Overview of the Canon EOS R7 in Ikelite Housing

DPG wish to thank Ikelite for supplying the Ikelite 200DLM housing for the Canon EOS R7 in addition to a pair of Ikelite DS230 strobes and varied equipment used on this evaluation. DPG would additionally wish to thank Pura Vida Divers to be used of their dive operation.

 

It’s been very almost 5 years since Canon launched its first full-frame mirrorless digicam—the EOS R—and changed the venerable EF lens mount with the RF mount. We’ve seen a slew of cameras with “R” within the mannequin identify since—RP, R5, R6, R3, and so forth—but it surely’s been all about full body. Certainly, with the dominance of Sony, Panasonic and Olympus/OM System within the cropped-sensor market, we’d forgive you should you’d imagined Canon had deserted the thought of manufacturing a mirrorless digicam with a smaller sensor altogether. Fortunately, this was not the case: In Might 2022, Canon lastly unveiled its first mirrorless cameras with APS-C sensors—the entry-level R10 and the “fanatic” R7.

Whereas attempting to fathom a digicam firm’s mannequin naming conventions is a idiot’s errand, to anybody coming from a Canon DSLR—myself included—it was apparent that the R7 was very a lot the meant successor to the broadly admired 7D collection of cropped-sensor DLSRs. Having owned the 7D and shot the 7D Mark II extensively again within the day, I used to be eager to know if—after virtually eight years of improvement in digicam tech—the R7 would certainly show to be a worthy inheritor to the Canon APS-C throne.

Over the previous few months—for much longer than anticipated resulting from irritating climate situations and a few premature well being points—I used to be fortunate sufficient to have the chance to check out the R7 in Ikelite’s compact housing (together with a pair of Ikelite’s flagship DS230 strobes) in my yard testing grounds in Florida, on the Blue Heron Bridge and whereas shark diving in Jupiter.

 

A inexperienced turtle winging over a shallow reef: The Canon EOS R7 in Ikelite’s housing with a pair of highly effective Ikelite DS230 strobes made for a formidable rig (Canon EOS R7, Tokina 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5 fisheye lens, Ikelite housing, Ikelite 6-inch dome port, twin Ikelite DS230, f/13, 1/50s, ISO 100)

The gorgeous eye and sample of an invasive purple lionfish: “Canon colours” is an actual factor, and the R7 isn’t any exception. The colours proper out of the digicam are phenomenal (Canon EOS R7, Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L macro lens, Ikelite housing, twin Ikelite DS230, f/4, 1/250s, ISO 100)

1. Prime-Spec’d Digital camera, Extremely-Compact Housing

In reality, sensor dimension apart, the R7 shares little greater than a religious connection to the 7D Mark II. The R7 packs half as many pixels once more into the APS-C sensor (32.5MP vs 20MP), shoots half as many photographs once more in burst mode (15fps vs 10fps), and whereas each cameras make use of Canon’s tried-and-true Twin Pixel AF, the R7 has 10 occasions as many autofocus factors because the 7D Mark II (651 vs 65). The truth that the R7 has a single processor versus two within the 7D Mark II additionally goes to indicate simply how a lot know-how has progressed in what is sort of a decade. One thing that hasn’t taken an enormous leap ahead is the RAW buffer: The 7D Mark II’s buffer depth was 31 frames, however the R7’s buffer isn’t far more spectacular, filling up after a simply 51 pictures.

For Canon DSLR customers, the swap to mirrorless shall be jarring at first. The R7 is considerably extra light-weight than the 7D Mark II (22oz vs 32oz) and dramatically much less cumbersome, and since the R7 suits very snugly within the Ikelite housing, this interprets to a particularly compact and travel-friendly rig. Curiously, that is tempered slightly for macro images, because the RF 100mm f/2.8L loaned for this evaluation is barely longer (5.8″ vs 4.8″) and heavier (26oz vs 22oz) than its DSLR counterpart, the EF 100mm f/2.8L. Nonetheless, one ought to remember that the RF lens provides a most magnification of 1.4x in comparison with 1x for the EF lens.

