I didn’t see this mentioned in any of the R5II threads. I’ve seen several references to the R5II buffering for precapture when the shutter button is half-depressed. This makes sense. However, I’m wondering if precapture buffering occurs is focusing with one of the back buttons. Can one then continue to focus with a back button and then push down and up quickly with the shutter button and get shots captured only for the time the shutter was pushed if the shutter button is never left in a half-depressed state prior to actually pushing all the way down? I guess I’ll find out tomorrow for myself if nobody knows!
KINGOFKNGS wrote:
I didn’t see this mentioned in any of the R5II threads. I’ve seen several references to the R5II buffering for precapture when the shutter button is half-depressed. This makes sense. However, I’m wondering if precapture buffering occurs is focusing with one of the back buttons. Can one then continue to focus with a back button and then push down and up quickly with the shutter button and get shots captured only for the time the shutter was pushed if the shutter button is never left in a half-depressed state prior to actually pushing all the way down? I guess I’ll find out tomorrow for myself if nobody knows!...Show more →
This is a good question. From Jan's recent review I was under the impression that everytime you hit that shutter button you end up with 15 pre-capture frames. But if the shutter wasn't half pressed to begin with, how could it generate those pre-capture frames. I would think you'd just get however many frames based on AFTER you hit that shutter until you release it.
Others have reported that they asked their Canon rep and were told that pre-capture is tied to the half press shutter button.
So as a BBF guy, this just might solve my concern.
I just tried the precapture on my few hours old R5 II. It did not seem to work with Back button, but did work off the shutter button. As I have just got it, maybe there is something else that would make it work, but I don't think so. HTH
Can you hold down back button focus and then half-press the shutter button to start precapture when you want to use it that way?
dj63401 wrote:
I just tried the precapture on my few hours old R5 II. It did not seem to work with Back button, but did work off the shutter button. As I have just got it, maybe there is something else that would make it work, but I don't think so. HTH
I guess the question boils down to this...is the precapture always running (when turned on) even with no AF engaged via shutter or AF-ON.....OR is precapture only triggered by the half press of the shutter. or AF-ON.
From what I have read/watched it seems that AF-ON doesn't trigger the precapture buffer to start banking 0.5s, only 1/2 press of the shutter starts this. I can't imagine the camera would always be buffering shots without touching the shutter.
So I think the R5II will sort of force you to be a shutter button shooter if you want to use pre-capture. UNLESS you can still have AF not engage with shutter but pre-capture does engage and start buffering with AF still handled by your back buttons??
I'm not sure?? FWIW, A9III can trigger pre-capture from any button that triggers AF. Doesn't have to be shutter.
arbitrage wrote:
I guess the question boils down to this...is the precapture always running (when turned on) even with no AF engaged via shutter or AF-ON.....OR is precapture only triggered by the half press of the shutter. or AF-ON.
From what I have read/watched it seems that AF-ON doesn't trigger the precapture buffer to start banking 0.5s, only 1/2 press of the shutter starts this. I can't imagine the camera would always be buffering shots without touching the shutter.
So I think the R5II will sort of force you to be a shutter button shooter if you want to use pre-capture. UNLESS you can still have AF not engage with shutter but pre-capture does engage and start buffering with AF still handled by your back buttons??
I'm not sure?? FWIW, A9III can trigger pre-capture from any button that triggers AF. Doesn't have to be shutter....Show more →
I am actually hoping that it *only* buffers with the half press of the shutter button. Having never shot with precapture except for a couple times on the R7, and that was so clunky I never did it again, I think this could effectively be a way to have my cake and eat it too. The half shutter press wouldn't do anything to override the back buttons as far as the focus goes, but it would allow for the precapture to buffer. So if for some reason I don't want to recapture, I can BBF and then push the shutter button all the way down. If I do want to precapture, I can half push the shutter.
^ Yes, that is how it worked for me with the camera I recently tried. A quick stab of the shutter release appeared to bypass precapture buffering.
dj63401 wrote:
I just tried the precapture on my few hours old R5 II. It did not seem to work with Back button, but did work off the shutter button. As I have just got it, maybe there is something else that would make it work, but I don't think so. HTH
KINGOFKNGS wrote:
Can you hold down back button focus and then half-press the shutter button to start precapture when you want to use it that way?
rscheffler wrote:
^ Yes, that is how it worked for me with the camera I recently tried. A quick stab of the shutter release appeared to bypass precapture buffering.
Bingo! That's what I've been waiting to hear. That would resolve my concerns of leaving pre-capture on all the time when in certain situations.
If it works that way then that is great, especially for back-button shooters. Not so much for shutter button shooters.
1) Leave pre-capture on all the time
2) If you don't want pre-capture, focus with back button, hit shutter to take shots and there won't be any pre-buffer stored yet.
3) Want precapture?...focus with back button and 1/2 press the shutter at same time
If you are a shutter button shooter then it isn't going to have a workaround like that. If you AF with shutter for more than 0.5s you will record your pre-capture frames every time. I assume if you only AF for 0.25s before firing you will get 7-8 shots at 30FPS instead of 15?
