This Cant be Correct? Huge AFMA.

[gjones5252]

So I have been annoyed by the quality and the focus of my pictures with my lenses now for a while.
I have 5dmarkii, 60d, 70-200 2.8, 24-105,16-35 II.
I finally got around to building this and trying to AFMA(http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/AF-Microadjustment-Tips.aspx)
All my lenses ended up being around +14 or +15. Obviously this would be mean the camera is off by that much. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that +or - 5 was a pretty huge adjustment so I can only imagine that +15 is a massive adjustment and the camera is not accurate at all! Has anyone else seen numbers this high? Is it ok?
I have heard you can send your gear to Canon for a calibration to each other. What is this cost and the worth of this? I was going to do it once I had more of a final kit but if it is so dramatic it would be worth it now.
This might explain why when i had the 100mm 2.8l macro i was unimpressed and returned it to canon.

[neuroanatomist]

+15 is big, but within the adjustment capability of the camera, so you should be fine.  FWIW, with my 5DII I have a few lenses in the -9 to -13 range.

[killswitch]

Just a question out of curiosity, the link the OP gave above talks about LensAlign MkII Focus Calibration System and SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Aid by Datacolor. How does FoCal compare to these methods? I am asking because I may need to invest in one of these myself and prefer something that's quick and easy to use but of course something that will do a good job.

[neuroanatomist]

Just a question out of curiosity, the link the OP gave above talks about LensAlign MkII Focus Calibration System and SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Aid by Datacolor. How does FoCal compare to these methods? I am asking because I may need to invest in one of these myself and prefer something that's quick and easy to use but of course something that will do a good job.

FoCal gives equivalent results to the LensAlign, but FoCal is much easier to use - I use and highly recommend it...

[killswitch]

Just a question out of curiosity, the link the OP gave above talks about LensAlign MkII Focus Calibration System and SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Aid by Datacolor. How does FoCal compare to these methods? I am asking because I may need to invest in one of these myself and prefer something that's quick and easy to use but of course something that will do a good job.

FoCal gives equivalent results to the LensAlign, but FoCal is much easier to use - I use and highly recommend it...

+1  ^_^

[gilmorephoto]

Just a question out of curiosity, the link the OP gave above talks about LensAlign MkII Focus Calibration System and SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Aid by Datacolor. How does FoCal compare to these methods? I am asking because I may need to invest in one of these myself and prefer something that's quick and easy to use but of course something that will do a good job.

FoCal gives equivalent results to the LensAlign, but FoCal is much easier to use - I use and highly recommend it...

I just used FoCal for the first time and it confirmed that I had things dialed-in correctly using "the cheapskate" method that Mr. Neuro had outlined in his lens adjustment article on TDP.  (Thanks for that, BTW).  Even with the Manual mode that I had to use for the 5D3, it was really easy to use and I appreciated also getting confirmation of what the sharpest aperture was to boot.  I can't imagine renting lenses without it (although I seemed to manage before somehow).

[Viggo]

My 24 L II is adjusted to +11 was +13 on the 5d3. It is high , but it hits so it's all good...

[bigmag13]

just bought Fo Cal pro and see it doesnt work on mac. is thr a mac version?
sucks to be me!

[iris chrome]

just bought Fo Cal pro and see it doesnt work on mac. is thr a mac version?
sucks to be me!

From FoCal's FAQs page:

When will the Mac version be released?

This is another question we’ve been asked a lot. We had hoped to have the Mac version released in June, but due to the release of the Nikon D800, Canon 5Dmk3 and Canon 1D-X and a few issues with their introduction the Mac version has been somewhat delayed.

We also recently took the decision to make the user interface of the Mac version better than our original intention which has slowed things a little but will produce a better product when it’s released.

We’ve taken the decision not to state any more dates for the release of the Mac version of FoCal, but it is our top priority, is moving along quickly now we’ve ironed out some issues and we’ll be reporting progress shortly.

[gilmorephoto]

just bought Fo Cal pro and see it doesnt work on mac. is thr a mac version?
sucks to be me!

They have a Mac beta but it only works up to Lion, not Mountain Lion. You can run the PC version through Parallel or other virtual emulator.  I just ended up running it on my work PC.  Can't wait for the MAC version to be updated for OS X 10.8 so I can use it at home or on assignment (if necessary).

[bigmag13]

I'm running 10.6.8

I went back and downloaded the Mac beta 1.7.0.221 and still haven't gotten it to work. hope those guys cross the pond get back to me quick. I have no PC's in the house

[gilmorephoto]

Wow.  Good to know.  Good luck and keep us posted. 

[neuroanatomist]

I tried the current Mac beta on two different Macs, one with 10.6 the other with 10.7.  In both cases, the software recognizes the 1D X, but trying to connect to it force-quits the program.  Do note that there's a quirk (detailed in the instructions) that you must select either Canon or Nikon in the Preferences - even though Canon is the default setting, you must actually re-select it.  Before doing that, it wouldn't recognize the camera at all.

I will troubleshoot further when I have time, but it's not high on my list of priorities - the 1D X must be run in manual settings change mode anyway, so for me it's just as easy to shoot a series of AFMA shots (I take 83 of them, 2 shots every 2 units from |20| to |12| and 3 shots every unit from -10 to +10, and that takes about 10 minutes).  I then analyze them with FoCal in Manual Mode, and that runs fine on the Mac.

[bigmag13]

thanks neuro, will try. still no word from those chaps across the pond. hope they get back soon.

edit; i did change the system to canon. i ran across that in the instructions and gave it a second go. it still force quits or freezes. hope i get my 110 quid back :-(

[bigmag13]

thanks neuro, will try. still no word from those chaps across the pond. hope they get back soon.

edit; i did change the system to canon. i ran across that in the instructions and gave it a second go. it still force quits or freezes. hope i get my 110 quid back :-(

edit-edit downloaded 1.7.0.224 and it STILL force quits!