Field Review Tokina AT-X 11-16 f2.8 AF DX Pro Wide Angle Zoom Lens

Although this particular lens was first introduced in 2008 in the rest of the world, the Tokina lenses have not been very freely available in South Africa until recently.  There are currently six models to choose from, all available in both Canon and Nikon mounts.

The 11-16 f/2.8 in a Canon EF-mount is the first Tokina that I am field testing.  This particular lens is a wide-angle zoom built for Canon APS-C crop and Nikon DX sensor camera bodies (Tokina use the letters DX to indicate crop-sensor).
It a Canon EF-mount, it is ideal for the EOS 300/350/400/450/500/550/600D series, as well as the 10/20/30/40/50/60D series.  It also works perfectly on the 7D dslr body.
For Nikon users, it works very well on the Nikos D3000/3100/5000/5100/7000 series, and the D200/300/300s dslr bodies.  

The Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, as seen from the business end of the lens.  It is mounted here on a Canon 40D.

How Is It Built

My first impression of this lens is one of its superior build quality.

The Tokina 11-16 is heavier than one might expect, although the weight comes about as a result of the robust construction and the amount of glass needed to make a constant f/2.8 aperture lens.

From left to right, the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 DX, the Canon EFS-10-22 f/3.5 and the Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8L II wide-angle zoom lenses.

At 560g it is substantially heavier than the Canon EF-10-22mm, which weighs 385g.  In fact, it is closer in weight to the Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8L II at 640g.
The weight balances perfectly on a medium-sized dslr body like the Canon 60D.

The zoom mechanism that the rest of the lens is built around, is made of metal, and covered in tough polycarbonate, with a smooth-textured finish to it.  The zoom and focus rings are wide, have deep ridges and are easy to locate or operate.  Both zoom and focus rings operate smoothly, with no sticking or play at all.  There is also no play in any other part of the lens.

The build and exterior finish of this lens is perhaps closer to a Canon L series lens than it is to Canon EF-S lens like the EF10-22.

There are no switches on the exterior of the lens barrel, and switching from AF to MF is accomplished by sliding the focus ring backwards or forwards.

There is a focus distance scale in the lens barrel.

The 11-16 comes with the BH-77 lens hood as standard.  The lens hood is made of hard black plastic and has a stepped finish on its interior surface, to reduce glare.  The exterior of the lens hood does pick up scratches quite easily, as do most black plastic lens hoods.  On the other hand, it mounts very firmly, and there is no play or rattling in the mount.

The front lens cap is spring-loaded, and is easy to attach or detach even with the supplied lens hood in place.

A frontal view of the lens, with the front lens cap in place, and the hood mounted.

The front of the lens accepts a 77mm filter, and mounting one provides protection for the front lens element, as well as reducing the chances of moisture or dust getting inside the lens.  The front element does not rotate during zooming, which means that filters like polarizers are easy to use on the Tokina.  There is also no change in the size of the lens during zooming.  The Tokina is not weather-sealed.

The front element has a special coating on it to disperse moisture from the glass itself, and this also means it stays clean for longer, and cleans up easier.

The rear lens mount is made of chromium-coated brass.

The lens mount on the Tokina AT-X 11-16 f/2.8 DX-Pro

How Does It Work?

This ultra-wide focal range actually compliments most kit lenses that come with many dslr bodies as the majority of them start at 17 or 18mm and go upwards from there.

On an APS-C camera like the Canon 60D or similar, the 11-16 represents an equivalent focal length of 18-26mm.

This lens has a very short zoom range, going from just 11-16mm.  In this respect it trades extra range for a consistency of image quality, and in fact the image quality is good across the entire focal length range.  For my purposes, I found the results to be similarly good at either 11mm or 16mm and anywhere in-between.

I have included two images shot one after another, at the two extremes of the lens focal range, to give an idea of the zoom range and field of view.

Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, Focal length 11mm, at f/7.1.

Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, Focal length 16mm, at f/7.1.

