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Archive 2013 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?

  
 
cineski
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


The auto focus "confirmation" on the 5D3 is a major major problem (and well documented one). No clue how Canon could design something so bad and then sit on it. The other bad thing is the implementation of the zoom buttons in live view. The buttons that used to control zoom in the upper right (where it's convenient to press) are now dead and you have to use the set button which causes hand fatigue after a day of using it. I often times just don't use it because of this. Otherwise the camera is amazing. AF is pretty much spot on. Dual cards seals the deal for me on this. Liability on a shoot instantly gets cut in half with this feature alone. Really wish the SD card was faster and also wish the 5D3 had dual SD slots instead of a CF card. SD cards are so freaking cheap compared to CF and I'd just get two 128 gig cards and run with it all day. Shooting SD does slow the camera down to the point it's annoying if you're shooting RAW + any size JPG.

I was going to sell my 5D3 and 5D and get 3 6D's, but then the camera came out and left me wanting. The lack of joystick and dual SD slots and shutter speeds killed it for me. Then I thought about getting just the 6D to supplement my 5D3 but alas Canon continues to f with us and change the placement of the control buttons. Going to get another 5D3 but thinking a 6D for the wife.



Feb 17, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Ghost
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


5d3 is a great camera. Quite possibly the perfect camera for wedding/reportage portrait shooters. We all know how ace is is its AF performance. But no one seemed to mention its ergonomics. Like the 7d before that, the 5d3 allows one to re-assign button functions. I feel this is so incredibly useful. As a total package, the 5d3 is very very clever.

The only annoying part is the lousy SD card performance. Burst depth is shallower because of writing to the SD card. Seriously thinking to deactivate the SD card write altogether. I was doing some reading on CF vs SD. Seems like speed is still better for CF cards.

How does it compare to the 6d? For me the 6d was never a contender. It just doesn't fit my style of photography. I do a lot of outdoor sunny shoots with wide open apertures. The 1/4000 max Tv would drive me nuts.



Feb 17, 2013 at 02:31 PM
explict
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


I've been using the 5Dc for the last 5 years shooting weddings and I found the focus to decent. Not great but I would say at least 95% of my shots are in focus (with 2.8 lenses). This is using the focus and recompose technique. Using 1.4 primes, the hit rate drops to 85%.

I had a chance to try out the both the 6D and the 5D3 along side the 5Dc and found the focus accuracy is close to 100% regardless of the lens that I was using. It's quite amazing. Combined with the lower shutter lag and viewfinder blackout time, both the 6D and the 5D3 felt much more responsive. Outer focus points on both cameras are much more accurate.

However, 5D3 struggled to get an AF lock using a flash with the AF assist beam in low light conditions. Sometimes, it took seconds to lock on while the 5Dc and 6D locked in in an instant. It took long enough for people to think there was something wrong with my camera. Canon will be releasing a firmware update to address this issue soon. http://forums.usa.canon.com/t5/EOS/5D3-AF-assist-beam-slower-focus/td-p/2277

As others have mentioned, the 5D3 doesn't light up the AF points which I found strange.

It's quite surprising how the 5D3 received glowing reviews for weddings. Maybe everyone got caught up on shooting at high ISO and assumed the flash would work as expected.

If you mainly use focus and recompose, I would say stick with the 6D and use the money towards lenses.

Until Canon releases a firmware update for the 5D3, I would rate it as follows for shooting weddings

6D
5D2
5Dc
5D3



Feb 17, 2013 at 06:08 PM
D. Diggler
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


CW100 wrote:
does the AF point not light up at all?


I believe it does still blink momentarily when focus is achieved.



Feb 17, 2013 at 09:41 PM
jcolman
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


D. Diggler wrote:
I believe it does still blink momentarily when focus is achieved.


It does not.



Feb 17, 2013 at 10:18 PM
Joshua Gull
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


D. Diggler wrote:
I believe it does still blink momentarily when focus is achieved.


Nope. Like I said, drives me batty. It's a MAJOR problem for me, so much so that using the 5D2 and 5D3 back to back I ended up having a lot more in focus shots with the 5D2 because I'd want to use outer points with the 5D3 to use it's strengths but I can't see the damn focus point. I certainly wish the 5D2 had the ISO performance of the 5D3 but I need in focus shots first and foremost.



Feb 17, 2013 at 11:36 PM
D. Diggler
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


jcolman wrote:
It does not.


WHAT?!?

