•Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

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CanonGuy
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p.28 #1 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

PrecisionPhoto wrote:
Funny comment from a major camera store chain said the people of FM don't know what there talking about as far as the so called focus issue goes and the camera has many powerful custom functions that would neutralize the issue if there was one.
That's right I made the same face

I walked into a camera shop once looking for a compact camera. Trying to make a sale, the sales person told me that the quality of the prints will be determined by the size of the LCD screen, i.e. the bigger the LCD screen size is, the better and bigger the prints will be!

I walked out immediately!

Cheers!

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 10:44 AM

Yakim Peled
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p.28 #2 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Rob and Drew continue to fight….

http://www.prophotohome.com/forum/pro-photo-reviews-articles/73689-canon-1d-mkiii-autofocus-interactive-review.html?garpg=23#content_start

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 11:06 AM

Yakim Peled
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p.28 #3 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

BTW, I see that the poll is still ~50/50. Personally, I think it is very frustrating. I gave up and ordered the 40D.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 11:10 AM

stuuke
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p.28 #4 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Yakim Peled wrote:
Rob and Drew continue to fight….

http://www.prophotohome.com/forum/pro-photo-reviews-articles/73689-canon-1d-mkiii-autofocus-interactive-review.html?garpg=23#content_start

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Does Drew regret purchasing the forums from Rob or what?

The numbers in the survey may be leveling off because it appears that there are less Mark III's being sold or shipped(at least according to the forums). Has anyone purchased a new Mark III in the past few weeks?

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 02:06 PM

jlacasci
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p.28 #5 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

I just received my Mark III yesterday, haven't done anything yet other than
shoot the kids playing baseball in the back yard. I had my 400 f/2.8 on it.

All I did was load the battery, card and attach the lens. Took some shots in
the shade, cool weather (60's) ISO 400 - 6400 and was blown away by the
image quality of the 3200. No focus issues to speak of but, again, not a valid
test. I will be shooting football this Sunday, 5 games of pop warner around
2500-3000 images. I'll know better after Sunday. I've been shooting for two years with my Mark II N and the 400.

Joe

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 02:19 PM

72chevelle454
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p.28 #6 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Yakim Peled wrote:
Rob and Drew continue to fight….

Not to mention his two series of shots are not shot at the same distance from subject to camera. that would show a huge difference in sharpness.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 02:51 PM

mill4570
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p.28 #7 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Yakim Peled wrote:
Rob and Drew continue to fight….

http://www.prophotohome.com/forum/pro-photo-reviews-articles/73689-canon-1d-mkiii-autofocus-interactive-review.html?garpg=23#content_start

Jeff wrote:
That link is more than a month old, but continues to demonstrate that Strickland's 'test' is no better than any of the rest of them, despite his pleas. He spends more time asserting that his results are valid than he does anything else. Besides, his little 'extra hyperlink' at the end of each of his little diatribes annoys me. Nothing like remaining objective as the owner of a forum...

Jeff,

From your post, can I believe you, as a moderator of a forum, are totally objective about the Mark III? I'm not sure anyone who feels he is holding a $4500 door stop or paper weight can be objective. People who have never used the camera much less owned it for any period of time, have chimmed in on every forum on the internet with their "unbiased" opinion of the MK III.

The bottom line is simply this; people having huge problems with the MK III have only internet forums and chat rooms to vent their frustration. Canon has been silent so far and this is very aggrevating to many. People who can get some use from their MK III can afford to wait for Canon to do something. Trying to find someone totally objective about the MK III.......I doubt it.

Please understand, I am not attacking you but only asking the question "are you truly objective about the MK III?"

Richard K.

Trying to

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 05:08 PM

dcmiller
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p.28 #8 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Prophoto guy is wearing white, Galbraith's subjects are wearing black or dark.

Why should that matter? It shouldn't, but the AF should work too.

Prophotoguy is just generating publicity. Why worry about him.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 05:25 PM

Jeff
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p.28 #9 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

mill4570 wrote:
Jeff,

From your post, can I believe you, as a moderator of a forum, are totally objective about the Mark III? I'm not sure anyone who feels he is holding a $4500 door stop or paper weight can be objective. People who have never used the camera much less owned it for any period of time, have chimmed in on every forum on the internet with their "unbiased" opinion of the MK III.

The bottom line is simply this; people having huge problems with the MK III have only internet forums and chat rooms to vent their frustration. Canon has been silent so far and this is very aggrevating to many. People who can get some use from their MK III can afford to wait for Canon to do something. Trying to find someone totally objective about the MK III.......I doubt it.

Please understand, I am not attacking you but only asking the question "are you truly objective about the MK III?"

Hi Richard, no offense taken. I am a bit puzzled as to why my quote in your last post is related to my objectivity in regard to the MkIII? Also, what does being a moderator have to do with being (unable to be?) objective about the MkIII? Not sure I understand it, but I can address your basic question.