I’ll say proper from the beginning: The RF 100mm f/2.8L is my favourite macro lens ever. I’ve used it earlier than each topside and underwater, and each time I shoot it, part of me is tempted to change into a Canon shooter simply for this lens—it’s that good! It focuses rapidly, it’s ridiculously sharp, even vast open, and it resolves a ton of element. On the R7, the 100mm is the equal of a 160mm macro on a full-frame digicam, giving an outstanding working distance, which makes it a lot simpler to get pictures of skittish critters.

 

Atlantic longarm octopus: Even at wider apertures, the RF 100mm is extremely sharp and provides nice separation from ugly or distracting backgrounds (Canon EOS R7, Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L macro lens, Ikelite housing, twin Ikelite DS230, f/4, 1/250s, ISO 100)

 

In fact, wide-angle photographers capturing cropped-sensor DSLRs all the time had an ace up their sleeves—the Tokina 10–17mm fisheye lens. For a lot of, this small and cheap lens, whereas not being optically the world’s most spectacular glass, stays the go-to lens for capturing the ocean’s greatest topics, in addition to being nice for close-focus wide-angle work. Thankfully, whereas this versatile lens isn’t (but) obtainable for RF mount, it capabilities effectively on R our bodies with the EF-RF adapter and I didn’t discover any points with reference to autofocus accuracy or pace. It’s value noting that you just even have the choice of adapting the Canon EF 8–15mm f/4L fisheye, which is optically superior however not fairly as vast at its widest.

 

Lemon shark in the dead of night: With the EF-RF adapter, the much-loved Tokina 10–17mm fisheye lens performs in addition to, if not higher than, on Canon DSLRs (Canon EOS R7, Tokina 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5 fisheye lens, Ikelite housing, Ikelite 6-inch dome port, twin Ikelite DS230, f/14, 1/250s, ISO 100)

 

The Ikelite housing for the R7 was the primary housing from the U.S. firm that I’ve utilized in in all probability 15 years. The Dry Lock (Micro) port system is way superior to their previous four-screw port mount, and regardless of the housing’s plastic building, it feels sturdy and sturdy. There’s additionally one thing reassuring about with the ability to see—with your personal eyes—your digicam secure and dry by the clear again. The housing comes with a vacuum valve, so all you must buy is a vacuum pump should you don’t already personal one. (There isn’t any digital detection circuitry included; it’s a case of drawing a vacuum and checking to see that the vacuum has held after ready for a time period.)

Ikelite provides a spread of strobe fashions geared toward shooters of various ranges, with their present flagship being the DS230, a pair of which had been loaned for this evaluation. Central to Ikelite’s “flash philosophy” is electrical triggering, so all Ikelite housings come as commonplace with a single electrical bulkhead and a guide strobe sizzling shoe. Thus, “out of the field” you’ll be able to hook up your Ikelite DS-series strobe(s) and set off it/them in guide mode. For computerized strobe publicity, all you must do is add the suitable Ikelite TTL converter (linked between housing and sync cables) for on-the-fly switching between guide and TTL. When you have a number of extra O-rings to take care of, there’s little question {that electrical} triggering makes for a really sturdy and dependable connection.

Whether or not you need the added advantages that include a TTL converter is a private alternative, however one housing accent that I think about to be very important is a (ideally 45-degree) exterior viewfinder, which supplies a full, clear picture of the digicam’s EVF (whereas creating area in your regulator). As an exterior viewfinder wasn’t equipped with the housing, I solely used the digicam’s rear LCD, but it surely made for a wonderfully fulfilling capturing expertise all the identical. Given its high-quality optical elements, an exterior viewfinder is a considerable funding, and it’s debatable whether or not the R7’s mediocre 2.36M-dot viewfinder justifies it.

 

Scaly tailed mantis: The LCD on the R7 is shiny and straightforward to see, which makes straight down capturing a lot simpler (Canon EOS R7, Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L macro lens, Ikelite housing, Ikelite DS230, Backscatter Mini Flash 2 and Backscatter Optical Snoot 1, f/11, 1/250s, ISO 100)

 

I will finish this part on a constructive observe about battery life—uncommon for mirrorless. The R7 comes with the LP-E6NH battery, which is identical one used within the full-frame R5 and R6 Mark II, and is rated at 770 photographs with the LCD and 500 photographs with the EVF. I discovered the R7’s battery life a pleasing shock. Whereas I didn’t have any wildly lengthy days capturing with it, I by no means as soon as discovered myself fascinated by battery life. For my model of capturing, I simply did a number of hundred photos over the course of a number of days and had no trigger to fret. Capturing video or spending eight hours out on the ocean capturing your complete time are situations after I’d advocate bringing a second battery, however for a traditional two- or three-dive day, I believe the R7 battery fares very effectively.

