5D3 & 600ex-rt + AF assist beam = slower focus

[RustyTheGeek]

I remember reading in this post from a couple people that their AF would hunt and then just "give up" and never acquire focus in poor available light.  For those of you that posted this, try checking your AF setting "lens drive when AF is impossible" and make sure it is set to "ON"

I mention this because when I first bought my 5d3 I had inadvertently turned this setting to OFF (or it came that way as a default, I'm not sure)  and I paid the price later when I was in a low light situation and my 5d3 would just give up and quit focusing....took me a while to go through the settings and figure out that this setting was the issue.  The key here is that it only became an issue when I was in poor light.

Since I just got mine, I think it was ON by default and I turned it OFF.  I noticed immediately.  I turned it back ON because I want to know when the camera is trying to focus.  It seems that when the focus point hasn't changed (in any situation), the 5D3 doesn't try to refocus and the focus point doesn't blink red.  So I want to know when it does try and if it can't focus, I want to know that too (by hunting) whereas if the AF Hunting is OFF, it does nothing so you don't know the difference.  Yeah, that sentence is a little weird but I think you get my drift.   

[RustyTheGeek]

Rusty...that's good to hear!  Your experience is precisely why I never buy refurbished items. ( your original camera will eventually be sold as refurbished and someone else will inherit the problem)

I'm curious, do you have image stabilization turned on or off when you shoot with beer in hand? 

Enjoy your new camera!

PS...the shot of the roller cart is truly a work of art and a masterpiece

Thanks Northstar!  Yes, I feel a little better about my purchase.  But I still want to know how much better or worse the 6D is in low light compared to the 5D3.

As for using IS with beer in hand...  You know how IS works.  It's not me moving, it's everything else!  IS just doesn't help in that case!!   

[Louis]

Guys amazing news! Canon have responded!

http://forums.usa.canon.com/t5/EOS/5D3-AF-assist-beam-slower-focus/td-p/2277 

Please join the Canon forums, I posted the issue up there for Canon to see it was a major problem and they have replied!

this is great, please do your best in explaining the problem, so we can get a fix!!




Louis

[digital paradise]

That is good news. At least there was a response.

[RustyTheGeek]

Yes, it is good news.  Sort of.  So many months after the release date, I would like to see Canon stop asking what people think is wrong and just admit there is a serious problem, they are working on it and then announce a fix.  The specifics they are asking for are irrelevant and a little insulting.  (Lenses, etc sure didn't matter on my camera's problem.)  Gathering this data is a lot of work on our part.  And it's already documented on several forums in detail.  Why can't they take a couple hours and read for themselves?  My low light AF was broken.  Period.  Just like many others have described.  I don't care if they just say they found a QA problem, a bunch of drunken assembly workers or a batch bad of components.  Just explain the problem (or not), fix the problem and let's move on.  Anything else sounds like stonewalling while they take in profit.  You really can't tell me that they are that clueless about every aspect of this camera before and after it was RTM'd in early 2012.

The camera I had showed defective low light AF.  It was unmistakable.  Thank goodness I returned it in time and received another one in exchange that so far seems to be good and a compliment to the Canon line.  The fact that the low light AF works so well in this 2nd camera is a testament to the fact that the first one I had was faulty.  I'm sorry about anyone who is dealing with the AF problem I had with my 1st camera on their camera that can't be exchanged!

Thanks again for everyone's comments, support and honest feedback about their camera.

[digital paradise]

I just added 3 posts under digital. The last 3.

[digital paradise]

There is another thread on this here. This is interesting.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=10706.45

[echelonphoto]

Let's keep bugging them until they do something....this is ridiculous!

[echelonphoto]

Esp since my only reason for the mk3 over the mk2 was the autofocus....there is not a single other upgrade on the
new camera that is essential for me....the files still have horrible shadow noise if you underexpose even a little.

[ScottyP]

Yes, it is good news.  Sort of.  So many months after the release date, I would like to see Canon stop asking what people think is wrong and just admit there is a serious problem, they are working on it and then announce a fix.  The specifics they are asking for are irrelevant and a little insulting.  (Lenses, etc sure didn't matter on my camera's problem.)  Gathering this data is a lot of work on our part.  And it's already documented on several forums in detail.  Why can't they take a couple hours and read for themselves?  My low light AF was broken.  Period.  Just like many others have described.  I don't care if they just say they found a QA problem, a bunch of drunken assembly workers or a batch bad of components.  Just explain the problem (or not), fix the problem and let's move on.  Anything else sounds like stonewalling while they take in profit.  You really can't tell me that they are that clueless about every aspect of this camera before and after it was RTM'd in early 2012.

