7D Mark II Firmware update??

[Lee Jay]

Does anyone have any proper procedures to do a AFMA ? is it complicated?

There are many ways. A simple one is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zE50jCUPhM

I've been doing some testing the last few days, and one conclusion I have is that I don't think dot-tune really works. The fundamental assumption behind dot-tune is that the scale is linear. There are really no good reasons to think that it is, and plenty of reasons to think that it isn't, and in fact when I did a more rigorous tuning I found that dot-tune was wrong, to the same direction, and by the same amount, on all my tests. Dot tune had me set the tuning closer (lower number) than actual tuning did, but about 4-6 counts or so.

 

[East Wind Photography]

Does anyone have any proper procedures to do a AFMA ? is it complicated?

There are many ways. A simple one is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zE50jCUPhM

I've been doing some testing the last few days, and one conclusion I have is that I don't think dot-tune really works. The fundamental assumption behind dot-tune is that the scale is linear. There are really no good reasons to think that it is, and plenty of reasons to think that it isn't, and in fact when I did a more rigorous tuning I found that dot-tune was wrong, to the same direction, and by the same amount, on all my tests. Dot tune had me set the tuning closer (lower number) than actual tuning did, but about 4-6 counts or so.

It's not accurate at all. Only gets you in the ball park. In order to nail it down you need to review the results using something on the order of a spyder lens cal. Dot tune will also not account for position error in the AF system as well focus position feedback. If there is any slop in your lens af, dot tune won't account for that where a fully functioning af system will.

The short story is that if you don't have a means to verify the quality of the afma setting you are better off not even messing with it.

 

[RGF]

I had problems with the 7DM2 and 200-400 for BIF. Static objects w/ 7D M2 and 100-400II were sharp.

Looking for new firmware

 

[East Wind Photography]

I'm hoping a new firmware update will fix some of the iTR and AF tracking issues.

ITR works but it does not work as they allude to. One would expect it to lock on say white jersey but it will switch to yellow rather easily. I've also noticed the some of the case mode settings have very little to no effect. One such is the AF tracking slider. With that slider turned all of the way down, one would expect the camera to stay locked on reasonably well when something or someone passes in front. No. It switches almost instantly as if the slider has no effect.

I've tried different AF modes as well, both zone modes and full 65 point AF. Room for improvement. While the 5d3 does not have iTR, the AF tracking locks like it should when set that way for well over one second.

I've been forced to use single point AF for almost everything which defeats the purpose of having a fancy AF system.

Overall though I am still very pleased with the 7d2 after it was repaired and recalibrated. None of the issues I have now are very serious and most should be firmware fixable.

 

[Canon1]

Same here, I rarely use my 7DII unless absolutely necessary. People STANDING STILL in AI-Servo are severely out of focus???

This was an example from today, but sometimes it's a person standing on base talking to the coach and I'm not switching to single shot to get a standing still person just to switch back to servo..

And then there are shots in focus in the same series. So nothing moved, but the camera went from in focus to out and then back in again. Frustrating as all hell.

Jim,

What was your shutter speed? You mentioned that you were sitting in a car at a redlight. There is a ton of vibration to contend with when shooting from within a running vehicle. Also, there is the potential for heat shimmer. A lot of variables going against you with this situation, and can explain why some shots in aburst are better than others.

I don't doubt that you are having problems with the camera. I think mine has issues, and it is at CPS right now. Hopefully there is something they can do to improve the image quality... otherwise I'll let it go. I have owned mine for 5 months, and never use it because the IQ is lousy. Hoping it's not the norm.

Good luck with yours and I'll update once I hear from CPS...

Happy Shooting.

It's not the norm. CPS fixed mine and replaced the mirror box and AF sensor then recalibrated everything back to factory spec. I've been using it almost exclusively now shooting soccer and rarely get an out of focus image. I still have to apply a decent amount of post sharpening but that is due to the low pass filter on this model. Images are tack sharp one after another now.

That's encouraging. Fingers crossed...

 

[candc]

I have had good success with the af on bif using various modes, mostly large zone and af point expansion. I will say that I think it is overly sensitive and "twitchy" with its default settings. I have all the sliders to the left You would think it would be sluggish but it is not. I think it has a tendency to overreact in an attempt to be predictive.Maybe part of this new firmware will adjust for this?

 

[weixing]

Hi,
My 7D2 AF work most of the time, but there are some situation that the AF will miss focus.

