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by OntPhoto on Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:04 pm
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I have read the reviews and the forum posts on various sites.  Some people are expecting more than the camera can do (eye focus on small birds far away) which is a lot to expect.  

What the above in mind, how has your personal expewrience been using either the R6 or R5?  What if you compared results for Ai-Servo to your previous DSLR? 

I'm doing my research and looking at both options. 
 

by Mark Boranyak on Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:12 pm
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I've had the R5 since last April. If I can see the birds eye in the viewfinder, the AF will almost always pick up even if it's a small part of the overall image.

To me, there is no comparison between the R5 and my older Canon DSLR's (5DIII and 80D). I am very pleased with the R5's performance.
 

by jnadler on Fri Feb 18, 2022 4:42 pm
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I just took an amazing series of snowy owl flight images with the R5 eye focus, I would not have achieved tracking on my own.

If the bird is small in frame, I use crop mode to assist the eye tracking.
 

by MikeBinOK on Fri Feb 18, 2022 11:50 pm
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I am a helpless clown at flight photography, but was still able to get some decent puffin flight photos shooting the R5 during a trip to Iceland in July. If I can shoot puffins with it, it has to be good!
Mike B. in OKlahoma
Oklahoma City, OK

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by OntPhoto on Mon Feb 28, 2022 7:56 pm
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Mark Boranyak wrote:I've had the R5 since last April. If I can see the birds eye in the viewfinder, the AF will almost always pick up even if it's a small part of the overall image.

To me, there is no comparison between the R5 and my older Canon DSLR's (5DIII and 80D). I am very pleased with the R5's performance.
Thanks Mark.  Your experience seems to be what I'm generally hearing.  
 

by OntPhoto on Mon Feb 28, 2022 7:57 pm
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jnadler wrote:I just took an amazing series of snowy owl flight images with the R5 eye focus, I would not have achieved tracking on my own.

If the bird is small in frame, I use crop mode to assist the eye tracking.
Thanks.  I am looking forward to the eye-focus, my main reason for getting R6 or R5.  Game changer.
 

by OntPhoto on Mon Feb 28, 2022 7:59 pm
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MikeBinOK wrote:I am a helpless clown at flight photography, but was still able to get some decent puffin flight photos shooting the R5 during a trip to Iceland in July. If I can shoot puffins with it, it has to be good!
Thanks Mike.  I think the R5 will ensure many keepers for everyone including me.  Most rerview are positive although I hear the occasional dissenting review.  Maybe it's partially user error or settings. 
 

by Ed Cordes on Mon Feb 28, 2022 9:38 pm
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I have been using the R5 since August 2020 and love it. In my experience the eye focus works as advertised. No matter how far away the bird is, if the eye is visible, it will pick it up. The tracking is superb. I have gotten many, many more keepers of birds in flight than with my old 7D2 and 5D4. Recently I had a chance on a racetrack to try the vehicle focus and tracking with similar excellent results.
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by hullyjr on Mon Mar 07, 2022 3:40 pm
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I can only reiterate the other comments. Eye focus on birds works amazingly well. With my 7DII or even 5DIV I would shoot a burst and invariably throw away 90% because of poor focusing. Not the camera's fault but the slowness of getting a focus point(s) over the eye. Now, with the R5, I get 95% in focus. It actually takes me longer to sort these images than when I had crappy focused shots!
Jim Hully
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by OntPhoto on Sat May 27, 2023 10:14 am
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hullyjr wrote: I can only reiterate the other comments. Eye focus on birds works amazingly well. With my 7DII or even 5DIV I would shoot a burst and invariably throw away 90% because of poor focusing. Not the camera's fault but the slowness of getting a focus point(s) over the eye. Now, with the R5, I get 95% in focus. It actually takes me longer to sort these images than when I had crappy focused shots!
I understand your situation.  That is the problem with DSLR vs mirrorless with eye-AF.  While I have had better results with the 7D MK2 and 6D (v.1) with keeper rates, just knowing it can mis-focus at any time, made me move to the R6 MK2, one year exactly to my original post here (bought it February 2023).  I had mis-focusing issues shooting up at a boreal owl.  I want my efforts to count and not hit and miss.  I said, enough with this.

I went back to shoot the boreal owl with the R6 MK2 and no looking back.  I barely touch my 7D MK2 and 6D (v.1).  Maybe once or twice.  Reliable AF alone is a compelling reason to get the R6 MK2. If you want to make the most of your time while in the field, it is reassuring to know your photos will be in focus on the eyes. 

For now I am staying with my EF lenses as they work fine with the R6 MK2 even with a 1.4x.  Lenses that used to front or back focus on a DSLR are now all in focus, on the eye!   Canon 100-400L IS (v.1) and 400 5.6L.  Lenses without IS now have image stabilization.  Canon 70-200 2.8L (non-IS), 200 2.8L (non-IS) and 400 5.6L.  I have others as well.  

Another reason to go mirrorless is weight.  I have this big heavy lens (relatively speaking) I seldom use, the 500 f4 II.  I keep wanting to get rid of it.  I'm wavering on this one. 
 

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