I am sure this has been discussed before but I just can't figure out why the 5D3 focuses so slowly when the AF assist is enabled on my flash. Many times I have been at a wedding reception and I get frustrated with very slow focusing issues related to the AF assist beam. I have messed around with turning it on and off and there is a very noticeable difference. For example with my 70-200 as long as I find an area of some contrast it will focus almost instantly even dark situations. As soon as I turn it on it sometimes takes a full second or two to lock focus. I remember my 5D2 having improved focus with the AF assist from the 580exII. Is it a flash issue or a camera issue? I know there are a lot of you who have the same problems. Anyone find any solutions? Most of the time I don't need the AF assist but when it is pitch black and I need it it would be nice if I could focus a little faster. I just don't understand how the AF can be so great in almost all situations except this one area. Of course when I call CPS they claim they have never heard of an issue.
5D3 & 600ex-rt + AF assist beam = slower focus
- Thread starter jaayres20
- Start date
- Status
Happens on the 1DX too...
Personally reported to canon months and months ago - heaps of post all over the web if you good 5d3 wedding low light focus issues, 1Dx wedding low light focus issues, 1dx 5d3 reception issues etc...
They didn't care tbh - it's not a problem apparently.
Personally reported to canon months and months ago - heaps of post all over the web if you good 5d3 wedding low light focus issues, 1Dx wedding low light focus issues, 1dx 5d3 reception issues etc...
They didn't care tbh - it's not a problem apparently.
Upvote
0
I've noticed this too with 5D3 & 580EXII, but put it down to environmental factors.
I have heard that the pattern thrown by a 600EX-RT AF-assist is allegedly better suited to the 1DX & 5D3 than the 580EXII. Can a resident genius confirm this? If it's correct, I'm in the market for two or three 600 EX-RT's.
-PW
I have heard that the pattern thrown by a 600EX-RT AF-assist is allegedly better suited to the 1DX & 5D3 than the 580EXII. Can a resident genius confirm this? If it's correct, I'm in the market for two or three 600 EX-RT's.
-PW
Upvote
0
I have the same problem too. I am at clubs and parties taking pics with the 5dIII and it is embarrassing trying to focus for a long time. people are looking at me like i suck or my camera sucks. My 7d never has this problem with the af assist.
Upvote
0
B
Brewyet
Guest
I've had my MK3 since Aug and have shot 5 weddings with it. I am using the 600ex's as well. I thought this thing was supposed to be faster than the mk2! It isn't. I haven't tried turning off the focus assist. My mk2 with a 580exII was pretty fast at the receptions in the dark. I've shot over 100 weddings with the mk2/580 combo.
I'm kinda dissapointed in the mk3... :'( I though it was just me, until I searched for some info today...
I'm going to try the mk3 with a 580 tonight and see if it's any better than the 600. I'm also going to try with the focus assist turned off.
It is kinda embarrasing :-[ to have to wait 2 sec to focus when the couple is on the dance floor waiting on me to focus....
Thanks for the tips so far.
I'm kinda dissapointed in the mk3... :'( I though it was just me, until I searched for some info today...
I'm going to try the mk3 with a 580 tonight and see if it's any better than the 600. I'm also going to try with the focus assist turned off.
It is kinda embarrasing :-[ to have to wait 2 sec to focus when the couple is on the dance floor waiting on me to focus....
Thanks for the tips so far.
Upvote
0
I used my 5d3 combo last night it literally focused in an instant without the flash being turned on ( it was off by mistake) in the dark but when I turned the flash on, it was hunting for a few seconds. It is liek the beam isn't strong enough or the AF light isn't in sync with the lens. It is almost as if the beam goes away before the lens starts to auto focus.
Upvote
0
I can confirm this also. Was using 5D3 with 600EX-RT during a dimly lit wedding reception and the focus was hunting with the AF assist beam on. Didn't think to try turning it off :-\. I felt like I was walking around painting targets for an airstrike.
Upvote
0
H
HnJStudios
Guest
This is absolutely true. Was at a Halloween party with the family this weekend. I was shooting with my 5dm3 and the 580ex. My wife noticed almost immediately the camera was taking too long to focus. I didn't even know focus assist was on until she mentioned the red light. I turned it off and problem solved.
Upvote
0
I have the low light Auto-Focus problem too. Others noticed last night and wondered if I had forgotten how to take pictures.
OK, I received my 5D3 a couple weeks ago but just started using it recently in the last couple days. I went to a party last night and church this morning. I tried several lenses, 16-35L, 24-70L and 24-105L. All lenses exhibited the problem but the 24-105L was the worst offender. Turning off AF Assist didn't make much difference.
