here we come, 6d AF problems

[aleshaloginov]

I want to hear some feedback on AF issues with 6d.

The problem with mine is that it sometimes can't focus (I use 99,9% the central cross point).

I never thought about it like as if it was a problem until last weekend when I mounted my 35mm 1.4L on my friend's 5dm3


I WAS SO SHOCKED. Okay, it can focus perfectly, but hell why it's 10000 times sharper?

I'm considering to sell my 6d in prior to buy 5dm3 this summer and want to know if it's usual and normal to have the AF issue.

 

[mackguyver]

I want to hear some feedback on AF issues with 6d.

The problem with mine is that it sometimes can't focus (I use 99,9% the central cross point).

I never thought about it like as if it was a problem until last weekend when I mounted my 35mm 1.4L on my friend's 5dm3


I WAS SO SHOCKED. Okay, it can focus perfectly, but hell why it's 10000 times sharper?

I'm considering to sell my 6d in prior to buy 5dm3 this summer and want to know if it's usual and normal to have the AF issue.

It sounds like your friend's 5DIII and your 35L were a much closer match in terms of autofocus micro adjustment (AFMA) - i.e. their tolerances were closer than those of the lens and your camera. With large aperture lenses, AFMA is critical to getting the sharpest focus. In terms of AF performance, the central sensor on the 6D should actually be more accurate, at least in low light. I'd recommend FoCal or another tool to AFMA your lenses and I think you'll be shocked by the improvements.

 

[FEBS]

I do not believe that the 6D is less sharper then the 5D3. OK, when you want action or sports, as the AF hasn't the same tracking possibilities as the 5D3 or 1Dx have. However the central focuspoint of the 6D is really good. I presume, because you were using the 35L that you didn't do any sports or action at that moment. Then I fully agree with Macguyver that you should AFMA this combination. for sure as your 35L has a very big aperture, so your DOF might be very small. I did do that also for all my body/lens combinations, and do believe me the results are there. I had best experience with Focal software.

 

[mnclayshooter]

The OP doesn't describe the scenario(s) where he/she's having problems - for example - bright conditions or low-light, close-up or distant subjects, all of the above, or none of the above etc etc.

I'm curious what types of shots are being attempted when the issue occurs.

I agree with others, AMFA can make a huge difference in getting the camera to lock focus more quickly and hunt much less.

A free (and arguably less consistent method than some more expensive ones) method is dot-tune... try it on the 35L and see if makes a difference before scrapping the whole works or running out (or mouse-clicking) and buying software and focus targets etc. At least you'll know if AMFA will help, then decide if the FOCAL license is worth the money.

Another simple test is to take a high contrast subject like a chess board for example, align it perpendicular to the camera lens-axis, then place a soup can with a ruler at about 30-45-ish degrees out of plane with the chess board. (basically a very crude lens-align) and just shoot a few shots from about 25x the focal length distance to see if you can tell if it is front or back focusing. That will tell you right away if you need to micro adjust your body/lens combo. (25x focal length example... 35mm x 25 = 875mm or roughly 3 feet at a minimum... for this short distance, maybe use 50x so about 6 feet)... whatever distance you choose, keep it consistent throughout the testing process, DO NOT MOVE the camera.

The AMFA settings are COMPLETELY reversible so don't worry about messing anything up.

Just my two cents based on AMFA'ing my series of lenses on my 6D. Every lens had some level of adjustment needed... some very little, others a suprising amount. Based on my day-to-day use of the camera, AMFA has made a difference and helped me justify buying FOCAL.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Every camera and every lens has a tolerance for autofocus. If the tolerances add up, images will look out of focus, but if they match, AF will be perfect.

When using a wide aperture lens, you really can benefit from doing a AFMA on the body that the lens will be used with. My 35mmL needed a +2 on my 5D MK II, but a +17 on my 1D MK III. I sent it to Canon, and had it back in a week. It was right on for both bodies after that.

First make use of the AFMA on your camera to match the autofocus of the lens to that of the camera. Software like Reikan FoCal can help, and is more accurate than many other systems.

Small aperture lenses usually lose any focus inaccuracies in the depth of field, but at wide apertures, its a issue.

If the AFMA is more than about +/- 10, I'd then suggest having Canon tune the lens up, assuming it is still in warranty. They will calibrate it using a reference 6D that is known to have accurate autofocus. (Be sure to ask them to use a 6D).

