So I finally made the jump from my ancient 7D Mark II to the R7 last month and honestly I am about to pull my hair out. I thought my old Tamron 150-600 G1 would be fine with the EF-RF adapter but man was I wrong. The autofocus is just constantly hunting and pulsing and when it actually does hit something the images look like they were taken through a screen door. I know the R7 sensor is pretty demanding because of that high pixel density but I didnt expect my keeper rate to drop this hard.
I am trying to find something that actually works without spending three grand on an L series white lens because my wife will actually kill me if I spend more money right now. I have about 750 or maybe 800 bucks left in my gear fund and I need something for the birds down here in the Everglades. I keep looking at that native RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 but f/8 at the long end feels so dark? Like am I gonna be shooting at ISO 12800 every time a cloud passes over the swamp?
Is anyone actually using that 100-400 for serious birding or is it just a daylight-only toy? I was also looking at the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary with the adapter but I have heard some horror stories about focus pulsing on the R series bodies and I really dont want to deal with that again after this Tamron mess. My trip to the coast is in three weeks and I really need to have this figured out by then or I am just gonna be lugging around a very expensive paperweight.
Are there any other options I am missing here or am I just stuck between a slow native lens and a glitchy third party one? I just want sharp eyes on my herons without having to sell a kidney...
Ugh, I feel your pain. I tried making the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary work on my R7 last year and it was a total disaster. The focus pulsing is honestly infuriating and it is basically a known issue with the older third-party EF lenses on these high-speed R bodies. It is so disappointing because those lenses were absolute legends back on DSLRs like your old 7D. The reality is that R7 sensor is so dense it just eats old glass for breakfast. If you want something that actually works for your Everglades trip in three weeks, here is the deal:
- Grab the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM. Tbh, the f/8 isnt as scary as it sounds because the autofocus is native and lightning fast. You will get way more keepers even if the ISO climbs a bit.
- If you can find one used, look for an Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM. It works perfectly with the adapter, but it might be just over your 800 limit.
- Skip the Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM for the swamp. The minimum focus distance is a joke and you will be constantly backing up into gators just to get a shot. I really wanted the third party stuff to work too, but the frustration of missed shots just isnt worth it. The native 100-400 is surprisingly sharp and super light, which helps when you are trekking through the humidity all day. Just run your high ISO shots through some denoise software and you will be fine... let me know if you need help finding a good used deal.
