3rd party lens compatibility with 5D mk3 autofocus

[fillup]

In the owners manual for the mk3 there is a section about "Lenses and Usable AF Points" that breaks down which lens support which AF points and modes. Has anyone seen a similar listing/grouping for 3rd party lenses? I'm considering picking up the "Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM OS FLD", but I might change my mind if I find that it has weak AF support.

 

[Stephen Melvin]

I suspect the Sigma will behave just like the Canon in this regard.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina lenses send a lens code to the body that identifies them as a Canon lens. The camera will apply the focus point info for the lens that it thinks is on the camera. Generally, the third party manufacturers pick a current Canon lens with the same focal length and aperture, but not always. This has caused problems in the past when some Tamron lenses sent a code for a long obsolete Canon lens and ended up causing users problems. Tamron updated the lens code, but I do not know if they repaired in service lenses for free.

There is always a risk of something not working correctly with a third party lens, but Tamron and Tokina have the best track record as far as overall compatability. Newer Sigma lenses work well, but there are a ton of older ones out there that will not work on a Canon DSLR, so beware when buying a used one. For example, older 105mm macros don't work, while the newer ones have a fix.

 

[dadgummit]

I received my 5d3 on Wednesday and my new sigma 50 1.4 yesterday.

At MFD it needs +5ma
At about 5 feet it is spot on
At about 10 feet it needs -5 ma
At infinity -20 ma (max) is not enough

It went back to Amazon and a 35L is on its way.
I do have to say that the 24-105 kit lens has exceeded my expectations. it is quite sharp in low light for a f4 lens!

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I received my 5d3 on Wednesday and my new sigma 50 1.4 yesterday.

At MFD it needs +5ma
At about 5 feet it is spot on
At about 10 feet it needs -5 ma
At infinity -20 ma (max) is not enough

It went back to Amazon and a 35L is on its way.
I do have to say that the 24-105 kit lens has exceeded my expectations. it is quite sharp in low light for a f4 lens!

The 35mm L will need AFMA as well, a wide aperture lens has a very narrow depth of field. The 24-105mm L is a very good lens. You only hear about the bad ones, or from those who are looking for any possible flaws. It is known to have distortion at the wide end, but the major photo editors take care of that.

 

[dadgummit]

I received my 5d3 on Wednesday and my new sigma 50 1.4 yesterday.

At MFD it needs +5ma
At about 5 feet it is spot on
At about 10 feet it needs -5 ma
At infinity -20 ma (max) is not enough

It went back to Amazon and a 35L is on its way.
I do have to say that the 24-105 kit lens has exceeded my expectations. it is quite sharp in low light for a f4 lens!

The 35mm L will need AFMA as well, a wide aperture lens has a very narrow depth of field. The 24-105mm L is a very good lens. You only hear about the bad ones, or from those who are looking for any possible flaws. It is known to have distortion at the wide end, but the major photo editors take care of that.

My Zeiss 100mm f2 is spot on and that has a thinner DOF than a 50mm or 35mm at 1.4. Also the 85mm f1.8 is perfect too.

I only have photoshop elements. Can you recommend a better photo editor that that has that feature (other than reg photoshop for approx $600)? Thanks!