Although this particular Tokina does not operate with a focus motor of the same silent specification as the USM focus setups in many Canon lenses, it still worked well.  With such a short range and short focal length, the AF does not get challenged too much, and it was plenty good enough.  You can hear the AF motor work on the Tokina, but it is hardly noisy and AF was good enough that I could just get on with taking pictures with the lens.

Many Canon dslry bodies have central autofocus points that will operate at a higher level of precision when matched with a lens with an aperture of f/2.8 or larger.  The Tokina is just such a lens, and this is a big benefit, particularly when working in very low-light situations.  

In use the focus ring and zoom ring turn smoothly and feel well-damped.  The One-Touch clutch for switching from AF to MF is easy enough to use.  One merely slides the focus ring back toward the lens mount to disengage AF.  If the gears do not align properly, it may be necessary to turn the ring slightly until it slides back easily.  This system is easy to use, even with cold hands or with gloves on.
The focus ring movement is firm enough that it shouldn’t get shifted inadvertently whilst being stored or handled.
If you are shooting from a tripod, and like to first use AF to focus your shot, before switching AF off to take the pic, as some of us do when shooting long exposures, or images for panos etc, then be aware that when sliding the focus collar back to disengage AF, it is possible to cause the focus point to shift.  I normally make use of live view to check my focus in such situations anyhow.

Image Quality

Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, AT-X Pro, Canon EOS 550D, 1/800sec at f/5.6.

I used the Tokina 11-16 on a Canon 60D, 40D and a 550D during testing, and the lens worked very well with all three of those cameras.

The AF response was fast enough, on a 550D, to enable me to capture common dolphins racing alongside a boat.

Sharpness

The lens is acceptably sharp for my purposes and the equal of the Canon EFS 10-22mm lens that I have used extensively.  Landscape images taken with this lens responded well to my usual sharpening processing steps in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop.

Contrast

Despite the bright, overhead light, and strong, white reflections from the water splashes in the dolphin image, the resulting picture was of good quality.

Colour

Colours were rendered well, and contrast as good as other lenses in this class that I have used.

Distortions
Distortion was not very pronounced at all with this lens, even though some distortion is characteristic of all wide-angle lenses in this focal length range.  The distortion typically becomes most apparent when one is extremely close to a subject, and can be used for effect.  It also means that lenses in this focal range, the Tokina included, may not necessarily be ideal for photographing people up close.
Chromatic aberration

Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, 16mm focal length, 1/50sec at f/5.0, iso 640.  

Heavy crop, top right corner of previous image.  Tokina 11-16,f/2.8, 1/50s at f/5.0, iso 640.

Chromatic aberration, or CAs usually show up in a picture along edges where very high contrast tones meet.  Most lenses are susceptible to showing CA's given certain shooting conditions, but some more so than others.
As a nature and wildlife photographer, I know that when I photograph a tree canopy from below that has patches of bright sky showing through from above CA's may show up as thin, coloured lines along the edges of the dark leaves and the very bright sky.

The Tokina 11-16 f2.8 shows some CA, noticeable around the edges of the frame, in such circumstances.
It is relatively simple to get rid of the effects of CAs, in post-processing, as Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop all have a set of tools and sliders that help to minimize their effect. 

The amount of CA that did show up whilst using the Tokina 11-16 was not enough in any way to hinder my ability to use the lens for taking high-quality pictures and during my review period, I never took or kept any images that were affected by CA in real-world use.

Flare

Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, 1/250s at f/11.

Canon EF 16-35 f2.8L II,  1/250s at f/11.

When photographing a very bright light source, or shooting towards it, it is possible that stray rays of light may be reflected inside the lens barrel.  The result of this is called flare. 

Flare can cause a lack of contrast in an image, and it can show up as circular patches of very bright light, sometimes coloured.

Wide-angle lenses are a bit more susceptible to flare, especially due to their wide field of view, and the fact that it can be harder to avoid including a bright light source like the sun in an image.

