Canon 1D MKIII Autofocus- Interactive Review

Canon 1D MKIII Autofocus Problems- Interactive Review

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Funny, I ran into the local Canon Pro rep the other day, when the Firmware was actually released. We talked at length about the focusing problem. It seems Canon can't reproduce the problem in house. He says they even asked Rob G. to send them his camera(s) that were having the problem so they could try to figure it out and reproduce it. He also made a reference to when the Mark 2 came out at the Olympics and a lot of people had issues then too, and it seemed they would turn the autofocus speed faster when in actuallity if they turned it slower, it would focus just fine as they were making it refocus more often and thus when the shutter clicked the object had moved from the focus point and thus, it was out of focus. His example was the camera would focus on a speedskaters had when it was full forward, but when the shutter snapped his hand had moved and the skater had not yet reached that plane where the hand was. If you are having issues, you might want to contact Canon.....

Drew,

I am really disappointed that Canon has not addressed this issue. I believe that they have misjudged the virtually instantaneous speed that information now travels. Canon has received negative press from key photography websites, and further bad press should be anticipated from magazines.

When I think about this issue and Canon’s lack of communication, what comes to mind is the question of whether or not Canon respects its consumers or do they just take them for granted believing that photographers are locked in because of their investment in lenses, etc.

Neither of these alternative thoughts/conclusions are good for photographers or for Canon. I hope that Canon takes immediate steps to strengthen its relationship with photographers and begins to treat them as valued customers. It is much easier to keep clients then to win them back. Technology and competition are changing everything. I hope Canon chooses the right course of action.

For all of us who use Canon cameras, let’s hope Canon gets its act together quickly!!

Marc Schoenholz

Let's suppose for a moment that so far Canon has indeed been unable to reproduce the issue in-house. What then should they say in a public announcment, beyond the sort of "we're continuing to look into it" statements we've seen from Chuck already?

Nill

I've been in contact with Canon, both via their customer support and with a rep based in Dallas...I've tried many different settings...during the game I shot last night, though, I did notice, again, that on white items or low contrast items, the AF would give me some difficulty...

I don't know that it's totally material that Canon be able to reproduce the issues in house...I don't know of too many manufacturers that require a problem to reproduced in their confines before they will do something about a problem. Case in point, Ford...I don't think they have any reason to reproduce the issues with the fires in some vehicles...they're well documented. Maybe that's what we need...more documentation of the problem...

Drew’s rigorous testing really speaks for itself. Add Rob Galbraith, the Naturescapes photographers, etc. and I find it hard to disagree with Drew’s summary of findings to date indicating that there are bad bodies and good bodies with the AF issues being most likely caused by manufacturing issues.

Which part of Drew’s conclusion or the experience of other highly regarded photographers do you disagree with?

Why wouldn’t you expect Canon or any large manufacturer involved with a product issue to step up and explain what is going on through official public channels? Rob Galbraith reported his first look at the Canon 1D Mark III on April 22.


Everyday there are photographers voting for Canon with every Canon purchase made. IMHO its time for Canon to speak up, explain and vote for photographers.

Agree??

Marc Schoenholz

Say what?

Marc, you are obviously reading sources which I have failed to come across. I have seen no negative reporting or traffic on websites. What I have seen is a vigorous pursuit of the truth as to whether and to what extent AF issues are present in the new Mk III. Most of those I have read have reported positive actions and active interest by Canon, and Canon has actually come out with a firmware upgrade to address issues.

In my opinion, Canon has its act together at least as well as the competition, and better than some.

I think your negative message is totally unfounded based on this issue. You must be having a sour day.