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Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

snegron7
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

I have been trying to figure out if the 6dmk2 has focus tracking. If so, does anyone here remember how to set it to focus tracking?

Sep 22, 2022 at 04:20 PM

Jeff Nolten
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

The 6D2 only has face tracking in live view mode. You enable it in the menus when you are in live view mode. There is no tracking feature through the viewfinder. For viewfinder tracking I use servo AF with a cluster of 9 AF points and track the subject's movement myself.

Sep 22, 2022 at 04:32 PM

Bassat
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Jeff Nolten wrote:
The 6D2 only has face tracking in live view mode. You enable it in the menus when you are in live view mode. There is no tracking feature through the viewfinder. For viewfinder tracking I use servo AF with a cluster of 9 AF points and track the subject's movement myself.

Agreed. It is worth noting that version II is WAY better than the original 6D. It is based on the 80D AF system and sports a newer processor. I don't do much Servo/Tracking AF anymore, but the 6DII has never let me down. Then again, I never had huge problems tracking soccer with MF lenses 40 years ago. AF does complicate the issue a bit because it can, from time to time, focus on the background, or more annoyingly, focus on something coming between camera and subject. MF has never had either problem.

Sep 23, 2022 at 08:22 AM

Jeff Nolten
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Yes, I used the 80D for an African safari quite successfully capturing a number of birds in flight as well as more stationary birds, reptiles, and mammals. I've never had an issue getting faces and eyes in focus using the pre-tracking optical AF systems. But, mind, I don't do much birds in flight and no sports action tracking. I now have the R7 with the latest animal face and eye tracking. I mostly use the tracking feature to focus and recompose, i.e. I put the focus point on the face or eye and then let tracking hold the focus point while composing the image. Obviously this is for stationary or slow animals like the perched eagles I was photographing on a recent trip. It is a convenience that is faster than using manual controls to move the focus point. I'll probably take my 6D2 or 5D4 for a less wildlife oriented trip next year.

Sep 23, 2022 at 09:41 AM

Gochugogi
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Using the R7's tracking feature to focus and recompose works wonderfully. It works in all AF patterns, including single point mode. Wish my other cameras had that feature...

Sep 23, 2022 at 12:00 PM

Jeff Nolten
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Let me expand a bit on what the R7's tracking brings over older AF systems. One merely has to look at the R7 image thread to see that people are happy with its movement tracking ability. Another advantage that I've discovered is letting the animal face and eye detection find the critter in the first place. My dogs chased a determined squirrel away from our bird feeder into a nearby bush. I had my R7 handy and its AF found and locked on the squirrel face even though it was partially obscured by foliage. For flying hawks I use the entire AF area and let the camera find the hawk, a focus approach I've never used before.

Face detection AF isn't fool proof. We were photographing bears, eagles, and sea otters on our recent Alaska trip. I was using my 5D4 + 100-400 II and my wife was using the R7 + RF 100-400. For bears and otters, unless one was very close, there wasn't enough contrast in the eye or facial features for specific detection, especially bears. It found the bear and locked on easily enough but in the same manner as a mirrored AF system. OTOH for eagles, harbor seals, and other birds the finding and locking worked beautifully. The keeper success rate and image quality was actually the same between the 5D4 and R7. We would have come home with lovely images just using either camera. The only keeper flying eagle image I captured was with the 5D.

But bird and most animal focusing is much easier and faster with the R7. It is my new critter camera. If we go back I'd have my own R7 and the 100-500. For landscapes and travel, the mirrored AF works as well as it ever did and is still very capable for wildlife.

Sep 24, 2022 at 11:17 AM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Gochugogi wrote:
Using the R7's tracking feature to focus and recompose works wonderfully. It works in all AF patterns, including single point mode. Wish my other cameras had that feature...

Which feature is that? I don’t have an R7. Just curious.

