01 July 2019

Canon EOS 7D Mark II - First Impressions and Test Shoots

Canon EOS 7D Mark II - First Impressions and Test Shoots Cape Town
New: Canon EOS R First Impressions and Sample Images Read

New: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Long-Term Use Experience Read

New: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Birds In Flight Gallery Page

New: Canon EOS 80D First Impressions View

After receiving word from Canon South Africa via a local retailer that they have a Canon EOS 7D Mark II and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens for me to test with my Birds in Flight photography I was naturally excited for two main reasons; to take this much anticipated EOS body and lens combination through its paces and to gain valuable hands-on experience with Canon's latest APS-C flagship EOS body ito Autofocus (AF) speed, all-round functionality paired with the EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.

Test Period: During July 2015

Some test criteria and the Cape Town weather
With no real time for any pre-planning I decided to only shoot with the EOS 7D Mark II / EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens for a week without any side-by-side comparisons with my own EOS system at the time (2x EOS 70D's with EF 400mm f/5.6L USM and EF 70-300mm f/4-5.5L IS USM lenses). Most of the test shoots were carried out during some rather dismal Cape Town winter weather conditions.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II Update: During October 2015 I started facilitating Birds in Flight Workshops in Cape Town and purchased my own Canon EOS 7D Mark II body for studying and getting up to speed with the more advanced 65-point Autofocus system. This body is currently paired with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens (predominantly for AF testing / capturing Birds In Flight Photography - Woodbridge Island).

Canon EOS 7D Mark II brief specifications

  • 20.2 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor 
  • Dual DIGIC 6 Image Processors 
  • ISO 100-16000 (51200 expansion)
  • High speed continuous shooting up to 10 fps 
  • 65-point all cross-type AF system 
  • EV -3 sensitivity (center point) 
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF 
  • 3.0-inch Clear View II LCD monitor
  • Built-in GPS
  • Weight 910g 

Canon EOS 7D Mark II - First Impressions and Test Shoots Cape Town
First Bird Capture with Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Canon EOS 7D Mark II First Impressions
The body and lens combination feels rugged and solid in-hand and is ergonomically well designed in terms of comfortable grip, LCD monitor(s), button / control layout and general usability (similar to the EOS 7D) - and not too heavy for hand holding action photography.

I mostly shoot handheld and for a few hours at a time. I did exactly the same with the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and although a bit heavier than the EOS 70D (and lens pairing combinations).


I experienced no real weight disadvantage or handling issues (the weight distribution between body and lens is well-balanced with a combined weight of +- 2.5kg).

My stand-out features / applications of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II
  • Continuous Shooting Speed / AF System: 10 frames per second (fps) continuous shooting / burst mode and the newly developed 65-point (all cross-type) Dual Pixel AF system. I used the Wide Zone AF option (25 cross-type AF points for Birds in Flight). All together there are 7 AF modes: Spot AF, Single point, 4 point Expansion, 8 point Expansion, Zone AF,  Wide Zone AF, Auto AF.
  • High ISO Capabilities: I was very impressed with ISO's up to 3200. Due to the poor / variable lighting conditions I mostly used Auto-ISO (100 - 6400) and applied only some slight noise reduction in post-processing (Lightroom 5.7).
  • Menu System / LCD displays: The camera's colour-coded menu system is designed around the now familiar Canon menu-interface, but with many more options to cater for advanced AF settings, built-in GPS and various other customization options and settings). The 3 inch LCD is non-articulated and non-touch, but is bright, large and is complemented well by the top LCD panel area which is home to the various exposure indicators and quick WB / AF / ISO settings.
  • Dual Memory Card Slots: Support for 1x CF (UDMA Mode 7) and 1x SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) memory card. I only used the SD card slot with a high-speed Lexar Professional 1000x (150MB/s) and Sandisk Extreme Plus 95MB/s SD card. I was more than satisfied with the burst / buffer writing speed to both cards.
  • Battery and ChargerThe supplied LP-E6N battery was good for 800+ shots in burst mode (GPS off) on a single charge. I used my own compatible Canon EOS 70D LC-E6 charger with no issues. The supplied LP-E6N Canon battery is compatible with EOS 60D / EOS 70D / EOS 7D / EOS 6D / EOS 5Ds / EOS 5Ds R / EOS 5D Mark II / EOS 5D Mark III camera bodies. (Also the Canon EOS Mark IV / EOS 6D Mark II / EOS 80D)

Canon EOS 7D Mark II - First Impressions and Test Shoots Cape TownThe Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens is Canon's second generation EF 100-400mm L IS USM focal length lens. Like all other Canon L Series lenses it is very well built and a pleasure to hold and shoot with. I've never used the older model, but shoot regularly with the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM and the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM lenses. 

