Can we all send a complaint to Canon to fix the AF-Assist focusing on the 5D3?

[bvukich]

Get a Yongnuo YN565 flash instead - AF assist light is very effective - and won't look out of place in a Nightclub (if you've ever used one you'll know what I mean )

Lol... for sure.  When I had one people weren't sure if I was taking a picture or lasing a target for an airstrike!

  Special forces in Afghanistan use them to light up targets....in the daytime!...so the A10 Warthogs know where to aim their 30mm cannons (cuts down on friendly-fire )

And if they miss with the cannons...  at least the bad guys will be blind!

[Louis]

Im so happy I found this thread! I recently wrote a post about this and no one replied, thought I was mad, god, I did a job a month ago and I couldn't focus, I was sweating, praying to get focus in time, this really needs to be fixed, does anyone know if the problem exists with the new 600 speedlite?

[Mehmetski]

Check page 77 of the manual. There is a mention of this, I think:

* With Single-Point Spot AF, focusing with the Speedlite's AF-Assist beam may be difficult
* If the camera cannot focus with the EOS-dedicated Speedlite's AF-Assist beam, set the AF area selection mode to Single-Point AF (Manual Selection) and select the center AF point to focus.

This sucks

[westr70]

How much slower? Is it possible to put a time or percentage against this?
I have to admit I was unaware of this issue. I want to get a 5D3 next year but I will absolutly be using it in low light flash situations, off camera lighting not an option. Is this a show stopper?

It's not a show stopper, but certainly something to be aware of if your work involves shooting with flash in very low light venues. The other significant slowdown factor with the 5D3 in very dark shooting environments is the non-illuminated AF points. So while hunting & waiting for AF, you've got to somehow keep track of your black focus point. In a situation where people are moving even slightly, the black AF points and the slow AF adds to the degradation of the spontaneity that is so vital in event photography.

But lets be clear. This scenario only kicks in when you're shooting in very low light locations. Just about everywhere else, the 5D3 AF is just fantastic.

-PW

That's been my experience too.  I do BIF and miss those great shots with darker backgrounds which I used to get those with my 7D.   Thanks to the OP, because I thought I was being too critical of my own skills or was missing some setting.

[Louis]

Canon really need to address this issue, I'm hoping they get to see this complaint,

[jonathan7007]

Paul (PWP), others with the 1dMk4:
Is the 1dMk4  body any better at this available-darkness fast-focus-capture? (with flash up top...) I am asking if the "assist" functions better.

People with 5DMk3's in this thread have used several work-arounds, one of them straining to focus manually and getting better hit rate. Yikes!! The other work around was a Yongnuo 565. Anyone know if this is also helped by the 568? I have to decide between Yongnuo and Canon speedlights -- Odin synch or Canon 600-style included radio.

I too have found the black points to be tough in some situations. I shot a dress rehearsal (no flash, of course) and the points get pretty lost in dark clothing. I did more with my 5Dmk2 on that set. Further, close-in party stuff was sometimes difficult. The soft red alert in  my 5DMk3 for focus doesn't always seem to work the way I expect. 

So, is the 1DMk4 better at this?

jonathan7007

[RayValdez360]

Check page 77 of the manual. There is a mention of this, I think:

* With Single-Point Spot AF, focusing with the Speedlite's AF-Assist beam may be difficult
* If the camera cannot focus with the EOS-dedicated Speedlite's AF-Assist beam, set the AF area selection mode to Single-Point AF (Manual Selection) and select the center AF point to focus.

This sucks

I never use single point spot but from reading that it seems like the auto focus points might be too small and are missing the assist beam? Is this the problem???

[Mehmetski]

Check page 77 of the manual. There is a mention of this, I think:

* With Single-Point Spot AF, focusing with the Speedlite's AF-Assist beam may be difficult
* If the camera cannot focus with the EOS-dedicated Speedlite's AF-Assist beam, set the AF area selection mode to Single-Point AF (Manual Selection) and select the center AF point to focus.

This sucks

I never use single point spot but from reading that it seems like the auto focus points might be too small and are missing the assist beam? Is this the problem???

I'm not sure. I haven't tested extensively it yet.
I just got the 5DIII and reading your post reminded me of that section of the manual. My first upcoming clubgig is this weekend and I'll check out then.
I did a couple of quick shots at home with absolute darkness with the 5DIII and the 580EXII and it focuses pretty quick, I didn't notice any lag. I used the center and outer edges with AF expansion and SP-AF. Does the AF assist beam cover all the AF points of the 5DIII? Maybe that is the problem.

