hello guys,
just want to get ready for the new gear coming.
could you advise me what i should check and how to go about checking the 1d3 and 50mm L 1.2
obviously there are reported issues with both these items and i want to check them thoroughly as soon as i get them.
i know the issue with the 1d3 autofocus. I think i can check that with my dog running for a ball. not sure if this will suffice.
as far as the 50L do all lenses backfocus at certain ranges. should i accept this as normal?
Jason
50L often times do have back-focus problems. More annoying is the focus shift problem. Do you shoot 4-5ft and closer at apertures between f2 and f4? If this is not you, then I wouldn't worry about it.
For reference, here's the tests I ran for the 50L.
Well, if you find it necessary, you can micro adjust the lens. I'd just go out and shoot in one shot, ai servo, and also at varying apertures with the 1.2, and check the focus when you get back. Don't let your first pictures be of a ruler! If necessary, when you MA, then use a ruler or some focus target.
orangefirefish wrote:
Well, if you find it necessary, you can micro adjust the lens. I'd just go out and shoot in one shot, ai servo, and also at varying apertures with the 1.2, and check the focus when you get back. Don't let your first pictures be of a ruler! If necessary, when you MA, then use a ruler or some focus target.
Yea what he said. The first thing I did when I got the 50L was put it on my camera and walked around the house and yard taking hundreds of pictures at various apertures and distances. Do the same and see if notice anything out of the ordinary, then start thinking about shooting rulers and focus test charts.
But I agree, shoot some "real" stuff first and do the boring but sometimes necessary chart/ruler testing only if you feel there is something off.
The danger zone is f2-f4 at 4-5ft and closer all the way in to MFD which is about 1.5ft. So just be aware of that when you are shooting around the house or whatever.
Typical symptoms would be focusing on the left eye, but the left ear is in focus...generally speaking everything will seem to be back focusing more and more as you stop down between f2-f4 but ONLY at close distances.
Hope you got a good one, cuz it's really a nice lens when it gets things right!!!
Nick "For reference, here's the tests I ran for the 50L"
just looked at your charts. did you send yours back immediatly or is this normal. its looks very soft wide open.
Also should i accept backfocussing? and focus shift?
where can i get a chart so i can test mine if need be?
Also when manual focussing, do you see the image in focus in the viewfinder but when you look on the pc it is out of focus?
Hi Jason,
Enjoy the 1d Mark III!
I have had mine since June 2007, but recently changed my focus screen to Canon'c Ec-B. What a difference that made for microadjusting all my lenses, which have already been at Canon Irvine over the last year for calibration, and are up to spec. The Ec-B is just amazing when manual focusing and microadjusting...
Randy
LAsurfpix.com
jaypod wrote:
i noticed on the 1d3 you can set focussing for different lenses. will this sort out any slight lens inperfections?
Yes, you can, if the lens misfocuses consistently at all subject distances (or in the case of zooms, focal lengths). However, the problem with the 50L's focus shift is that it occurs within a specific aperture range, otherwise the lens could just be sent in for calibration, or you could just calibrate it yourself.
jaypod wrote:
Also should i accept backfocussing? and focus shift?
Not for a $1400 lens! That's why the 50L, although it has the potential to be optically excellent, isn't always as highly regarded as the 35L, 85L, or 135L. It's a good lens within a specific aperture range, but there are numerous copies that have some funky business going on between f/2 to f/4. It's also quite soft at f/8.
Sorry for not getting back to you.
I sent mine back 4 times.
Currently, I am dealing with a Canon rep directly. They exchanged my UU date coded 50L for a UW0706 date coded one. Though slightly better, it's still pretty much the same thing. So now they are asking me to send the 50L and my 1D MKIII to Canon Corporate HQ in Lake Success, NY to have their engineers check it out.
Though I am a bit nervous about this having 7 other lenses that are spot on, I feel this is a step I should and actually want to take. I just need to find out where the end of the line is and how far Canon will take this until they begin to deny any problems again...
We shall see!
jaypod wrote:
Nick "For reference, here's the tests I ran for the 50L"
just looked at your charts. did you send yours back immediatly or is this normal. its looks very soft wide open.
Also should i accept backfocussing? and focus shift?
where can i get a chart so i can test mine if need be?
Also when manual focussing, do you see the image in focus in the viewfinder but when you look on the pc it is out of focus?
