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Archive 2014 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)

  
 
memoria
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


I've noticed that my 85L II behaves a bit inconsistent on my 1Ds3 body compared to my 5D3. It's not a back or front focus issue since I've very carefully MA:d it using both Dot Tune technique and Reikan Focal for accurate values. When locked correctly the focus is really spot on. But that locking thing is puzzling me. Either it's dead on or completely off (like nothing is in focus). The solution is to repress the AF button like crazy and there will be keepers. I don't have the same behaviour on my 5D3 so I'm beginning to think something is up with the 1Ds3. But then again, other lenses seem to do OK on it - even my 50L is more consistent.

What's your experience with the 85L? Consistent all the way through?




Edited on Apr 18, 2014 at 10:51 AM · View previous versions



Apr 16, 2014 at 02:04 PM
jcolwell
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


My 85/1.2L II was pretty consistent on my 1DsIII and 5DII, and now is on my 1DX and 6D. That's not to say that I always nail the focus, but there's no difference across cameras that can't be explained by their respective AF capabilities.


Apr 16, 2014 at 04:34 PM
mttran
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


memoria wrote:
..... But that locking thing is puzzling me. Either it's dead on or completely off (like nothing is in focus)....


All canon bodies, I have used, experience this scenario. Not all the time but once in a while it does happen. This is the case that AF sensor(s) report something and the AF firmware goes on crazy with that data. My guess that the exception routine has detected the hard loop/unprogrammed loop in AF section therefore taking over the current AF calculation and then safely driving the lens to the best known focal plane position that stored in AF memory from last good frame. Faking AF locking during this time is just a dummy reset flag to allow the main program to process to the next camera sequence. This scenario does seem happen more often with fast lenses than slow lenses.



Apr 16, 2014 at 10:16 PM
memoria
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


mttran wrote:
All canon bodies, I have used, experience this scenario. Not all the time but once in a while it does happen. This is the case that AF sensor(s) report something and the AF firmware goes on crazy with that data. My guess that the exception routine has detected the hard loop/unprogrammed loop in AF section therefore taking over the current AF calculation and then safely driving the lens to the best known focal plane position that stored in AF memory from last good frame. Faking AF locking during this time is just a dummy reset flag to allow the main
...Show more

Thanks. I guess that makes sense. This behaviour seems to be more frequent on my 1Ds3 though. Do you think it might be the AF sensors being a tad off/dirty or should I just learn how to deal with it? I know the workaround but it's annoying that I can't trust the lens and which shots that will be in focus.



Apr 17, 2014 at 02:32 AM
eosfun
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


I do not recognize this behaviour from the 85/1.2L mk II on the 1DsmkIII. Sounds to me you should have the camera lens combo checked by Canon, especially since the lens works fine on the 5DmkIII.


Apr 17, 2014 at 03:49 AM
willis
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


The 1DIII behaved like that with fast lenses before the last recall (March 2009, I think) which fixed it for me. The same fix applied to the 1DsIII too. Has your camera had all the fixes done? IIRC the fix was supposed to affect peipheral points only but completely changed the 1DIII AF behaviour for the better.


Apr 17, 2014 at 04:34 AM
memoria
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


willis wrote:
The 1DIII behaved like that with fast lenses before the last recall (March 2009, I think) which fixed it for me. The same fix applied to the 1DsIII too. Has your camera had all the fixes done? IIRC the fix was supposed to affect peipheral points only but completely changed the 1DIII AF behaviour for the better.


Really? Never heard of any fixes for the 1Ds3? I am aware of the focus issues with the 1D3 but not 1Ds3. I bought the camera used from another photographer so I don't know if anything has been fixed. The only thing I've done is to load the latest firmware.

Is there supposed to be a colored sticker or dot in the battery compartment like the 1D3?



Apr 17, 2014 at 11:33 AM
memoria
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


ahh, is it this?

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2009/3/3/canon1Dfirmwareupdate



Apr 17, 2014 at 11:40 AM
dhachey
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)




memoria wrote:
I've noticed that my 85L II behaves a bit inconsistent on my 1Ds3 body compared to my 5D3. It's not a back or front focus issue since I've very carefully MA:d it using both Dot Tune technique and Reikan Focal for accurate values. When locked correctly the focus is really spot on. But that locking thing is puzzling me. Either it's dead on or completely off (like nothing is in focus). The solution is to repress the AF button like crazy and there will be keepers. I don't have the same behaviour on my 5D3 so I'm beginning to think
...Show more

Not sure if this will help, but check for dust bunnies on the AF sensor, or just blow out the mirror box region. A similar thing happened to me a while ago. Easy fix, but if doesn't help then expect a more complicated problem. Another possibility is the use of fluorescent lighting with FoCal, it flickers at a high frequency that isn't detected by the eye.



Apr 17, 2014 at 11:41 AM
RCicala
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


I'll second the check for dust bunnies mentioned above. Also does it happen with center point focus, or just off-axis points. A slightly decentered 85 f/1.2 can give off-axis points an insanity attack, but won't show up in the central part of photographs as any noticeable sharpness issue.


Apr 17, 2014 at 12:33 PM
memoria
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


Just wanted to share some examples, 100% crop. I have only been using center point AF

85L II @ 1.2

Frame 1
http://cdn.imghack.se/images/e96ea4f798afc279ef0b9ae1689be67c.jpg


Frame 2
http://cdn.imghack.se/images/c1338cf58cd83804fb78c44a74ebbebb.jpg



Apr 18, 2014 at 10:36 AM
mttran
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


Once in awhile, I have seen the OOF like your "frame 2" with 1D2, 1D3, 5D, 5D2


Apr 18, 2014 at 11:16 PM
Gunzorro
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


I had a similar erratic focus problem with 1Ds3 (not 85L, but others) to the DPR report your reference. Sent to Canon and they replaced parts in the AF system and did complete adjust. Came back great!

Had a similar problem with 1D3.

Both were fixed at no charge as I recall.

I suggest sending it off for repair.



Apr 18, 2014 at 11:49 PM
memoria
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


mttran wrote:
Once in awhile, I have seen the OOF like your "frame 2" with 1D2, 1D3, 5D, 5D2


OK. How often is once in a while? This will happen to me many times during the same session. The images above was just during a quick test run and I have several more. The workaround is to keep pressing the AF and I can literally feel the lens doing tiny tiny adjustments on the fly for each press even though the AF point is excatly on the same spot.



Apr 19, 2014 at 03:21 AM
memoria
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


Gunzorro wrote:
I had a similar erratic focus problem with 1Ds3 (not 85L, but others) to the DPR report your reference. Sent to Canon and they replaced parts in the AF system and did complete adjust. Came back great!

Had a similar problem with 1D3.

Both were fixed at no charge as I recall.

I suggest sending it off for repair.


Yes, I think I'll have to do that. Even though there's a workaround I need to trust my gear. Thanks....



Apr 19, 2014 at 03:24 AM
upn cumming
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · AF inconsistency with 85L II and 1Ds3 (UPDATED with examples)


Call Canon and tell them the problem and tell them you want it fixed. I did that and sent it in, and they replaced many parts and now the body is sharp as a tack with ANY lens I use. Before that, I constantly had OOF with way too many shots with a variety of lenses. It was very frustrating. Now the body is perfect. Funny thing is that my 1DS M3 serial number was NOT in the range of those with the alleged problem.

Canon fixed it and now it's razor sharp......



Jul 07, 2014 at 08:12 PM





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