 

Even after a productive dive and photographing sharks all morning, I nonetheless had loads of battery life left to {photograph} this wacky hybrid batfish on the finish of my night dive (Canon EOS R7, Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L macro lens, Ikelite housing, Ikelite DS230, Backscatter Mini Flash 2 and Backscatter Optical Snoot 1, f/13, 1/250s, ISO 100)

2. Huge, Daring and Lovely Pictures

The primary headline-grabbing spec of the Canon EOS R7 is its newly developed high-resolution sensor. There are few cropped-sensor cameras that pack in as many as 32.5 megapixels, and the R7 was certainly able to resolving heaps and many element—at the least at low ISO settings.

In lower-light conditions, when you must improve ISO, a better pixel depend can come at a worth—noise—and I did discover that noticeable noise crept into the R7’s RAW recordsdata pretty rapidly when rising sensitivity. There’s a touch of noise at ISO 400, and it’s fairly noticeable within the RAW recordsdata if you attain ISO 1600. By comparability, out-of-camera JPEGs—with noise discount utilized—are very clear. Thankfully, it’s a simple matter to scale back the wonderful noise within the RAW recordsdata throughout post-processing and output superb-looking pictures.

 

Longlure frogfish perched on a sponge in ambush: The R7, particularly when paired with RF glass, produced stunning pictures, loaded with element, and razor sharp (Canon EOS R7, Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L macro lens, Ikelite housing, 1x Ikelite DS230,1x Backscatter MF-2, 1x Backscatter OS-1, f/3.2, 1/250s, ISO 100)

 

A bane of Canon cameras previously was dynamic vary—how a lot element is preserved within the shadow and spotlight areas of a picture. Not so with the R7: I discovered that I may convey out a number of particulars within the shadows and highlights when processing the RAW recordsdata. Dynamic vary was much better than older Canon cameras, particularly their DSLRs, with the doable exception of the 1D X Mark III. In fact, you’ll not have as a lot latitude in post-processing as you do with a higher-end full-frame sensor, however you do have a great deal of leeway in case publicity is a bit off or you must recuperate a part of a picture. When paired with the RF lens particularly, the element and sharpness of the pictures was extraordinarily spectacular.

 

I used to be pleasantly stunned by the dynamic vary of the R7. Not not like the full-frame R5, which I’ve additionally used, it was vastly superior to each different Canon digicam I’ve shot (Canon EOS R7, Tokina 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5 fisheye lens, Ikelite housing, Ikelite 6-inch dome port, twin Ikelite DS230, f/9, 1/80s, ISO 250)

3. Fast and Assured Autofocus Efficiency (Finally)

The 7D collection was marketed as a line of cropped-sensor cameras able to taking over quick motion, as they’d nice autofocus and will shoot bursts at excessive body charges. The R7 may be very a lot in the identical mould, however makes huge strides in each areas, at the least on paper. Canon claims the R7 inherits the top-of-the-line autofocus system from the flagship R3. I haven’t used the R3, so I can’t evaluate it, however I did have considerably combined emotions concerning the total autofocus efficiency of the R7. In some cases, it was very, excellent, and also you virtually don’t should do something in any respect. In different modes, it may be a bit unpredictable.

Canon’s two major autofocus modes are referred to as “One Shot” and “AI Servo,” and there are any variety of totally different configurations in every mode. For macro, my favourite was One Shot, Expanded Spot Focus, and Topic Detection enabled. With macro topics, the R7 was uncanny in its potential to search out what it was within the body I needed it to concentrate on and would achieve this almost flawlessly. Seemingly a problem with all mirrorless cameras, should you lose concentrate on a topic whereas utilizing an extended focal size lens, it may be problematic to have the digicam relocate the topic once more. I had this expertise with the R7, and there have been a number of cases when the digicam simply refused to lock on to what I needed it to concentrate on. It was extra of a nuisance than something, however I may see it inflicting photographers to overlook a important shot.