 

[Skirball]

The problem with mine is that it sometimes can't focus (I use 99,9% the central cross point).

I never thought about it like as if it was a problem until last weekend when I mounted my 35mm 1.4L on my friend's 5dm3 Okay, it can focus perfectly, but hell why it's 10000 times sharper?

The 5d3's advantage over the 6D is the other 60 focus points. If you're using the center point 99.9% of the time then there's little difference between the cameras. If the results from the 5d3 are truly markedly sharper for a static subject, then something is either wrong with your technique or your camera, but it's not the 6D in general.

 

[JohnDizzo15]

AFMA. Do it now.

I've owned both. IQ is not better in the 5D3 assuming you are able to get the shot as you intended. Assuming that calibration has been done, exposure is good, no motion blur and the focus hit, I actually prefer the files out of the 6D. The only reason I would go back to a 5D3 would be if the 6D AF was not good enough for me to get the shots I wanted. But if we are talking sheer IQ, I prefer the 6D by a smidge.

 

[Lightmaster]

as i have both cameras (5D Mk3 and 6D) i can tell you that it is most likely a layer 8 problem.....

 

[bmwzimmer]

AFMA first to see if it fixes the problem. I'd wait on the 5D if possible. It's nearly 2 1/2 years old and there are lots of other options from Nikon/Sony/ect... For me, i'll wait for the next 5D coming out in the near future but if the sensor isn't vastly improved, i would consider jumping ship. The new d810 is killing it right now performance wise (don't know about its reliability though...)

 

[jeffa4444]

I have to agree Ive never had an issue with the 6d in either bright light or low light. I dont own a 5dMK111 but have regular access to one (for sport & airshows) but the IQ is basically exactly the same (except in really low light where noise is better in the 6d). Ive not had to adjust the AFMA unlike my Canon 7d and I shoot lens tests the same way we do them for motion picture which is very critical.

Try the AFMA adjustment & dont rush the process.

 

[e17paul]

Have you tried using the same lens on the different camera? I've found that the older designs (eg 50/2.5 macro) focus better on my old Eos 5 film cameras than my 6D, but more modern USM lenses are great on the 6D.

Single point focus also means making sure that there is something to focus on exactly in the middle of the frame.

 

[Dylan777]

I want to hear some feedback on AF issues with 6d.

The problem with mine is that it sometimes can't focus (I use 99,9% the central cross point).

I never thought about it like as if it was a problem until last weekend when I mounted my 35mm 1.4L on my friend's 5dm3


I WAS SO SHOCKED. Okay, it can focus perfectly, but hell why it's 10000 times sharper?

I'm considering to sell my 6d in prior to buy 5dm3 this summer and want to know if it's usual and normal to have the AF issue.

It sounds like your friend's 5DIII and your 35L were a much closer match in terms of autofocus micro adjustment (AFMA) - i.e. their tolerances were closer than those of the lens and your camera. With large aperture lenses, AFMA is critical to getting the sharpest focus. In terms of AF performance, the central sensor on the 6D should actually be more accurate, at least in low light. I'd recommend FoCal or another tool to AFMA your lenses and I think you'll be shocked by the improvements.

I agree most, except the high lighted. 5D III has dual-cross type in center, compared to 6D is not. Esp. on large aperture lenses.

 

[mackguyver]

I want to hear some feedback on AF issues with 6d.

The problem with mine is that it sometimes can't focus (I use 99,9% the central cross point).

I never thought about it like as if it was a problem until last weekend when I mounted my 35mm 1.4L on my friend's 5dm3


I WAS SO SHOCKED. Okay, it can focus perfectly, but hell why it's 10000 times sharper?

I'm considering to sell my 6d in prior to buy 5dm3 this summer and want to know if it's usual and normal to have the AF issue.

It sounds like your friend's 5DIII and your 35L were a much closer match in terms of autofocus micro adjustment (AFMA) - i.e. their tolerances were closer than those of the lens and your camera. With large aperture lenses, AFMA is critical to getting the sharpest focus. In terms of AF performance, the central sensor on the 6D should actually be more accurate, at least in low light. I'd recommend FoCal or another tool to AFMA your lenses and I think you'll be shocked by the improvements.