In such circumstances, all the wide-angle  lenses I have used will show some effects of flare.  Unless I am looking to include the flare for effect, I typically do not choose to compose such images in the first place or I look to partially obscure the bright light source.

For the purpose of this field review, I took an image with a very bright sun in the frame, with both the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 and the Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8L II lens.  Both lenses show the effects of flare, but the Canon, which costs about twice as much as the Tokina, is less affected.

Overall Image Quality

Whilst I have given over much attention whilst writing and illustrating this field review with images and explanations of chromatic aberrations and flare, for my own purposes both of these characteristics are of much less importance than one might believe, given how much space they occupy in the field review.
I don't typically seek out compositions with areas of very high-contrast whatever gear I am using, and I spend even less time trying to photograph the sun directly.
So for my real world usage, I am more interested in whether the lens is sharp, captures images with good colour and contrast, and is easy to use.  The Tokina meets all of my image quality requirements easily.
The image below of the Jonkershoek mountains in the western Cape serves to illustrate this.

Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, AT-X Pro at 11mm focal length.  Canon EOS 60D.  1/320s at f/8, +1 exp comp, iso 200.

Overall image quality of the lens is very good and I had no hesitation in using it.

Conclusion
The Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 AT-X Pro provides Canon APS-C (and Nikon DX) shooters with something that no other ultra wide-angle zoom does, and that is the benefit of a constant f/2.8 aperture zoom throughout the focal range.  This can be extremely useful for those who need to shoot in very low light, or who need the extra shutter speed needed to stop action.
It delivers very good images, in a package that features build quality bested only by Canon's L-series lenses, at a price that many may find attractive.

The 11-16 f/2.8 is also a fun lens to use, and I did not want to take it off my camera body at all.
I have no hesitation recommending it as a very good lens for shooting landscapes, wildlife (though you do need to be close to your subject) and for general wide-angle applications.

Low-Light Wildlife Photography

Low-Light Wildlife Photography

The ability to take wildlife images in low-light is something that is very important for me.  Despite the fact that I do much of my shooting outdoors on a continent with lots of sunshine, I have no control over my subjects, and they are often at their most interesting when the sun isn’t shining.

Rather than put my camera away, I try to keep shooting at these times, and I am often suprized by the results.

These days it is getting easier and easier to shoot successfully in low-light.  Using lenses that have a large maximum aperture like f/2.8 or f/4.0 is a big help to begin with.

However, even this is getting less important as each new generation of digital cameras becomes more and more capable of shooting at higher sensitivity settings (Iso) without compromising image quality too much.

What this means is that one is able to shoot at very high iso settings to make sure that the shutter speed is still fast enough to capture a sharp image, regardless of what lens is being used. 

Canon 1Dmk4, Canon 300f28 IS, 1/30sec at f/4.0, Iso 800, handheld.

The lion image above was taken at Malamala, west of the Greater Kruger.  I took the image very, very early on an overcast morning.  There was hardly any light at all to work with.  As soon as we stopped our vehicle and began shooting, I noted that a wide-open aperture setting of f/2.8, combined with an Iso setting of 1600, gave me shutter speeds in the 1/160s to 1/250sec.  I know from experience that those speeds are barely fast enough to freeze any movement, whether it be my own camera shake, or movement of the lions.  I began shooting, and when I was happy that I had a few shots that I might keep, I changed strategy.

The lion in the frame was not moving around much, and he had a full belly, so wasn’t too likely to leap up anytime soon.

I already had a portrait picture of him that I was happy with, but I wanted to give myself a chance at getting the best quality portrait of him that I could.

With this in mind, I lowered the iso setting on my camera to iso 800, at which setting I am completely happy with the image quality of the Canon 1Dmk4.  I also closed down the aperture a little on my lens, to increase the depth of field.  This would mean that I might get his nose, his eyes and his ears all in focus, rather than just one of those three which was the situation at a bigger aperture setting of f/2.8.

These two changes improved the quality of the picture I could take, but also slowed the shutter speed down to 1/30s, which is much too slow for handholding a long lens.

