I've moved this thread from Tea Rooms to this forum, as it makes more sense.
The number of times I've used RAW burst can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I always forget it's there, and it takes time to set up on R7. RAW burst also generates massive files.
A combination of Mike B and Billysdad piqued my interest by mentioning CRAW files - Compressed RAW files. Mike B pointed them out, and Billysdad pointed out they are available on a Canon R7.
I decided to give CRAW and CRAW burst a go. Anything to reduce file sizes and decrease the time taken to write to a SD file.
Caveats, as always. I shot the following sequence through manky double glazed windows (why does it always rain shortly after I clean them?), with the subject under a large oak tree, with the added bonus of overcast conditions.
Findings.
Best used on bright sunny days or bright light, probably best in Tv mode, rather than my favoured Program mode.
DPP4 is pants when it comes to extracting images from RAW and CRAW burst files. Firstly, it produces image 1620x1080 pixels in size rather than 6960x4640 pixels of the original RAW image. There might be a setting I've missed to stop this, but I haven't invested the time to RTFM - I'm allergic to reading manuals. DPP4 doesn't appear to page or swap. All images are held in memory, resulting in 'out of memory' error message. It also screws up Windows 11, as I don't think it releases memory correctly when I close it down. Plus it's slow, and the extraction tool has a rubbish UI.
I found it far easier and quicker to extract images in camera. This process also leaves the image at its original size.
The resulting CRAW burst file seemed much smaller than the RAW burst file, about 50-60% smaller. Writing to SD card was definitely faster - as it's a smaller file. I think the individual CRAW files were smaller. Difficult
Anyway, enough faff, on with the results. These are uncropped images. You'll also see No Mow May in full bloom.
That's it. Over and done with so quickly. Nine frames out of 48 images saved in burst mode.
One tiny issue with this sort of shot. The bird moves so fast, I can't track it. This means the focus point remains pretty much on where the bird started off. One reason the grass, buttercups and daisies are so crisp and clear. OK, another reason for the slightly blurred Jay is that it is moving fast, and I was using Program mode in less than ideal light. Tv mode with bright sun might have resulted in better sharpness.
Personally, I can't see much signs of rolling shutter. I also photographed a Magpie taking off and flying. Although there wasn't apparent signs of rolling shutter, the test was inconclusive as the bird was a fair distance away. However, Jays and Magpies are not noted for their fast wing beats. You would, though, expect fast movement when taking off, therefore more chance of rolling shutter. The last time I tried RAW burst (a year ago) I did get very bad rolling shutter with a Blue Tit.
Mike B did hint that he had read that rolling shutter had largely been removed by firmware upgrades. I hoped it would, but was unsure. Especially as certain learned gentlemen on the internet said it was impossible due to it being caused by hardware. Well, I shall have to try RAW burst on subjects like Tits or small ducks, whose wing beats are much faster.
90% luck, 5% field craft, 5% camera skills.
I find it's impossible to quote using my phone.... When you say AF stays locked on to subject when you move the camera, isn't that the same as it is tracking that subject moving?
I finally got a large, slow moving subject: A wood pigeon.
The R7 does track attempt to lock onto its eye and does attempt to track the pigeon; changing its target area as the bird moves. But only slowly. Once the creature moved fast, like ducking down to take off or actually taking off, then the R7 couldn't track it at all. It lost focus all together. Which is probably what happened with the Jay.
So, sorry for any confusion. Though I still feel the R7 does have lower powered processors and less memory than higher spec models, hence its struggles with AF and tracking. It's only natural.
Should be interesting to see what the R1 does. Probably cost more than I paid for my car.
I will still continue to experiment/play about with CRAW burst mode. It definitely offers possibilties in the right situation. I still think it's cheating, though.
Angus M said:a large, slow moving subject:
I was about to say don't be so rude
Have you tried pre- shooting in the RAW burst mode. Now that is interesting. I tried it once and while it does kind of work, it is not easy to use - well on the subjects I tried ...
I have copied a bit from tinternet for anyone who fancies a go.
RAW burst and pre-shooting are camera features that, when used together, can help you retrieve moments that you miss. They work by recording images into your camera’s buffer memory when you half-press the shutter button.
In RAW burst mode, the camera uses the electronic shutter to continuously shoot and record RAW files at up to 30 fps (depending on the camera) into your camera’s buffer memory. All the shots in the burst are saved in the same file instead of separate files for each shot, which makes data management easier.
Pre-shooting is a feature that becomes available when RAW burst mode is turned on, and arguably the main highlight of the mode. When enabled, it starts recording images into your camera’s buffer memory as you half-press the shutter button. When you fully press the shutter button, the moments from up to 0.5 seconds before full shutter release will be recorded into your memory card as a single RAW burst file.
What FocusCase have you got set - presuming the R7 still has cases as the Ds did. If you are shooting in Program mode, how much input is the software having on the shutter / aperture / iso and does it restrict the selection of focus cases.?