 

Banded jawfish: The autofocus efficiency of the R7 is among the many finest I’ve ever used—as soon as I found out how one can correctly set it up! (Canon EOS R7, Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L macro lens, Ikelite housing, twin Ikelite DS230, f/10, 1/125s, ISO 100)

 

This Pederson cleaner shrimp was perched on a coconut, beneath a rock in very darkish situations, however the R7 with the RF 100mm macro had no points locking onto the topic (Canon EOS R7, Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L macro lens, Ikelite housing, twin Ikelite DS230, f/11, 1/250s, ISO 100)

 

For vast angle, I usually favor to shoot in monitoring or steady AF modes. Extensive angle on the R7 is after I encountered some attention-grabbing points. Relying in your AF configuration, I discovered the R7 constantly back-focused irrespective of the place it confirmed the precise focus level to be. This was extremely aggravating, particularly because the monitoring and steady AF had been billed as being taken from the top-level R3. Finally, nonetheless, I used to be capable of finding a configutation that did work very effectively: AI Servo mode, Topic Monitoring enabled, and Increase AF Space chosen. This last setting was the important thing: When utilizing Entire Space AF or any of the Versatile Zone AF modes, the digicam back-focused 9 occasions out of 10. Increase AF Space solved that drawback, and the aforementioned settings grew to become my go-to for motion or transferring topics. With these settings, the R7’s wide-angle autofocus efficiency was glorious.

 

Silky shark with battle scars: The R7 tracked this silky from 15 to twenty ft away, all the best way till it was all however touching my dome port. Not as soon as did it lose focus (Canon EOS R7, Tokina 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5 fisheye lens, Ikelite housing, Ikelite 6-inch dome port, twin Ikelite DS230, f/13, 1/13s, ISO 100)

4. A Excellent Instrument for Quick-Transferring Topics

For its time, the 7D Mark II and its 10fps burst capturing outlined it as the Canon cropped-sensor digicam for quick motion. The R7 can comfortably declare that mantle within the mirrorless realm: It shoots 15fps with its mechanical shutter and even as much as 30fps with its digital shutter. With the proper AF settings, the R7’s autofocus system was spectacular sufficient to maintain up with the best body charges, completely monitoring transferring topics—even these coming in the direction of the digicam.

For me, and I think, for most individuals, 15fps with the mechanical shutter is loads quick sufficient. Capturing full pace with the mechanical shutter, I discovered myself with method too many photos to undergo! For vast angle, I normally shot not more than about 5–6fps. For macro, I favor to shoot a single body at a time, no matter digicam. As already talked about, the R7’s buffer is just 51 pictures when capturing RAW, so remember that should you’re utilizing greater body charges, the buffer will fill in only a few seconds earlier than efficiency slows.

 

This check shark burst at 10fps was typical of the spectacular hit price I achieved with the R7: The main target of each body was tack sharp (Canon EOS R7, Tokina 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5 fisheye lens, Ikelite housing, Ikelite 6-inch dome port, twin Ikelite DS230, f/10, 1/200s, ISO 100)

5. Dependable and Versatile Strobe Management

The R7 doesn’t function a pop-up flash, so triggering is through the new shoe on the highest of the digicam. With the Ikelite system, it’s a easy matter of creating the reference to the guide sizzling shoe equipped with the housing or with the TTL sizzling shoe that comes with the optionally available Ikelite Canon TTL converter you could want to set up if you need the choice of computerized strobe publicity. Testing each guide and TTL flash choices, I discovered the Ikelite system labored completely: I had no points with reliability nor any type of communication points between digicam and strobes. Ikelite’s TTL implementation is among the many finest obtainable and works effectively for all kinds of topics, and whereas I personally favor to regulate strobe energy manually, I may totally respect the attraction of TTL.

