EOS R7 Help!!! What is wrong with the FPS on my electronic first curtain?

[heelfan78]

Help!!! What is wrong with the FPS on my electronic first curtain?

Recently, the FPS on my electronic first curtain has dropped from the “stated” 15 FPS to about half that speed. I know it has dropped because I have always used EFC since the day I bought and set up the camera (little over a year ago) until just the last couple of weeks when I’ve noticed the slowdown.

The full electronic curtain sees to be maxing out (30 FPS) and the mechanical curtain seems to be accomplishing its stated 15 FPS. Any idea what may have happened?

As background, the battery is a Canon battery (not a generic) and it is full (actually has ranged during photo shoots from 70%+). I have 2 SIM cards loaded and the main (#1) card is a ScanDisk 128GB 300 MB/S Extreme Pro (v90) (usage about 25%). The second card is a SanDisk Extreme Pro 64 MB (v30) and that is the "rollover card that is hardly ever used).  The shoots have ranged from capturing wildlife to beach settings to still life / landscapes. “Slowdown” has occurred on shutter speed setting as well as aperture setting. Using spot metering. High Speed continuous. AI Servo. AWB. I have experienced the slowdown on both RF and EF lenses - heretofore the lens didn’t matter as to the speed.

I will note that these are not really any different settings than I have used previously with EFC and have obtained higher FPS (i.e., > 6-8 FPS I’m now getting). Any idea or suggestion as to what has happened and / or what I must do? I’ve gone on line and through YouTube, but I’m not finding an answer. I’ve not changed any settings so (i.e., other than AV or TV or white balance, etc. - the “normal" changes you make). This is very frustrating to “lose" the EFC.

[Danny]

Thanks for joining the conversation, heelfan78!

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[heelfan78]

I am using the Canon EOS R7 and it is about a year old.  

[p4pictures]

Do you have the Anti-flicker shooting enabled in the red menu section? 

[heelfan78]

Hi Brian.  Anti-flicker is Off / Disabled.  Thank you for reaching out.  

[p4pictures]

Have you tried to do a test to confirm the slowdown, specifically in comparison with the same test using mechanical shutter mode?

By test I'm suggesting the following:-

• Manual exposure mode
• 1/125s, ISO 100, f/5.6
• Camera set to RAW only, not RAW + JPG and not writing to two cards.
• Lens set to manual focus
• High ISO noise reduction set to standard or off
• High speed continuous drive
• Simply hold the shutter down for two seconds
• Count the number of frames captured - doesn't matter about the content of the frame or even if the exposure is correct.

Under such situation mechanical and 1st curtain electronic shutter mode should both have around 30 frames saved for the sequence. I would use the rate or protect feature to mark the ending picture of the sequence before taking the next set. I expect 30 frames as both electronic 1st curtain and mechanical shutter should run at 15fps. If your camera really does give very different number of pictures then it sounds like a trip to service, if not then there's no problem as most of the settings will slow mechanical as well as electronic first curtain. 

[kvbarkley]

Also turn off any DLO or other lens corrections.

[heelfan78]

Good afternoon, Brian.  Thank you for getting back to me and your excellent step-by-step guidance here.  

I set my camera as you suggested.  As a not, for the two seconds I did the "one, one thousand; two, one thousand" so the timing is probably imperfect.  Here's what I got for two seconds:

Mechanical - 12 frames, 12 frames, 10 frames, 12 frames

EFC - 13 frames, 14 frames, 13 frames, 12 frames

Electronic - 26 frames, 28 frames, 28 frames

I took the pictures with a Canon rf 100-400.

As a note, I am on Firmware Ver 1.1.0.

Your thoughts and suggestions after seeing the results?

I am grateful for your assistance!

Battery = 90%

Brand new ScanDisk V90 card (nothing on it before shooting these images)

[p4pictures]

Form those results it would appear that electronic first curtain and mechanici are basically operating at the same speed, so maybe it’s the different sounds that makes you think it’s shooting less frames. In mechanical the first curtain has to close then open before the second curtain closes to end the exposure, so two shutter sounds, with electronic first curtain the first curtain to start the exposure is not physically moved only the second. 

[heelfan78]

Hi Brian.  I suppose that would seem reasonable that they would be the same, but the posted FPS is for 2 seconds - not one.  Should the FPS be greater - twice as many frames as I got - for two seconds?