I am honestly so fed up with my current setup and I feel like I am wasting the potential of this R7 every single day. I bought the camera because everyone said it was the king of crop sensor birding but my lens situation is making me want to scream. Right now I am trying to use an old EF 75-300mm with the adapter and it is just a nightmare. It is slow, it is noisy, and half the time it just gives up on focusing entirely if there is even a single branch in the way.
I went out to the local marsh yesterday morning—I live in Florida so the light should have been fine—but every single shot of a Roseate Spoonbill was a blurry mess. The R7 is fast but this lens just cant keep up with the autofocus and it makes me feel like I wasted my money. I have a big trip to the Everglades coming up in exactly eighteen days and I am panicking because I dont have a usable lens for it.
I really need something that actually works with the R7 tracking because that was the whole point of buying this body. My budget is pretty capped out since the camera was so expensive so I am looking at maybe $700 or $800 tops. Here is what I am hoping to find:
- Decent reach (at least 400mm)
- Fast enough autofocus to keep up with the R7 bird eye detection
- Sharp enough to crop in a bit
I saw the RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 but I am worried about that f/8 aperture since I usually shoot early in the morning when the light is still kind of low. Is it actually sharp enough or am I going to be disappointed again? I keep hearing mixed things about it being a consumer lens but then some people say it is a hidden gem. Are there any third party options that dont suck or maybe an older EF L lens that I could find used for cheap?
I just want to be able to take a clear photo of a bird without fighting my equipment the entire time. It is so frustrating to see a perfect moment and have the lens just hunt back and forth until the bird flies away. What should I be looking at that wont break the bank?
Over the years, I've learned that Florida mornings are tough on gear. I once lost a sequence of a Snail Kite because my lens started hunting... just soul-crushing. In my experience, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is safer than the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary, which often has AF pulsing issues on the R7. Native glass handles the tracking better, even if f/8 seems slow.
Building on the earlier suggestion, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is the only safe bet. In my experience, its focus is instant, and the R7 handles the f/8 noise fine.
@Reply #3 - good point! Honestly, I am sitting here in the exact same spot and it is just soul-crushing. I spent so much on the R7 body that my lens budget is basically gone, and now I am struggling just like you. I tried to make it work with a used Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III and it has been a total disaster for my birding shots. Basically every trip out has been a disappointment:
- The autofocus is so loud it literally scares the birds away before I can lock on.
- I lost a perfect shot of a Wood Stork because the lens just kept hunting back and forth.
- Half my images look like they were taken through a foggy window even in good light. It is just frustrating when you see people online getting these crisp shots while I am fighting my gear every second. I was looking at the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM as a last resort but even that is expensive when you are starting from zero. Tbh I am just terrified of wasting more money on stuff that isnt gonna deliver...
Would love to know this too