After some testing, I realized when AF subject with repeatably lines with certain spacing on it (not those test chart when the lines are very close together), the AF will think that it's in focus, but actually not... even in one-shot.

I perform the same test on my older 60D and although it'll also struggle to focus, but only will miss once in awhile... not as regularly as 7D2.

Have a nice day.

 

[charlyw64]

After some testing, I realized when AF subject with repeatably lines with certain spacing on it (not those test chart when the lines are very close together), the AF will think that it's in focus, but actually not... even in one-shot.

That's not a defect, that's a normal limitation of the way phase detection works - if there are adjacent similar contrast curves (remember the AF sensor doesn't see a picture, it only sees a single line out of this) then the calculated focus position may be calculated on the bases of two different elements of that grid - and thus be grossly off. No service and no algorithm improvement can remedy this. It is also listed under the topic of possible AF failure conditions in the manual.

 

[weixing]

After some testing, I realized when AF subject with repeatably lines with certain spacing on it (not those test chart when the lines are very close together), the AF will think that it's in focus, but actually not... even in one-shot.

That's not a defect, that's a normal limitation of the way phase detection works - if there are adjacent similar contrast curves (remember the AF sensor doesn't see a picture, it only sees a single line out of this) then the calculated focus position may be calculated on the bases of two different elements of that grid - and thus be grossly off. No service and no algorithm improvement can remedy this. It is also listed under the topic of possible AF failure conditions in the manual.

Hi,
I saw that in the manual, but I didn't expect it'll report "achieve focus" (AF beep sound) in One-Shot AF or stop hunting in AI Servo AF... my expectation of AF fail to achieve focus is that it'll keep hunting in AI-Servo or unable to report "achieve focus" in One-Shot... learn something today. ;D

Have a nice day.

 

[Keith_Reeder]

I have had good success with the af on bif using various modes, mostly large zone and af point expansion.

Me too (mainly with "Zone") - these modes are better than the 7D and 70D incarnations, although they can be hard to use well. You have to be conscious of content between the camera and the subject, given that these modes are biased to focus on whatever's closest in the frame that has an AF point on it.

I will say that I think it is overly sensitive and "twitchy" with its default settings. I have all the sliders to the left You would think it would be sluggish but it is not. I think it has a tendency to overreact in an attempt to be predictive.

Agreed again - Canon does seem to be determined to make AF responsiveness fast to the point of twitchiness, even in cases where it would be better not so fast. I've complained about this since the 40D, and although they're heading in the right direction, Canon's not quite there yet.

That said, it's only very rarely a problem for me. Back button focus, pumping the button where necessary, and I'm generally good.

 

[pvalpha]

I bought my 7DmII on Monday. Been configuring it. I take photos indoors and out, but my old trusty 10D just couldn't keep up with the dogs when they're running in the fields.

The one thing that caused me consternation in the first batch of pictures was the shutter release button. I had turned on the settings to always illuminate the AF point, and noticed that in one-shot sometimes if I changed pressure the slightest bit, the point would refocus in the middle of any composition change. (What can I say, cats don't stay still all the time, even if they are relaxing) - or worse, change focus on shutter depress. Since I got the 18-135 STM Kit (my widest glass was EF-28mm, which isn't quite wide enough for indoors on APS-C) I realized that the few soft-focus images I got must have been because it started to change focus after focus lock - which was easy to tell when I put a USM lens on that I could actually hear.

So I changed everything I could to focus priority and used a firmer half-press and made sure that if I had to recompose significantly (move the camera a lot) I relocked the AF and took the picture right away. That seems to have dealt with soft focus in all the mostly-still cases. Mirror swing imparts one heck of a kick in this camera. Seems to have more kinetic energy than the 10d's mirror, too. I had to adjust my grip on the body to compensate for it - I did a couple bracketed photos and discovered I really needed to have a solid bracing otherwise the images moved quite a bit. For now I'm compensating by making sure I have a faster shutter speed than normal when hand holding. I still have some issues with the AF tracking, and I haven't tried Servo AI yet - didn't have decent weather to take the pups and let them run themselves ragged. But hopefully those issues will be solved when the time comes for the firmware.

As for the video, it needs just a few more things to be good - including a fix to the phase-detect tracking - it tracks human beings fine for the most part, but does not like cats. Focus point slid around until it locked on to a background object and stayed there. I didn't buy this camera for video, but while it has all the physical tools to be a great video camera - the software lacks a lot.