How do you know when focus is achieved?



Feb 18, 2013 at 12:07 AM
marko1953
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


D. Diggler wrote:
WHAT?!?

How do you know when focus is achieved?


With mine, the whole array blinks momentarily in the viewfinder which lets me know that focus is achieved. You could also use the beep if you wanted but it could get annoying. Honestly , it's not a big problem! The far better keeper rate and the precise focus far outweighs any perceived disadvantage . It is so accurate that after a while you don't really need focus confirmation, you kind of get a new confidence that what you picked( I use single point af) will always be in focus. It' hard to describe but easy to get used to.



Feb 18, 2013 at 03:09 AM
CW100
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


marko1953 wrote:
With mine, the whole array blinks momentarily in the viewfinder which lets me know that focus is achieved. You could also use the beep if you wanted but it could get annoying. Honestly , it's not a big problem! The far better keeper rate and the precise focus far outweighs any perceived disadvantage . It is so accurate that after a while you don't really need focus confirmation, you kind of get a new confidence that what you picked( I use single point af) will always be in focus. It' hard to describe but easy to get used to.


so there is some indication that the AF point activated





Feb 18, 2013 at 07:25 PM
jcolman
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


CW100 wrote:
so there is some indication that the AF point activated



Yes and no. I'm not sure what happens but there are times when the focus points don't momentarily light up. But I'm still learning all the nuances of the 5D III.



Feb 18, 2013 at 07:37 PM
Inga
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


jcolman wrote:
Yes and no. I'm not sure what happens but there are times when the focus points don't momentarily light up. But I'm still learning all the nuances of the 5D III.


There are a bunch of options relating to the AF lock confirmation in the camera. I've only had mine for about two weeks and I'm still getting my head around the options. You also have many options about which AF points are used (and displayed), and even how they are displayed.

Jim, it sounds like you've got your VF Illumination set to Auto. This will light up the VF AF points / Grid etc momentarily in certain lighting conditions, but not in others. Sounds like that's what you're seeing. You can set it to Enable (always light up), or Disable (never light up). Even when it does light up, in bright lit scenes it does seem quite hard to see. I believe this is because Canon decided to go with a single LED to light up the whole VF rather because of the size of the screen and the number of AF points. Whereas the older cameras with only a few AF points have a dedicated LED for each AF point, thus are much brighter. The issue I have with setting the illumination to Enable, is that in low light, when using fast glass like the 85L or 35L, subjects in front of the lens can actually see the inside of the camera light up red when the AF lock confirmation flashes. Hence, for the time being I have set it to Disable and will see how I get on.

Other options for confirming AF lock include:
- An audible Beep. Which is okay but not good for quiet (or very loud) environments,
- The AF lock confirmation "Green Dot" in the lower right corner of the viewfinder. Not bad, but takes too long to look down at that while still maintaining composition of the shot...so not so good.
- There are some funky things you can do with making the AF points appear and disappear pre-AF and post-AF. Not sure if having no AF square on the screen would make people feel any better, but there are options.
- Lastly, unless I've missed something, can't you feel when your lens is no longer hunting around for an AF lock? In most cases there seems to be a fast distinct movement of the lens motor and then it stops. It is hasn't locked focus the VF will be blurry. If it has locked onto something that the AF point is pointed at, you take the shot. Now, whether the AF lock was on the right thing or not is another question, but it seems to me that a flashing light isn't likely to change that.

It doesn't sound like there is a quick firmware fix in the pipeline for us, based on what Canon has announced about the upcoming FW release in April. I am lead to believe that the 1DX does not suffer from this problem, but that the pentaprism / VF assembly is larger on that camera, giving Canon more options of how the LEDs are placed / function. Will be interesting to keep an eye on this situation as it develops as there seem to be quite a few people complaining rather vocally about this feature, with just cause.



Feb 19, 2013 at 02:27 AM
Rincon
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


This weekend I shot a wedding for the first time with my new 6D, upgrading from a 5Dclassic. As requested, here are a few observations: 1) much lighter, easier to carry for long hours 2) IQ is fantastic 3) high ISO is very good - I was able to hand hold shoot intro of bridal party without flash at ISO 25600. As always, overexpose by half a stop and the IQ is very useable 4) the "silent shutter" takes some getting used to - it has kind of a mushy sound and initially, I wasn't sure that it was really working 5) most controls that I use are readily available in very close to the same location, however I had to keep looking at them - more experience with the body should take care of that 6) I use the Yongnuo 565EX flash and camera control of that flash unit worked as advertised (in particular, I like to use 2nd curtain sync at various times.

