5D Mark III doesn't live up to expectations in real world shooting...
- Thread starter DarkKnightNine
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bvukich said:
You missed the point. I shot at f/13 for the portrait of myself above. Because of the deep DOF, the shot was very much "in focus". Shooting your self with a timer requires that you you have deep DOF.
What I was saying is that when I have shallow DOF that I was finding the 5D Mark III to not nail focus and images were coming out a little on the soft side (usually for events or concerts with limited lighting conditions I'm at about 2.8 to 4.0). Another separate example image also above.
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A few thoughts... CR did a review on testing lenses a year or so back... it concluded that one lens could have different levels of AFMA needed on multiple bodies... It also said each camera could be fractions of percentages off and still be "within specs" and lenses the same way... so what may be perfect with one lens/camera combo may or may not be perfect on an other camera or identical lens. AF AFMA is definitely worth your time to check out... it may be right on, it may not, but it's something to do before jumping to conclusions. Also, as far as soft focus, if you can use live view, MF the image to tack sharp images, then it simply means the camera is capable of a sharp image, however the AF is slightly off, so fine tuning it may be needed and in worst case situations, sending the lens/camera to canon so they can calibrate it and make it perfect for you. Lastly the level you have our AF tracking set up for erratic focusing may or may not have a factor... if the AF is constantly looking for new points to focus on, it it's constantly looking for changes, for "erratic" movements, it may be jumping on and off focus before you are capturing the image in the first place. Those menu's are relatively new so perhaps some experimentation with those may be needed to find the exact best setting for the environments you are shooting in.
I know there are reports in very very low lighting it may struggle because there is no focus assist light or any additional chip to power the drive, but i've also read reports the camera is razor sharp when configured properly. Even some canon ambassadors have said technically speaking, the metering and AF system is more sophisticated on the 5d3 compared to the 1d4 and the 5d3 SHOULD have better tracking and AF accuracy than the 1d4. In practice it may not be as clear cut but i'd recommend calibrating everything and testing everything in a controlled environment first before you throw it in the deep end at a concert when you're still learning the AF system.
I know there are reports in very very low lighting it may struggle because there is no focus assist light or any additional chip to power the drive, but i've also read reports the camera is razor sharp when configured properly. Even some canon ambassadors have said technically speaking, the metering and AF system is more sophisticated on the 5d3 compared to the 1d4 and the 5d3 SHOULD have better tracking and AF accuracy than the 1d4. In practice it may not be as clear cut but i'd recommend calibrating everything and testing everything in a controlled environment first before you throw it in the deep end at a concert when you're still learning the AF system.
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Oh and one more thing to keep in mind while comparing it the 1D is that on 1 bodies the AF could still be faster in some case since it can drive the focus motors faster due to higher voltage.
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DarkKnightNine said:
Every one of my 15 Canon lenses had to have at least some AFMA with my 5D MK III. Some of the images were soft until I did the adjustment.
If you want the sharpest possible image, its a must. Every body needs a different adjustment, and some lenses will be perfect with one body, and off with another.
I use FoCal, its the most accurate method I've found so far.
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Loswr
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DarkKnightNine said:
No, I don't have a 5DIII - I'm waiting for the 1D X which I preordered the first day B&H had that option.
I disagree with your statement that AFMA is only needed in rare cases...I do have a 5DII and a 7D, both of which have the AFMA feature. I can tell you that of the 20 possible combinations of my 10 autofocus lenses with two bodies, 19 of those 20 require AFMA. In some cases, only a unit or two, which may not be enough to matter for 'real world' shooting, but in most cases more that that is required. 19/20 ≠ rare, IMO.
DavidRiesenberg said:
+1. My point, exactly.
But then, it seems to be more fun to bash something without trying to understand the root of the problem, much less try to fix it.
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steven63
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neuroanatomist said:
AFMA is there for a very good reason. These are professional level tools (camera and lenses) and I don't know of any professional level tools that will not allow you to 'tweak' a vital function -ESPECIALLY when that vital function affects the final output to such an extent as focus on a camera system. In my opinion, if you aren't exercising these 'professional level' options a complaint directed at a finished product for which the camera designers allow you to make adjustments to is lacking credibility.
Please perform AFMA and report back with your results before seriously reviewing the 5dMiii. And no, I don't own one, but I do understand AFMA and why it is there.
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Axilrod said:
Yes that was truly helpful. Something tells me you reak of self righteousness.
