Messages

181

Technical Support / Re: 1Dx multi controller not responsive when selecting AF point

« on: August 01, 2012, 01:07:40 PM »

Yes, my multi-controller  seems to stick a little too.  Sometimes it wouldn't move to the next AF point until I hit it over 2-3 times which is causing me to jerk the camera (not a good thing), but then it moves.

I will say that the 1DX multi-controller seems to be improving slowly over time, so perhaps it just needs some more time to break in.  I would recommend just moving the points up and down and in a circle clockwise and counter-clockwise to assist in breaking it in more and loosening up the weather-sealing.  This seems to be helping mine.  You really need to push the controller more sideways, which I'm finding a little hard to get a good grip on it because it is so stubby and I must have short thumbs.   My MKIV is much more responsive (broken in nicely) and it has more of raised lip to it, which makes it easier to feel and move.

As far as Neuro's question, for me the landscape multi-controller seems to be more of a problem compared to the vertical multi-controller, but some of that may be that the vertical multi-controller is closer to the edge and I'm getting a better grip on it.  No Pun intended!

Rich

182

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 1DX - Ai Servo Issue - Low light focus failure! UPDATE 31/07

« on: August 01, 2012, 11:54:11 AM »

Thanks for bringing these issues to everyones attention. 

I compared One Shot Mode, against the new 1DX AI Servo III and the 1DMKIV AI Servo II using the Canon 85mm f/1.8 set to the standard default Case 1 tracking. I was able to replicate the lack of AF in AI Servo in very poor light, with a low contrast stationary subject.  The way I was able to simulate this test was by hanging a gray towel over the shower curtain bar in the bathroom.  The test was performed during the day, so I was getting some ambient light coming down the hallway since there was a window about 15 ft away.  I left the light off in the bathroom and then I stood just outside of the bathroom doorway.  So, I was actually just standing in the hallway.

With the 1DX, I took a shot at the center of the gray towel in One Shot and the camera was able to achieve focus lock and the ISO was 25,600.  I then took a shot of the towel in AI Servo and the 1DX wouldn't AF on the towel.  The shot was blurry and out of focus.  I also tried to shoot the edge of the towel in AI Servo, but the camera still wouldn't Auto-focus.

I then repeated the test exactly the same way with the 1DMKIV and I got the same exact results.  In One Shot the MKIV locked in on the gray towel and it was clearly in focus, despite giving up an approximate 1-stop advantage to the 1DX.  Then I switched to AI Servo for the MKIV and the camera would not AF on the towel and the shot was definitely blurry.

So, it seems to me that this is not necessarily an issue isolated to the 1DX only.  One thing that I would note is that I would never use the camera this way, under these conditions.  If I were taking a static shot like this I would switch to One Shot, which can easily be added to the DOF or Multi-2 button.  Since AI Servo is optimized for movment and tracking, perhaps Canon has made a trade-off here and they have sacrificed AI Servo sensitivity for static subjects in "low light with "low contrast." Perhaps movement or motion of the subject would further assist the performance of the 1DX and 1DMKIV in AI Servo?  I would also like to add that I have never had any issues tracking athletes in dark uniforms in poorly lit stadiums with the MKIV at ISO 12,800.  I have not tried the 1DX yet under these conditions.

I think it would be rare that I would be shooting "static subjects" under such "poor lighting", with such "low contrast" while using AI Servo. However, if others find themselves in this situation, then I would switch to One Shot Mode.  AI Servo and One Shot have been optimized for their strengths and weaknesses in individual shooting situations, if they weren't then we would only have one choice.  The 7D has AI Focus which is a hybrid mode between One Shot and AI Servo, if your subject was standing still then it would shoot in One Shot mode, if your subject moved then it would switch to AI Servo mode, but it wasn't as good as either mode used separately, so that is probably why Canon has not incorporated AI Focus mode into the 1D series.

I noted that some users above were also trying to track a low contrast subject walking around the house in poor lighting, also noted was the blurry wedding photograph which did have some contrast, and as far as I'm concerned is completely unaccepatble in decent lighting like that. 

Would I like this to not be an issue?  Of course!  Would it be nice if we could have AI Servo perform better under these condtions?  Absolutely! 