That said, when using the A9III for 3 weeks I found that once you re-train your brain you can actually use pre-capture to reduce the number of shots in the end. Only fire after you see something cool happen. Want an osprey just as it enters the water? Wait to see it hit then push the shutter. Want a swallow only when it darts for the bug? Wait till you see it happen and push the shutter. Without pre-capture I'm usually firing at the swallow for its full flight hoping to randomly catch the moment it darts for the bug....I end up with way more shots than I really want as I have a million shots of swallows just flying by. Without pre-capture it is just easier to fire with the osprey as it descends....it is tricky to try and time firing just for the last few frames before it hits the water as it happens so fast it is hard to concentrate on keeping the osprey in the frame and knowing when the water is coming into frame. Even for just normal shooting there are lots of times I fire short bursts, thinking the bird is about to launch or do something cool (say flip a berry in the air) and a lot of times it doesn't happen and I get a string of useless shots. With pre-capture you know it happened and you get your 15 frames plus maybe a few more after but at least they are capturing something you want.
So I think with a little practice you can leave pre-capture on all the time (as Jan mentioned he did) and not come away with way more shots.
arbitrage wrote:
If it works that way then that is great, especially for back-button shooters. Not so much for shutter button shooters.
1) Leave pre-capture on all the time
2) If you don't want pre-capture, focus with back button, hit shutter to take shots and there won't be any pre-buffer stored yet.
3) Want precapture?...focus with back button and 1/2 press the shutter at same time
If you are a shutter button shooter then it isn't going to have a workaround like that. If you AF with shutter for more than 0.5s you will record your pre-capture frames every time. I assume if you only AF for 0.25s before firing you will get 7-8 shots at 30FPS instead of 15?
That said, when using the A9III for 3 weeks I found that once you re-train your brain you can actually use pre-capture to reduce the number of shots in the end. Only fire after you see something cool happen. Want an osprey just as it enters the water? Wait to see it hit then push the shutter. Want a swallow only when it darts for the bug? Wait till you see it happen and push the shutter. Without pre-capture I'm usually firing at the swallow for its full flight hoping to randomly catch the moment it darts for the bug....I end up with way more shots than I really want as I have a million shots of swallows just flying by. Without pre-capture it is just easier to fire with the osprey as it descends....it is tricky to try and time firing just for the last few frames before it hits the water as it happens so fast it is hard to concentrate on keeping the osprey in the frame and knowing when the water is coming into frame. Even for just normal shooting there are lots of times I fire short bursts, thinking the bird is about to launch or do something cool (say flip a berry in the air) and a lot of times it doesn't happen and I get a string of useless shots. With pre-capture you know it happened and you get your 15 frames plus maybe a few more after but at least they are capturing something you want.
So I think with a little practice you can leave pre-capture on all the time (as Jan mentioned he did) and not come away with way more shots....Show more →
Great tips - I would also add:
- get a bigger CFx B - angle bird SE 512 is only $180cdn. A inexpensive good (700MB/s sustained card).
- set electronic default 15fps, then its only 7 frames. And program a button to quickly go to 30fps. I plan to use my favourites menu with precapture on/off, craw on/off, spot on/off, and fps.
Great tips - I would also add:
- get a bigger CFx B - angle bird SE 512 is only $180cdn. A inexpensive good (700MB/s sustained card).
- set electronic default 15fps, then its only 7 frames. And program a button to quickly go to 30fps. I plan to use my favourites menu with precapture on/off, craw on/off, spot on/off, and fps.
My brief tests yesterday, it captured 1/2 second(15 frames) no matter my frame speed IE: 30fps, 15fps or 5 fps, all ways 15 pre-captured.
dj63401 wrote:
My brief tests yesterday, it captured 1/2 second(15 frames) no matter my frame speed IE: 30fps, 15fps or 5 fps, all ways 15 pre-captured.
Wait that math doesn't add up. It if always captured 1/2s, then it should not always be 15 frames. If you had frame rate set to 5, then 15 frames would be 3s, not 1/2s.
One of the numbers isn't right, unless precapture is always running at 30fps, regardless of actual set frame rate.
Did you try 20fps? My understanding was that 20 fps captured 10 frames with precapture (1/2 second)
dj63401 wrote:
My brief tests yesterday, it captured 1/2 second(15 frames) no matter my frame speed IE: 30fps, 15fps or 5 fps, all ways 15 pre-captured.
mogul wrote:
Any reason Canon made pre-capture so hidden behind a veil?
I don't see it as behind a veil, but if you mean its not as usable as you'd like, I think that's a different reason. IMO, its the same reason the previous iteration of it was so odd, I bet they were trying to skirt copyright infringements. If they do something the same way some other company does it, they have to pay to play. This is often forgotten.
This is my guess on why its not available as a simply toggle button in stills, but is in video. But I could be wrong there, I haven't done any dumpster diving on patents.
dj63401 wrote:
My brief tests yesterday, it captured 1/2 second(15 frames) no matter my frame speed IE: 30fps, 15fps or 5 fps, all ways 15 pre-captured.
So are you saying the precapture is always shooting at 30FPS, saves 0.5s=15 shots and then if you have selected say 15 FPS it shoots 15FPS after you press the shutter but still has shot 15 frames at 30FPS before the full shutter press?
That could actually be how it is working. May explain all the confusing reports out there.
Please test this more!! I'd also be interested to know if you hold the half-shutter for less than 1/2 second do you get a smaller number of shots than 15? Or is it really odd and only saves shots for precapture once it reaches that 15 shot limit??
stanj wrote:
unless precapture is always running at 30fps, regardless of actual set frame rate.
That actually may be what it is doing. Weird method but could be how they programmed it. It probably still drops to the lower FPS you have set for the shots after the precapture portion.