Bottom Line: My 5D3 low light focus performance SUCKS. Heck, my 5Dc focuses better in low light. Aaargh!!
I am very concerned about this since some do and some don't seem have this problem with their cameras. Some forum posts state their low light AF works great. This doesn't confirm the problem across the board so it means only a subset of cameras are faulty based on a lot of AF complaint posts. I guess I have one of the faulty ones. Grrrr!
I guess this means that the mfr QC of the Canon line is not consistent and/or they received some bad parts and released a lot of cameras with this problem. What really sucks is it seems Canon isn't admitting a problem exists. Well it exists on my camera!! Mine has the current firmware and a serial high enough to be past the light leak so it should have most fixes applied that would have possibly addressed a focus issue, admitted or not. So I guess there is no fix yet or it's a hardware problem.
Either way, the camera is worthless to me if it won't focus in low light since that it the main reason I got it in the 1st place. I would NOT use this in a professional setting. It's embarrassing! FYI - This was a $2899 Beach Camera eBay deal from a few weeks back. If I hadn't gotten such a good deal, I would probably already be selling it right now. Still might. A lot of my shooting is low light. I don't really want to use it the way it is now. It's a PITA. So why keep a $3000+ camera just laying around in case a fix comes along that I have to send it off to have fixed?
Anyone else have a fix that worked for them? (I already disabled the flash assist. Didn't seem to make a significant difference.)
OK, I received my 5D3 a couple weeks ago but just started using it recently in the last couple days. I went to a party last night and church this morning. I tried several lenses, 16-35L, 24-70L and 24-105L. All lenses exhibited the problem but the 24-105L was the worst offender. Turning off AF Assist didn't make much difference.
Bottom Line: My 5D3 low light focus performance SUCKS. Heck, my 5Dc focuses better in low light. Aaargh!!
I am very concerned about this since some do and some don't seem have this problem with their cameras. Some forum posts state their low light AF works great. This doesn't confirm the problem across the board so it means only a subset of cameras are faulty based on a lot of AF complaint posts. I guess I have one of the faulty ones. Grrrr!
I guess this means that the mfr QC of the Canon line is not consistent and/or they received some bad parts and released a lot of cameras with this problem. What really sucks is it seems Canon isn't admitting a problem exists. Well it exists on my camera!! Mine has the current firmware and a serial high enough to be past the light leak so it should have most fixes applied that would have possibly addressed a focus issue, admitted or not. So I guess there is no fix yet or it's a hardware problem.
Either way, the camera is worthless to me if it won't focus in low light since that it the main reason I got it in the 1st place. I would NOT use this in a professional setting. It's embarrassing! FYI - This was a $2899 Beach Camera eBay deal from a few weeks back. If I hadn't gotten such a good deal, I would probably already be selling it right now. Still might. A lot of my shooting is low light. I don't really want to use it the way it is now. It's a PITA. So why keep a $3000+ camera just laying around in case a fix comes along that I have to send it off to have fixed?
Anyone else have a fix that worked for them? (I already disabled the flash assist. Didn't seem to make a significant difference.)
Upvote
0
haha finally, this proves im not mad, pisses me off that no one replied to my message on here, telling everyone about this over a month ago.
Upvote
0
There is discussion on another thread that suggests the Yongnuo YN565 spits out an AF Assist beam that makes the 5D3 AF more reliable at very low light venues than the Canon 580EXII & 600EX-RT. One poster put up images of the bright Yongnuo AF Assist beam projected on his ceiling, and said that with the Yongnuo YN565 his 7D will focus in pitch darkness. This is interesting enough to look into a bit further. My guess is that it depends a little on what you're trying to focus on. Any real-world feedback on this?
Like others I have been professionally embarrassed by the glacial speed of getting an AF lock with 5D3 & 580EXII at low light venues. If the Yongnuo YN565 does in fact offer a solution, I'll get a couple of them just for extreme low light functions. The YN565 has a side benefit of being able to accept external power sources. Bizarrely, the newer YN568EX which supports HSS doesn't have a plug for external batteries. Go figure...
-PW
Like others I have been professionally embarrassed by the glacial speed of getting an AF lock with 5D3 & 580EXII at low light venues. If the Yongnuo YN565 does in fact offer a solution, I'll get a couple of them just for extreme low light functions. The YN565 has a side benefit of being able to accept external power sources. Bizarrely, the newer YN568EX which supports HSS doesn't have a plug for external batteries. Go figure...