I've used the lens in non-IS mode (when using fast shutter speeds of 1/2000s) and IS mode (for non-action) across the aperture and zoom range and is satisfied with the IS implementation and overall stability.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens brief specifications
  • Focal Length & Maximum Aperture: 100-400mm 1:4.5-5.6 
  • Lens Construction: 21 elements in 16 groups 
  • Focus Adjustment: Inner focus system, USM 
  • Closest Focussing distance: 3.2 ft. / 0.98m 
  • Filter size: 77mm 
  • Weight: 1640g (with tripod mount) 

On many forums and test charts the general consensus is that the Mark II lens is definitely sharper than the previous lens and the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens. After my week of shooting I can concur without any doubt that this lens is at least as sharp as my own EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.


Shooting Bird in Flight at 10 frames per second
I expected a lot from this high-performance body / lens combination and most of this was confirmed and met during the first early morning walk along Woodbridge Island capturing some fast-flying Cormorants, Egyptian geese and a few other local species. In overcast conditions I used my go-to EOS 70D RAW / Manual Mode settings: Auto ISO / f/6.3 / 1/2000s Multi-Shot (10 fps) / AI Servo AF mode and specific to the EOS 7D Mark II's AF: Case 2 / Wide Zone AF. (I've done a reset of the camera before the first shoot so all other settings were at default values).

The body / lens combo locked focus onto the oncoming birds fairly quickly with the 10 fps capability, providing the fastest Canon EOS burst rate second to only the Canon EOS 1D X (14 fps). I generally shoot in 3 or 4 short bursts with the EOS 70D and would get 2 or 3 acceptable / sharp images per burst. With the EOS 7D Mark II I achieved 5 to 6 acceptable / sharp images per similar burst duration. In no time I filled the accompanied 16GB Lexar Professional 1000x (150MB/s) SD card and carried on using my own 32GB Sandisk Extreme Plus 95MB/s SD Card. Buffer write speed from the Lexar to the Sandisk SD card was about the same.

I didn't have the time to experiment too much with the various AF mode combinations, but most shots were in focus (up to the wing tips) and I was satisfied with the overall sharpness, colour and image quality.

Final thoughts
The Canon EOS 7D Mark II in my opinion lives up to its new Canon APS-C flagship status (and expectations) after replacing the Canon EOS 7D in September 2014. Embedded in a robust dust and weather-sealed magnesium alloy body the newly developed 65-point AF system compares well with the 61-point AF system used in both the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and EOS 1D X. The super fast 10 fps and advanced settings / configurations should meet the AF / fps speed requirements of the most demanding sport and wildlife / Birds in Flight enthusiasts. The EOS 7D Mark II is compatible with the full range of Canon's EF-S and EF consumer and professional lenses making it more than capable for all other photography genres as well.


Canon EOS 7D Mark II Article / Images © Vernon Chalmers

Word Of Birds Hout Bay Cape Town
Selection of Test Images Woodbridge Island / Hout Bay (Click to Enlarge)

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 1

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 2Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 3

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 4Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 04


Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 7Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 6


Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 07Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 8


Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 9 Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 10


Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town 11

Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens Cape Town

Canon EOS 7D Mark II : AI Servo Autofocus / Frames Per Second Test Read

Canon EOS 7D Mark II Book Recommendation Read

Canon EOS 80D / EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens 1st Impressions Read

Canon EOS 7D Mark III Birds in Flight Photography Specifications Wish List Read

New Canon EOS 7D Mark III Rumors & Announcement Updates Read

Canon EOS R First Impressions and Sample Images Read

Canon EOS Photography Training Classes 2019

Vernon Chalmers Photography Training Classes 2019
Photography Training Classes Milnerton, Cape Town

The following private training classes (all for Canon EOS, except Adobe Lightroom) are facilitated by Vernon Chalmers in Milnerton, Cape Town (just opposite Woodbridge Island):
  • Introduction to Photography / Canon Cameras
  • Canon EOS Autofocus / AI Servo Master Class
  • Birds in Flight Photography Workshop
  • Canon Speedlite / Ring Lite Flash Photography
  • Macro / Close-Up Photography
  • Landscape / Long Exposure Photography
  • Digital Workflow / Lightroom Post-Processing

More Information Vernon Chalmers Photography Training

Flexible Canon EOS / Photography Private Training For Individuals / Small Groups View

25% Discount on Future Milnerton, Cape Town Photography Training Classes
Anybody who made a previous workshop booking(s) via the Vernon Chalmers website during 2015 / 2016 will receive a 25% discount towards listed Photography Workshops (unless otherwise specified, but booking for the workshop will entitle delegates a 25% discount on future bookings).