I'm using pre-shooting.
I first came across this method when watching a program about scientists on the NASA converted 747 used for high altitude astronomy. Scientists were investigating Sprites, high level atmospheric lightning, by photographing them. I wondered how on earth they could do this?
Pre-shooting.
One scientist was staring through a device that looked like a submarine's periscope. All the while, a camera was taking photographs continuously and filling a circular buffer. When he saw a sprite he pressed shutter release.
Of course, their camera was far more sophisticated than our mirrorless ones.
Resolution was hundreds of mega pixels. Frame rate was something phenomenal - probably hundreds a second. And I believe that the camera's buffer could hold about 5 seconds worth of photos!
I've been playing about a bit more with this feature on the humble R7.
One aspect I wasn't sure about was when the R7 would save the photos it took. The fragment of manual I read online, said photos are saved when shutter release was fully depressed. But I wasn't sure.
Also, what happens if I took my finger off shutter release after depressing it halfway? What happens to all the photos in the buffer? Are they written to a file?
The answer to the second question is that the contents of the buffer are not saved to file. They are thrown away. Which is a relief, as I would often want to stop the process as my subject wasn't doing anything or had flown off in the wrong direction, etc. To start buffering again, simply depress shutter release halfway.
The answer to the first question is, as you would expect, the buffer is saved when shutter release is pressed all they way i.e. as if you are taking a photograph. At this point the contents of the buffer are written.
This can take many seconds, if you are a cheapskate like me with a cheapo, mid performance SD card. You can't take another RAW roll (I think that's what the RAW file is called) until the write of the first file is complete.
RAW burst mode remains enabled until you either disable it or turn the camera off.
I had to concentrate really hard on watching whatever it was I was photographing to fully depress shutter release at the correct time. It's a different skill. You need lightning fast reactions.
Animals move very, very quickly, as demonstrated by the photos of the starling. A quarter of a second, faster than some blinks of the eye, and it had flown around and landed on my bird feeder. It moved so quickly, I missed it taking off.
Good fun, though.
Bloody enormous files.
DPP4 is rubbish for extracting individual photos out of a RAW burst roll. I've read that other image processing software (Lightroom, Photoshop) do a far better job.
I'm using focus case 2.
Tracking is excellent, but it cannot keep up with a fast moving object - well, not with the R7. It doesn't have the processing power.
The Starling and Jay are moving incredibly fast. Those frames of the Jay taking off are roughly 0.125 seconds in length; the blink of an eye. The Jay covered 1.2m (4 feet in old money) in that time. About the same speed as Mr Bolt in the 100m dash.
Shutter priority (Tv mode) as well as bright light would have helped hugely with getting less blurred images. 1/664 although fast, isn't as fast as 1/2000 (which I've set on my R7 - though I could set it higher) or more.
I'm following this thread with interest. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll get to see the R7 in greater detail when my son comes to visit us.
There is one thing I will contribute, with the jay as the subject, I would zoom out, knowing what the jay is likely to do, place the jay toward the lower portion of the view to accommodate the sudden take off.
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
Angus M said:I'm using focus case 2.
Try one of the other focus cases - 4 or 5 where its expects sudden movement. Focus case 2 is the one that tries to guarantee not losing the subject if it passes behind a tree or something so I think its a little slower to respond to changes. Agree 1/664 isn't particularly fast. Any reason why you don't shoot Manual and Auto ISO?
We actually had sun, early this morning. I'd forgotten what it was.
I set my R7 to Shutter priority (Tv mode) with a minimum speed of 1/2000 of a sec. I left the R7 to do its own thing with the other settings. As usual, handheld and shot through our manky, double glazed kitchen window.
I'd been meaning to photograph this Great Spotted Woodpecker taking off from bird feeder for some time. We actually have two GSWs visiting my bird feeder. Shame about my anti-pigeon bamboo cane deterrent getting in the way. I'm not getting rid of the canes - spent too many years battling wood and feral pigeons for them to make a comeback and create havoc on my bird feeder.
The R7/Sigma 18-300mm combination does its own thing with regards to AF. Shifts around a lot, made worse, I feel, with the sheer amount of extra processing required to compress images before writing to SD card. I set the AF to full area, rather than my usual Spot AF.
Images extracted in camera, before downloading to laptop. Bit of processing in FastStone (basic, but free and a lot faster than DPP4), the usual smidgen of sharpening, adjust lighting slightly, reducing image size prior to posting.
I think there evidence of rolling shutter in photographs 8 and 10. Wings don't look entirely correct. I could be wrong.
This entire sequence is about 0.27 seconds in length. Just over 1/4 second.
I honestly thought I'd missed getting these shots. By the time I pressed shutter release, I saw the woodpecker (out of the corner of my eye) landing on a branch of a tree at back of our garden - about 20 feet away.