5D3 ignores microadjustment in LiveView

[kaihp]

While doing some manual AFMA testing on my 5D3 (firmware v1.1.3), I noticed a peculiarity about focusing in LiveView - the camera ignores the AFMA setting, and will even not report any AFMA value in the EXIF data! My old 50D always used the AFMA data.

After looking into this a bit more and thinking it through, the observed behaviour seems correct and to be expected. When the camera is in LiveView, the image sensor is used to directly observe the focusing where the focusing is needed and therefore you don't need to adjust for any tolerances between the lens/AF sensor complex vs the image sensor. Thus, you always get the optimum focusing

The downside is of course that focusing in LiveView is much slower than when using the normal AF sensor.

This the 5D3 and 1Dx share so much on the AF side, I assume that this applies to the 1Dx as well. Confirmations of this observation on both 5D3 and 1Dx is appreciated.

 

[Viggo]

Yes, it's contrastbased af and not phase focus in LV. You can use phase in LV mode via menu setting, but then the camera will flip the mirror and black out the screen while focusing.

 

[Loswr]

This the 5D3 and 1Dx share so much on the AF side, I assume that this applies to the 1Dx as well. Confirmations of this observation on both 5D3 and 1Dx is appreciated.

Yes, that's normal in all cameras with Live View, for the reason you state. Note that applies in Live AF - if you use Quick AF (where the mirror flips down and phase detect AF is used) then the AFMA is applied.

 

[kaihp]

This the 5D3 and 1Dx share so much on the AF side, I assume that this applies to the 1Dx as well. Confirmations of this observation on both 5D3 and 1Dx is appreciated.

Yes, that's normal in all cameras with Live View, for the reason you state. Note that applies in Live AF - if you use Quick AF (where the mirror flips down and phase detect AF is used) then the AFMA is applied.

Ah, well not all cameras. My old 50D certainly didn't do this (it cannot do contrast focus, so it has to flip the mirror).

My reason for posting the observation is that I hadn't seen this on the 50D, I didn't see this in the manual, and ... well, I think it's a pretty neat feature.
So when the next 5D3 newbie comes along asking "why doesn't it ..." we can point to this posting

 

[Loswr]

Ah, well not all cameras. My old 50D certainly didn't do this (it cannot do contrast focus, so it has to flip the mirror).

Ah, well maybe your old 50D didn't do contrast detect AF, and if that was really the case, it should have gone to Canon for service. I think Quick mode (phase detect) is the default, at least that's the first mode listed in the menu, and perhaps you never changed it from that setting. Check p.123 of the 50D manual for a description of Live mode AF (which is Canon's name for contrast detect).

My reason for posting the observation is that ... I didn't see this in the manual, and ...
So when the next 5D3 newbie comes along asking "why doesn't it ..." we can point to this posting

Or, we could point them to the bottom of p.109 in the 5DIII manual, where it states that AF adjustment is not possible for Live mode or face detect mode.

The manuals are usually pretty comprehensive, even if our reading of them isn't always that way.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

As Neuro said, the 50D defaults to quick AF mode in Live View, which uses AFMA. If you change it to "Live" mode in theh setup menus, it ignores AFMA, simply because it uses Contrast detect to focus, so AFMA is irrelevant.

The 5D MK III has Live mode as default, bu you can change it to quick mode.

 

[bkorcel]

Probably why Canon has decided to move toward on camera tutorials. Next will be to just provide a PDF on the CD and omit the printed version...

Another case of RTFM !!! "Why are my images soft?" "5D3 ignores microadjustment in LiveView", and on and on... seems to be a endless parade of users that spend big money on professional equipment thinking it will make them professional photographers.

There should be a whole nother thread just for newbies with great cameras who don't read the manual and are frustrated because ... "Manuals, we don't need a stinking manual !!!"