Why would I expect a cheaper camera to be an upgrade? Well let's see if I can break this down for you Sesame Street:
Crop sensor to Full Frame
New Sensor tech with larger pixels
Supposedly better AF
Supposedly better Metering
Digic 5 Processor
If you knew even a fraction about technology, you would know things get better and cheaper as tech matures.
"Matures" that's a good word. How about you exercise some maturity and leave your personal attacks of what think of me and/or my pictures to yourself. Enough people find my work just fine enough to pay for it so frankly you thinking my pictures are crap really doesn't concern me. I was just asking if the person could show some of his examples of tack sharp, low light images shot with this camera. I neither attacked him nor doubted him. And I really don't see what your problem is.
Yes there are many great images being taken with this camera, I'm speaking of one specific condition where in low light, the camera is NOT tack sharp and I would like to see images to prove the contrary. All the wonderful pictures you speak of seem to be in fair to great lighting conditions.
If you're not here to help, how about you just scoot along little fella.
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dark...i appreciate your comments and perspective.
Here are mine... I'm feeling pretty good about the AF now, but in my first couple shoots trying different AF settings I, like you, was a little disappointed. But after spending some time playing around with AF settings I've come to a point where I think the AF is great...maybe not excellent, but great.
I've added a couple shots where the AF was challenged...I shot both of these images w/ the 70-200 ii with 2xiii (which obviously slows down AF speed)
the ducks were really flying fast as they were flying downwind
the trumpeter swans were moving quickly and a bit erratic (they were fighting)
both groups of birds were about 150 feet away - I think the autofocus nailed these shots
both shots - HANDHELD
Here are mine... I'm feeling pretty good about the AF now, but in my first couple shoots trying different AF settings I, like you, was a little disappointed. But after spending some time playing around with AF settings I've come to a point where I think the AF is great...maybe not excellent, but great.
I've added a couple shots where the AF was challenged...I shot both of these images w/ the 70-200 ii with 2xiii (which obviously slows down AF speed)
the ducks were really flying fast as they were flying downwind
the trumpeter swans were moving quickly and a bit erratic (they were fighting)
both groups of birds were about 150 feet away - I think the autofocus nailed these shots
both shots - HANDHELD
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What was the ISO, shutter speed & aperture of the OP's posted photo? To me, it just looks like a low light/ high ISO pic at a wide aperture... Where is the problem?
Add some sharpening in post. If it isn't sufficient, use a flash. There are limits.
I think it's crazy that people use these cameras to shoot in places that film could have never gone without flash, at crazy high ISO's, and expect low noise and super sharp photos!
Add some sharpening in post. If it isn't sufficient, use a flash. There are limits.
I think it's crazy that people use these cameras to shoot in places that film could have never gone without flash, at crazy high ISO's, and expect low noise and super sharp photos!
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DarkKnightNine said:
In all honesty, you haven't been very receptive to the help people have provided. You just seem to want to complain.
The first thing I do when I get a new lens is check the focus. Luckily none that I own have need any adjustment but several rented lenses have. It's just good to check. Esp if you are a wide open shooter.
I am making no assumptions or insults on your intelligence at all but the new 61 point system is quite different and perhaps more study is required. It's very similar to the 7D's system and it took me some time to fiddle with it and then finally decide one which mode was best for me. I had a lot of failures as a result.
But I just have a 7D so what do I know... :
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nitsujwalker
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Ricku said:
Lousy sensor improvement? From what I can tell, many people are extremely happy with the improvement in the way the sensor handles noise. More megapixels does not necessarily equate to sensor improvement. Now in DR, at least according to DXO, dynamic range was not improved... But lets not get off track from the OP's topic
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Tracy Pinto
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The AF is terrific and the image quality is outstanding (color accuracy and detail especially). I'm not sure what OP needs to adjust but several posts seem to offer good approaches at getting the most of the really fine camera. I'm still learning to use it but the initial feedback images certainly makes me want to fully master all its features and understand the engineering design. Like all tools it requires time and practice to properly utilize it.
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DarkKnightNine said:
I probably should have clarified... The first part was in reference to your initial post, and the fact you will need AFMA to nail focus on your thin DoF shots. The second part, was just a note on your self portrait; you will get sharper results (especially on fine details) if you don't stop down quite so much, and you should still have plenty of DoF to pull off that shot at f/8 or f/11.
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Northstar said:
Really nice shots! Could you please share what your AF settings were e.g. Case 1 through 5 in the AF menu and if you did any further adjustments after selecting a Case.
Thanks.
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