-PW
Upvote
0
Im honestly so F£$%"£d off with Canon really, All I can see is major mistakes and half developed products all for a large selling price, its evident that they are more concerned about profit, it actually stinks of how bad it is, I really want to jump ship to Sony, its just a shame that ship is all about EVF displays and I don't think I can handle that yet, I have spent so much money with Canon, like all of us, and cant make stupid moves, I just wish they will identify this problem and make a fix, I have just seen the Yongnuo YN565 flash and its cheap, but the first thing that pops into my head is "why on earth should I spend 100 pounds on a flash when I have one! a 430 EXII and it is fine!! I paid 200 pounds for that here in the UK, now I may have to spend another 100 to fix a problem on a £2,300 camera? I hope everyone can see my rage.
Upvote
0
I am also sad but relieved that others have this problem. I'm not crazy. Good.
Now... perhaps I mis-read something about the 5D3. My perception from the hype and many posts from 5D3 users is that it focuses in low light very, very well. -2EV or better to be exact. When I hear 'focus in low light', I don't consider a focus assist beam to be part of the equation. I would expect any camera to focus with assistance. If I wanted to attach a big expensive flash to my new $3000 state of the art camera, I would just turn on the damned thing, dial it back, gel it and use it.
Let me be clear, I don't want to blind, distract or freak people out with a focus assist beam, I want to take low available light pictures that AF quickly and accurately. (I don't want to trade AF embarrassment for AF Beam distraction/embarrassment!) I don't want to figure out a work around or buy a different flash to help the camera do what it's supposed to do already, I want the camera to live up to expectations/promises and do what it is supposed to do on its own.
Why are a lot of people saying it does exactly that and then others (including myself) not seeing this performance, even with AF Beam assistance to boot? Something really has got to be wrong here and I want to hear Canon say something is indeed wrong and they have a solution or will have one soon.
I thought after 6+ months, most of the problems and bugs would be revealed and/or solved. How did I miss the discussions on this problem before I bought mine?
I feel cheated! Waaaah! I want my mommy! :'(
Now... perhaps I mis-read something about the 5D3. My perception from the hype and many posts from 5D3 users is that it focuses in low light very, very well. -2EV or better to be exact. When I hear 'focus in low light', I don't consider a focus assist beam to be part of the equation. I would expect any camera to focus with assistance. If I wanted to attach a big expensive flash to my new $3000 state of the art camera, I would just turn on the damned thing, dial it back, gel it and use it.
Let me be clear, I don't want to blind, distract or freak people out with a focus assist beam, I want to take low available light pictures that AF quickly and accurately. (I don't want to trade AF embarrassment for AF Beam distraction/embarrassment!) I don't want to figure out a work around or buy a different flash to help the camera do what it's supposed to do already, I want the camera to live up to expectations/promises and do what it is supposed to do on its own.
Why are a lot of people saying it does exactly that and then others (including myself) not seeing this performance, even with AF Beam assistance to boot? Something really has got to be wrong here and I want to hear Canon say something is indeed wrong and they have a solution or will have one soon.
I thought after 6+ months, most of the problems and bugs would be revealed and/or solved. How did I miss the discussions on this problem before I bought mine?
I feel cheated! Waaaah! I want my mommy! :'(
Upvote
0
I believe everyone's camera is the same, its a general problem, I've learnt allot from these forums, they are those people who take pictures for work and those people who don't do it enough to realize these problems exists, give me a camera and I do a job with it and I will tell you if it has a problem, it doesn't take me long to find out, people who want to test this problem really need to be out with it and doing a wedding or a night club photography shoot, I am certain you will see the problem, no good looking down under your desk with it and saying " yep mines fine".
Upvote
0
I'm in the same boat you guys are in. It's a sad site to see me at a wedding reception holding a pose for so long to get a shot, while someone with a P&S can walk up and grab it much faster. Honestly, between this and the black AF points, i'm not sure that the initial reviews of this camera, the ones that were written up before the camera was released to the public, were at all legit. A few of those guys where wedding photographers, and i can say that they are 100% BS. 95% of wedding receptions are dark, and they are all lit to roughly the same level(cave!) and the 5dmk3 is lost. now it's not as lost as my 1dmk2 was, it was so lost it never found itself..
hmmm, we now have a 1d level AF, do we get crap 1d level low light AF? I assumed that most of the 1dmk2's bad lowlight AF was due to it's design age, but maybe not. I think my 5d is about the same age, and it was much better.... hmmm, maybe it's something inherent in the 1d class AF, hence they will be no fix. damn.
you guys tried using the spot focus setting?
hmmm, we now have a 1d level AF, do we get crap 1d level low light AF? I assumed that most of the 1dmk2's bad lowlight AF was due to it's design age, but maybe not. I think my 5d is about the same age, and it was much better.... hmmm, maybe it's something inherent in the 1d class AF, hence they will be no fix. damn.
you guys tried using the spot focus setting?
Upvote
0
- Status
Similar threads
