Messages

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Is the blink rate fast enough for action work?

« on: October 18, 2012, 02:23:20 PM »

The "blinking" on mine is refocusing... each time it achieves focus it "blinks", which for AI Servo is all the time if you're moving at all... which is what it's supposed to do...

Does this have the effect of making the AF point blink on/off very rapidly -- more rapidly than "half-second on, half-second off"?

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Is the blink rate fast enough for action work?

« on: October 18, 2012, 12:58:32 PM »

The blinking is irregular on mine, it's a bit more annoying than if it was consistent...

That's not good.
Can you describe the irregularity? Is there any pattern to the on/off rate?

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Is the blink rate fast enough for action work?

« on: October 18, 2012, 11:58:29 AM »

I'm told the blink rate in AI Servo mode is half-second on, half-second off.

Do you find this adequate for tracking a small, fast-moving subject?

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D Mark III & 1D X Black Focus Point in AI Servo Information

« on: June 30, 2012, 02:06:59 PM »

I've just used a 5D3, and my fears were confirmed. The display of AF points cripples this camera for much of my dance work.

Now I'm really depressed. My 1D4 is aging; there are no new 1D4s to be had (as the model is discontinued); and the 1DX won't work for me.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D Mark III & 1D X Black Focus Point in AI Servo Information

« on: June 03, 2012, 02:48:15 AM »

... You simply have to keep sight of your selected point and keep it on the part of the action you're tracking. It all happens blindingly fast. By the time you re-activate a disappearing focus point the touchdown or goal has happened, the hurdles race has flashed past you, the race car has vanished...

I can't imagine how it will be possible to shoot ballet without having the selected AF point always visible:

• The position of the subject relative to the frame changes constantly, and in the blink of an eye.
   
• Using automatic AF point selection is not an option. For my shooting conditions, DOF is so shallow that if the AF locks on the male dancer standing immediately behind the woman he is partnering, instead of on the woman, the shot is ruined. Even if the intended subject is a single dancer, there are often other dancers nearby in the frame, at varying distances from the camera.
   
  
• Even using the center AF point would often be difficult without it being visible, because in many cases, everything is dark -- the dancers' costumes, the stage, the backdrop, and the house. In such conditions, one can't see the edges of the viewfinder frame -- making it hard to tell where the center of the frame is.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D Mark III & 1D X Black Focus Point in AI Servo Information

« on: May 26, 2012, 01:45:53 PM »

... Compared to the 1D4 in identical circumstances the 5D3 knocked my socks off. Where I managed to keep sight of the AF point the keepers rate was way above my expectations. If we had the red AF points visible, the only lost shots would have been from motion blur. I was astounded.

So what a pity Canon has set this camera up with such strong AF and all but murdered it's usability. Cancel the 1DX pre-order? It's a tough call...

PW

You've just confirmed my fondest hopes and my worst fears.

The 1D4 does a great job overall for my dance work, but I lose too many shots to imperfect AF when the dancers are dimly lit and wearing low-contrast costumes. By all accounts, the AF system in the 1DX is brilliant in low light ... but if one can't keep it trained on the subject, it's useless.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Use Manual exposure until the metering question is sorted

« on: May 26, 2012, 01:24:09 PM »

One possible way of handling the exposure metering problem with keeping the AF points illuminated during AI Servo: do nothing to fix the metering -- accept that the metering won't work properly, and shoot in Manual exposure mode.

Of course this would not be a viable long-term solution for everyone -- but for those situations where Manual exposure is used, this might permit Canon to provide an interim fix quickly.

When I shoot ballet, it's 100% Manual exposure. For me, having the AF points illuminated continuously at the expense of impaired metering would be an acceptable solution for my primary application of the 1DX.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5D Mark III & 1D X Black Focus Point in AI Servo Information

« on: May 25, 2012, 11:48:08 PM »

... Then again if you shoot  stills subject this is not an issue, try shooting something fast, action, it dim light, a concert, a wedding dance even which aint fast at all, then you will see how bad this is

I shoot ballet dancers -- often in black leotards, running and jumping on a dark stage, under low light. I shoot in AI Servo mode, with a single AF point manually selected.

I'm very concerned. I have a 1DX on order, and it may prove unsuitable for my primary use.