If Canon could improve this by increasing the sensitivity of AI Servo at an ISO of 25,600 that would be cool too, however the downside may be that AI Servo would become very skittish and cause the AF to jump around with the slightest movement of the subject, which may then have other ramifications.  As the OP and Canon has mentioned, perhaps some tweaking of the custom AF cases and sensitivities will help improve this situation.

Rich

183

Lenses / Re: 70-200 2.8 II vs. 85mm 1.2 II - general opinion

« on: July 28, 2012, 05:41:15 PM »

...These are questions to those who own both lenses:
-Which one is you favourite for portraits and why?
-Do you prefer the 85 or the 70-200 when it comes to low light shooting (e.g. portraits in the woods at late afternoon)?
-What else do you use the two for and which one do you use more often?
-What makes one of the two lenses more remarkable than the other?

I own both lenses. I'll try to answer some of your questions:

For portraits I prefer the 85mm f/1.2L II, because it has that special magical quality about it, and some of my best pictures have been taken with that lens, due to its thin DOF and beautiful bokeh.  The subject appears to jump off of the background with that 3D-like effect.

For planned portraits in low lighting and/or indoor portraits, I would definitely choose the 85mm due to the larger aperture and better low-light performance. The IS of the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II won't help in low light unless the subject remains fairly still.  For shots in low light in the woods, I would choose the 85mm due to it's better bokeh and closer focal range, which would allow me to stay better connected with my subject.  For "candid" portraits at an outdoor party, I would choose the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II due to it's longer focal range which would allow me to be far enough away from the subject without them seeing me.

I use the 70-200mm mainly for sports and action photography.  The 70-200mm also produces a very pleasing bokeh.  The 70-200mm is also weather resistant and the 85mm is not.  The 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II is very large, heavy and white, which causes it to stand out in a crowd (although you could buy a black lens coat for it).  The 70-200mm is much more versatile for me, and I use it way more often than the 85mm.  The 85mm is slower focusing, so if your subject is modeling, or walking down the catwalk or aisle then you may miss some shots because of this.

Rich

184

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 1DX err80

« on: July 28, 2012, 12:32:50 PM »

MomentForeverImage,

Wow, That's quite alarming!   Sorry, to hear about your troubles.  I was hoping that this was just an isolated event.
Since you mentioned that the error occurred again once you started setting some menu functions, perhaps you should reset the camera settings and only use the default settings for now, or only change one setting at a time in order to determine if it is repeatable.  Thanks for reporting the issue.  Lets hope that Canon can come up with a solution after investigating this further.

Rich

185

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 1DX err80

« on: July 27, 2012, 01:09:47 PM »

I shot my first 300 frames with my brand new 1DX and a new 85LII today and had err80 appear 6 times telling me to power down camera and reinsert the battery back. I am using Sandisk Extreme Pro 32gb cards.

Anybody else seeing this. Someone on POTN board seems to think its temp/humidity related. I live is S Florida...

Moody, same exact thing with me. 85L II, Sandisk Extreme Pro 64gb (slot 1) and 32gb (slot 2).
I first saw the error after only a handful of photos but I thought it was because I had the LP-E4 from the 1D4 installed. It mostly happens to me when I am reviewing the photos on the card. If it happens once then after I turn off the camera and re-insert the battery then it will most likely happen again. But if I try to snap a few pics before reviewing again then it seems to go away for a little while. I'm still talking with CPS, they want to send it in for repair but not even sure if they can find the issue. I didn't have any errors yesterday in the studio so I'm going to hold out.

...Images look to good to give up the camera for a small glitch.

First shot was at ISO 4000, second one was shot using Automatic point selection and iTR

We are not alone: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1208443

This is my first post here! I've been a longtime lurker, and finally decided to join, as I've been enjoying the site.  Thanks for all of the good info here!

Here's an update to the above link:  The OP/user at P.O.T.N sent his new 1DX into Canon (CPS) and apparently he was told that his Error 80 was due to a bad Printed Circuit Board (PCB) that would require a replacement part from Japan.  So, it sounds like a hardware issue.  There seems to be quite a few people reporting this issue, so perhaps Canon got a bad batch of PCB's, or this occured in the manufacturing process.  Lets hope for the best!

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1208443&page=8

@Mark, Great shot by the way!
Rich