1Dx simple DR stress test

[Neutral]

If I set any periferal point as starting point then 1Dx autofocus OK initially but not tracking the object. This is not very convinent in many situations when object is moving accross the frame and I want to catch it at one side of the frame and track it without camera movement while it crossing the frame.

What AF selection mode are you using? You need to be in 61-pt auto selection for it to track across the frame (in AI Servo, you can still select the starting AF point in 61-pt auto).

So far mode 1 was working well for what was required.
Yes I was using 61-pt autoselection - Canon AF manual is kinda Bible for me))) I studied it very carefully and for easy reference and reading put it in my tablet as well.
Initial focusing was OK for any point but to start tracking accross the frame it was working only from central point. Discovered that on shooting at Swimming Wold Cup recently - was trying to track start of swim with HS FPS when all were jumping out and crossing the frame while flying to the water. Wanted not to move camera to produce nice multy-shot (I like that feature) with fixed backgroung but when checking shots found that focusing point stays where it was initially for all the shots. So had to forgot about multi-shot mode and move camera lens to follow the jump into the water. After that did some tests and was having the same results. And I now remember seeing some post somewhwere regarding the same problem. Will do some more tests later when have time and will update on results. Unfortunatly usually getting very tired at my work (telecomms projects and operations in a very big company - a lot of work pressure) so do not have too much relaxed time on the photography and playing with my lovely photographic toys (((

 

[Neutral]

If I set any periferal point as starting point then 1Dx autofocus OK initially but not tracking the object. This is not very convinent in many situations when object is moving accross the frame and I want to catch it at one side of the frame and track it without camera movement while it crossing the frame.

What AF selection mode are you using? You need to be in 61-pt auto selection for it to track across the frame (in AI Servo, you can still select the starting AF point in 61-pt auto).

I'm curious, does that type of tracking provide any hitrate at all? I've briefly tried it, but feel it's like the lottery... any other setting to accompanie that mode for better accuracy?

You could set it to whatever you want - second tab in AF settings is for AI Servo 1st and 2d image priority.
If you want speed compromising focus accuracy set it close to release (at the left) If you want focus accuracy priority (shutter is not released unless focus is achived) then set it closer to focus - this could significanly slow down FPS.
You can do that separetely for the first shot and separately for the rest of them.
For myself I set both to focus priority and the same for one short AF - so I know that most of my shots will be 100% accurately focused. And for conditions suitable for AI Servo Mode 1 I did not notice any slowness in FPS - 1Dx AI Servo tracking is very "catchy" - before we could see that only in astronomically expensive science installations and military tracking systems - now with increased processing power in camera that became available for us as well ))

 

[Viggo]

If I set any periferal point as starting point then 1Dx autofocus OK initially but not tracking the object. This is not very convinent in many situations when object is moving accross the frame and I want to catch it at one side of the frame and track it without camera movement while it crossing the frame.

What AF selection mode are you using? You need to be in 61-pt auto selection for it to track across the frame (in AI Servo, you can still select the starting AF point in 61-pt auto).

I'm curious, does that type of tracking provide any hitrate at all? I've briefly tried it, but feel it's like the lottery... any other setting to accompanie that mode for better accuracy?

You could set it to whatever you want - second tab in AF settings is for AI Servo 1st and 2d image priority.
If you want speed compromising focus accuracy set it close to release (at the left) If you want focus accuracy priority (shutter is not released unless focus is achived) then set it closer to focus - this could significanly slow down FPS.
You can do that separetely for the first shot and separately for the rest of them.
For myself I set both to focus priority and the same for one short AF - so I know that most of my shots will be 100% accurately focused. And for conditions suitable for AI Servo Mode 1 I did not notice any slowness in FPS - 1Dx AI Servo tracking is very "catchy" - before we could see that only in astronomically expensive science installations and military tracking systems - now with increased processing power in camera that became available for us as well ))

Well, yeah, I know. I have almost no oof shots at all. But I meant when using ALL 61 points autoselect. I normally use one point and perhaps expansion. But the auto all points on the mk4 for example was an absolute joke...

 

[Neutral]

If I set any periferal point as starting point then 1Dx autofocus OK initially but not tracking the object. This is not very convinent in many situations when object is moving accross the frame and I want to catch it at one side of the frame and track it without camera movement while it crossing the frame.

What AF selection mode are you using? You need to be in 61-pt auto selection for it to track across the frame (in AI Servo, you can still select the starting AF point in 61-pt auto).

I'm curious, does that type of tracking provide any hitrate at all? I've briefly tried it, but feel it's like the lottery... any other setting to accompanie that mode for better accuracy?

You could set it to whatever you want - second tab in AF settings is for AI Servo 1st and 2d image priority.
If you want speed compromising focus accuracy set it close to release (at the left) If you want focus accuracy priority (shutter is not released unless focus is achived) then set it closer to focus - this could significanly slow down FPS.
You can do that separetely for the first shot and separately for the rest of them.
For myself I set both to focus priority and the same for one short AF - so I know that most of my shots will be 100% accurately focused. And for conditions suitable for AI Servo Mode 1 I did not notice any slowness in FPS - 1Dx AI Servo tracking is very "catchy" - before we could see that only in astronomically expensive science installations and military tracking systems - now with increased processing power in camera that became available for us as well ))

Well, yeah, I know. I have almost no oof shots at all. But I meant when using ALL 61 points autoselect. I normally use one point and perhaps expansion. But the auto all points on the mk4 for example was an absolute joke...

Maybe I was a bit confused what you were asking. By "hitrate" you meant how many shots were in focus and I understood that as how FPS is affected by AI Servo. With 61 autoselect I found some problems as well. This is actually not focus accuracy but the fact that in this mode focusing point has auto-expansion by default so if there are anything else in this area closer to camera then AF could switch to closer object in certain conditions.
As example recent Swimming Wold Cup - I had 70-200 and I tried to use 61 pt autoselection with starting AF point to follow swimmer and found that in this mode frequently get focused on the swimming lane border which falls in this area because frame at 200mm FL was covering several lanes and closest lane border was always in the area of bottom expansion point - and it was my fault - forgot about that autoexpansion. Whenever I used single point AF Servo - all was perfect 100% AF hitrate.

 

[Aglet]

..camera off the bag and started approching more closely then few minutes later I was stopped by security telling that to use professional camera and lens without park authorities permission is not allowed (((.

THAT is certainly even more disconcerting than low ISO FPN!

I've only had someone ask me to stop taking pictures of plants at a retail greenhouse with my little point'n'shoot camera... HAHA! Not like this was going to be a source of commercial poster images, I was just trying to record them so I could remember what plant was what as I was planning what I wanted for my garden.

Since that was private property I complied with their request. But did my best to explain the above and make them feel silly for asking when other people were doing the same thing with their cell phone cameras.