Please Contact Me should you be interested in attending any of the listed Photography Training in Milnerton, Cape Town.

Canon EOS 80D - First Impressions / Test Shoot

Canon EOS 80D - First Impressions / Test Shoot Cape Town
Canon EOS 80D / EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens - First impressions and Birds in Flight Test Shoot Cape Town

Just before a private Birds in Flight photo-walk just off Woodbridge Island last weekend I was given the new Canon 80D DSLR paired with the very popular Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.

I only had a few hours and therefore my impressions and images are limited to the few birds in flight we encountered during the morning.

As a Birds in Flight photographer with extensive experience with the Canon EOS 70D and the Canon EOS 7D Mark II I was looking forward to see how well the new body with improved Autofocus and larger 24 MP sensor would perform in terms of general handling, autofocus, shooting speed, ISO performance, image quality and cropability during post processing.


Canon EOS 80D First Impressions (from spec sheet to Birds in Flight Photography)

Impressive 45-Point All Cross-Type Autofocus (AF) System
This is quite an improvement on the EOS 70D's 19-Point AF system and in application / configuration closer to the AF system used in the Canon EOS 7D Mark II (65-Point) without the advanced AI Servo Cases 1 - 6 (and a few other advanced configuration options). It offers four different AF selection mode options  - one more than the EOS 70D, but three less than the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. More information>>


Focus with 27 Autofocus Points at f/8
With the new AF system the EOS 80D can focus with 27 AF points at f/8 when using Canon's Version III EF 1.4x and 2x teleconverters paired with some of the latest 
Canon' telephoto lenses. The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens is one of the new generation / compatible lenses More information>>

Canon EOS 80D - First Impressions / Test Shoot Cape Town
Looks, Ergonomics and Weight
In terms of general looks, ergonomics and weight the Canon EOS 80D is very much a carbon copy of the older Canon EOS 70D on face value, with a few cosmetic tweaks and and a negligible weight advantage.

The familiar weather-sealed ruggedness with articulated LCD screen felt very much the same in hand as the EOS 70D. (Canon EOS 80D vs. EOS 70D Comparison with body images / Canon EOS 80D vs EOS 7D Mark II Comparison with body images).

Familiar Menus / User-Interface
Setting up the EOS 80D for the morning shoot was exactly the same as with the EOS 70D (and most other current EOS bodies). Anybody upgrading from the EOS 70D will appreciate the uniformity of the Canon user-interface / menu layout, switch gear and 
 3.0" articulated touch screen LCD.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM LensPairing with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens
This is a popular and well-balanced Birds in Flight shooting combination. Not too heavy and the 100-400mm zoom range provides for enough zoom flexibility for framing close-up larger birds or for the maximum 400mm shooting for most flying birds around Woodbridge Island. I generally shoot birds in flight with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM prime lens and in my opinion the prime lens focuses slightly faster than this lens on the EOS 70D and the EOS 7D Mark II. I did not test the 400mm prime lens with the EOS 80D, but during the shoot felt that the same could be applicable with the EOS 80D - the prime lens will autofocus a bit faster than the zoom lens. More Information>>


AI Servo / Autofocus Tracking
During the morning the EOS 80D performed as expected - both the 70D and the 7D Mark II perform very well with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens and I was satisfied that the AF locked on well within various zoom ranges. I mainly used in the Wide Zone AF setup and the intelligent viewfinder display the active AF points as per 7D Mark II. My general perception during the short shooting period was that the EOS 80D's tracking responsiveness was more towards the EOS 7D Mark II AF behaviour (in Wide Zone AF). There is also provision for various AF options for fine-tuning the AF system.

Continuous / Multi-Shot Shooting Performance
Being used to the 10 fps of the EOS 7D Mark II it took some time to get in tune with the slower 7 fps of the EOS 80D (same fps as the EOS 70D). This was no serious issue as I generally shoot in shorter bursts of three to four shots for preserving the buffer to clear and be ready for the following burst. 

