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by jnadler on Sat May 29, 2021 6:58 pm
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After a month of extensive small songbird shooting with my new R5, I have experienced significant issues with the camera not attempting to focus at all with single point on avian subjects,, even close.  In an R5 user forum, I am getting much feedback of others experiencing the exact same problem.  When attempting focus on even a close bird with the single point entirely on the bird, no focus attempt is made. This happens about 25% of the time with both my EF 100-400 and 500, both mk2.

I am using back button focus, and turned on, when Af is impossible.

This has never happened with these same lens on any DSLR body.  

I was considering sending it back untilI I received many similar experiences in a Facebook forum.

At this point, it is unacceptable to use this body for bird photography with such focusing uncertainty. 
 

by Brian K. on Sun May 30, 2021 7:56 am
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I've not seen this problem with my R5. Are you using eye detection?
[b]Brian D. Kennedy[/b]
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by Ed Cordes on Sun May 30, 2021 8:06 am
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Be sure you have "Continuous AF" turned off. When this is on the camera will lock onto what ever it thinks you want to shoot and stay there. With it off you will choose.
Remember, a little mild insanity keeps us healthy
 

by jnadler on Sun May 30, 2021 10:02 am
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Ed Cordes wrote:Be sure you have "Continuous AF" turned off. When this is on the camera will lock onto what ever it thinks you want to shoot and stay there.  With it off you will choose.

It is off.  I am using dual back button focus and the issue exists with both single point and eye detection.
 

by Joel Eade on Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:28 am
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My R5 does not have this problem although sometimes when the lens is focused way off to start with it can be difficult to acquire focus at very close range. Pointing at the ground at close range will often work to bring it back from far focus quickly. Have you done the latest firmware update?
 

by ajq on Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:39 pm
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jnadler wrote:After a month of extensive small songbird shooting with my new R5, I have experienced significant issues with the camera not attempting to focus at all with single point on avian subjects,, even close.  In an R5 user forum, I am getting much feedback of others experiencing the exact same problem.  When attempting focus on even a close bird with the single point entirely on the bird, no focus attempt is made. This happens about 25% of the time with both my EF 100-400 and 500, both mk2.

I am using back button focus, and turned on, when Af is impossible.

This has never happened with these same lens on any DSLR body.  

I was considering sending it back untilI I received many similar experiences in a Facebook forum.

At this point, it is unacceptable to use this body for bird photography with such focusing uncertainty. 
With my mirrorless cameras, Canon R5 and Sony A9II, if a small songbird is "very out-of-focus" and the camera has locked onto the background, the camera "does not see" the out-of-focus bird.  I have to get focus near the bird, either manually or by autofocusing on a point near the bird, then all is well.  This can be problematic if the bird is small in the frame or if AF keeps slipping off the bird.  This seems to be a "feature" of mirrorless cameras that detect focus directly on the sensor using contrast AF.

Best regards,
Tony
[url]http://www.TonyQandSuzanne.com[/url]
[url]http://www.TonyQandSuzanne.com/Bird%20Index.html[/url] - Bird Images
 

by Charlie Woodrich on Thu Jun 03, 2021 4:35 pm
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In the menu AF 5 take initial servo off of auto, and change it to one of the other two options.  When it's on auto it just grabs a focus point regardless of where the intended the AF point is.  I to just about returned my R5 until I figured this out.
 

by Eduardo on Sat Jun 05, 2021 7:21 am
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I have heard this is an issue with mirrorless cameras including R5/R6. I know my R6 does the same. Link below photographer isolates the issue as being a mirrorless camera issue on his test and provides an issue solution to this problem,  Maybe this is what you are experiencing?

My R6 Autofocus Is Being Annoying - Any Ideas? Are You Experiencing Issues? Possible Solutions - YouTube
Eduardo
http://www.delsolar.org
 

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