# R7 is a Game Changer for me



## axtstern (Nov 26, 2022)

Hello again, long time no see


I wanted to share some of my experience with the R7.
However before this I need to reintroduce myself.
Last time I posted here Neuro could still store all his camera bags in one room, Suprapon taught us good behavior and Angkorwat the opposite.
The Queens English is not my native tongue so please forgive me the mistakes I make.

My background: started with a Kiev 80, jumped to Canon with a EOS 100 (non D) and transferred into the digital age with an EOS 30d
A quarter century ago I did Pin-Up pictures as a professional but stopped after the Berlin wall came down.

Why do I mention this? Because understanding my subjective view is easier knowing that Canon taught me to live with humble 18 Megapixel and crop or fullframe is for me not a religion but just a way to separate two different tools.

So back to the R7

The best AF I had experienced before the R7 was the one in my IDX II.
And now? Canon dares to pack something more powerful in the R7

The best focus selecting method since selling my old EOS 5 (non D) was the touchscreen/ viewfinder combination of my EOS M6
Now Canon puts a much more versatile touchscreen/ viewfinder combination and allows me even to choose how much of the screen I want to use

Since throwing away my APS EOS RX I never had a Canon fitting better in my hand than the R7

The R7 has IBIS. Well OK other Canons also have IBIS but.... here is a € 1400 Camera that multiplies suddenly usability of all the old treasures I could not bring myself to sell.
My old 200 L 1.8 has now the support of stabilization. OK the longer the lens the less it benefits from IBIS but with that lens IBIS still rocks.

Some features which I start to love might be only sidekicks to their real purpose but:

Check out the Electronic Shutter/first Curtain setting.
Does what the manual says but perfect side effect for me: the shutter is closed when changing lenses.
If you ever have change lenses on an M, M3 or M6 while in a dusty environment....

Check out the feature it took from the M
"Retract lens when shutting down". I don't think that there are currently many lenses out there which can do this, but this setting results in the camera driving the attached lens into infinity position before shutting off. Has saved me some critical seconds after changing to a longer lens especially with the slower focusing lenses like the 85 L 1.2 or the 400 L 2.8

The biggest change the R/ has brought to me is that I suddenly start to use a complete different set of lenses when going on a trip.

Let’s pack the R7 for a 1 week (cruise) trip.

I use a Tamnrac Expedition 4 or 5 as a backpack. The 5 is a small backpack, The four well lets call it in regards to size “kawai”. The complete equipment mentioned below fits into the 4 but using the 5 is more convenient when accessing the equipment


What do I put in:

Eos R7
Sigma 17- 35 1,8
Sigma 50 -100 1,8

Canon EF 135 2,0 L

Canon EF 300 4,0 L

Canon EF RF Converter

Viltrox EF-R3

Canon 90 EX with RX adapter (only as last resort)

Batteries and Charger



I now have a very small but very heavy backpack which I don’t want to carry to long around. The solution is to make the backpack even more heavy and attach a small Loewwro back to the side of the Tarmac and have the chance to detach this little bag as a travel bag when just a selection of the equipment is needed.



The usual suspects 28-70 2,8 L and 70-200 2,8 L stay for once at home.



The Viltrox EF-R might scare some folks here, but it is cheap, available and it is a charm with the EF 300 4,0L. On the R7 you suddenly have a proper identified F 2.0 Lens with 300 mm range. The total weight of the combo is laughable, the size smaller than a 80d with the 70-200 L and the 2 stabilization systems work well together upgrading the outdated IS of the Lens very well



The Viltrox also works with the 135 L but here the gain in Fstop is not proper displayed





In the past I often left the 17-35 at home and took the 17-50 2.8 from Canon, Because of the reach but more often because of the lack of stabilization. Now? The Canon IBIS seems to be made for 17-35 range. Together with the F 1.8 this lens is a perfect companion for the R7. Little positive side effect: On a mirror slapper the Sigma tended to fog up when moving from airconditioned venues into hot and humid outside. This effect does not kick in with the R7



Now the Sigma 50-100 is a debatable choice because it is heavy like an anvil, eats up a lot of real estate in the Tamrac and seems to suck a lot of juice out of the battery of the R7 when not using one shot but with focal reducer or without IBIS makes this lens much more maneuverable and it is a very versatile portrait lens. Imagine a ball on a cruise ship, A 80-160 equivalent lens with 1.8 or a speed boosted 50-100 1,4 lens combined with the silent shutter of the R7 means neither sound nor the unnecessary flash will give you away. I usually end up as the bane of the onboard paparazzi as my pictures tend to be more natural than theirs.