Buffer / SD Card Writing Speed
In multi-shot / continuous shooting the EOS 80D is definitely faster in writing the multi-shots to my SanDisk 32GB Extreme PRO 95mb/s SD card (+- 16 continuous RAW shots before slowing down) than the EOS 70D using the same card (+- 14 continuous RAW shots). It may perform slightly faster with a faster write-speed card. Nevertheless, I was quite happy with this performance. Please keep in mind that the average RAW file of the EOS 80D is +- 5 MB larger than the EOS 70D / EOS 7D Mark II. Refer to section on RAW file size.

High-speed burst compared to EOS 7D Mark II
The EOS 7D Mark II writes to / and empties its buffer faster (+- 30 continuous RAW shots)  - with a Lexar Professional CompactFlash UDMA 7 32GB CF card. The difference in speed is not that much faster, but serious action photographers who wants to take their high-speed /action photography to the next level could benefit from the faster fps / buffer speeds of the EOS 7D Mark II. For an experienced action / sports photographer this may not be a big issue - as anticipation of specific movement and / or good timing (instead of just letting rip with high-speed shutter firing).

RAW File Size
The average RAW file during the shoot was +- 30 MB compared to +- 25 MB of both the EOS 70D and EOS 7D Mark II (mainly due to the EOS 80D's 24 MP sensor compared to the 20 MP sensors of the EOS 70D / 7D Mark II).


CR2 RAW File Compatibility Issues
After the morning shoot I had some issues opening the EOS 80D's CR2 RAW files in Lightroom 6 and Digital Photo Professional 4 (DPP). The CR2 files did not open properly forcing me to upgrade DPP to the latest version - Version 4.4.30.2. I then did a batch processing conversion to TIFF for importing to Lightroom 6 (for my standard post-processing workflow). Download the latest DPP 4.4.30 for Windows here>>

Image Quality
I was quite pleased with the image quality from the newer 24 MP sensor, but did not really notice a substantial improvement over the EOS 70D or the EOS 7D Mark II - I didn't do any direct comparisons, just used my experience of thousands of images captured with both my EOS 70D / EOS 7D Mark II (of similar birds in similar conditions / focal lengths using the same lens / or the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens). Cropping images left more detail / sharpness in smaller areas (compared to the EOS 70D / EOS 7D Mark II). Canon Japan Sample Images>>.

ISO Performance
For me this is the most significant improvement over the EOS 70D (apart from the new AF System). All the files I looked at in the ISO 800 - 1250 range looked cleaner, even when cropped. This advantage should provide some post-processing benefits (at least when pushing the shadow sliders in Lightroom). On Auto-ISO I noticed a stop less ISO compared to similar conditions with images taken with the EOS 70D.

Canon EOS 80D Birds in Flight Photography Settings
  • Manual Mode
  • Metering: Evaluative
  • Aperture: F/6.3
  • ISO: Auto-ISO (100 - 1250)
  • Shutter speed: 1/1000s - 1/4000s
  • AI Servo / 7 fps multi-shot mode
  • AF: Large Zone
  • Lens IS Off
Canon EOS 80D Sample Images : Cropped / Uncropped
Canon EOS 80D Significant crop @ 300mm ISO 500 (some post-processing)
Canon EOS 80D Significant Crop @ 300mm ISO 500 (some post-processing)


Canon EOS 80D Original Image @ 300mm ISO 500 (no post-processing)
Canon EOS 80D Original Image @ 300mm ISO 500 (no post-processing)

Canon EOS 80D Test / Birds in Flight Photography Sample Gallery One
Random Birds in Flight - Woodbridge Island Cape Town View

Canon EOS 80D Test / Birds in Flight Photography Sample Gallery Two
Spoonbill in Flight - Woodbridge Island Cape Town View

Conclusion: My Canon EOS 80D final thoughts...
The Canon EOS 80D is in many ways a subtle / evolutionary upgrade from the Canon EOS 70D with the 45-Point AF system and ISO low noise performance the two biggest standout features for me. Overall the body performed closer to the EOS 70D than the EOS 7D Mark II for Birds in Flight / Action photography. As an all-round enthusiast DSLR camera the EOS 80D will not disappoint photographers upgrading from the EOS Rebel / xxxD bodies or for photographers upgrading from the EOS 60D / 70D not requiring the advanced AF system of the Canon APS-C flagship, the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. The EOS 80D is compatible with the full range of Canon's EF-S and EF consumer and professional lenses that should make it a very good enthusiast DSLR body choice for a wide range of photography genres.


