I wanted to test out the new Canon EOS R1 while photographing several pro sports recently and give my thoughts to everyone. Some background…
First off, the camera I used was still a PRE PRODUCTION model and not the final product.
I’ve been using R3 bodies and wanted to assess the improvements of the R1 in real-world conditions. I shoot exclusively in JPEG because, in my field, it’s crucial to deliver images quickly. I focus on cropping, adjusting white balance if necessary, captioning, and sending the images to clients as fast as possible.
I used the camera at both Soccer and a couple of MLB Baseball games…
Soccer
Focus
The R1 in soccer action mode is simply a cheat code! The focus locked on to every person that had or was about to have the ball via a pass or shot. The R3 is great at tracking, but the R1 is next level! Take a look at this sequence where I focused on the guy kicking the ball and trying to score. At the last second, I panned to the goalie making the save and the focus locked on to both players making for a pretty nice frame or two.(Especially impressive since I was shooting at F2.8) The camera predicted that the ball was headed to the goalie and locked focus on him!
Noise
I decided to play around with the ISO at 40,000 for a bit to see if I could use the images for clients like wire services, etc… After reviewing the results, I’d have no problem using 40,000 ISO for assignments if necessary—such as poorly lit high school or college basketball games and fields.
Take a look at this 40000 ISO file and let me know what you think. (Shot jpg with only standard factory default in camera noise reduction set.)
Feel and Ease of Use
The R1 body definitely has a more substantial and rugged feel, similar to the 1DX Mark III. Since this was my first time using it for a “real” event, there’s still a lot for me to learn, but I’m already impressed with how quickly it locates and locks onto subjects. Check out a few action shots below…
Baseball
Once again, the tracking on the R1 is simply the best I have ever used! Check out this sequence and close up frames where the camera just locks on to the shortstop even when the runner gets in front of him…
I love how the camera feels in my hands, and with its enhanced performance, I’m definitely going to buy one as soon as it’s released. It was fantastic to shoot at very high shutter speeds in an enclosed stadium at night, making it much easier to freeze the action. (I could really only do this at outdoor day games before.) Here are a few photos demonstrating this…
Feel free to email me or send me a message on Social Media if you have any specific questions and I’ll be happy to answer what I can!
Thanks!
Kevin