Canon mirrorless Rf cameras/lenses for sports photography

[sheryl_bury_michals]

HI All!

I'm thinking about possibly purchasing a Canon RF camera and 1-2 lenses on like a 24-70 (for group shots, lectures, parties, etc) and one a 70-200 2.8 for sports (the 100-300 2.8 is a bit out of my price range). 

I have read articles a while ago about RFs being used for sports - but has anyone used it for rugby (as that's what I shoot when not doing events). I was planning to rent a camera and lens to test it out. I know the weight is less (which would be helpful for my very arthritic left thumb base), but last I read a year or so ago the jury was still out on RFs for sports. So maybe the thought on that has changed?

I currently use, 100-400 EF F4-5.6 IS USM II, the 70-200 2.8, the 24-70 2.8 and the 17-40 f4 and with a 5G Mark IV.

Any and all advice/experience would be most helpful.

Thansk,

Sheryl

[Ken Katz]

At the Olympics this summer, Canon Professional Services was lending out Canon R1's R5ii's and R3's (and all the RF glass), plus they had a handful of DSLR's available.  

https://blog.jeffcable.com/2024/07/behind-scenes-at-olympics-canon-heaven.html

I would expect that an R5 or R6ii would likely exceed the AF capabilities of your 5D iv, as would the R3 and R5ii.  It would probably make sense to rent an RF body and EF adaptor for a week to test it with your EF lenses in the environment you shoot at.   Only you can decide if an RF body is worth the cost in terms of images it can produce for you.  Note of course that your 5D iv is the last of the Canon DSLRs and there will also not be any new EF lenses developed.

[sheryl_bury_michals]

Thanks Ken for responding so fast.

so DSLRs are becoming obsolete? That’s a bit sad…I’ve spent a bit on EF lenses over the years and it would feel like $ are being thrown out because of the RF movement. I worry the EF adapter would affect the lens aperture (say a 2.8 lens no longer a true 2.8)vans slow things down.

Would my EL-5 speedlight work with the RF series? It’s pretty new too. I hope the price of RF’s go down a bit as it’s all pretty pricey.

[AJG]

I'm not a Canon user, but these adapters won't change the f/stop.  How the autofocus works I will leave to someone with actual experience with these cameras. 

[Ken Katz]

It is my understanding that almost all EF lenses work just as well on RF cameras as they did on EOS DSLRs, but you can certainly do your own research on that, and rent an RF to check it out for yourself.  I don't know the compatibility with flash units, but again, I am sure the information is readily available.

I would not use the term "obsolete" with respect to DSLRs, but their day has passed and all the big camera makers are focusing on mirrorless.

[Adrian K]

On 9/4/2024 at 12:06 AM, sheryl_bury_michals said:

Thanks Ken for responding so fast.

so DSLRs are becoming obsolete? That’s a bit sad…I’ve spent a bit on EF lenses over the years and it would feel like $ are being thrown out because of the RF movement. I worry the EF adapter would affect the lens aperture (say a 2.8 lens no longer a true 2.8)vans slow things down.

Would my EL-5 speedlight work with the RF series? It’s pretty new too. I hope the price of RF’s go down a bit as it’s all pretty pricey.

I have a Canon 430 EX flash and it works on my R7. I've used it off camera with a Canon cord which I bought for my EF cameras. I don't know all the ins and outs of using the flash, though.

[marceppy]

I have a R7.  My EF lenses work well with an adapter and flashes too.  A few dlsr’s are very desirable and holding value.  I still have film that can be transformed into great images with today’s post processing.  RF’s do have advantages and shortcomings too.  

[sheryl_bury_michals]

21 hours ago, marceppy said:

I have a R7.  My EF lenses work well with an adapter and flashes too.  A few dlsr’s are very desirable and holding value.  I still have film that can be transformed into great images with today’s post processing.  RF’s do have advantages and shortcomings too.  

Thank you marceppy! This is good to know. I think for event photos, scenery photos, etc it will be fine, it’s just the sports photography stuff I’m more concerned with because it’s a faster pace and since I shoot rugby it, the speed is much faster than just taking pictures of stills and portraits and for that, that is the main concern for me.

[Andy Collins]

I currently shoot the R7, R6 MkII, and R5 MkII. Previously I shot the 5D MkII and III as well as the 7D MkII. The AF on the 3 RF bodies I have is in a whole different league compared to the DSLRs! The AF can track a subject across the entire frame and sticks to the subject insanely well. I shoot primarily wildlife, lots of birds in flight, but all three of these RF bodies are outstanding for shooting sports, especially the R6 MkII and R5 MkII. These two were made with sports in mind and are aimed at wildlife and sports shooters as well as serious videographers. The sports capabilities of the R5 MkII are simply astounding, with features like being able to set the camera for specific sports, registering up to 10 players of whichever sport in the camera for it to know to track them specifically out of the crowd of players, following the player that has the ball, and much more. It's crazy! The R6 MkII is much less expensive than the R5 II, but it's amazingly capable. It can be set to track individuals, vehicles (including focusing on the driver's helmet), left eye or right eye, all types of animals and more. I don't shoot the R7 as much but I have gotten some incredible wildlife shots with it too. I get far, far more keepers with my R-bodies than I ever did with even my 7D MkII, and I always considered that camera to be Canon's best action DSLR outside of the 1D bodies. As for the adapters, I use Canon's EF-EOS R adapter and it works beautifully. There is no degradation of the lens's performance whatsoever. AF is not affected in any way and is just as fast on an R7 as it is on your 5D4. I've read, on several occasions, that some photographers felt that their EF lenses performed better on RF bodies via the adapter than on their DSLRs. The 3 bodies that I listed also have in-body image stabilization which works along with the image stabilization in your lenses (including EF lenses) and can give you incredible capability to shoot at slower speeds if necessary, and this also is not affected by the adapter. I'm completely sold on the RF system, but I still have some of my DSLRs (40D, 7D MkII, 5D MkII) and film gear because I just can't part with them.

[sheryl_bury_michals]

Thanks Andy!

This clarified things a whole lot for me. My plan is to rent a r series camera out to see how it works. I like that I don’t have to buy a whole new set of lenses just because the cameras are now mirrorless. That is huge. I too have a few eos film camera I can’t part with as well.

having a lighter body weight-wise will be a huge help for my wrists too!

 

 

 

[Andy Collins]

Also, your EL-5 flash will work just fine. It's what I'm using on the bodies I listed.

[sheryl_bury_michals]

Thanks Andy! 

it really is a plus I don’t have to buy a whole new set of lenses and flashes, as I’m rather attached to the EF lenses I have and use often!

[brett_w.]

On 9/18/2024 at 11:42 PM, sheryl_bury_michals said:

Thanks Andy! 

it really is a plus I don’t have to buy a whole new set of lenses and flashes, as I’m rather attached to the EF lenses I have and use often!

 

I also primarily use older Canon EF lenses on a Canon R5,  EF lenses work great on the newer mirrorless bodies