Canon EOS 80D Main Features
  • New 45-point all cross-type AF system 
  • Intelligent Viewfinder with approximately 100% viewfinder coverage 
  • Newly Developed 24.2 Megapixel (APS-C) CMOS sensor 
  • DIGIC 6 image processor for enhanced image quality 
  • Improved Dual Pixel CMOS AF for smooth, fast and accurate autofocus with video and stills 
  • Built-in Wi-Fi® and NFC(TM) capability for easy transfer of images and movies to compatible mobile devices 
  • 1080/60p Full HD video to capture brilliant results in MP4 format for easy movie sharing 
  • Vari-angle Touch Screen 3.0-inch Clear View LCD II monitor


More Canon EOS 80D Information / Manual Downloads Go>>

Other Canon EOS Bodies 1st Impressions and Links

Canon EOS R First Impressions and Sample Images
Canon EOS R First Impressions and Sample Images

Canon EOS 80D Article / Images © Vernon Chalmers

APS-C vs Full Frame DSLRs for Landscape / Long Exposure Photography

APS-C (Crop sensor) vs Full Frame DSLRs for Landscape / Long Exposure Photography
APS-C (Crop sensor) vs Full Frame DSLRs for Landscape / Long Exposure Photography

During the upcoming Landscape & Long Exposure Workshop at Intaka Island / Woodbridge Island Cape Town, we will discuss the advantages / challenges of using an APS-C (Crop sensor) and / or Full Frame DSLR.

The majority of delegates attending my Landscape & Long Exposure Workshops in Cape Town are enthusiast photographers shooting with APS-C (Crop sensor) DSLRs.

The quality of the modern APS-C lenses are very good and judging from my own images (with both Full Frame and APS-C systems) there's not a lot of image quality difference between the APS-C ultra-wide lens (Canon EF-S) and the Full Frame ultra-wide lens (Canon EF) - but, there are various reasons why many enthusiast / professional photographers prefer Full Frame bodies and i.e. the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens.


I personally shoot with both Canon Full Frame (Canon EOS 6D) and APS-C bodies (Canon EOS 7D Mark II / Canon EOS 70D) and respect all for the versatility in application, function and image quality.

More important than the body you shooting / learning landscapes & long exposure photography with in my opinion will be the focal length of your lens used. There are a few options, but the most popular focal lengths for APS-C (Crop sensor) bodies will be the standard 18-55mm kit lens and also the ultra-wide option(s) in the 10-22mm range. Another useful option is the 18-135mm range.


Note: In most cases APS-C lenses are not compatible with Full Frame bodies. This is important when purchasing into a specif DSLR system - i.e, a Canon EF-S 10-18mm lens will not fit on a Canon EOS 6D (Full Frame body), but an EF 16-35mm lens (predominantly for full frame bodies) will fit and work on a Canon EOS 70D - the main difference will be the smaller field of view due to the 1.6 crop factor.

Canon APS-C Wide / Ulta-Wide Zoom Lens Options
  • Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM lens
  • Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens
  • Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens 
  • Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM / USM lenses

Canon Full Frame Wide / Ulta-Wide Zoom Lens Options
If you're shooting with a full frame setup the general options are in the 16-35mm / 17-40mm / 24-70mm ranges. There are also the 24-104mm options that is quite useful. Popular (current / latest) options:
  • Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM lens
  • Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM lens
  • Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 L IS USM lens 
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/4 L IS USM lens
  • Canon EF 24-105mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens
  • Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens
  • Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens

Attached images captured with an APS-C (Crop) sensor body - the Canon EOS 700D and the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens.


Click to Enlarge
APS-C (Crop sensor) vs Full Frame DSLRs for Landscape / Long Exposure Photography
Table Mountain / Cape Town over Woodbridge Island - Camon APS-C 18-135mm lens

APS-C (Crop sensor) vs Full Frame DSLRs for Landscape / Long Exposure Photography
Woodbridge Island: Milnerton Cape Town - Canon APS-C 18-135mm lens

APS-C (Crop sensor) vs Full Frame DSLRs for Landscape / Long Exposure Photography
V&A Waterfront Cape Town - Canon APS-C 18-135mm lens

Woodbridge Island Photography View

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Lens Zoom Samples

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Lens Samples - Cape Town
Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens : Different Focal Length Samples

Objective: Demonstrating five different focal lengths using the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide lens (paired with the Full Frame Canon EOS 6D) across the two Woodbridge Island bridges, Milnerton Lighthouse and Table Mountain, Cape Town.

