6D Autofocus not impressive

[learncanon]

well in case someone REALLY said such thing, he has no clue.

of course the 5D MK3 AF is much better then the 6D´s. especially for tracking.
thought center AF performance is not so bad as some paint it.

yes u r right. Mk3 AF is better, more accurate, slightly faster and tracking is a lot better. but for $1000+ more, its down to the user how important the AF is. many would use that money to buy a new lens!
6D is still good and perfectly usable except for extreme sport.

[RLPhoto]

It's no surprise. It's the same regurgitated 20D AF with a new face and didnt impress me either.

[MathieuB]

last week and my hit rate of butterflies in flight is abysmal, 10-15% at most, with the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8, a relatively fast lens when it comes to AF speed.

well i don´t like the 6D AF that much. it should have 11 cross point sensors at least, and wider spread over the image sensor.
a 2000 euro camera should have a better AF then the 6D.

BUT 10-15% ... that´s a layer 8 error and not a camera problem.

Yes, thinking back on it, I could have done a few things differently and could have changed a few AF settings in the custom functions settings.

Then again, butterflies move fast and in a very unpredictable way, so keeping them in the center of the frame (on the central AF point) is quite a challenge to begin with.

[kubelik]

as most people here have noted, everyone could pretty much see from the start that the 6D AF was a warmed-over 5D Mark II AF system. as a 5D Mark II owner, I have to agree that it is functional but really not "impressive", when it is pushed anywhere near its limits of low light or action (or heaven forbid, low light action) it really falls down flat. the other 90% of the time, it does it job fine.

whoever told you the 5D Mark III's AF system was hardly any different from the 6D was a total liar, they're really not in the same ballpark. if AF speed and accuracy matters to you, it's worth investing in the 5D III.

[dswatson83]

Yeah, the 6D is very underwhelming compared to the 5D3. After I saw this video, I knew there was just too much missing from the Canon 6D to make it worth while.
Canon 6D Vs. 5D Mark III Hands On Review

[robbymack]

i don't think anyone has said the 6d af is in the same ballpark as the 5diii.  Center point only, its probably a tie, but everything else its not even close. 

[Robert Welch]

i don't think anyone has said the 6d af is in the same ballpark as the 5diii.  Center point only, its probably a tie, but everything else its not even close.

I have both the 6D & 5DIII, and the center point only focus on the 6D is better, particularly in low light. The 5DIII will just stop working if the light get's too low, but the 6D remains accurate. In fact, in my use that center point on the 6D is the best AF sensor Canon has ever made. I have had a higher 'hit' rate of in focus photos with that camera than I have with any other, and that includes the 5DIII. Obviously, the AF isn't as versatile as the 5DIII, it wouldn't be very good for shooting butterflies, for instance. But for portrait work, and slow moving subjects, it does a fine job. I don't notice it particularly slow in focus either, I have used it at several weddings and have yet to find a situation where I felt I missed a shot because the camera wasn't fast enough to lock focus. In very dark situations, I have had that happen with the 5DIII, so in those situation I actually prefer the 6D AF, whether the subject is moving or not.

[jocau]

Another scenario where the 6D will fail is this one:

Taking portraits at very large apertures ( F/1.2 - F/1.8 ) at close or minimum focus distance while following the rule of thirds without using liveview and without cropping the image in postprocessing. That's the reason why I'm preferring the 5D3 at the moment. I like to have points exactly located on the thirds of the image in the viewfinder.

[Marsu42]

If you read my original post, I rented the 6D to try it out. I did not buy it.  I was seeking other opinions because many have said the 6D's AF was in the same ballpark of the 5D m III.

Maybe bad communication? The 6d af is 99% the same as the older 5d2 (2!), except that Canon added two non-cross points and made the center point more light sensitive. There still is no (zero, 0) full cross point at all @f2.8 (only @f4+), so precision with fast lenses esp. on moving objects should be very bad.

The 6d is designed for low light shooting of nearly static scenes, for everything else the keeper rate will be very low and less than the 60d or 650d/700d.

However, for action and moving objects, forget it, it's terrible. I took pictures of butterflies last week and my hit rate of butterflies in flight is abysmal, 10-15% at most

This is the worst-case scenario, same with my 60d, for these shots you have to get a 1d4 or 5d3/1dx.

How does the 6D compare to the 5DmkII?  they are about the same price.  Could someone who has used both give us their thoughts.  thanks

The advantages of the 6d over the 5d2 are (regressions: build quality, x-sync- shutter speed, joystick):

• higher iso capability
• less banding
• higher dynamic range
• center-point af up to -3lv
• silent shutter
• faster fps
• longer battery life
• shorter release time
• better metering & auto-wb
• hi-res lcd
• small & light but good grip
• top wheel lock
• gps built-in
• wifi built-in
• newer firmware:
  
  • full support for rt flashes,
  • in-camera multishot/hdr
  • in-camera ca correction
  • 7x bracketing
  • dual afma for zooms
  • servo af customization
  • flexible min/max auto-iso
  • min shutter speed setting
  • orientation-linked af point

[Chuck Alaimo]

Not expecting stellar af like the mk3, but, I am looking for a decent backup body to my mk3.  Just placed my rental order for a 6d and will be shooting a wedding running with the combo this weekend.  So we'll see what this thing can do...

[Skirball]

If you read my original post, I rented the 6D to try it out. I did not buy it.  I was seeking other opinions because many have said the 6D's AF was in the same ballpark of the 5D m III. I found this not to be the case with the kit 24-105 f/4.

Ok, I went along with it for one page, but give me a break.   Anyone who has read more than 2 threads on here would know about the AF differences between the 6D and 5d3.  Admit it, this is a troll and you were just trying to get the 5d3 fan boys to circle jerk it one more time.

[Marsu42]

So we'll see what this thing can do...

Please tell us your experiences, I'd be interested to hear from a pro if the 6d is able to do a wedding (I expect it does, after all the 5d2 was able to and the 6d center af is more precise and should be faster at lower light).

[tomservo51]

I rented on this past weekend for a wedding. My 2 cents:

IQ was great
Auto-focus was not great.
Silent shooting is awesome during the ceremony and makes people feel more comfortable!

I think it would be a good 2nd camera but not recommended for the high pressure moments, coming down the isle, kiss, etc!

*I am not a seasoned pro so take if for what it's worth.

[dexstrose]

Since we all know that the 6d's AF points are not it's strong point (center point is pretty good in my opinion). Is there a way to maximize the AF with settings or tips?

Few things I tried to get a good understanding of the 6d AF and have more keepers.
• I try to make sure that I am focusing on a contrast part of the subject for less error in focusing.
• I have been trying that AF-on button with my thumb while shooting, there is a thread on the technique.
• When on AI Servo, I wait a second and make sure its locked on before taking the shots.

I'm getting better and learning the 6d AF.

Anyone else have any tips?
How about the AF adjustments when tracking a subject, etc?

[hsbn]

One thing I don't get is before the 5DMIII came out, people were doing fine with 5DMII. I did. I shot a lot of wedding with 5DMII. My clients are happy, and I'm proud of my work. It's still a great camera for me. I bet it is still an awesome camera for many working pro out there. Yet, the 6D is a little better overall but it seems like everyone is trying to bash the camera. If you could take great pictures with the 5DMII, you can take great picture with the 6D. I know its AF is not in the same league with the 5DMIII but it is still a great camera IMHO.
It has its limit, but I've seen many great bird in fly photos taken with the 5DMII. I don't see any reason why the 6D can be any worst than the 5DMII. Or suddenly, the 5DMII became a worth-less camera at the end of its cycle.