Recently i've been shooting kids indoor soccer ..typical dark gym with crappy light. I've read lots of articles on tweaking the 1dIII focus/AI servo. have tried the back AF button for AF also and i don't think this is normal for a 1dIII to have so many OOF shots...i mean its just horrible.
Should i try MA? Send it in to canon for the 1dIII focus test even though i have a letter from canon that they applied the fixes (provided by the seller) . The 70-200 is tack sharp on the 5dII, 1dsIII, T2i..and sometimes on the 1dIII.
Just a thought. Your shutter speeds are really slow on the first three (which are also the worst OOF-wise), particularly for the lens being utilized. Might be motion blur/camera shake. Also, in the second picture, there isn't much for the camera to focus on in the low contrast area shown. Can you replicate this problem when the camera is mounted on a tripod or at faster shutter speeds?
Slow shutter speeds, non-center focus point, low light will all add together for a soft photo, either due to motion blur (shutter speed) or focusing inaccuracy (non-center focus point and low light).
John Patrick wrote:
Slow shutter speeds, non-center focus point, low light will all add together for a soft photo, either due to motion blur (shutter speed) or focusing inaccuracy (non-center focus point and low light).
Even with all the factors listed above, I'd be disappointed too if the last shot is representative of the performance you're getting from your 1D3.
70-200/2.8L Mk II on a 1D Mark III, outdoors, sunny day, high contrast uniform, ISO 100, shutter speed 1/1250", AI Servo... all sound like ideal picture taking conditions.
Focus point on the eye, I'd expect it to be razor sharp even when pixel peeping at 100%. Soft and looks like a lot of CA, too. Like you're using a cheap TC, but you're not. Especially since you know the 70-200 Mk II is tack sharp on other bodies... the AF on your 1D3 should definitely outperform your Rebel.
Ditto to most of the above comments. I have been in a similar situation in the past.
In my opinion, from a technical point of voew, you need to differentiate between soft and out of focus; and also establish baseline for the lens. To establish baseline for the lens and noise level, put it on a still surface or tripod and take shot. If sharp great. Now analyze your other pictures to determine if they are Soft or OOF. Are ther any parts of the photo that are as sharp as the sharp part of the baseline? If so, then these photos are OOF and MA should fix it. If none of them of the area in the onto is as sharp as baseline, then you likely have a technique or camera setting issue (like shutter speed or huge Iso). This comment about OOf assumes you have near-focus and surrounding objects to find the actual focal plane in the image.
Indoor kid sports in a dungeon will cause you to hate your camera but +1 to the MA suggestion (if necessary, do you have to MA your other lenses on that body? I'm at +5 to +15 on every single lens on my mk3) and also +1 to getting a higher shutter speed... you really want 1/500 or more for sports, even indoors. Consider adding a flash - I know people hate direct flash but it's better than blurry. Good luck!
it may not look soft at this size..but it is soft. in LR i have to apply sharpen 80+ and in DPP 190. which definitly is not normal. I did testing with MA +5,10,15,20 and -5,10,15,20 some improvement but not significant.
Used tripod, shot in single shot mode with focus confirmation
I understand the 1dIII is different than the 1dII but believe me..i never got so many soft/oof shots with the 1dII and i've done BIF, cheetah running straight at me (in controlled environment)
THank you everyone for your input and advice...i guess i'll feel more and peace by sending it to Canon and have them fix it or adjust the lens/camera combo.
I don't know what the problem might be or if there even is a problem with your equipment, but I can tell you that with that last photo, I'd be doing my best to keep the active focus point (I probably would be using the center point) on his upper chest to capitalize on the great contrast provided by the blue/white/black section of his jersey. If I was focusing on his face, I'd be going for his hairline, but that's a risky venture because it's smaller and his head is likely to move more than his body.
Russ,
understood...but in this case..if he is not movng...and if i focus on his face/eyes..it should be in focus and should be sharp..not look like i ran a D60 file thru noise ninja on high noise removal setting.
if it can't get a single static shot sharp...then wtf is the point of this camera?
Could you post that last shot without the cropping? Would like to see the rest of the pic around the feet, behind and front to see if you are front or back-focusing.
Also noticed that your Picture Style is set to "Faithful". According to the manual, the result from "faithful" is that the image will be dull and subdued. Have you tried "Standard"?
Sunny: You're right, of course. It's hard to 'assess' these kinds of things without having the context of how the camera is performing overall. But if you can't get an in-focus shot of a subject standing still when you're doing everything you need to do to get such a shot, then something's amiss.
A couple of things...you're trying to zoom in on a relatively small portion of a larger file, and all of your focus points seem to be on the outer edges of the 'sweet spot' of focusing...if it can actually focus properly. Not necessarily saying that's the problem, but it is difficult to have the armchair problem solvers here make an accurate assessment.
Let's face it, we're talking about a Mark III. The autofocus issues of the Mark III have been well documented. Take a few minutes, if you aren't really aware, to read this assessment:
I owned two Mark III's. I was lucky enough to get one that was great, and one that had to go in a few times. For most, it wasn't back or front focusing, but rather an overall lack of focus. All of the playing with micro adjusting wouldn't help. Take some proper test images where your subject isn't such a small portion of the image. Take them under a variety of conditions. Save them all and send in with your camera if necessary.
In the long run, trust Canon professional service techs more than any of us can diagnose on this board.
I see you are set on continuous shooting, try it at focus priority and see if that makes a difference. As John Patrick said with the focus point being on the edge/low light the focusing could be a little slower. Combined with shooting priority, means shoot first, ask questions/focus later. I see a slow shutter speed/high iso/continuous shooting the reason for the look of the first three photos.
Again...not a great diagnostic image... The girl in #7 really does not seem that sharp, to be blunt, especially if you look at the grass by her feet.
However, if your son is the one at the back then it's really asking a lot of any camera to pick up on him if you're using the expanded focus points illustrated in your images above. If you had single point focus specifically on him, perhaps, but you have the ref AND #7 getting in the way if you're on your 'expanded' focus points, as you seem to be. Even with my Mark IV, with the considered size of him in the frame and those others moving in front of him, perhaps, this would be a tough focus with her arm in front...and the white of his jersey in front of a white wall.
What exactly do you have your focus settings on? Like I said, above you really seem to have a wide range of focal points for your camera to choose from, especially shooting sports.
