Report: Canon EOS R’s New Firmware Makes AF Comparable to Sony’s

The Canon EOS R is getting a firmware update that significantly improves its autofocus for sports and portraiture.

Though folks will sit there and belittle the Canon EOS R, I genuinely like it. I see it as a step closer to Canon actually deciding to listen to its customers and the industry. With the news of the latest firmware update, the Canon EOS R is becoming even better. On a recent press trip, we had the chance to play with a beta version of the latest firmware update. This new update brings majorly improved autofocus tracking. Indeed, a room of journalists was seriously pleased with some demonstration videos we saw.

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How to Get Sharply Focused Photos with a Wide Aperture

Shooting with a wide aperture allows you to drastically isolate your subject from the background and play around with bokeh, making it a neat technique for portrait photography. However, it also comes with a cost: the focus tends to be sharp only towards the center of your frame. Irene Rudnyk shows us how to get our subject sharp throughout your frame even with apertures as wide as f1.2.

Irene Rudnyk has been shooting dreamy portraits in natural light, and the wide aperture of her 85mm f1.2 helps her make her subjects stand out. One of the questions she gets often is how she gets sharply focused portraits with such a wide aperture. Her answer? Using her camera’s auto focus (activated by half-pressing the shutter) to focus around the eyes in the center of her frame, and when that’s locked, recompose to how she wants it. She demonstrates how easy this technique is in the video below.

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Quick Informal Lens Comparison: Canon 35mm f1.4 L vs Sigma 35mm f1.4

I recently wrote about selling all of my Canon glass and going all Sigma. One of the biggest reasons: Canon has been letting me down as of late and one of the best and most affordable ways to take advantage of what my 5D Mk II can do is to use newer glass. As it is, Sigma’s 50mm f1.4 is better than the Canon 50mm f1.4 and Canon’s 85mm f1.2 L USM II is only a bit better than Sigma’s 85mm f1.4, but the latter beats Canon’s 85mm f1.8 USM.

That left one lens in the bag: the 35mm f1.4. Initial tests have come out testing the lens. Here’s a super quick and very informal comparison of the two; and this will be the first of a couple.

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Very Quick Test: Sigma 85mm f1.4 vs Canon 85mm f1.2 L (First Impressions)

Canon 85mm f1.2 ISO 800 f2.2 1/160th

 

Not long ago, Sigma’s reps called me up to ask about my comparison of the Sigma 85mm f1.4 vs the Canon 85mm f1.8. While they thought the comparison to be fair and informative, they were curious to know why I didn’t compare it against the Canon 85mm f1.2; a lens that it is often compared to. After some talks, I decided to go ahead and do it.

This post is the first of a two part series and was conducted very quickly using my friend Katie in Midtown Manhattan.

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