reverted to a large box. The image is very sharp on the eye. Do understand that for this AF mode to perform perfectly, the operator needs to keep the AF point right on the eye while recomposing. At times with the R5, the AF point slips off the eye and reverts to one of several larger squares or rectangles.
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Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #5: Two Dunlin resting |
Nineteen Seconds Later …
Nineteen seconds later, with the same two resting birds, the same photographer, and the same AF settings, Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF performed perfectly. Note: the bird’s face in Image #4 was more square to the sensor than the bird’s face in Image #5. This should have made it easier for the AF system to “see” the eye. But it did not.
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1-point/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #6: Dunlin resting |
Frustrated with Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF
At one point, while I was working with the tame dunlin, I became somewhat frustrated with the inability of Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF to see and track the bird’s eye so I switched to 1-point AF. I was easily able to move the AF point but in this case should have moved it farther to the right …
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Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #7: American Oystercatcher standing in surf |
Another Failure
Here, with the eye plainly visible, the system again failed to track the eye properly. As expected, the focus on the eye is a bit off because the fold of the wing is closer to the sensor than the bird’s eye. It is highly likely that Topaz Sharpen AI could save this one.
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Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #8: American Oystercatcher striding in surf |
Back to Perfection
Six seconds later, with the bird now in motion, the AF system properly tracked the eye and rendered it perfectly sharp with the nice crispy eye skin that I love.
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Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #9: Red Knot in surf |
More of the Same
With this image, the system failed to recognize and track the subject’s eye, despite the fact that it was in plain sight. IAC, the bird’s eye is perfectly sharp because the knot’s face was on the same plane as its eye. In the next frame, the AF system tracked perfectly with a tiny box right on the subject’s eye just as in Images #5 and 7.
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Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #10: Willet landing |
Total Failure
Here, Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF failed completely; sharpest focus is on the leading edge of the inner portion of the bird’s right wing. I am pretty sure that the a9 ii in Center Zone AF-C would have nailed this one.
R5 (and R6) Face Detection + Tracking AF; the Somewhat Surprising (?) Conclusions
First off, realize that the images in this blog post were all created in a single (not very good) session at Fort DeSoto. That session was my first with the R5/RF 100-500/RF 1.4X Extender. I would fully expect that with more time in the field with this rig (an with possibly a few tweaks in the settings) that I will do better with Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF. In addition, I had very few opportunities to photograph birds in flight.
That said, I can state with confidence, that Face Detection + Tracking AF with the R5 is the best eye-tracking system I have ever run across. When it worked — which it did much but not all of the time — it performed superbly. Is it as perfect as enthusiastic folks have been saying? Absolutely not. But after decades of not having a camera that could consistently focus on birds in flight, I can understand their excitement.
SONY Face/Eye Priority by as compared to Face Detection + Tracking AF with the R5 is simply not very good. Here is what Patrick and I had to say about it in the Sony Camera User’s e-Guide:
When using any Tracking AF Area, we recommend that you set Face/Eye AF Set > Face/Eye Priority in AF to Off and that Subject Detection is set to Human. With a7 series bodies, if you have Subject Detection set to Animal Eye you will not be able to choose or use any Tracking Flexible Spot even if Face/Eye AF Set > Face/Eye Priority in AF is set to Off. With the a9 series bodies, if you have Face/Eye AF Set > Face/Eye Priority in AF set to On and Subject Detection set to Animal, Flexible Tracking Spot AF will often become quite erratic.
Right now I plan to continue to field test the Canon gear and am excited about doing so. I would think that at this point, the chances of my switching back to Canon completely are still less than 1%. But the chances of my purchasing a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens/Canon Extender RF 1.4x/Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body outfit have risen to about 51%. If I do buy this Canon rig, I will definitely be doing an R5/R6 guide.
If you are interested in an R5, an R6, and RF lens, or the EOS R adapters (that are needed to link your EOS R series bodies to your EF lenses), you will want to check out the Canon Comeback Fueled By Mirrorless Bodies & Lenses. The skinny on everything that you wanted to know about Canon Mirrorless but were afraid to ask … blog post (and especially the Comments) here.
If you’ve read this far, be sure to stay tuned for the big blog post comparing the Canon gear above to the SONY 200-600G/a9ii rig. It is coming soon.
Shame on SONY
Shame on SONY for not enabling users to show focus points or even determine the AF Area Mode after the fact. This has been and continues to be a glaring problem that prevents folks from learning the SONY AF system. I have written them several times over the past year but my pleas to rectify this situation have fallen on deaf ears.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