However, my lens has image stabilization, our vehicle was completely still, I rested the lens on the side of the vehicle, and most importantly, the lion never moved during at least one of the shots that I took.

As soon as I had taken a few images and I thought I had a sharp one, I set the camera back to f2.8 and iso 1600, to give me a better chance at getting the lion sharp should he or his buddy who was nearby have begun moving about.

I have trained myself to shoot in this way.  In low light, I set the camera to a fast enough shutter speed by opening the aperture wide, and upping the iso setting as far as I need to, whether that be iso 3200 or iso 6400.  However, if I see that the subject is keeping still for any length of time, I will see if I can lower the iso, and take a chance on getting a sharp shot at the consequently lower shutter speed, just to maximize the image quality that comes with lower iso settings.  When it works out, I have a 'cleaner' image that needs less processing work and I can do more with cleaner images.

What is very important is that I have trained myself to be able to carry out those changes without lifting my eye away from the viewfinder, and I am able to do it very quickly.  The last thing you want to do is miss out on action because your shutter speed is too slow!

This picture is only a resting lion, but I am a big admirer of lions, and this was a particularly impressive specimen.  He had the most unusual eye colour I have seen in a lion.

And, just like my camera, he was responding to the low light conditions with his own wide-eyed, dilated pupil look!

For more on wildlife photography, see: www.grantatkinson.com

Canon 5Dmk2 and Canon 7D, Image Quality comparison.

Canon currently offer two mid-range camera bodies in the form of the 7D and the 5Dmk2.  Both cameras have been on the market for a while, with the 5Dmk2 being the older camera.  The 5Dmk3 has  recently been released but it comes in at a substantially higher price than its predecessor.  It is positioned a little higher in the product line, so at this point in time it is not a direct replacement for the 5Dmk2, which will for now continue to be sold alongside the 5Dmk3 at a reduced price.

Although the Canon 5Dmk2 and the Canon 7D look quite similar, the two bodies are different in many ways, none more so than in their sensor characteristics.

The 7D is an APS-C sensor camera, with 18mp of resolution.
The 5Dmk2 has a full-frame sensor, which is larger than that of the 7D, with 21mp resolution.
There is more to understanding sensor characteristics than just megapixels though, as these two cameras are only 3mp apart when it comes to resolution.

The actual physical size of the APS-C sensor in the 7D is 22.3mm long and 14.9mm high.

In comparison the sensor in the 5Dmk2 is 36mm long and 24mm high.  The sensor in the 5Dmk2 is approximately 1.6x larger than that of the 7D sensor.

Pixels, or photosites, are not all the same, and they have an individual size too, sometimes referred to as pixel pitch.  The 5Dmk2 has fairly large pixels, at 6.4 microns.

The large sensor in the 5Dmk2 is divided up into these photosites, each one around 6.4 microns across, and there are 21 million photosites in all.

The much smaller sensor in the 7D is divided up into photosites, each one around 4.3 microns across.  There are 18 million photosites/pixels in all.

It should be clear from following this explanation that the photosites or pixels on the 7D sensor are much smaller than those of the 5D sensor.

Looked at another way, if you took the larger pixels of the 5Dmk2, and divided up a 7D-sized sensor using these pixels, you would only get 8 million of them to fit on it (which would equate to the 30D sensor of a few years ago). 

When comparing the full frame 5Dmk2 image with that of the APS-C sensor of the 7D, bear in mind that the sensor cannot change the focal length of the lens.

Those in the market for a mid-range Canon dslr body often end up having to choose between these two camera bodies, and as such it is useful to be able to see and compare images taken with the two cameras, side by side.

With the help of Chris Frylink and his 7D, we set up the two cameras to shoot some comparative images.

We used a Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II lens, mounted on a tripod.  Only the camera body was changed each time.  No sharpening was applied other than a default setting of 25 in Adobe Camera Raw.  Raw images opened in Photoshop CS5, downsized and saved using File Save For Web and Devices at 190kb file size.