Note: All photos in Av mode, handheld and no cropping. Images are Straight Out OF Camera - with no lens profile correction (JPG conversion via Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.7).


View sample images with Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lens

Shooting LocationWoodbridge Island / Cape Town

Canon EOS 6D Av Mode - Aperture Priority Settings

  • f/8 
  • ISO 100 
  • Auto-Focus on (body / lens) 
  • Lens IS on / Handheld 
(Click To Enlarge)

Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-135mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens @ 16mm
Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens @ 16mm

Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-135mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens @ 20mm
Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens @ 20mm

Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-135mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens @ 20mm
Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens @ 23mm

Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-135mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens @ 28mm
Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens @ 28mm

Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-135mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens @ 35mm
Canon EOS 6D / EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Ultra-Wide Lens @ 35mm


Long Exposure / Night Photography Setup & Tips

Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Lens : Different Focal Lengths

Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Lens : Different Focal Lengths
Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Lens : Different Focal Lengths: 10mm 14mm 18mm Sample Images

Objective
: Demonstrating the difference between three wide angle focal lengths when using the Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Ultra-Wide angle lens (paired with the Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T5i DSLR camera) at Milnerton Lagoon / Woodbridge Island Cape Town.

Note: All photos handheld with no cropping in Av mode (Aperture Priority). Images captured in RAW (JPG conversion via Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.7).


View sample images with Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Lens

Shooting Location
Woodbridge Island / Cape Town

Canon Camera Equipment

  • Canon EOS 700D SLR camera body 
  • Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM lens 

Av Mode - Aperture Priority Settings

  • f/11 
  • ISO 100 
  • Auto Focus 
  • Image Stabilisation (IS) on
(Click to enlarge)
Copyright Vernon Chalmers: Canon EOS 700D / Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Lens  @ 10mm FL
Canon EOS 700D / Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Lens  @ 10mm FL

Copyright Vernon Chalmers: Canon EOS 700D / Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Lens  @ 14mm FL
Canon EOS 700D / Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Lens  @ 14mm FL

Copyright Vernon Chalmers: Canon EOS 700D / Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Lens  @ 18mm FL
Canon EOS 700D / Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Lens  @ 18mm FL

Long Exposure / Night Photography Setup & Tips
Long Exposure / Night Photography Setup & Tips

Canon EOS 70D: Birds in Flight Continuous Shooting

Canon EOS 70D: Birds in Flight Continuous Shooting
During my Canon EOS iTR AF Testing (Canon EOS 7D Mark II) at Woodbridge Island yesterday I had the Canon EOS 70D / EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on standby for any close-up action.

I'm never disappointed in the Canon EOS 70D when having it available for (closer) birds in flight / bird watching at Woodbridge Island, Cape Town. Paired with the super-sharp EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM lens it easily delivers more / less the same image quality as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II.

Equipment (Birds In Flight Photography)

  • Canon EOS 70D DSLR camera body
  • Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
  • Sandisk Extreme Plus SDHC™ UHS-I Card 80MB/s 32 GB 

Exposure / Focus Settings
  • Manual Mode Settings / Lens AF On 
  • Shutter speed: 1/5000s 
  • Aperture: f/5.6 
  • Focal length 300mm 
  • Auto-ISO (ISO 400 - 800) 
  • Continuous shooting mode (7 fps) 
  • AI Servo / AF
  • AF Mode: Zone
  • Handheld

Post-Processing
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6


Location / Conditions
Excellent early morning light around Woodbridge Island, Cape Town



(Click to Enlarge / Slide Show)


Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted Cormorant (10 consecutive frames)


Birds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted CormorantBirds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted Cormorant

Birds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted CormorantBirds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted Cormorant

Birds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted CormorantBirds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted Cormorant

Birds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted CormorantBirds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted Cormorant

Birds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted CormorantBirds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: White-Breasted Cormorant


Canon EOS 70D: Yellow-Billed Duck (6 consecutive frames)

Birds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: Yellow-Billed DuckBirds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: Yellow-Billed Duck

Birds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: Yellow-Billed DuckBirds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: Yellow-Billed Duck

Birds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: Yellow-Billed DuckBirds in Flight with Canon EOS 70D: Yellow-Billed Duck


Birds in Flight Photography Cape Town

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