The camera I had showed defective low light AF.  It was unmistakable.  Thank goodness I returned it in time and received another one in exchange that so far seems to be good and a compliment to the Canon line.  The fact that the low light AF works so well in this 2nd camera is a testament to the fact that the first one I had was faulty.  I'm sorry about anyone who is dealing with the AF problem I had with my 1st camera on their camera that can't be exchanged!

Thanks again for everyone's comments, support and honest feedback about their camera.

Interesting note about Canon's forum:  There is a list of the most highly rated ("kudos") posts.  I went in and gave KUDOS to all the postings in that thread, and it was enough to fill 4 of the top 5 posts with the thread about 5D3 + 600 exrt = slower focus. 
  If anyone else wants to go give KUDOS to the postings and replies on that thread, it will keep it "front page news" on the Canon forum. 

[Marsu42]

If anyone else wants to go give KUDOS to the postings and replies on that thread, it will keep it "front page news" on the Canon forum.

If you did that, you should have come across this message: "Kudos Flood: You have exceeded the limit of 10 kudoed messages per minute." ... so just select the 10 messages that make the most sense to you. I think Canon should react to this issue, and even though I don't have a 5d3 yet I think it is ok to bump the thread for all you posh 5d3 owners :->

[ScottyP]

If anyone else wants to go give KUDOS to the postings and replies on that thread, it will keep it "front page news" on the Canon forum.

If you did that, you should have come across this message: "Kudos Flood: You have exceeded the limit of 10 kudoed messages per minute." ... so just select the 10 messages that make the most sense to you. I think Canon should react to this issue, and even though I don't have a 5d3 yet I think it is ok to bump the thread for all you posh 5d3 owners :->

I think I missed getting over-Kudoed by dumb luck.  I kudoed several slowly as I read it over the weekend, then I went back later Sunday and handed out the rest, and again this afternoon.

[echelonphoto]

Private by Design:

"r, so don't underexpose a little, that is what exposure compensation is for.

With regards the 5D MkIII and low light/AF assist beam performance, I will be at a function tonight where I will be able to compare it to my 1Ds MkIII and I intend to take a couple of 600EX-RT's just because of this thread. Sure I will only get to use one camera, but I am wondering at what EV people are starting to get issues, lets face it, one persons extreme low light is another persons bright! Lets pin down EV first."

This kind of post is uncalled for as well as being rude and ignorant! Anybody who shoots events knows you can't nail your exposure everytime...sometimes ettl really underexposes randomly...btw, I use ex comp constantly during a day's shoot...invariably the shot you want the most turns out to be off. Shooting manually is
no solution either as you car deally with constantly moving subjects. Please stick to the topic at hand....a real
issue which many of us are experiencing.

[Marsu42]

I am sorry you took offense to that, but exposure has always been the number one skill of a photographer

Indeed, and another skill has been to deal with the limitation of equipment - and given a constantly changing high dr scene and a limited dr sensor I'd rather underexpose than end up with blown highlights. But I know seasoned photogs say you just need experience and then take one shot .. but somehow I am still doubtful, because one of these guys recently told me he never needs to crop his shots because he always frames them perfectly in the vf. With a prime. Without moving a step. Yeah, right - sounds like spreading fishermens' tales to me.

Now, echelonphoto, at what EV are you having specific problems with your 5D MkIII and 600EX-RT?

To post something on topic: Since few people nowadays run around with lightmeters (shame, what happened to the good ol' ways?) the "Light Value" data is inside the files, you can get the information for example using exiftool. Or just send the raw to Canon ... the subject distance is in there, too and multiple other data that might matter.

[Marsu42]

Interesting, my experience has been quite the opposite with regards Canon RAW files, I find over exposure very easy to recover but under exposure will hurt you, Nikon RAW files are completely the other way around

Interesting about Nikon (though I know they use the "active d lighting" vs canon's htp). You are certainly correct that Canon raw files have great potential for highlight recovery, I do it all the time and that's because I shoot raw, but of course only up to a point. But my experience with outdoors action scenes shooting against the sun @high iso (= low dr) is that when downsizing for web you can always get around low shadow resolution, but clipped highlights stay clipped highlights.

All cameras have a lightmeter, all you need to know is the aperture, shutter speed, and iso to work out the EV.

But not as precise as the data in the file which has one decimal place ... and I think the lv value in the file might not be biased by your selected metering (spot, ...), but I have to admit that I don't know that for sure. Plus as I wrote above the file has the subject distance which seems to be vital to the problem.