Yesterday was Chinese new year and I took the chance to test the Viltrox Speedbooster and my R7 in a difficult but controlled setting
If been at this specific event now for several years and so I know what to expect:
In the past I would have brought my 1DxII and two lenses, the 135L 2.0 and the 300L 4,0 using only one lens for the evening depending where I would have to sit.
This time I brought only the R7 and the EF 70-200 L II 2.8. The 2.8 would have been a touch to slow, but this time I mounted it with the Viltrox Speedbooster assuming that F 2.0 should do the trick.
ISO 12800 is something which my 1Dx II handles very well but it is the maximum I’m willing to risk with a crop camera like the R7. So I went with Auto ISO limited to 12800, Time nailed to 1/500 and variable F settings. Result was an evening with nearly constant F 2.0 and occasional warnings about not enough light. I upload two pictures, I used Lightroom to export them at only 2 Megapixel from CRaw to JPG but did not apply any further development. Both are taken at:
With the Viltrox delivering the right F value with 2.0 but the wrong focal length which was 200mm rather than 142mm
Both pictures I would probably not have been able to take without the Viltrox. The Snapshot Portrait would not have required 1/500 but it was so dark that I would have had trouble to find proper focus with a slower lens (In fact with the equipment I had available 2 years ago I would not even have thought it possible to make such a shot. This was a scarcely lit theatre audience) . The second picture from the stage had very fast movement inside, 1/250 would have resulted in movement blur.
I was very happy with my gear when I took those pictures, until everything fell apart…
I had made the mistake to configure my R7 as similar as possible to the 1 DX II to allow for a fast learning curve with the camera. That was a mistake. I use C1 for landscape, C2 for portrait and C3 for sport. The free programmable buttons I use to switch between One shot and Servo etc… Learned this evening that I need to rethink the layout. I need a fast way to toggle the eye tracking off and on and I need a fast way to switch spot measurement off and on while also using this to suggest the starting point for AF while allowing the focus tracking afterwards to do its magic.
What had happened:
During the show they used a strong HDTV beamer to project the background image for the show, but not from behind on a translucent background but from front and therefore also onto the performers. The background picture almost always had some twinkling moving little stars which seemed to be highly attractive to the face recognition and especially eye focus algorithms of the R7 so focus constantly wandered off.
When there were no sparkling little critters another effect kicked in. Eye detection seems to go first towards the biggest eye, then to the most shiniest. I assume the algorithm believes that the biggest eye must be the closest. Bad luck if the eye you want is that of a small child but the camera sticks constantly on the painted eyes of the lion dancers costume in the background.
So conclusion for me, the Viltrox gets a constant place in the bag (which means carrying two adapters around) and I need to study my R7 al little more to improve what I put in the my Menue Tab and especially how to better set up the buttons I can configure
If been at this specific event now for several years and so I know what to expect:
- Un-numbered seats and arriving late, so no chance to get an optimal position
- Amateurs at the controls for light and sound
- Plenty of commotion in the rows in front of me, basically always a head or full body blocking at least part of the scene
- Hysterical rush to the stage of mamas swinging video devices to record the drama when (their) kids are performing
- Hundreds of people in the room who will raise their mobile as high as possible over their head to film a scene
In the past I would have brought my 1DxII and two lenses, the 135L 2.0 and the 300L 4,0 using only one lens for the evening depending where I would have to sit.
This time I brought only the R7 and the EF 70-200 L II 2.8. The 2.8 would have been a touch to slow, but this time I mounted it with the Viltrox Speedbooster assuming that F 2.0 should do the trick.
ISO 12800 is something which my 1Dx II handles very well but it is the maximum I’m willing to risk with a crop camera like the R7. So I went with Auto ISO limited to 12800, Time nailed to 1/500 and variable F settings. Result was an evening with nearly constant F 2.0 and occasional warnings about not enough light. I upload two pictures, I used Lightroom to export them at only 2 Megapixel from CRaw to JPG but did not apply any further development. Both are taken at:
With the Viltrox delivering the right F value with 2.0 but the wrong focal length which was 200mm rather than 142mm
Both pictures I would probably not have been able to take without the Viltrox. The Snapshot Portrait would not have required 1/500 but it was so dark that I would have had trouble to find proper focus with a slower lens (In fact with the equipment I had available 2 years ago I would not even have thought it possible to make such a shot. This was a scarcely lit theatre audience) . The second picture from the stage had very fast movement inside, 1/250 would have resulted in movement blur.
I was very happy with my gear when I took those pictures, until everything fell apart…
I had made the mistake to configure my R7 as similar as possible to the 1 DX II to allow for a fast learning curve with the camera. That was a mistake. I use C1 for landscape, C2 for portrait and C3 for sport. The free programmable buttons I use to switch between One shot and Servo etc… Learned this evening that I need to rethink the layout. I need a fast way to toggle the eye tracking off and on and I need a fast way to switch spot measurement off and on while also using this to suggest the starting point for AF while allowing the focus tracking afterwards to do its magic.
What had happened:
During the show they used a strong HDTV beamer to project the background image for the show, but not from behind on a translucent background but from front and therefore also onto the performers. The background picture almost always had some twinkling moving little stars which seemed to be highly attractive to the face recognition and especially eye focus algorithms of the R7 so focus constantly wandered off.
When there were no sparkling little critters another effect kicked in. Eye detection seems to go first towards the biggest eye, then to the most shiniest. I assume the algorithm believes that the biggest eye must be the closest. Bad luck if the eye you want is that of a small child but the camera sticks constantly on the painted eyes of the lion dancers costume in the background.
So conclusion for me, the Viltrox gets a constant place in the bag (which means carrying two adapters around) and I need to study my R7 al little more to improve what I put in the my Menue Tab and especially how to better set up the buttons I can configure