For this comparison, in order to make up for the difference in subject size due to the viewfinder crop, we set the focal length of the zoom lens at 160mm when shooting the 5Dmk2, and at 100mm for the 7D.  This gave us a similar size subject in each frame.

Canon 5Dmk2, focal length 160mm, 21mp, no cropping, iso 400, f/5.6.

Canon 7D, focal length 102mm, 18mp, no cropping, iso 400, f/5.6.

The lens projects the image that it captures onto the camera sensor.

The larger sensor of the 5Dmk2 captures 36mm x 24mm of what the lens projects which is pretty much corner to corner of the image circle.  The smaller 7D sensor captures the middle portion of that, with its 22.3mm x 14.9mm sensor.  So a portion of what the lens projects does not get recorded on the 7D sensor, that being the outside edges of the frame.

By zooming in from 100mm for the 7D shot to 160mm for the 5Dmk2 shot, the subjects ended up the same size, as shown above.  There is no cropping with the above two images.  As these images are taken at iso 400, and downsized to 800x533 for web use, it is difficult to be able to evaluate any quality differences at this point.  Comparing the two full-sized images on my monitor showed little difference in image quality at iso 400, although the 5Dmk2 image had a slightly smoother feel in the light toned out-of-focus areas of the background to my eye. 

For the next pair of images, we shot at iso 800 and cropped heavily in order to make it easier to evaluate quality on the downsized-for-web pictures.

Canon 5Dmk2, focal length 160mm, cropped to approx 3mp, iso 800, f/5.6.

Canon 7D, focal length 102mm, cropped to approx 3mp, iso 800, f/5.6.

At iso 800, it becomes clear that noise is a little more visible in the 7D image, particularly in the out-of-focus background areas. 

It is important to take note of how the noise is most visible in areas of smooth or similar tones, like the dark background area, and the light-coloured wall.  The noise is not nearly as noticeable in the heavily textured fur and busy tones that make up the bulk of the subject, the baboon.

Also bear in mind when evaluating these two images that the 5Dmk2 image has a shallower depth of field, due to the longer focal length we used to equalize subject size.  This can be seen in the fur on the side of the baboons face.  On the 5Dmk2 image, this fur is more blurred than on the 7D, due to the shallower depth of field resulting from 160mm of focal length compared to 100mm.  It is important to remember that this means that larger portions of the 5Dmk2 image are out-of-focus.  However, both images were taken at f/5.6, and both are pretty sharp on the baboon's eye, where the AF point was positioned.

The next pair of images were taken at iso 1600 and again cropped heavily.

Canon 5Dmk2, focal length 160mm, cropped to approx 3mp, iso 1600, f/5.6.

Canon 7D, focal length 102mm, cropped to approx 3mp, iso 1600, f/5.6

After extensive use of both of these camera bodies, my own findings in actual shooting conditions supported our findings here.
When you are able to get enough pixels on the subject, or enough focal length on the 5Dmk2's full-frame sensor, in order to make up for the smaller sensor on the 7D and it's consequent 1.6x field-of-view crop, then it offers superior image quality to the 7D.  Although there is a difference in image quality at low iso sensitivity settings, it only really becomes noticeable from iso 400 upwards.  At iso 400, both cameras are able to produce clean images for print though.  The real difference becomes significant from settings of iso 800 and upwards.  At 1600 iso the 5D mk2 is perhaps close to one stop cleaner than the 7D.  Of course, one can only enjoy this advantage if you are able to make up the difference in subject size between the two cameras, either by moving closer to the subject, or by using a lens with a longer focal length on the 5Dmk2.
Both cameras can take usable images at iso 800 and upwards, but the 5Dmk2 images are cleaner, and will need less processing work.  The 7D images taken at iso1600 and higher iso settings will benefit from some careful processing work to extract the best from them, and perhaps reduce some of the noise.
We did not calibrate the two camera bodies this the lens.  Whilst there were no clouds in the sky, and we shot as quickly as possible between changing bodies, there might be slight changes in the available light.