[pwp]

Paul (PWP), others with the 1dMk4:
Is the 1dMk4  body any better at this available-darkness fast-focus-capture? (with flash up top...) I am asking if the "assist" functions better.
jonathan7007

I love my 1D4. In most circumstances the AF is stellar. In the very low light situations being referred to in this thread, the 1D4 AF either on it's own or with an AF assist beam its a piece of shirt. So working in low light venues with the Mk4 and the 5D3 I'm struggling...

-PW

[dr croubie]

Paul (PWP), others with the 1dMk4:
Is the 1dMk4  body any better at this available-darkness fast-focus-capture? (with flash up top...) I am asking if the "assist" functions better.
jonathan7007

I love my 1D4. In most circumstances the AF is stellar. In the very low light situations being referred to in this thread, the 1D4 AF either on it's own or with an AF assist beam its a piece of shirt. So working in low light venues with the Mk4 and the 5D3 I'm struggling...

-PW

Seeing as we're talking about the 1D mk4.
The black AF point "issue", afaik, is how the 7D has been operating since day 1 (i've never found it a problem, and obviously noone else who bought a 7D found it a problem either).
It was only when the 5D3 and 1DX operated the exact same way that people started complaining. Does the 1D mk4 work that way as well?

[pwp]

Get a Yongnuo YN565 flash instead - AF assist light is very effective - and won't look out of place in a Nightclub (if you've ever used one you'll know what I mean )

I have never been one for after-market or third party equipment, but can anyone else confirm that the Yongnuo YN565 spits out an AF Assist beam that solves the issue being discussed on this thread? If so, I'll get a couple of them in a heartbeat, just for dark venue jobs.

Is it possible to hook up external batteries to the Yongnuo YN365? I run a Quantum Turbo T3 with the twin outputs at most functions.

-PW

[pwp]

Seeing as we're talking about the 1D mk4.
The black AF point "issue", afaik, is how the 7D has been operating since day 1 (I've never found it a problem, and obviously noone else who bought a 7D found it a problem either).
It was only when the 5D3 and 1DX operated the exact same way that people started complaining. Does the 1D mk4 work that way as well?

Like every Canon DSLR except the 7D, 5D3 & 1DX the 1D Mk4 offers constantly illuminated red AF points.

The 7D does have the black AF points, though the points are much larger than in the 5D3 & 1DX viewfinders, and perhaps more visible. It's great that the black AF points are a non-issue for you, but can you find an acceptance somewhere in your consciousness that it is a very real issue for a lot of shooters who work in different environments to you.

-PW

[Daniel Flather]

Interesting, I just tested this theory out in my garage in total darkness.  With centre point AF, AF was snappy fast with the 600 flash.  As I moved the AF point to the side my AF speed slowed, and on the very edge AF points it was horrible.  But what blew me away was, if I set the AF to all points auto (the idiot mode) it would easily achieve focus with the side AF points.  Odd.

Lens was the ef35 mm f1.4.

[jonathan7007]

Paul,
I believe the Yongnuo 565 is engineered for an external battery pack, but the 568 is not. The 565 had a slightly different ETTL capability/feature set than the 568, and pros were upset that the "better" 568 left off the battery pack connector. Look on those other threads that compare the YN's to the Canon5xx/600's. The sites that sell the Yongnuo's don't make model-to-model differences as clear as I'd like.

I have to see where this goes before deciding which flash upgrade to pursue, as there will be several units to buy to have the multiple reliable sources I want to take on location. Lotsa $$ affected.

jonathan7007

[bvukich]

Is it possible to hook up external batteries to the Yongnuo YN365? I run a Quantum Turbo T3 with the twin outputs at most functions.

Yes the YN565EX has the same connector as the 580EXII and works with the CP-E4 or clones.

It also cycles quite a bit faster than a 580EXII, fast enough that you have to be slightly conscious of head temperature lest you let out the magic smoke (like I did to mine after a week , mine was also a very early production run one and I pushed it way harder than I would a flash that wasn't so inexpensive it's nearly disposable).  Not saying you have to baby it or anything... but if you do almost continuous full pops for half an hour and it starts smelling funny, you probably shouldn't just change batteries and keep going.