Ok, so my usage of the Canon R7 and Eagle Photography continues to evolve. I have finally given up on the idea of tracking eagles in flight with any kind of mechanical shutter usage. If the only problem was the short blackout from the shutter blocking the sensor it would be one thing. But with the shutter blocking followed by a short freeze of the Electronic View Finder (EVF) display, tracking a fast moving eagle after launch is nearly impossible.
Eagle Photography with the EVF
I know people say the R7 has terrible rolling shutter distortion, but I don’t believe the problem is significant enough to sacrifice the obstruction free tracking ability of the EVF. Of course when using the EVF there is no shutter involved at all so there is no blackout period and the photographer is free to follow the subject unimpeded. Monday was the first day I actually abandoned the mechanical shutter completely, including the new First Curtain mode.
A Joy to Use
I found the EVF to be a joy to use and I don’t see any rolling shutter distortion on any of my eagles in flight. I’ll post a few of my favorites so you can all see the results. I think I can also see the benefit of avoiding shutter shake in these images as well! So I will be boosting my C3 custom button to a 1600th of a second so it will come up ready for birds in flight, while leaving C1 with the First Curtain mode. C2 is still configured for slow animals in heavy brush, with just one focus point and no animal or eye focus enabled.
Of course I still have buttons to easily turn those features on if I want them.
Tons of Eagles
I am happy to report that our nesting pair is on the nest, indicating the presence of at least one egg! Hopefully in a couple of months we will be seeing the head of little eagles poking above the nest! Also we seem to have a few young eagles that have moved into the area, as you will see from the splotchy colors on their heads and wings. I hope they decide to stay! I would love to have a few more raptors to photograph!
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