For my purposes, in raw format, I felt completely happy that the pictures were sharp enough and that both lens and camera combinations were working properly.
With proper sharpening applied, there would be lots more detail showing on the subject.  It is also important to remember that the only sharpening applied to these images was the Default Amount of 25, which is a low amount, from the Detail panel in Adobe Camera Raw.
Sharpening and adding contrast to the entire image would lead to noise becoming more pronounced due to the sharpening acting on the noise detail.  If your own images show much higher levels of noise, check to see if you are not adding sharpening and contrast to the parts of the picture where noise is present.  Also remember that heavy cropping will tend to make noise more visible, specially in background areas that are low in contrast.

To read a full review of the 7D, click here: EOS 7D Review
To read a full review of the EF 70-200 f2.8L IS II click here: EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS II Review

Look through the blog archives in order to locate other comparison posts where different Canon lenses and cameras are compared.

Canon EOS 60D Compared to the Canon EOS 7D

Whilst neither the Canon 7D nor the 60D are new models, they are both still current offerings in the Canon dslr line-up.

These two cameras sit one level apart in the Canon catalog.

They share a lot of specifications, and on paper, appear to be very similar, perhaps more so than they really are in the hand.

The aim of this post is to try to clarify and define the similarities, and differences that exist between the two cameras.  Potential users of the two camera bodies can then decide for themselves which one may be best suited for their own use.

Canon 60D on the left, Canon 7D on the right, both with EF 16-35mm lenses.

One thing that simplifies the comparison between the two bodies is the fact that they share the same 18 megapixel sensor.

What that means is that if you have the same lens on each one, press the shutter from the same location, at the same time, you should get the same image from them.  Although the 60D is some months more modern than the 7D, and is purported to have some slightly improved noise characteristics from its sensor output, the difference is not enough be significant.

Canon 60D on the left, Canon 7D on the right, both with EF 16-35mm lenses.

 At 820g the 7D is heavier than the 60D which weighs just 675g.  The 7D body is both wider, higher and deeper, by about 4mm in each dimension. 

Beyond this the shape of the finger grip is much deeper on the 7D, and this can either make it more comfortable for folk with bigger hands, or too big for those with smaller hands.

The body shell of the 7D is made from magnesium alloy, and is weather-sealed to quite a high degree.  The 60D body is made entirely of tough polycarbonate, which makes it lighter but not quite as strong as the 7D.  It has a much lower degree of weather-sealing than the 7D.  If you intend shooting outdoors a lot, in dusty, damp or wet conditions, this may be an important factor.

Canon EOS60D on the left, Canon EOS 7D on the right.

The two cameras look quite different from behind.  The 7D has a high-quality, fixed LCD whereas the 60D has an even higher-resolution rear screen, that can flip out and swivel.  This means you can set the camera away from you, and still turn and tilt the screen so that the image is visible.  This is very useful when shooting off a tripod, perhaps in bright sun, or shooting remotely, or for taking video.  It is also useful for taking stills using Live View mode.  The 60D screen can also be flipped over and closed, in order to prevent the LCD from being scratched when not in use.

To the right of the screen, the two cameras have very different control sets.  The 7D has a dedicated multi-controller for autofocus navigation, and the rear command dial is big and easy to use.  The 60D has no joystick, and instead makes use of a combined controller, with both autofocus point selection and exposure compensation all-in-one.  Both methods do the job, but the 7D setup is much more comfortably placed to allow one to make rapid, accurate AF point selections and exposure adjustments without looking away from the viewfinder, and is easier to use.

Several of the other buttons are smaller, and more tucked away on the 60D, giving it a very modern and sleek appearance.

