EOS R1 Eye Detection and Focus issues

[DhandaNot]

I was using Caron R1 with EF 500L F4 IS ii and 1.4x IS iii for this shoot.

EXIF 1/2500 F7.1 ISO 640
I have a burst of shots, the bird was moving slow, I had the gear on a Monopod. What I see is that eye detection has worked and the focus point is seen on the bird's (Andean Goose) head. But the images are not in focus.

I have asked similar questions in the past. That time I concluded that the initial images from a burst may show focus point but the actual aquisition may happen after a few milliseconds.

The subject here is a "Sitting Duck" so to say. Why R1 not able to caputure the right focus?

The RAW files can be downloaded from here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UATeT3llT2QJtRttppkyH6ZOuyOoDRKe?usp=sharing

Canon EOS R1_20260709_205100.Id_8047.jpgCanon EOS R1_20260709_205100.Id_8051.jpgCanon EOS R1_20260709_205100.Id_8055.jpg

[stevet1]

DhandaNot,

What do you feel is out of focus? The bird, or the background, or both?

A couple of things come to mind:

1) If you think it's the background that is out of focus, you might be looking at depth of field issue, rather than a focus issue. It looks like you have zoomed in on the bird from quite a distance away, and even if you use a small aperture like f/7.1 or f/9, or f/11, and with those kind of apertures, your lens is going to isolate the bird, and the background will blur away. And that's okay.

2) If you think the bird's head or eye is out of focus, are you using a single point autofocus?. If you are just using one point, as the bird moves, your focus might not keep up with his movement. Try using a group or a cluster of focus points rather than one point.

3) The bird is not moving very fast. You shouldn't need a shutter speed of 1/2500. Something like 1/250 might be more appropriate. With a really fast shutter speed, and a small aperture, your camera had to set a high ISO in order to compensate.

4) It looks like the sun was shining on the back of the bird, and it threw his whole head and neck in shadow. His eye might be in focus, but it's really hard to tell because you can't see it.

These are just some of my thoughts.

Steve Thomas

[March411 · Accepted solution]

@DhandaNot how's it going? I hope well other then your current challenge.

I grabbed the first raw file and the eye is a bit soft and the point of the beak as well. I cropped the image to just the head. I would have to ask, how far were you from the subject? Was it hot or humid?

Looking at the cropped image it looks to me kike it could have been due to atmospheric conditions. Have you tried a similar shot at close distance? Crop loosely around the head and take a close look, while some of it may be bokeh can you see the wavy effect on the background.

My guess it is not camera related but atmospheric. Do any of the below fit your shooting conditions on that specific day? My suggestion would be to sit in the back yard mid-morning and grab some frames to see if the issue still impacts the images. 

Poor atmospheric conditions change how light travels from your subject to your camera sensor, dramatically changing the final image. The primary ways bad atmospheric conditions affect digital photos include:

• Severe Loss of Contrast and Clarity when the air is heavy with particles like fog, mist, smoke, or dust, light scatters exponentially as it travels toward your lens.
• Washed-Out Images, this forward light scattering bleaches out shadows and dims highlights, producing a very flat histogram that lacks true blacks.
• Farther the subject, the more haze affects sharpness, leading to a lack of fine details. This creates a natural "soft focus" effect over long distances.
• Shimmering and Softness (Heat Haze) Thermal distortion occurs on hot, bright days or when shooting across vast distances.
• Air Refraction: When hot air mixes with cooler air, the density changes cause light rays to bend randomly, much like a prism. The Wavy effect manifests as a distinct shimmer in your photo, making tack-sharp focus impossible to achieve. Telephoto and wildlife lenses exacerbate this because they compress and magnify the turbulent air.
• Atmospheric moisture and pollution act as a giant filter for incoming light. The moisture in the air also filters out red light leaving the picture with a cool blue color cast as well as heavy smoke particles from distant forest fires or dense smog can trap shorter wavelengths, scattering only orange and red light to create a thick, heavy, pastel atmosphere.
• Digital cameras rely heavily on edge contrast to lock focus. Because haze and heavy rain smooth out distinct edges you may appear to have an AF lock but the conditions create softness.

[DhandaNot]

Hi Marc, I think you have put the finger on the real issue here which is "Atmosphere". I checked with another photographer who was with me. He also confirmed similar experience / results.

The heat caused the distortion in the air. It had nothing to do with the camera but the medium in between was the reason for distortion and soft images.

[March411]

Glad it got resolved and the bonus is there is nothing wrong with your gear. Enjoy the R1, it's one heck of a camera.