To get the results I can achieve with the above-mentioned collection I would have had to use a trolly when using my 1Dx II with full frame glass. Don’t get me wrong there is also the respect for the holy trinity in my mind but above collection can be purchased for roughly a third of the money similar full frame performance would cost.





I would love to hear the experience others had with their R7 and if it is a gamechanger for them as well.


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## neuroanatomist (Nov 26, 2022)

No experience with the R7, but welcome back!

May I ask about, “Canon 90 EX with RX adapter (only as last resort),” what is the RX adapter? The 90EX should work directly in the R7 hotshoe, no? I don’t have the 90EX, the flash I use with my M system is a 270EX II, but that mounts directly in the multifunction shoe on my R3, and fires appropriately. If you mean the Canon AD-E1 adapter, that is only required for a weather sealed flash (like the 600EX or EL-1) to have a weather sealed connection to the new cameras.


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## dcm (Nov 26, 2022)

90EX works fine in the R7 hotshoe with no adapter. And the R6 for that matter.


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## AlanF (Nov 26, 2022)

axtstern said:


> Hello again, long time no see
> 
> 
> I wanted to share some of my experience with the R7.
> ...








R7 Discussion


After 1 day, I am beginning to have favourable impressions for bird and nature photography. My problem with new bodies is that I have to wait for DxO PL to be compatible as I really dislike DPP4 and Lightroom in comparison. So, I took both RAW and jpegs and was delighted by the straight out of...




www.canonrumors.com


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## Maximilian (Nov 26, 2022)

axtstern said:


> Hello again, long time no see


Hello @axtstern, and welcome back. 



axtstern said:


> I wanted to share some of my experience with the R7.
> ...
> I would love to hear the experience others had with their R7 and if it is a gamechanger for them as well.


Thanks for sharing that very informative and entertaining impression. 
I'll still with a dinosaur, a FF DSLR, and looking more for a FF R camera.

But I'll keep your information in mind, in case me or a friend is looking for an APS-C R body. 
Thanks a lot.


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## AlanF (Nov 26, 2022)

It wasn't a game changer for me because that came with the R5. You won't reap the most benefits until you go over to the RF lenses although the EF lenses work really well with it.


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## axtstern (Nov 26, 2022)

I should have been more verboose with the 90 EX, the little fellow is so small that it seems to produce more dark than light. However it is capable of being a master flash in Canon's flash environment. So I use it to trigger a canon flash ensemble. Likewise the RX Adapter I talked about is not the an adapter for the 90 EX but a seperate adapter capable of firing the cheap chinese flash heads (R for remote) and also has an old school socket for an X cable to fire older studio equipment via cable.

I sometimes rent a local studio when being on a trip and then this adapter pays of.


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## tron (Dec 12, 2022)

hello @axtstern 

Regarding "Retract lens when shutting down" I have read somewhere in this forum that setting it to on may create problems in time lapses when using RF lenses (even when set to manual focus) if during the interval used camera gets to sleep mode. However, this is the nice thing about this forum: The wealth of information exchanged between members.


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## AJ (Dec 12, 2022)

So you've got an IBIS camera body, an IS lens (the 300 mm) with a third-party speedbooster in between. And still the stabilization system works in concert. That's impressive.


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## koenkooi (Dec 13, 2022)

tron said:


> hello @axtstern
> 
> Regarding "Retract lens when shutting down" I have read somewhere in this forum that setting it to on may create problems in time lapses when using RF lenses (even when set to manual focus) if during the interval used camera gets to sleep mode. However, this is the nice thing about this forum: The wealth of information exchanged between members.


I think, but haven’t tested it myself, that RF lenses always reset focus and aperture when going to sleep. It’s part of the sun protection scheme so you don’t burn a hole in your shutter and sensor.


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## axtstern (Dec 17, 2022)

In the meantime I start to change my opinnion, My argument was that it is nice to know that your lenses are in a defined state when mounting them. But in the meantime that function starts to scare me. The camera will retract any lens I mount, when I mount it. That means also when the camera is off.
When an old Canon 400 2.8 L or the Sigma 70-300 2.8 suddenly make a full focus shift when attaching them to a switched off R7 your heart can miss a beat.


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## tron (Dec 18, 2022)

Ι am not sure they can do that on non-RF lenses. But they cannot doit on EF lenses set on manual for sure so at least astrophotography is easier with EF lenses (at least for me).


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