The 7D, with an array of extra buttons and controls, shares its basic layout with regard to the rear command dial, AF multi-controller, and the row of buttons on the front of the top lcd screen with the 5D, 5Dmk2, 5Dmk3, 1Dmk4, 1Dmk3, as well as the 20D/30D/40D and 50D.  This makes switching between any and all of these bodies very easy.  It might be something to consider if you intend shooting the 7D or 60D alongside any of the above Canon bodies.  Of course, if you only have one body, or only shoot one at a time, this is of less importance.

The viewfinder eyepiece is also deeper and a lot larger on the 7D, making it more comfortable to use for long periods.

The 60D has a locking Mode dial.  Depending on how you carry your camera, this can be a useful feature.  The same dial on the 7D does not lock, and it is easy to bump it onto the wrong Mode setting by accident.

The 60D has many more preset Mode options to choose from. 

Canon EOS 60D

  

The 60D has a 96 % viewfinder.  This means that the viewfinder does not cover the image projected by the lens in its entirety, although it is very close.

The 7D has a viewfinder with 100 % coverage.  This means that what you see through the viewfinder is what you get in the final frame. 

Both cameras have a built-in electronic level for getting them straight.  The 7D viewfinder has an LCD overlay, and provides the option to work with an on-demand grid to assist with composition.  The overlay also allows the user to control the 7D autofocus point options very easily. 

The bigger, brighter viewfinder of the 7D makes composing, and controlling just a little more comfortable.

Canon EOS 7D

Autofocus is one area where the two cameras are quite strongly differentiated.  The 60D has a nine-point AF sensor, all cross-type points at f/5.6.

The 60D user can choose between using a single AF point or all points active.  The usual options for moving subject and static subject selection (Ai Servo AF, One Shot AF) exist on both cameras.

The 7D has nineteen AF sensors, also all cross-type points at f/5.6.  The additional points mean greater coverage of the frame.

Both cameras have ultra-sensitive central AF points, when mounted with an f2.8 lens.

The 7D AF is highly configurable.  7D users can choose to shoot with a single selected point, an expanded cluster, an extra fine AF point, a zone of AF points, or all points active.

Further to this, the performance of the focus system on the 7D can be fine-tuned in a whole variety of ways.  These include adjusting how long the camera holds focus after an active AF sensor has been moved off the subject, as well as prioritizing speed or accuracy for focus performance.

For challenging focus situations, the 7D is clearly better equipped, but getting the most out of this complex focus system may take some effort from the user, with regard to learning just how the different focus setting parameters effect performance.  The 60D has a simple but effective AF system.

When it comes to frame rate, the 60D shoots at a respectable 5.3 frames per second, with a raw shot buffer of 16 frames, which is substantial.

The 7D can shoot at 8 frames per second, which is pretty useful for action photography.  It has a raw shot buffer of 15 frames but will clear a filled buffer more rapidly than the 60D will, due in part to its use of the faster CF card format.  The 7D is fitted with two processors to quickly deal with the volume of data it generates.

The 60D uses SD cards.  The 7D makes use of CF cards.  At the time of writing, the read and write speed of CF cards is a lot faster than that of SD cards.  Rapid fire shooters will benefit from the 7D and the faster cards that it uses.

Startup time is identical at 0.1s, as is shutter lag at 0.59ms, and viewfinder blackout at 100ms.  These are all quite respectable figures.

The 60D shutter has a longevity rating of 100 000 cycles, whereas the 7D is rated for 150 000 cycles.

One other notable function not available on the 60D is AF Micro-adjustment.  On the 7D, this allows users to make fine focus adjustments for the lenses that are used on that particular camera body.

The 60D also has in-camera raw development options, and photographic effects filters available in its menu set.

Both cameras allow users to switch some button functions around, to tailor the camera for one’s own use.  The 7D just offers a bigger variety of such options.

Both bodies can control external flashes using their own pop-up flashes.  Both also feature video options that I have not touched upon here.

Canon 60D on the left, Canon 7D on the right, both with EF 16-35mm lenses.

To sum up, both of these cameras are packed full of features.  Both are responsive, capable, high-resolution examples of their type and both have many standard features that one might only have expected to find on more expensive models just a few years ago.

