Problems using tube with Canon R6ii

[wake689]

Does anyone use the Helicon FB tube on a Canon R6ii or similar?
I used to use it on a Canon 5Div and it worked well. But I have traded in my 5Div for an R6ii and am having problems.
It works fine in single shot mode, advancing the focus each time I press the shutter button and take a shot. But in servo if I hold the shutter button down it takes multiple shots but the green light on the tube only flashes for the first shot - the camera keeps taking pictures but the focus does not change. This behaviour occurs with mechanical shutter mode and electronic.
I use back button focusing and have set shutter button hlf press to metering start only, not AF start.
Am I doing something wrong or have I misunderstood something?
Thank you

[Catherine]

If you are shooting at the widest aperture, please set it to at least one stop lower than max (higher F number), that’s an important precondition for correct operation of the tube on Canon mirrorless cameras. Shoot in One Shot rather than AI Servo and do not use back-button focus. If your lens has a focus limit switch, make sure to set it to full range.

[wake689]

Hi Catherine, Thanks for replying on my Facebook comment too.
I'll stop posting in that thread and restrict it to this one.
The lens I'm using is the Canon 100mm EF f/2.8 L macro via the EF-R adapter. I used it at f/7.1. In H+ drive mode, holding down the shutter button it takes multiple shots but the focus is not advanced between shots. This occurs with both mechanical shutter at 12fps and electronic shutter at 40fps
The focus limit switch on the lens was on "full".
Each time I press the shutter release it correctly advances the focus and takes a shot. And correctly takes a stack if I keep pressing the shutter release, multiple times. It just doesn't move focus if I hold the shutter button down to take a burst.
I hope I am using the correct terms here.
I suspect I may be doing something wrong or misunderstanding something.

[Catherine]

Hi,

Please set focusing mode to 'One Shot' rather than 'Servo' (https://cam.start.canon/ky/C012/manual/ ... _0040.html), while keeping the drive mode set to 'High-speed continuous' (https://cam.start.canon/ky/C012/manual/ ... _0120.html).
It's also possible that it will only work with mechanical shutter and not electronic shutter. We don't have this camera so can't try it ourselves, sorry.

[wake689]

I've just tried that and the it has not changed the behaviour. It still behaves the same way with mechanical and with electronic shutter.
I wonder if anyone else here has the R6ii and the tube and can say whether it works for them or not?

[wake689]

I'm not sure what is happening now. The green light on the FB tube flashes briefly when I turn the camera on or off but I can no longer get it to change the focus or flash green under any other circumstances. I have run the configuration tool again and it did flash green briefly, for each of the count down numbers on the send button. I have tried removing and replacing the lens the FB tube and the EF-RF adapter and leaving the camera battery out for several minutes. but no change.

I am considering a factory reset of the camera.

[wake689]

I have reset everything on the camera and now all I have done since then is disable beep (the first thing I have ever done with every new camera ). But the tube is not flashing green or changing focus. It flashes green when I turn the camera on and off. But it did work on my Canon 100D last night.

[Catherine]

It's something in the camera body settings, go over the checklist again: single-shot focus mode, mechanical shutter (electronic may or may not work), aperture not at the widest position.

[wake689]

Thank you for sticking with me on this, Catherine.

I've just tried camera settings:

aperture 7.1
drive mode single shot
AF operation one shot
mechanical shutter

Lens switches:
Focus range FULL
Stabilizer OFF
MF

And it didn't change the focus distance and the green light didn't flash between shots.

I also tried switching the lens switch to AF without changing anything else and had the same result.

[Catherine]

To clarify, this is when pressing the shutter release button in the single-shot drive mode? I understand that it didn't work with burst shooting, but it did with individual shots.

[wake689]

Yes, this is when pressing the shutter release button in the single-shot drive mode.

But also, yes, it did used to work in this way, a couple of days ago. But I can't reproduce that now.

It all sounds contradictory.

[wake689]

And I have just tried it again, after re configuring the tube, once with select focus on and once with it off. Neither setting worked. What does suppress focus in the configuration do?

[Catherine]

That option is specifically for Sigma lenses used on Canon camera bodies for cases where other configurations did not work due to specifics of the lens design and mechanics. Sigma lenses only make steps if AF on the lens is enabled. But in this case, the camera body attempts to focus. In order to prevent the camera body from changing focus we activate the focus suppression mode in the tube, making it ignore commands from the camera body. But in single shot mode the camera body awaits for focus confirmation. In order to bypass this limitation, the camera body has to be switched to AI servo mode, where the camera body shoots without AF confirmation.

Since you have a Canon lens and not Sigma, I doubt you need this option.

I am trying to recall other camera setting combinations for you to try and will reply with some advice tomorrow. One thing for now is to check that your live view is in the still photo mode and not video mode; also try shooting with live view turned off.

[wake689]

Ah - I see. Thank you.

You shouldn't be working this late. Please get some rest!

Don't answer my next question until Tuesday.
Re live view - in mirrorless isn't everything live-view? The switch on the top of the camera is in the photo position, not video. Is that what you mean?

I have just tried it with the screen folded shut against the back of the camera - I presume that turns the screen off. Looking through the view finder. But the green light on the tube didn't flash when I took several shots.

[Catherine]

Yes, sorry, I was going over my troubleshooting list without checking the R6 Mark II controls, looks like it doesn't have a way to turn live view/sensor off. Disregard that, but make sure it's in the still photo mode.

Also please check this option, continuous AF should be disabled. Maybe "Movie servo" as well, I don't know if it applies to still photo mode.



And double-check that you're shooting either in M mode or aperture priority mode, and that the aperture is not in its widest position. That is the only known reason for the symptoms you've described with Canon R cameras. With that said, the R6 II is a new generation camera and can have new unknown quirks.

You shouldn't be working this late. Please get some rest!

You are very kind, thank you. It was only 2 AM, nothing too crazy (for me).