Canon 5D Mark III - Soft images

[GKuma]

Hey everyone,

I'm new here, but have been browsing around the site for a while and it seems like the best place for me to bring up this issue.

I recently brought a 5D MarkIII back in April and was amazed by the quality of the pictures it produced! But after a recent shoot, I was disappointed once I saw how the images had turned out on the computer. They're beginning to become too soft.. I find that the object I place my focus point on is blurred but something else, somewhere else in the picture is in focus.

I took my camera to a number of different places and they've all refused to touch it as the 5D MarkIII is too new to deal with yet. One store was able to narrow the problem down to the 24-70mm Lens I was using, also brought alongside the 5D back in April, and told me I need to recalibrate it. I've handed that in and was able to get to borrow another 24-70mm as a replacement until the repairs have been done but I'm finding the same issue on this lens too. I'm starting to think the camera is the problem.

Is anyone else having the same problem? If so, is there any way I can fix this?

I will upload pictures from before and after the issue later on today..

Thank you in advance..

[Ewinter]

Maybe it's not the.lens needs calibrating but the camera autofocus?

[Louis]

I have the camera one of the later models and its fine, are you shooting JPG? also I noticed I want shoot lower than F18 and the image becomes softer due to Interpolation, but that's general, I will say this, what software are you using to work on your images, I had noticed when this camera came out, the images were terribly soft, but that was due to the software rendering the 5D3 images badly, Im happy with my photos and been a terrible pixel peeper, just make sure you have the latest firmware, all software packages are up too date, if it still persists, it could be a problem with earlier body's, but I'm not certain on that


Louis

[spinworkxroy]

I think it would be best to wait for your photos to be uploaded before making any comments..if not everythign will just be assumptions

[neuroanatomist]

They're beginning to become too soft.. I find that the object I place my focus point on is blurred but something else, somewhere else in the picture is in focus.

So the problem isn't soft images, it's misfocusing.  I assume that you're manually selecting the AF point - if you're using automatic (61 pt) AF point selection, the camera will focus on the nearest object under an AF point - it has no way to know what you think is the right subject.

One store was able to narrow the problem down to the 24-70mm Lens I was using, also brought alongside the 5D back in April, and told me I need to recalibrate it. ...I'm starting to think the camera is the problem.

If so, is there any way I can fix this?

It seems most likely that you need to do an AF Microadjustment (probably for many of your lenses, the problem is just most evident on a particular lens).  The problem you describe is the classic presentation of a lens and camera being mis-matched for AF accuracy, the problem which AFMA is designed to correct.  Here's a tutorial on AFMA that I wrote up, including a DIY option.  Currently, I use Reikan FoCal software to do my AMFAs.

[rpt]

My problem of soft images with the 5D3 went away after I did AFMA for my lenses.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Mount your camera on a tripod, use liveview and live autofocus (not quick autofocus).  If the images are sharp, the issue is either the camera, the lens , or both need to be adjusted.
Since you imply that something has changed, I'd send both in for checking and adjustment.  The 24-70 is well known for being easy to damage, and will need to be readjusted if the internal elements have become misaligned.

[Rienzphotoz]

Hey everyone,

I'm new here, but have been browsing around the site for a while and it seems like the best place for me to bring up this issue.

I recently brought a 5D MarkIII back in April and was amazed by the quality of the pictures it produced! But after a recent shoot, I was disappointed once I saw how the images had turned out on the computer. They're beginning to become too soft.. I find that the object I place my focus point on is blurred but something else, somewhere else in the picture is in focus.

I took my camera to a number of different places and they've all refused to touch it as the 5D MarkIII is too new to deal with yet. One store was able to narrow the problem down to the 24-70mm Lens I was using, also brought alongside the 5D back in April, and told me I need to recalibrate it. I've handed that in and was able to get to borrow another 24-70mm as a replacement until the repairs have been done but I'm finding the same issue on this lens too. I'm starting to think the camera is the problem.

Is anyone else having the same problem? If so, is there any way I can fix this?

I will upload pictures from before and after the issue later on today..

Thank you in advance..

Although your post is lengthy it is very generic ... you need to mention more about the settings you were/are using, especially because you said: "They're beginning to become too soft" which to me sounds like the camera used to take sharp photos before but now it is taking soft photos. Without more info, anything that I (or anyone else) says would be mere speculation. Post your photos along with full details of the settings you were/are using.

[wickidwombat]

definately give the afma a try turn off any in camera noise reduction and processing shoot raw and try spot focus to see how they go
my first copy was terrible even after adjusting all lenses it was still all over the place so i took it back and got a new one which is awesome and ihavent even done any afma on it yet ive even bought focal just havent got around to doing it yet.

[Daniel Flather]

My problem of soft images with the 5D3 went away after I did AFMA for my lenses.

In an ironic twist, my problem went away once I turned AFMA off.

[Rienzphotoz]

In an ironic twist, my problem went away once I turned AFMA off.

Same here ... disabling AFMA worked for me when I used 5D3 with the 25-105 f/4 L lens ... but all of my other lenses work better with AFMA enabled

[neuroanatomist]

In an ironic twist, my problem went away once I turned AFMA off.

Same here ... disabling AFMA worked for me when I used 5D3 with the 25-105 f/4 L lens ... but all of my other lenses work better with AFMA enabled

That just means the 24-105 is a good match for your 5DIII. You just set Adjust By Lens and leave the 24-105 at zero.  Personally, my 85L II and 135L require no adjustment on my 1D X, my other lenses do.

[rpt]

In an ironic twist, my problem went away once I turned AFMA off.

Same here ... disabling AFMA worked for me when I used 5D3 with the 25-105 f/4 L lens ... but all of my other lenses work better with AFMA enabled

That just means the 24-105 is a good match for your 5DIII. You just set Adjust By Lens and leave the 24-105 at zero.  Personally, my 85L II and 135L require no adjustment on my 1D X, my other lenses do.

Exactly. My 100-400 needs -10. The 24-105 needs 0. AFMA per lens.

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Hey everyone,

I'm new here, but have been browsing around the site for a while and it seems like the best place for me to bring up this issue.

I recently brought a 5D MarkIII back in April and was amazed by the quality of the pictures it produced! But after a recent shoot, I was disappointed once I saw how the images had turned out on the computer. They're beginning to become too soft.. I find that the object I place my focus point on is blurred but something else, somewhere else in the picture is in focus.

I took my camera to a number of different places and they've all refused to touch it as the 5D MarkIII is too new to deal with yet. One store was able to narrow the problem down to the 24-70mm Lens I was using, also brought alongside the 5D back in April, and told me I need to recalibrate it. I've handed that in and was able to get to borrow another 24-70mm as a replacement until the repairs have been done but I'm finding the same issue on this lens too. I'm starting to think the camera is the problem.

Is anyone else having the same problem? If so, is there any way I can fix this?

I will upload pictures from before and after the issue later on today..

Thank you in advance..

just dial in the AFMA for each lens and you'll 99% likely be good to go
AFMA is very important to carry out for all lenses

[Zlatko]

The problem is almost certainly not the camera.  Unfortunately the original 24-70/2.8 lens has a tendency to go out of alignment.  Photographers who make heavy use of this lens have learned that it needs regular recalibration.  Hopefully the new 24-70/2.8 II will be more reliable.