The 60D is smaller, lighter, easier to use, (perhaps less intimidating too) and can capture the exact same image for less money than the 7D.

The 7D offers a larger, heavier, more complex package that is rugged, autofocuses better, shoots quicker and has lots of options for fine-tuning.  With its additional controls, and more spacious layout, it lends itself to shooting situations where it may be necessary to make changes rapidly.

For a full review of the 7D click here:  7D Field Review

Great choices we get to make these days. 

The Big Cats of Malamala

Without a doubt, Malamala in the Sabi Sands reserve is one of the best places to go for big cat photo opportunities.  The reserve is situated on the western side of the Kruger National Park, and the two conservation areas share an open boundary.

I visited the camp in April, travelling with just two guests on a private photo safari.

Canon 1Dmk4, Canon 300f2.8 lens.  S/s 1/400 at f/2.8, Iso 400

Our first day did not disappoint, with a pair of male cheetah showing up late in the morning.  Much later, we encountered a male leopard busy scent-marking and patrolling his territory.  We spent maybe half an hour with him before pulling away as the light began to fade and he began to hunt in earnest.  I always enjoy photographing male leopards, and this individual was no different, and made for a great subject.

Over the next three nights we enjoyed the Styx lion pride moving about and finally coming to rest in a dry riverbed.  At one point they were high up on the bank, looking down at us in the vehicle below.  It was quite an unusual sighting, and quite something to be looking up at the lions some thirty metres above us.  The impressive coalition of four male lions that rule this area put in a show too.  One of the males, know as Black Mane, was mating with a lioness from the Ayrefield pride.

The coalition could be heard roaring every evening, and we saw them together near the airfield.  As a long-time student of lion conservation and population dynamics, I am always pleased to see large coalitions of males such as this.  It indicates that the lions are benefitting from living in a stable and undisturbed environment.

Canon 1Dmk4, Canon 300f2.8 lens.  S/s 1/2000 at f/4.0, Iso 400

A photographic highlight was locating one of the Ayrefield pride lionesses hanging out on the open banks of the Sand River, with her two young cubs.  A female leopard came down a tree right in front of us and also provided good photo opportunities.  Of the male lions in the coalition, one had the lightest, greenest eyes I have yet seen in a lion and he photographed well.

There were more leopards to be seen too.  Another adult male leopard was found resting in a dry river-bed, and a female leopard and her cub provided us much entertainment as she attempted to locate some impala in the woodland.

Canon 1Dmk4, Canon 300f2.8 lens.  S/s 1/640 at f/6.3, Iso 500

The impala rut was in full swing at Malamala, and it was fascinating to see the effect this had on the big cats.  During rutting time, male impala spend much time making loud braying noises as part of their display. 

Several times we followed different leopards after they were irresistibly drawn by the sound of male impala calling.  The cats would stop whatever they were doing, stare hard, and immediately set off in the direction of the sound.  At this time of year, when male impala’s blood is running high on testosterone, and they are totally distracted by mating activities, they make themselves more susceptible to predation.

Amongst all the big cat excitement, we also spent time photographing spotted hyaena at their secluded den site, as well as rhino, giraffe, elephants, waterbuck, wildebeest, kudu, impala, side-striped jackal and more.

Canon 1Dmk4, Canon 300f2.8 lens.  S/s 1/125 at f/4.0, Iso 800

Conditions for photography were pretty decent.  The sky was overcast for several of the days, and this meant that we were not faced with harsh midday light.  It also meant that some of the animals stayed active for longer during the cool mornings.  When it comes to photography, I will always choose overcast over clear days for those reasons.

My two clients used lenses ranging from 24mm to 400mm in focal length.
I took along a 16-35, a 70-200 and my fixed 300mm lens.

It was hard to leave Malamala, but doing so with a collection of satisfying memories to accompany the images on my memory card made it a bit easier.

For more on wildife photography, go to www.grantatkinson.com