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Canon EOS R5 shines at Inokashira Park Zoo
Are you looking for a quiet spot in Tokyo that’s perfect for testing your photography gear? Inokashira Park Zoo might not top any tourist must-visit lists, but it’s a gem for capturing adorable animals in action. It was the perfect place to put my Canon EOS R5 through its paces. Let’s dive into the experience—cute critters, camera quirks, and all!
By the way, have you been to this zoo? It’s in Kichijoji. That puts it between Shinjuku and Tachikawa on the Chuo Line. It’s about a ten-minute walk from the station. Local mums and dads love to take their young kids there.
The zoo also has a nice claim to fame. Works of the famed sculptor, Seibo Kitamura are on the grounds. He is the guy who created the 13-meter-tall Peace Statue in Nagasaki Peace Park. His work is very good.
One thing must be mentioned. Inokashira Park Zoo is old. It’s showing its age. A facelift would be a great idea. It looks pretty 1970s. Concrete covers the place. I’m sure many of its animals would like something softer to walk on.
But I went there to test the Canon EOS R5’s vaunted auto-focus. I was impressed. Even though this camera might be four years old, it is still a beast. Once I set it to track animals, it did exactly that.
I’m not saying auto-focus and tracking stuck to the subjects like glue. It didn’t do that. I have quite a few photos from this session that are out of focus. But it did enough to impress me. I took home a huge amount of keepers.
What did I learn at Inokashira Park Zoo?
There was one problem. I have only one lens, the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM. It wasn’t long enough. The space between me and the animals was too great at some cages. Auto-focus locked onto the bars or wires.
I overcame that problem by keeping away from them! My solution was to photograph at the ones I could get near. The only problem with that was the number of animals I could photograph was limited. When I get something longer, like a 70-200 mm I’ll go again. A good zoom is a necessity at a zoo.
How did I handle this problem?
That left me with the squirrels, fennec foxes, meerkats, goats, and deer. I could get fairly close to these. That meant the camera’s auto-focus wouldn’t lock on their cages. Another bonus was that they were pretty cute!
The highlight of my Kichijoji Zoo visit was the squirrels. These guys were so much fun. You actually enter their enclosure! They have lots of trees and feeding platforms. If they stop to eat, they are fairly easy to shoot. But if they are feeling active, you’ll need good reflexes as they jump and run between the rocks and branches.
Conclusion
So while I didn’t photograph as many animals as I had planned, I left Inokashira Park Zoo satisfied. The R5’s auto-focus is amazing. It can pick up the animals with no problem. Canon should be proud of the work.
The other thing I love about the R5 is its image quality. What the sensor can resolve is game-changing for me. It’s head and shoulders above anything I’ve used in the past.
I was quite nervous when I bought the R5. Let’s be honest, it’s an expensive piece of equipment. But after seeing it perform over the last few weeks, I’m happy with the money I invested in this new system. I can’t wait to shoot with it again. Please leave questions and comments below.
For more animal articles, look at:
External related articles:
- Inokashira Park Zoo (official website)
When did I take these photos? November 16, 2024