EOS R7 AF/MF body switch

[JamesHarvey]

When I first got the camera (at first retail availability), I hoped to get a lot of use out of the body switch, but over time have found it pretty useless.  It is completely overridden by lens' AF-MF switch, which is fine as it then is consistent with using those lenses on other bodies, but with RF consumer lenses having a single ring, it has some strange interactions with the MF/Control switch on the lens.  Looks like this might have been fixed on the RF200-800, where it appears the body switch should work as advertised with the lens' switch in the center ("Control") position, but is it still over-ridden when the lens' switch is in the AF or MF positions?

I found this issue with the one-ring lenses so confusing, as I had often ended up with no ability to focus the camera due to the interaction of the body & lens switches, that I sat down with the camera & an RF nifty-fifty to figure the effect of all the various controls, including the two MF switching options in the menu.  What I concluded was that you actually need to change both switches to go from AF to MF in some circumstances, which is confusing and ergonomically poor; the full results are listed below.  Perhaps the body switch will disappear on the R7ii, or can its operation be updated to resolve this issue; or could even the FW or the R7i be updated to remove these anomalies?

[p4pictures]

Your EOS R7 has the same situation as my EOS R10 that also has the AF/MF switch on the body around the depth of field preview button. I note that you also mention the setting for FT MF and MF after AF, though these are not directly linked with the setting of the AF/MF switch.

Your RF 50mm F1.8 STM lens does not support full-time MF feature at all, so this is not relevant in your table

https://cam.start.canon/en/H001/supplement_0060.html

Secondly the menu item Lens electronic MF (MF after AF in your table) only applies if you are using ONE SHOT AF, not SERVO.

Here's how the AF/MF choice is made on the EOS R7/R10 cameras.

1. If the lens has a switch to select AF/MF then this determines if AF or MF is active. However not all lenses do have this AF/MF switch, your RF 50mm F1.8 is one, and also my RF-S 18-150mm. My RF-S 18-150mm also has no FOCUS / CONTROL switch, but your RF 50mm F1.8 does.
2. If the lens lacks the AF/MF switch then the switch on the camera body determines if the lens will be in AF or MF. However there is also a setting in the setup menus to disable the AF/MF switch on the body, and if this is done then a new menu item will appear at the end of the first AF menu to allow a choice of AF/MF.

With the AF/MF switch enabled, there is no menu option to choose AF/MF mode. These menus are largely the same as your EOS R7.

If I choose to disable the AF/MF switch on the camera body, an extra menu option appears at the end of the AF menu only if the lens also has no AF/MF switch.  

Since my RF-S 18-150mm lens also lacks the switch for FOCUS/CONTROL this is also chosen in my camera menus, so I see an extra menu item here. You won't see this as you lens has the FOCUS / CONTROL switch.

[JamesHarvey]

Thanks, but with all due respect, I'm aware of all that, and I may be missing something, but it does not answer my fundamental question of why, with single-ring lenses, you still need to move both switches to move between AF & MF & to retain the ring function as a control ring when in AF?  I note this appears to have been resolved on the 200-800 with a 3-position switch, but it could be solved on the R7 simply by amending the action of the AF/MF body switch as follows, with a FW update:

• Body AF, Lens Control: AF, ring is Control
• Body MF, Lens Control: MF, ring is MF*     *new added state
• Body AF, Lens Focus: AF, ring is Disabled
• Body MF, Lens Focus: MF, ring is MF

Which would be much better ergonomically as it would make full use of both switches and save diving into the menu which nobody wants to do when actively shooting and trying to keep an eye on subject activity, etc.

I really like the concept of the body AF/MF switch as it's much easier to use than AF/MF switches on the lenses.  When actively shooting it does not require movement of the left hand from the front of the lens, and allows that hand to remain pointing & steadying the lens, and at the focus (& control) rings.  IMO, now that the lens switch is purely electronic, it's a pity we don't have a menu option to over-ride that with the body switch.

[Ron888]

That switch also gets me totally lost on my R10.... sometimes,and that's the problem.It doesnt happen often enough for me to bother learning why.There are too many things to memorize so when it happens i use the first workaround i can think of

[p4pictures]

So in that case the best option is disable the AF/MF switch on the body, and use the lens AF/MF switch if it has one, or the entry at the end of the AF menu if there's no switch on the lens.