Preferably I'd like a raw mode, but I know Canon won't like their DSLRs competing with their C series. About the only saving grace is the clean HDMI outputting 4:2:2. Combine that with an external recorder, and that might be enough. It just burns a bit that the in-camera choices are so poor and it needs a ML firmware hack to use it to the hardware's ability. I haven't seen it yet, but maybe canon will allow AF control through an external touch-screen monitor for video and live view - or someone will make a hack to allow it. That would solve a host of focus control issues.

 

[East Wind Photography]

I bought my 7DmII on Monday. Been configuring it. I take photos indoors and out, but my old trusty 10D just couldn't keep up with the dogs when they're running in the fields.

The one thing that caused me consternation in the first batch of pictures was the shutter release button. I had turned on the settings to always illuminate the AF point, and noticed that in one-shot sometimes if I changed pressure the slightest bit, the point would refocus in the middle of any composition change. (What can I say, cats don't stay still all the time, even if they are relaxing) - or worse, change focus on shutter depress. Since I got the 18-135 STM Kit (my widest glass was EF-28mm, which isn't quite wide enough for indoors on APS-C) I realized that the few soft-focus images I got must have been because it started to change focus after focus lock - which was easy to tell when I put a USM lens on that I could actually hear.

So I changed everything I could to focus priority and used a firmer half-press and made sure that if I had to recompose significantly (move the camera a lot) I relocked the AF and took the picture right away. That seems to have dealt with soft focus in all the mostly-still cases. Mirror swing imparts one heck of a kick in this camera. Seems to have more kinetic energy than the 10d's mirror, too. I had to adjust my grip on the body to compensate for it - I did a couple bracketed photos and discovered I really needed to have a solid bracing otherwise the images moved quite a bit. For now I'm compensating by making sure I have a faster shutter speed than normal when hand holding. I still have some issues with the AF tracking, and I haven't tried Servo AI yet - didn't have decent weather to take the pups and let them run themselves ragged. But hopefully those issues will be solved when the time comes for the firmware.

As for the video, it needs just a few more things to be good - including a fix to the phase-detect tracking - it tracks human beings fine for the most part, but does not like cats. Focus point slid around until it locked on to a background object and stayed there. I didn't buy this camera for video, but while it has all the physical tools to be a great video camera - the software lacks a lot.

Preferably I'd like a raw mode, but I know Canon won't like their DSLRs competing with their C series. About the only saving grace is the clean HDMI outputting 4:2:2. Combine that with an external recorder, and that might be enough. It just burns a bit that the in-camera choices are so poor and it needs a ML firmware hack to use it to the hardware's ability. I haven't seen it yet, but maybe canon will allow AF control through an external touch-screen monitor for video and live view - or someone will make a hack to allow it. That would solve a host of focus control issues.

One of the things that I do is to configure the shutter button for metering only and then use the AF-on button to focus. It takes getting used to but once you get the focus where you want it, just take your finger off the back button and it's locked no matter what you do with the shutter button.

A variation is to configure the AF-on button to AF-off. Then just press and hold to stop the camera from refocusing.

The 7d2 also has a new feature that allows you to program other settings to one of the buttons such as shutter speed, ISO, AF mode, etc or any combination of the settings. I reprogrammed my AE lock button to instantly switch to spot AF mode and start AF and IS if enabled. I shoot a lot of birds and animals and this allows me to better stick pick when a bird goes from flight to landing. Also allows me to better lock AF on a subjects eye when needed. I can start in another mode and then quickly get a lock on an eye without fumbling with knobs or levers.

 

[derrald]

For those that have not seen my post regarding my AF experiences with my 7D II - feel free to check it out at: http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=25534.msg508478#msg508478

After continuing to work with my 7D II, I'm not sure ultimately what fixed my AF issues, but I think it has to do with my further configuration of the AF type. I was using a modified type 4 and when I went back to defaults that seemed to work much better.

I also recommend setting both 1st and 2nd shot priority to focus.

My 7D is working so well, in fact, that I am able to handhold my 7D + 500 f/4l II + 1.4tc at 1/1000 and get some wonderful in-focus shots.

I can see why people are frustrated. I was extremely frustrated for quite a long time until I changed my settings. In my estimation my settings should have worked, but perhaps they conflicted somehow. Maybe the Firmware will fix it.

Either way, I'm happier now.

 

[Canon1]

CPS just shipped my camera back to me. They stated that there was a problem with the AF assembly that caused inaccurate focus from time to time and performed electrical adjustments to correct the issue. Product function was then confirmed.

