Canon EOS 5D MkII Autofocus - Unhappy 5D MkII Users Speak Out

[Noel_Carboni]

I don't mean to sound overly critical, but were you guys trying to AF instantaneously on a rider moving at 100+ MPH? That's ludicrous.

I'll wager the guy getting the high percentage in in-focus shots was locking focus on a particular spot then firing a well-timed shot, no matter what camera he was using. It's what I'd do.

-Noel

[sjprg]

Strange, the only camera I have had focus problems was a 40D. Out of the 10D.20D,40D,5D, 1DS3 the 40D was the dud. I now only shoot the 1DS3 and an LX3, the rest are gone. Other than the slow startup time of the 10D it really produced some fine images.
Paul

[DougAxford]

I really didn't want to post in this thread because I am sick to death of the X vs. Y that this forum has turned into of late. However, I can only stand so much

I posted a few months back about a friend & I who were both shooting a hockey tournament. We both have about as similar equipment as possible for Nikon vs. Canon. He has D300 w/ 70-200 2.8 and I had 40D w/70-200 2.8. Hockey is about as tough as you can get. Max ISO under low light in small town arenas, overhead lights that are all different colors, fast action, faster reflexes needed and it's damn cold.

We switched equipment for half an hour at my request because I wanted to see if the 9 point focus system of the Canon was really inferior. We're both long-time pros. After the 30 minutes, we both desperately wanted our own equipment back. I absolutely was astounded that I hated the Nikon, especially being a Nikon user from Nikkormat days in the '70s until 5 years ago. I was not happy with the sloppiness of the focus.

Looking over the thousands of shots taken with both cameras, the Canon had by far the most in-focus shots.

The difference IMHO: THE USER !!!!

I think either system is great once you know how to use it properly and the ability of the user is BY FAR more important than the name on the camera. I'd be able to take great pictures with either system and not one single customer of mine would ever see the difference.

We're both shooting a football tournament in a week, so it will be interesting to see if the results remain the same. I have stated many times that I am not married to Canon, Microsoft or anyone else. I am more than willing to jump if there is a difference worth jumping for.

And I am sick to death of Nikon (or mac) owners telling me that my equipment sucks. Get over it people - don't you have real work you should be doing???? Has someone promised you eternity in Nikon heaven if you convert 10 users??? I am baffled why it's such a big deal to dis other equipment.

Sorry if I offend but I am sick of being offended by Uncle Bob and his puppets.

[Dennis_Vied]

I have made some general observations about the matter. If you've noticed, there are a lot more Nikon user forums that Canon user forums. I, too, was a dedicated Nikon user from the 70's until a couple of years ago. When I converted, I looked about for similar Canon user forums, but couldn't find much. I finally concluded that the Canon users were generally more satisfied and found much less to chat, complain, or dish about than Nikon users. Much of the Nikon user chatter is basically what will or won't Nikon do. Canon users seem to be less concerned about the similar Canon aspects.

Are Canon users more mature and sober, more satisfied, or just close mouthed? I don't know. But I find that I am much more satisfied with my equipment, Canon service support, and equipment needs than I used to be.

So what we're seeing may be part of the Nikon angst so visible in the various Nikon user forums. It just seems so out of place here because the concept of Canon angst seems foreign.

My 2 cents.

[MarkAlsop]

I started shooting digitally with a Sony DSC-S85 but moved on to a 20D then a 1DMkII and now I use a 1DsMkIII.

OOF images were something of a problem from the start but usually because I was using the camera in a way it was not intended for. The 20D was a huge improvement over the Sony, the 1DMkII was a decent improvement over the 20D in just about every way imaginable. Up to this point I was shooting high school sports mostly with only the occasional break to shoot landscapes. I was still getting OOF shots from the 1DMkII often enough that I was always checking the focus on the LCD when shooting portraits for the school. Part of the problem here was that the ambient lighting was not good, in bright daylight the 1DMkII did rather well but it could have used the AF Micro-adjustment.

The 1DsMkIII is a whole new ballgame for me. I have never seen an OOF shot from that camera that I could not trace back to operator error. I do calibrate the lenses and set AF Micro-adjustment for each lens but I no longer check for OOF on the LCD, it would be a waste of time.

I don’t see how a Nikon could be any better, in focus is in focus, after that it is all about the lens and the sensor. The only thing I would like on the 1DsMkIV would be the higher resolution LCD, a bit less aggressive moiré filter, and a bit better high ISO noise reduction. In my experience the 1DsMkIII is a fantastic camera …period. I’m more worried that Canon is exploring a new AF technology that will need a few iterations to get the bugs ironed out.

Anyway, that’s how I see things.

[Noel_Carboni]

I have never seen an OOF shot from that camera that I could not trace back to operator error.

I believe you and Dennis and others may have hit on the key here... I thought "pro" brought about this thinking, but perhaps not...

The camera is a TOOL. While tools can fail, the prime responsibility for using the tool properly - and getting good results - lies in the hands of the craftsman.

-Noel

[Lenny Hartley]

Noel no its not ludicrous to expect the camera to autofocus on subjects coming
towards us at 100mph plus that what I and scores of other Motorsport
professonial photographers do every week and no the guy with the nikon was not prefocussing , although thats what I ended up doing as the Canon could not
focus unlike the nkon. WE professional motorcycle photographers are a small band and often meetup at
events throughout Europe on a regular basis so we know each other pretty well,
often going for a beer after racing and compare equipment/images etc and the
prevailing opinion is that the Nikon autofocus at this time is more accurate that the
canon particuarly in poor light. Hopefully that will change when the 1dmk4 and others hit the shops. As for Doug Axford I was not going to respond however I take exception to being called anybodies puppet particuarly I have never to spoken to or met the person who started this thread.
And as for the people who claim that they can take a whol football,hockey, baseball etc match without an out of focus shot, you must be very very good, or are you
taking photographs when there is no acton!!!