Overall, my first wedding experience with this camera is very positive and it is a huge upgrade from the 5Dc that I have been using. I have never used a 5D III, but I am quite happy with my decision to save a lot of $$ and go with the 6D



Feb 19, 2013 at 12:07 PM
ShotByTom
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


Rincon wrote:
This weekend I shot a wedding for the first time with my new 6D, upgrading from a 5Dclassic. As requested, here are a few observations: 1) much lighter, easier to carry for long hours 2) IQ is fantastic 3) high ISO is very good - I was able to hand hold shoot intro of bridal party without flash at ISO 25600. As always, overexpose by half a stop and the IQ is very useable 4) the "silent shutter" takes some getting used to - it has kind of a mushy sound and initially, I wasn't sure that it was really
...Show more

That's awesome, thanks for posting back!



Feb 19, 2013 at 12:27 PM
cordellwillis
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


Rincon wrote:
This weekend I shot a wedding for the first time with my new 6D, upgrading from a 5Dclassic. As requested, here are a few observations: 1) much lighter, easier to carry for long hours 2) IQ is fantastic 3) high ISO is very good - I was able to hand hold shoot intro of bridal party without flash at ISO 25600. As always, overexpose by half a stop and the IQ is very useable 4) the "silent shutter" takes some getting used to - it has kind of a mushy sound and initially, I wasn't sure that it was really
...Show more


What about setting focus point without the joystick? I'm accustomed to using the joystick so I have found that I have problems with cameras without it



Feb 19, 2013 at 01:37 PM
jolson72
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


My biggest issue with the 5d classic, and the reason that I am wanting to move to the 6d is focus with fast lenses. My 5dc's work perfect with zooms shooting around f/4, but with 24/1.4, 35/1.4 and 50/1.2 lenses, I am having a very, very hard time getting consistently accurate focus when shooting around f/1.4 to f/2.

I would assume 5d2, 5d3 and 6d users have gotten better wide open results than the original 5d?



Feb 19, 2013 at 01:41 PM
jcolman
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


Inga wrote:
Jim, it sounds like you've got your VF Illumination set to Auto. This will light up the VF AF points / Grid etc momentarily in certain lighting conditions, but not in others. Sounds like that's what you're seeing. You can set it to Enable (always light up), or Disable (never light up).



Bingo! That is exactly what my problem was. Thank you!!



Feb 19, 2013 at 01:45 PM
Rincon
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


As I stated in my original post, I am a center-poiint focus kind of guy. I started shooting 35mm in 1972 with a Canon FT and I have never really become comfortable with moving the focus point around. Center-point on the 6D worked very well for me at this wedding, even during the dancing at the reception where the only light ws the DJ lights. I shot some with high ISO for atmosphere, but most were shot with off camera flash.


Feb 19, 2013 at 02:47 PM
Inga
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


jcolman wrote:
Bingo! That is exactly what my problem was. Thank you!!


Glad to help. I'm kind of in shock that I was able to help you with something for a change. You're normally one of the guys that is dishing out the wisdom and advice around here. I'll be interested to see what you think of the camera once you've had more of a chance to use it and get acquainted to its way of doing things.



Feb 19, 2013 at 07:23 PM
D. Diggler
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


jolson72 wrote:
I would assume 5d2, 5d3 and 6d users have gotten better wide open results than the original 5d?


I heard the 5D2 autofocus is supposed to be the same as the 5D Classic.

I did read recently where some guy went from the Classic to the 6D and he said the autofocus accuracy is better with the 6D. He said that even the 6D outer focus points were giving him better results than the Classic!



Feb 19, 2013 at 10:44 PM
marko1953
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · 6D for weddings / 5d3 that much better?


jolson72 wrote:
My biggest issue with the 5d classic, and the reason that I am wanting to move to the 6d is focus with fast lenses. My 5dc's work perfect with zooms shooting around f/4, but with 24/1.4, 35/1.4 and 50/1.2 lenses, I am having a very, very hard time getting consistently accurate focus when shooting around f/1.4 to f/2.

I would assume 5d2, 5d3 and 6d users have gotten better wide open results than the original 5d?


Exactly right.
Please see my post here:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1188481/0#11333390



Feb 20, 2013 at 01:25 AM
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