Not sure what this means exactly, but apparently Canon found something they didn't quite like. Will get the camera back soon and do some testing.

 

[candc]

CPS just shipped my camera back to me. They stated that there was a problem with the AF assembly that caused inaccurate focus from time to time and performed electrical adjustments to correct the issue. Product function was then confirmed.

Not sure what this means exactly, but apparently Canon found something they didn't quite like. Will get the camera back soon and do some testing.

Electrical adjustments? That sounds like some kind of smokescreen for "we fixed a known problem but don't want to tell you what it was"

 

[East Wind Photography]

CPS just shipped my camera back to me. They stated that there was a problem with the AF assembly that caused inaccurate focus from time to time and performed electrical adjustments to correct the issue. Product function was then confirmed.

Not sure what this means exactly, but apparently Canon found something they didn't quite like. Will get the camera back soon and do some testing.

Electrical adjustments? That sounds like some kind of smokescreen for "we fixed a known problem but don't want to tell you what it was"

So cynical! Likely just the techs trying not to overly complicate the repair for the consumer. I have been in that situation before and getting too technical in the repair order not only wastes time, it also usually falls on deaf ears. Most consumers dont understand the technical jargon.

 

[Canon1]

CPS just shipped my camera back to me. They stated that there was a problem with the AF assembly that caused inaccurate focus from time to time and performed electrical adjustments to correct the issue. Product function was then confirmed.

Not sure what this means exactly, but apparently Canon found something they didn't quite like. Will get the camera back soon and do some testing.

Electrical adjustments? That sounds like some kind of smokescreen for "we fixed a known problem but don't want to tell you what it was"

Who knows. I have a pair of 5d3 and one of the bodies started producing very poor iq. Focal tests confirmed it was only about half as good as my other body. Sent it in to CPS and they performed "electrical adjustments" and it came back working better than it was when new! I guess I don't care what they do as long as it works. If there is a known error or malfunction that impacts many users I suspect canon will release a service announcement once the serial numbers affected have been identified.

 

[RLJSlick]

So I noticed maybe 3 weeks ago, I was starting to have front or rear focusing issues with the Canon 7Dmk II, so I decided to send it into Canon repair to see what they find, and here is the results. So far the process has only taken a week. I can't post the doc here, but this is what it says:

"We have received your equipment for evaluation and repair. Based on our initial examination, we will begin the necessary repairs at no charge to you. You can expect the repairs to be completed and shipped back to you within approximately 7 business days* from the date shown above. There is no need to respond to this notice.
........"

Description of Problem/Symptoms

unit shows front, and back focus/check and repair all functions

In Warranty Standard Labor Charge $0.00 1 $0.00

 

[pvalpha]

For those that have not seen my post regarding my AF experiences with my 7D II - feel free to check it out at: http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=25534.msg508478#msg508478

After continuing to work with my 7D II, I'm not sure ultimately what fixed my AF issues, but I think it has to do with my further configuration of the AF type. I was using a modified type 4 and when I went back to defaults that seemed to work much better.

I also recommend setting both 1st and 2nd shot priority to focus.

My 7D is working so well, in fact, that I am able to handhold my 7D + 500 f/4l II + 1.4tc at 1/1000 and get some wonderful in-focus shots.

I can see why people are frustrated. I was extremely frustrated for quite a long time until I changed my settings. In my estimation my settings should have worked, but perhaps they conflicted somehow. Maybe the Firmware will fix it.

Either way, I'm happier now.

I wish that I had seen this before I took my dogs to the park to shoot them running this afternoon. *sigh* Focus is definitely related to the 10fps and AI Servo. Anything shot below 1/800 s feels like someone smeared Vaseline on my front element, and I had the minimum shutter set to 1/500. I searched the images for *anything* in the kind of focus I've experienced from this camera... couldn't find a thing (I guess its a positive thing that what I put the initial AF point on was in the clearest in the images). And I was very careful to shoot in short bursts and let up off the shutter the instant the AF track moved from where I wanted it to be, correct, and shoot again.

Switched custom functions to my One Shot setup... Bang - razor sharp even at 1/250s, dead on whatever I put the AF point on. The only real differences were the FPS and AI Servo.

I'll probably try again later this week and set the minimum shutter to 1/1000 and go from there.

If it continues to be an issue after the Firmware update, it might be paying a visit to canon. :'(

 

[Big_Ant_TV_Media]

So where's the new firmware it's been a week canon
U guys are like chip kelly lol