Scheduled to try out the R7 at Canon Experience Store next week- any questions you want to ask before I do?

[vjlex]

I don't know why I didn't remember sooner, but every time Canon releases a new camera, they offer a hands-on preview experience before the official release date at the Canon stores here in Japan. I made an appointment this morning for next Monday. So if you have any specific questions or things you want me to check out, let me know.

I plan to bring along my R5 so I can make the size and handling comparison for myself. I'm also curious to see how unwieldy the fat RF lenses are on the R7. I'm not super technical or methodical when it comes to testing equipment, so my impressions may be more general. Also, the experience is limited to 15 minutes and I am not allowed to use my own SD cards, so I won't be able to take home any images. But if you have any general questions that may not have already been answered in the zillion YouTube previews, feel free to ask.

 

[unfocused]

I'd be curious about the ergonomics, especially if the relocated controls on the back feel natural or not. How does the EVF look, in other words, do you notice the reduced resolution? Also, I haven't seen anything that says whether or not it has the same R5 touch screen control that allows you to use your thumb to move the autofocus point (Although they may have that turned off for the test, as this is an option that I believe has to be activated by the user and is not a default setting.) One of the big disappointments for me was that Canon did not include this option in the R3.

 

[vjlex]

I'd be curious about the ergonomics, especially if the relocated controls on the back feel natural or not. How does the EVF look, in other words, do you notice the reduced resolution?

Yes, I will definitely be checking and comparing these directly with my R5 in hand.

Also, I haven't seen anything that says whether or not it has the same R5 touch screen control that allows you to use your thumb to move the autofocus point

Do you mean the ability to change autofocus point on the touch screen when your eye is to the EVF (and the screen is off)?

 

[EricN]

I'd like to know the size of the Raw and large jpg files.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Also, I haven't seen anything that says whether or not it has the same R5 touch screen control that allows you to use your thumb to move the autofocus point … One of the big disappointments for me was that Canon did not include this option in the R3.

I used that on the EOS R and it was ok. I far prefer the smart controller on the R3 to using the rear LCD.

 

[Del Paso]

Please ask if it's an absolute certainty that a battery grip won't be available for the R7.

 

[koenkooi]

Will you be able to take the camera outside, or point the lens out the door? I'm curious on how the EVF compares between indoor and outdoor lighting.

 

[unfocused]

Do you mean the ability to change autofocus point on the touch screen when your eye is to the EVF (and the screen is off)?

Yes.

 

[unfocused]

I used that on the EOS R and it was ok. I far prefer the smart controller on the R3 to using the rear LCD.

Not me. Canon could have offered both. Unfortunately they didn’t.

 

[AlanF]

Several have had concerns about the weatherproofing so could you take a bucket of water with you.

 

[Aussie shooter]

Yes. Can you set the Dpad up to change ISO in order to make up for only having two dials?

 

[vjlex]

Will you be able to take the camera outside, or point the lens out the door? I'm curious on how the EVF compares between indoor and outdoor lighting.

Doubtful. These are usually very tame, very limited hands on experiences. The last time I went for the R5/6, we were limited to an area of the center that had a few items that we could train our focus on.

Yes.

Sure. I will look into it

Yes. Can you set the Dpad up to change ISO in order to make up for only having two dials?

I'll check the custom function menus to see what I can learn.

So far on my list:

• ergonomics (the new dial, comparison with R5 feel, lens balance)
• EVF quality (resolution, how it handles indoor vs. outdoor lighting)
• touch AF control
• RAW & JPEG file size
• customize D-pad to control ISO
• evidence of weatherproofing (douse with water from PET bottle ; subsequently get kicked out of center)
• battery grip possibility* (I know there is no answer that they would give beyond what has already been stated; highly unlikely)

 

[vjlex]

Just got a call from Canon. My appointment got moved up to this afternoon (6/9), so if there are any last minute requests, now's the time.

 

[vjlex]

I got a chance to handle the R7 today for a few minutes. Admittedly, I like how it feels in hand, but of course this is going to be user dependent.

Regarding the requested information:

• ergonomics (the new dial, comparison with R5 feel, lens balance) It is only a little smaller than the R5, and a little bigger than the M50 (both of which I brought along to compare). Pretty much the perfect in-between size. The new quick control dial/multi-controller isn't bad, but it will take some getting used to. While it is convenient to reach with your thumb, it was a little awkward to use when my eye was against the viewfinder. Also, the multi-controller is almost flush with the dial, so it was sometimes a little difficult to manipulate. But really, I mostly like it and think I will quickly get used to it.
  
