1Dx multi controller not responsive when selecting AF point

[Studio1930]

now I have to press the shutter button to activate the VF and AF point display, prior to selecting my new AF point position for composition and then it sometimes sticks, compared to the MKIV.

Am I missing a setting somewhere?

Rich

You can also program the 1DX to allow you to move the auto focus point by simply pressing the joy stick sideways or vertical. There is no need to press any other buttons. I have mine set this way and love it.

It is called "AF point direct selection" under custom controls.

-Darrin
Studio 1930
www.studio1930.com

 

[neuroanatomist]

You can also program the 1DX to allow you to move the auto focus point by simply pressing the joy stick sideways or vertical. There is no need to press any other buttons. I have mine set this way and love it.

Yep - and as Rich stated above, he's got that setting enabled (as do I).

The issue he's talking about is that when the metering timer shuts off (which is after 6-7 seconds), you can look through the VF and see the selected AF point, but moving the multicontroller does nothing. You must half-press the shutter or press the AF-ON button, which re-engages metering, and also re-activates AF point selection.

There's a C.Fn to set the metering time out for Live View shooting, but I don't see one to extend the metering timing for VF shooting.

 

[Studio1930]

You can also program the 1DX to allow you to move the auto focus point by simply pressing the joy stick sideways or vertical. There is no need to press any other buttons. I have mine set this way and love it.

Yep - and as Rich stated above, he's got that setting enabled (as do I).

The issue he's talking about is that when the metering timer shuts off (which is after 6-7 seconds), you can look through the VF and see the selected AF point, but moving the multicontroller does nothing. You must half-press the shutter or press the AF-ON button, which re-engages metering, and also re-activates AF point selection.

There's a C.Fn to set the metering time out for Live View shooting, but I don't see one to extend the metering timing for VF shooting.

Hmm, not sure I have noticed if the timeout had occurred or not. I'll give that a try and see. Maybe I just half press the shutter from muscle memory due to all of these years of half pressing the shutter button. :-\

 

[neuroanatomist]

Hmm, not sure I have noticed if the timeout had occurred or not. I'll give that a try and see. Maybe I just half press the shutter from muscle memory due to all of these years of half pressing the shutter button. :-\

Yeah, I do that, too...and so I didn't notice it in practical use. But when I checked, sure enough, it's there.

 

[Richard Lane]

Hmm, not sure I have noticed if the timeout had occurred or not. I'll give that a try and see. Maybe I just half press the shutter from muscle memory due to all of these years of half pressing the shutter button. :-\

Hi Darrin,

Thanks for trying to help out! But as Neuro confirmed the AF points time out when the AF Start/metering times out. I didn't notice it in the house with test shots either. But, I like to shoot sports and action and sometimes it's necessary to pre-focus to a certain area and then re-compose the AF points as the athlete or subject enters the frame, and then as I'm patiently waiting for peak action.... tic-toc, 7 seconds goes by, and then I try to move the AF point prior to firing away my pre-focused burst, and well.....nuttin' happens. It's not really a problem now that I'm aware of it and I'll get used to it.

The MKIV allowed prefocus, then re-composing of the AF point with the multi-controller and then fire away. Now I just have to press the AF-On button, prior to recomposing the AF point. Hopefully, those Olympic Photographers had more than a couple of days with their new 1DX. I'm sure I was low on the list.

Incidentally, the Pre-focus Ring on the super-telephotos doesn't wake up the VF/AF points on either camera.

I really enjoyed your website by-the-way.., very nice!

Rich

 

[Studio1930]

Hmm, not sure I have noticed if the timeout had occurred or not. I'll give that a try and see. Maybe I just half press the shutter from muscle memory due to all of these years of half pressing the shutter button. :-\

Hi Darrin,

Thanks for trying to help out! But as Neuro confirmed the AF points time out when the AF Start/metering times out. I didn't notice it in the house with test shots either. But, I like to shoot sports and action and sometimes it's necessary to pre-focus to a certain area and then re-compose the AF points as the athlete or subject enters the frame, and then as I'm patiently waiting for peak action.... tic-toc, 7 seconds goes by, and then I try to move the AF point prior to firing away my pre-focused burst, and well.....nuttin' happens. It's not really a problem now that I'm aware of it and I'll get used to it.

The MKIV allowed prefocus, then re-composing of the AF point with the multi-controller and then fire away. Now I just have to press the AF-On button, prior to recomposing the AF point. Hopefully, those Olympic Photographers had more than a couple of days with their new 1DX. I'm sure I was low on the list.

Incidentally, the Pre-focus Ring on the super-telephotos doesn't wake up the VF/AF points on either camera.

I really enjoyed your website by-the-way.., very nice!

Rich

Thanks Rich. I am just starting to use the 1DX and the 200 f/2 combo more often with sports so I am trying to figure out the best setup. Haven't been using the prefocus button/ring on that lens yet. So far the C1, C2 setup allows me to do all that I need as far as quick configuration changes, but I am still finding those little things like this timeout you mentioned. It all depends on what I am shooting as to when I might find a new issue with the 1DX that I need to work out. So far everything has had a solution of some sort (other than the AFMA bug) even if it requires operating the camera a bit differently than my 1DM4.

 

[CampanellaFoto]

I'm having similar issues with my 1DX Mark II which is only 4 or 5 months old.

The multi-controller next to the Q button behaves very strangely. It sometimes will not want to move the focus point to the left. Moving it to the left often just moves it back into the middle and continuing to try to move left has it switching between the last active focus point and the middle one.

I can get it behaving normally again through a variety of hacks. Turning the camera vertical and moving around the focus point with the other multi-controller (which seems to behave perfectly) can often get the other multi-controller working again. Another solution is to turn off all my custom shooting modes (c1, c2, c3) and then clear all settings. That can sometimes get the multi-controller working again.

To me it seems more like a software problem than a hardware problem. Or so I hope.

Anyone have similar experiences?

Also is there a way I can wipe the camera completely? Clear all settings only seems to clear some settings. I really want to return the camera to new state in turns of the software and just set everything up again from start to see if it stops behaving strangely.