Lab – Canon EOS R7 and EOS R10: how does the raw capture mode work?

To better understand what the raw burst mode of the EOS R7 and EOS R10 is, let’s recall what burst mode or continuous shooting mode is, also called burst mode in English. With this setting, the camera will automatically chain shots, usually as long as the shutter button is pressed.

A separate mode from the usual bursts

Very often, additional settings are available to modify the frame rate, to give priority to the release or the focus or to activate the exposure on each frame. This is where Canon comes in with a completely different setting called “raw burst”. Available on the EOS R7, but also on the EOS R10 that we tested, this mode offers a specific operation.

First of all, the raw burst does not offer a frame rate adjustment, it works at maximum in all cases. It is the electronic shutter which is used to reach 30 fps – which our measurements have enabled us to confirm!

15 photos recorded before triggering

Thanks to this mode, it is possible to use the “pre-shot” function. Thanks to this, the camera continuously records the action as long as the shutter button is pressed halfway. In this way, it is possible to go back up to 0.5 s before the trigger to be sure not to miss anything of the scene to be photographed.

If this function is very interesting, it is less well integrated than at Fujifilm and especially OM System, one of the specialists in the genre. Indeed, on a device like the OM-1, the pre-shoot called “Pro Capture” is not limited to a specific burst mode.

A little delay in triggering

During our measurements, we also noticed a shutter lag with the raw burst mode of the EOS R7 and EOS R10 of around 0.3 to 0.5 s. That’s enough to make you miss the fateful moment. To avoid the problem, always press the trigger button halfway for the fastest possible recording. Obviously, leaving pre-shooting enabled by default is still recommended.

Above all, the raw burst mode is more restrictive for the photographer than the classic burst modes. Instead of saving each shot in jpeg or raw, the box saves what Canon calls a “roll”. Behind this name hides a single raw file in the proprietary Canon CR3 format.

A less easily accessible function

In this file are saved all the views. Be careful, with 30 i/s and a buffer memory associated with a very fast card in writing, it is easy to exceed the gigabyte for a single file. Then, it will be necessary to extract the desired photo directly from the camera by navigating directly in the roll.

Once the image has been chosen, it is possible to extract it in raw, jpeg or heif. The EOS R10 or EOS R7 also offers a number of options for image processing. If working on the small rear screen of the case puts you off, it is possible to go through a computer, but only with the Canon EOS Utility software available on macOS or Windows.

Cropping to be expected with the EOS R10

Finally, we should note a major difference between the EOS R7 and the EOS R10. Once activated, a fairly large crop of around 1.33x is to be deplored with the EOS R10, positioned more at the entry level than the EOS R7.

In conclusion

Finally, what can we conclude from this raw burst mode? On the one hand, the EOS R10 is limited to 20 fps in classic burst mode, while the raw burst mode allows you to reach 30 fps. The extra speed, on the other hand, comes with extra cropping. On the side of the EOS R7, it is already capable of reaching 30 fps.

The main interest of the raw burst mode thus lies in the pre-shooting function activated by default. Although this is useful for capturing fast action and reducing the risk of missing it, we regret that the setting is not more easily accessible.

Either way, if the photographer is ready to tackle a more complex workflow and spherical cropping at the EOS R10, raw burst mode delivers the fastest speeds with rewind on the action of 0.5 sec.