  
• EVF quality (resolution, how it handles indoor vs. outdoor lighting) I found the resolution of the EVF noticeably lower than the R5 that I had in my other hand for direct comparison. I generally prefer using the back LCD for my shooting style; for anyone who relies on the EVF, it's not terrible, but it's not great either. As the camera was literally tethered to the display table, there was no way to take it into an outdoor setting to get a sense of how it performed in bright daylight.
  
  
• touch AF control Yes, I was able to enable this in the menu and use my thumb to select and move the Autofocus point using the screen, even with my eye against the viewfinder (like the R and R5). The autofocus seemed on par with the R5 (quick, responsive, sticky), although the Canon rep noted that the R5 is still faster.
• RAW & JPEG file size The RAW files were about 44 Mb and the JPEGs were about 7Mb
  
  
• customize D-pad to control ISO No, the D-pad could only be customized as 4 separate buttons; you could customize them all to access the ISO setting, but you still needed to use the main dial to actually change it. On the bright-side, I might finally have a use for the control ring.
  
  
• evidence of weatherproofing (douse with water from PET bottle ; subsequently get kicked out of center) No additional information
  
  
• battery grip possibility* (I know there is no answer that they would give beyond what has already been stated; highly unlikely) No additional information

 

[Lee Jay]

I don't know why I didn't remember sooner, but every time Canon releases a new camera, they offer a hands-on preview experience before the official release date at the Canon stores here in Japan. I made an appointment this morning for next Monday. So if you have any specific questions or things you want me to check out, let me know.

I plan to bring along my R5 so I can make the size and handling comparison for myself. I'm also curious to see how unwieldy the fat RF lenses are on the R7. I'm not super technical or methodical when it comes to testing equipment, so my impressions may be more general. Also, the experience is limited to 15 minutes and I am not allowed to use my own SD cards, so I won't be able to take home any images. But if you have any general questions that may not have already been answered in the zillion YouTube previews, feel free to ask.

The viewfinder is the killer. I've tried the R, RP, R6, some of the Nikons some of the Sonys including the a7R Tuesday, and two Olympus EVFs and found all of them mostly unusable because of lag and contrast, primarily. I'm looking for something that doesn't crush dark areas, blow bright areas, and has no visible lag. The a7R felt like I was pointing with the tip of a fly-rod versus the feel of a rigid pointer when I tried to pan - it would lag behind my movements and then over-shoot where I stopped.

I have a 7D Mark II and really, I just want that viewfinder experience.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I have a 7D Mark II and really, I just want that viewfinder experience.

Unfortunately, I doubt you'll get it in a Canon APS-C MILC.

The R3 VF is better than that on my 7D, but not quite as good as my 1D X. Still, it's close and for me, at least, the benefits of the EVF go the extra distance to make it more useful than even a very good OVF. But I don't feel that way about my EOS R.

 

[Del Paso]

The viewfinder is the killer. I've tried the R, RP, R6, some of the Nikons some of the Sonys including the a7R Tuesday, and two Olympus EVFs and found all of them mostly unusable because of lag and contrast, primarily. I'm looking for something that doesn't crush dark areas, blow bright areas, and has no visible lag. The a7R felt like I was pointing with the tip of a fly-rod versus the feel of a rigid pointer when I tried to pan - it would lag behind my movements and then over-shoot where I stopped.

I have a 7D Mark II and really, I just want that viewfinder experience.

Nice to see I'm not the only one.
After having checked most EVFs (R5, R3, Leica SL2, Sony A IV), I'm convinced that OVFs are still the better VFs. The EVFs have been improved compared to the one in the EOS R, that's obvious.
But, as you just wrote, in high contrast situations (forest in spring), they still lag behind the OVFs, despite other advantages.
EVFs are THE choice for macro and manual lenses, for instance, but for the rest, EOS 5 D4...

 

[neuroanatomist]

Nice to see I'm not the only one.
After having checked most EVFs (R5, R3, Leica SL2, Sony A IV), I'm convinced that OVFs are still the better VFs. The EVFs have been improved compared to the one in the EOS R, that's obvious.
But, as you just wrote, in high contrast situations (forest in spring), they still lag behind the OVFs, despite other advantages.
EVFs are THE choice for macro and manual lenses, for instance, but for the rest, EOS 5 D4...

Have you tried OVF simulation mode on the R3?

 

[Del Paso]

Have you tried OVF simulation mode on the R3?

Unfortunately not, does it help in reducing the perceived difference between EVF and OVF?

 

[Lee Jay]

Why would there be any other mode than OVF simulation mode?