Hi, I recently purchased a R6MKII and a RF 24-70 F2.8 and RF 85 F1.2 lens. I think they're fantastic photography tools. However, when using them for video, I'm very surprised at how insanely loud the autofocus is.
I tested the autofocus noise of both lenses with the built in mic of the Canon R6MKII as well as the Sennheiser MKE 400, both indoors and outdoors, using several different settings.
RF 85 F1.2 Autofocus Audio Test Here -
RF 24-70 F2.8 Autofocus Audio Test Here -
Listening Volume:
No audio levels were adjusted in post so adjust your computer/phone volume accordingly. I suggest listening as loud as possible and reducing the volume as needed.
Backstory:
I recently switched from Sony. I had an A7III with a 24-70 G-Master, a Tamron 28-75 and a Samyang 85 1.4. All of these were totally silent while focusing and shooting video, even with the built-in Sony mic.
The only way reduce the autofocus noise is to lower the camera gain and external mic gain, so everything is barely audible (pointless, and the AF noise will just increase if you raise the levels in post) or jack up the camera gain and set the external mic to low (totally backwards and introduces a crazy noise floor hiss).
I love the look of RF lenses. Love the functionality. Love the image quality, but Canon really needs to do something about the autofocus noise going forward (and should have already).
Shooting concerts, sports or street probably isn't a problem but shooting in any type of quiet environment (nature, church, gallery, etc) even with a shotgun mic is surprisingly problematic.
Before Losing Your Minds:
I realize you can manually focus. That's not really the point.
I realize you can take it off Servo AF (it still makes the same noise when you do choose to focus)
I realize you can get off camera mics (lavs, etc) but again, that's not really the point.
It’s not IBIS.
I'm a professional photographer - https://www.robharrandphotography.com, but there is no denying video is equally, if not more important to a lot of people in 2023 and I think Canon needs to up their game in this department.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Did I get lemons?
Much appreciated.
Rob.
I tested the autofocus noise of both lenses with the built in mic of the Canon R6MKII as well as the Sennheiser MKE 400, both indoors and outdoors, using several different settings.
RF 85 F1.2 Autofocus Audio Test Here -
RF 24-70 F2.8 Autofocus Audio Test Here -
Listening Volume:
No audio levels were adjusted in post so adjust your computer/phone volume accordingly. I suggest listening as loud as possible and reducing the volume as needed.
Backstory:
I recently switched from Sony. I had an A7III with a 24-70 G-Master, a Tamron 28-75 and a Samyang 85 1.4. All of these were totally silent while focusing and shooting video, even with the built-in Sony mic.
The only way reduce the autofocus noise is to lower the camera gain and external mic gain, so everything is barely audible (pointless, and the AF noise will just increase if you raise the levels in post) or jack up the camera gain and set the external mic to low (totally backwards and introduces a crazy noise floor hiss).
I love the look of RF lenses. Love the functionality. Love the image quality, but Canon really needs to do something about the autofocus noise going forward (and should have already).
Shooting concerts, sports or street probably isn't a problem but shooting in any type of quiet environment (nature, church, gallery, etc) even with a shotgun mic is surprisingly problematic.
Before Losing Your Minds:
I realize you can manually focus. That's not really the point.
I realize you can take it off Servo AF (it still makes the same noise when you do choose to focus)
I realize you can get off camera mics (lavs, etc) but again, that's not really the point.
It’s not IBIS.
I'm a professional photographer - https://www.robharrandphotography.com, but there is no denying video is equally, if not more important to a lot of people in 2023 and I think Canon needs to up their game in this department.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Did I get lemons?
Much appreciated.
Rob.
.