I agree most, except the high lighted. 5D III has dual-cross type in center, compared to 6D is not. Esp. on large aperture lenses.

True in terms of overall accuracy, I but the 6D is a whole EV [stop] more sensitive in low light, which is what I was referring to. In practical use, I would think the center AF performance is probably very similar between both bodies, but I haven't used the 6D. I'm pretty sure the OP's issue is AFMA, however.

 

[adamsnapper]

My 6D is a donkey...don't get me wrong the image quality, WHEN it focuses properly, is sublime. I too mostly use the centre focus spot. I shoot ceremonies for my local council with the Mayor and participants. The hit rate was less than 20%, so much so that I now resort to manual focus for these.

I also take ID/Passport type images at theses ceremonies, I focus on the right eye, the focus beeps to confirm lock, hold and recompose and when you check the images, a huge percentage are soft, some by quite a margin.

I sent the 6D back to my local Canon service centre and asked them to check it out and they reported no problems but suggested my ageing 28-70 2.8 was probably the culprit. I bought a brand new 24-105 to replace it...guess what, yep still the same issue. And it's like that with my 70-200 2.8 and all my other lenses.

I've had it just 11 months and have totally lost faith in this body and I just cannot trust it turn in the goods when I'm out on a job.

I'll await the rumoured 'new bodies' which we are told will be coming soon to see if there is anything worth getting, if not I'll junk this 6D and look for a decent 1DX

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

My 6D is a donkey...don't get me wrong the image quality, WHEN it focuses properly, is sublime. I too mostly use the centre focus spot. I shoot ceremonies for my local council with the Mayor and participants. The hit rate was less than 20%, so much so that I now resort to manual focus for these.

I also take ID/Passport type images at theses ceremonies, I focus on the right eye, the focus beeps to confirm lock, hold and recompose and when you check the images, a huge percentage are soft, some by quite a margin.

Don't hold and recompose and then expect the shot to be in focus, if you are at f/8 or far away, its ok, but up close at f/4 or wider, the depth of field is shallow, and the error due to a poor technique is going to cause oof images.

Don't blame the camera.

 

[assassin11]

"Don't hold and recompose and then expect the shot to be in focus, if you are at f/8 or far away, its ok, but up close at f/4 or wider, the depth of field is shallow, and the error due to a poor technique is going to cause oof images.

Don't blame the camera."


This.

I had the same focus and recompose problem with a 5d3 and an 85mm. I blamed the lens until I let a friend borrow the 85mm and saw his pictures.

 

[MichaelHodges]

I want to hear some feedback on AF issues with 6d.

The problem with mine is that it sometimes can't focus (I use 99,9% the central cross point).

I never thought about it like as if it was a problem until last weekend when I mounted my 35mm 1.4L on my friend's 5dm3


I WAS SO SHOCKED. Okay, it can focus perfectly, but hell why it's 10000 times sharper?

I'm considering to sell my 6d in prior to buy 5dm3 this summer and want to know if it's usual and normal to have the AF issue.

Sounds like a lens issue, or possibly a calibration issue with the 6D. The center point on that camera is amazing, and excels in low light.

run a few MFA tests.

 

[Robert Welch]

I have both cameras. The AF system is quite different, so there are a lot of variable in any particular photo circumstances that might determine if one camera will give better AF results than the other. But the bottom line is, they both do a great job at AF over all and there should be no fundamental difference in the final result if both are used properly and within the limits of their AF systems, and both are using a lens that is properly calibrated/adjusted with the body.

 

[neuroanatomist]

True in terms of overall accuracy, I but the 6D is a whole EV [stop] more sensitive in low light, which is what I was referring to.

I really think people overstate this as an advantage. Yes, the 6D is a stop more sensitive – but that difference is going from –2 EV to –3 EV. A practical example of that would be 1/15 s, f/2.8, ISO 51200 vs. ISO 102400. The 6D could AF for the ISO 102400 shot, the 5DIII could not...but really, neither of them will really be a usable image.

The -3 EV spec is there to look good on paper, for typical shooting I think it's of little real practical benefit.

 

[Janbo Makimbo]

I tend to use back button focus as a preference and have had no issues focussing at all. I have noted since the release of the 6D that many of the issues that people have are user issues and not the camera!!