Sep 24, 2022 at 01:29 PM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Jeff Nolten wrote:
Let me expand a bit on what the R7's tracking brings over older AF systems. One merely has to look at the R7 image thread to see that people are happy with its movement tracking ability. Another advantage that I've discovered is letting the animal face and eye detection find the critter in the first place. My dogs chased a determined squirrel away from our bird feeder into a nearby bush. I had my R7 handy and its AF found and locked on the squirrel face even though it was partially obscured by foliage. For flying hawks I use...Show more →

I used Zone AF quite a bit with my DSLR’s for BIF. Single point as well. I could not go back to a camera without faceeye detect. For static objects you don’t have to move the AF point around, just compose.

I could never keep the AF point on a flying birds eye so it’s awesome there as well. As for your eagle shot attempts did it just not focus on bird itself? I’ve set up my BBF buttons to pre-focus on the subject If camera is failing to isolate it. For example the AF-ON is set to Single Point AF and I just need to get that anywhere on the bird and then release the BBF. The eye usually snaps in. * is set to Zone AF for more AF points to work with.

Sep 24, 2022 at 01:42 PM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Also for static or very slow moving subjects I set Switching Tracked subjects to 0 or Locked On. Faster subjects I set to 1. There is warning in the manual about using 0 for faster subjects.

Sep 24, 2022 at 01:51 PM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Zenon Char wrote:
Which feature is that? I don’t have an R7. Just curious.

You probably mean this? Nice little feature if so. Would eliminate pre-focus technique I use with my R5.

Sep 24, 2022 at 02:30 PM

Jeff Nolten
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

I haven't tried preview AF. I'll have to play with it.

Zenon Char wrote:
I could not go back to a camera without faceeye detect. For static objects you don’t have to move the AF point around, just compose.
I believe this is what Gochu is referring to, tracking in general. I think he has an R5 and was going to ask him if the R5 did the same thing.

It was bears that eye detect didn't work on, small brown eyes on a big brown face. Eagles were amazing, even distant ones up in a tree the little green square found the eye if it was visible.

Sep 24, 2022 at 03:02 PM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Jeff Nolten wrote:
I haven't tried preview AF. I'll have to play with it.

I believe this is what Gochu is referring to, tracking in general. I think he has an R5 and was going to ask him if the R5 did the same thing.

It was bears that eye detect didn't work on, small brown eyes on a big brown face. Eagles were amazing, even distant ones up in a tree the little green square found the eye if it was visible.

No the R5 does not have that. Thanks for the eagle info. I'm starting to think about the R7.

Sep 24, 2022 at 03:18 PM

Jeff Nolten
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Well the R7 + RF 100-400 f8 weighs 2.7 lbs. The EF 100-400 II weighs 3.5 lbs all by itself. Even the RF 100-500 has come back down to 3 lbs even. The R7 ergonomics lets it handle the heavier 100-#00s but the 100-400 f8 is a daylight hiking joy. It has a magnification ratio of 1:2.4 and the R7 does focus stacking - hand held through the viewfinder. I often pair mine with the G1X3 for scenery shots, no lens changes, less than 4 lbs total.

Even the RF-S 18-150 is not bad, just slow, but it has an equivalent magnification ratio, 3 1/3 lbs total. With adapter the EF-S 10-18, 35 macro, and 60 macro work a charm. IBIS brings IS to the 60 macro! Whats not to like?

and no I get no commissions.

Sep 24, 2022 at 03:49 PM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

I have a technical question about R7 IBIS. Since it is a crop sensor does it have to move less to her the job done than a FF? If so I can see there being an advantage to tracking fast moving erratic subjects.

Sep 25, 2022 at 08:38 AM

Jeff Nolten
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

You might want to move this question to its own thread. I'm not sure it will get much attention in this one.

My naive thought is that a FF image circle is larger than APS-C, so yes the APS-C sensor would have to move less. But there may be other factors at play. And how that might affect performance is more uncertain.

Sep 25, 2022 at 09:20 AM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Focus Tracking on 6dmk2?

Jeff Nolten wrote:
You might want to move this question to its own thread. I'm not sure it will get much attention in this one.

My naive thought is that a FF image circle is larger than APS-C, so yes the APS-C sensor would have to move less. But there may be other factors at play. And how that might affect performance is more uncertain.

I'll do that.

Sep 25, 2022 at 09:56 AM


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