Canon R7 - better autofocus than 7D MKII or Canon 90?

[davholla]

As in the title is the autofocus noticeably better than those two in real life.
I mainly photograph birds with a Sigma 150-600 mm and an Canon 60 mm (but I might get a Sigma 150mm)
I am thinking of getting it using Canon hire to test it.

 

[West Coast Birder]

Yes. R7 has eye detection. That is a game changer for bird/animal photography.

 

[davholla]

Yes. R7 has eye detection. That is a game changer for bird/animal photography.

Thank you what about for insects?

 

[mike.cambridge]

The R7 AF is fantastic; much better for birds and wildlife than I remember my 7d2 or my daughter's 90D being. I never tried it for insects.

 

[Lester Wareham]

The R7 has fantastic AF compared to my previous 7DII.

I can also recommend pairing with the 100-500 if you are looking for a lens too.

It works well for larger insects too;
insects Demrd Drg A04_10-06-23-0003 by Lester W, on Flickr

A couple of warning points:

1. Mirrorless AF does not play well with some 3rd party lenses. I had to retire my Tamron 150-600, but the replacement 100-500 is an improvement over this.

2. Mirrorless pull in from out of focus can be poor in some circumstances, particularly using subject detect. Using single/fine point AF works better in these cases, else a quick manual adjust. For this reason I have fine point AF setup as a second AF method on a second rear button.

 

[Mk1Racer]

As in the title is the autofocus noticeably better than those two in real life.
I mainly photograph birds with a Sigma 150-600 mm and an Canon 60 mm (but I might get a Sigma 150mm)
I am thinking of getting it using Canon hire to test it.

Not related to your question, but I have a question about your Sigma 150-600. Well, two questions actually. Which version is it, sport or contemporary? Also, I've seen a lot online about how they have significant focus hunting issues on a mirrorless camera. Have you experienced any of that?

 

[Lester Wareham]

Not related to your question, but I have a question about your Sigma 150-600. Well, two questions actually. Which version is it, sport or contemporary? Also, I've seen a lot online about how they have significant focus hunting issues on a mirrorless camera. Have you experienced any of that?

There was a fix by an Australian vllogger, I can't get the link for you as my desktop is offline for a few weeks.

I am sure I posted it somewhere.

 

[davholla]

Not related to your question, but I have a question about your Sigma 150-600. Well, two questions actually. Which version is it, sport or contemporary? Also, I've seen a lot online about how they have significant focus hunting issues on a mirrorless camera. Have you experienced any of that?

Contemporary and not yet I think the solution is to have the latest version of the firmware.

 

[gonzogolf]

For a couple years I've shot a 7dII alongside a buddy using an r7. I've been reluctant to go mirrorless as I'm not a fan of the evf. We shoot a lot of the same subjects at the same time, often eagles in a fairly tight canyon. I found that while I could still get some great shots I couldn't produce the same images he was getting in that I was limited to a few focus points where he was using the whole viewfinder. I simply couldn't track as well as he did. The ability to use all the focus points with a 1.4x and a telephoto lens is a game changer. I was holding out for the r6 III but he tariff related price increases and possible delivery date delays combined with a great deal on a used r5 made me make the jump early.