One method that I personally love is movement blur images, the place a sluggish shutter pace creates the impression of motion whereas strobes are used to freeze the motion. By default, cameras are usually set to set off the flash when the primary, or entrance, shutter curtain opens in the beginning of the publicity, creating unnatural motion-blur pictures the place the motion is in entrance of the topic. To get the movement blur behind the topic, it’s important to fireplace the flash on the finish of the publicity, when the second, or rear, curtain closes. It’s one of many first settings I modify earlier than I begin utilizing a brand new digicam.

 

A sluggish shutter added some drama to this shot of a barbfish, which tolerated me placing the dome port proper in its face (Canon EOS R7, Tokina 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5 fisheye lens, Ikelite housing, Ikelite 6-inch dome port, twin Ikelite DS230, Kraken Sports activities Hydra 2500 V2, f/11, 1/4s, ISO 100)

 

Sadly, with Canon cameras, you’ll be able to’t merely join any flash and allow rear curtain sync in digicam; you’re required to make use of a Canon-compatible flash with a view to have the rear curtain sync choice obtainable. Thus, with the guide sizzling shoe that comes with the Ikelite housing, you’ll solely have the choice of first curtain sync. Nonetheless, you may get round this limitation by utilizing Ikelite’s TTL converter, which communicates with the digicam like a Canon flash. The converter handles shutter sync mechanically: At shutter speeds of 1/30s and better, first curtain sync is enabled, whereas at slower shutter speeds, sync switches to the rear curtain. (It’s necessary to notice that the converter takes care of flash sync whether or not you’re capturing in TTL mode or guide mode—should you love movement blur images, the TTL converter is a needed buy.)

As a facet observe, whereas the R7’s flash sync pace maxes out at 1/250s with the mechanical shutter (1/320s with the digital entrance curtain shutter), curiously, I discovered that I used to be in a position to shoot at 1/400s with the Ikelite DS230s. Nonetheless, whereas the digicam registered 1/400s because the shutter pace, the EXIF information recorded 1/250s. So both the EXIF is appropriate and the digicam is misreporting, or the EXIF is wrong and the R7 can truly sync quicker than the specs counsel.

 

Movement blur added life to this lemon shark portrait (Canon EOS R7, Tokina 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5 fisheye lens, Ikelite housing, Ikelite 6-inch dome port, twin Ikelite DS230, f/14, 1/15s, ISO 100)

6. Last Ideas

Indubitably, the Canon EOS R7 is a really spectacular high-end APS-C mirrorless digicam, a logical improve for shooters coming from the 7D collection of DSLRs or anyone transferring up from point-and-shoot and even Micro 4 Thirds. The R7 packs plenty of efficiency right into a small-form-factor mirrorless physique at a really aggressive worth, whereas Ikelite’s equally compact housing provides a terrific platform to construct a succesful and versatile underwater rig. Add an exterior viewfinder, a pair of Ikelite’s glorious strobes, and a TTL converter, and you’ve got a full-fledged system that can serve you effectively for a few years.

In the event you’re a critical shooter transferring into the Canon APS-C ecosystem, it’s value emphasizing the standard of the glass you’ll have obtainable to you: on the macro finish, the excellent RF 100mm f/2.8L, and on the vast finish, the EF 8–15mm f/4L, which fills the body all through the zoom vary on APS-C cameras. And once more, let’s acknowledge the unimaginable longevity of the Tokina 10–17mm, the eminently inexpensive wide-angle choice which can not maintain any optics information however can nonetheless maintain its personal in any case these years.

Maybe crucial take-home message right here is that APS-C just isn’t useless in any case. Removed from it. The Canon EOS R7 reminds us simply how cool it’s to be cropped!

 

Even with out the Eye AF engaged, the R7 appeared to know precisely the place I needed to focus and locked proper on to the eyes of this stareye hermit (Canon EOS R7, Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L macro lens, Ikelite housing, twin Ikelite DS230, f/10, 1/250, ISO 100)

 

Concerning the Reviewer: Matthew Sullivan is a Florida-based wildlife photographer who has been diving since he was 10 years previous. He has traveled extensively, visiting well-known dive locations akin to Guadalupe Island, Indonesia and the Philippines, however he additionally likes to dive nearer to house within the Pacific Northwest. When not taking photos underwater, he may be discovered trekking mountains, or exploring nationwide parks and rainforests in the hunt for new adventures and wildlife encounters.

 

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