Can anyone who owns the MkIII be truly objective? I have never, ever said that the MkIII is a $4500 paper weight for anyone but those who absolutely stake their livelihoods on using AI Servo shooting people sports using longer glass. I'm not sure how familiar you are with my longstanding and ongoing input here in the forums in regard to the MkIII (I've owned it since 6/1/07). My opinion is indeed 'biased', as is anyone's who owns a MkIII. Furthermore, the inconsistency of the beast makes any limited experience with the camera no better than anecdotal; some people don't discover the issue for a month or more after owning the camera, for whatever reason(s).

That being said, I have been very up front about several things. The first and most salient issue is that the AI Servo issues are far outweighed (for the average photographer) by the camera's fantastic image quality and handling characteristics. The files truly are second-to-none, disregarding resolution, which, I might add, is adequate for probably 90%+ of the photographers on these boards. IMO, that is a fact, and that fact makes the MkIII one of the finest 'high-end' all-around cameras that currently exist. But, for professional sports photographers shooting people, the camera could be an absolute nightmare.

The second thing I've never wavered on (once my camera manifested the AF issue) is the fact that the camera does indeed have an AF problem, and that I remain convinced that Canon will find a way to fix it, and not by introduction of an "n" version, as so many are postulating. There are too many professionals out there who rely on their equipment who need this camera to work; Canon won't abandon the rest of us.

I don't know that one could consider me any more objective than the next MkIII owner, but I haven't 'tested' any AF issues since 8/23/07, and I'm now simply using the camera - for everything. I've been submitting more 'typical' results to the 'MkIII Successes' image thread, just so people can see that the camera works, in general. I haven't abandoned it for sports in favor of my backup 30D, and my results are currently no worse, given the C.Fn settings that I've now settled on (for kids soccer). The camera performs fantastically for 90% of what I shoot, and yes, I can wait for Canon to determine what to do about it.

Am I part of the problem for not 'standing up' by sending my body in to Irvine only to be sent back in the same condition? Perhaps, but at the moment I can't be without it midway through fall soccer season. Once I can be without it for a week or so, I may entertain that notion. However many service center personnel are indeed telling people not to send them in yet, and I think that speaks volumes. I just wish that someone in Japan would say something formal to someone, because all of the internet rhetoric in regard to the 'real problem with the MkIII' is getting old. We need some facts, it's been more than 3 months.

Respectfully,

Jeff
FM.com Moderator

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 05:44 PM

Kier
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p.28 #10 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Sep 19, 2007 at 06:04 PM

BobnJake
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p.28 #11 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Jeff, Thanks for your response

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 06:36 PM

Iberian
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p.28 #12 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Well spoken (written?) jeff. It is an awesome camera, but the endless online debates are frustrating when Canon could simply inform us of where it is at in regards to this issue. I shot 3 soccer games over the weekend in birght sun and the focusing was the worst I have had up till now. Wish I knew at least something on how/why it does what it does. I doubt there is an actual defect but rather this is a design flaw, but who knows other than Canon.

Any chance of you sharing your C.fn's?

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 06:47 PM

mill4570
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p.28 #13 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Jeff,

I thought you may have been criticizing Drew Strickland when you referred to his test as "diatribes" and the comment about an objective forum owner. If I miss-read you, please accept my apology.

After reading your well thought out reply, I see we are actually in agreement about the MKIII. The only difference is my camera works well enough to shoot field sports during the day. It is actually making money for me, rather than sitting on a shelf waiting on Canon. I stop short of saying it doesn't have issues, because I believe it is capable of much more.

The "$4500 paper weight" were my words not yours, but trust me when I say I borrowed them from another forum.

Again, I apologize if I miss-understood you, and the MKIII Sucess thread is excellent.

Richard K.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 19, 2007 at 11:23 PM

MSC
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p.28 #14 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

So what's up with the new M3 firmware

Anybody know...did I miss something?

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 02:55 AM

arashm
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p.28 #15 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

I'm attending the CPS event here in Toronto Tomorrow, I really hope to have some one on one time with a CPS rep and see if I can come back with some new info!
also looking forward to seeing the 1Ds mk3 in the flesh as well
(everyone is loving the new VF... wana see it me self )

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 04:14 AM

Alistair Watson
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p.28 #16 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

I was at a Canon event a few weeks ago and yes I picked up and took some shots with the 1Ds3. Looks exactly like a 1D3, though the viewfinder is lovely!

I would agree with Richard, numerous forums have referred to the Mark 3 as an expensive paperweight. I am still using mine for alot of things, just not sports photography though more often than not I take it as a backup to my 1D2N though it really should be the other way around. We are all missing the new firmware so I do hope Canon get their act together and deploy something that will actually go some way to fixing the problem.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 07:05 AM

UA935
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p.28 #17 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Alistair Watson wrote:
We are all missing the new firmware so I do hope Canon get their act together and deploy something that will actually go some way to fixing the problem.

So do I Alistair.

I was out shooting aviation at the weekend and both centre point, centre point expanded or all 45 points AF in AI servo provided some issues when shooting airliners with limited contrast.

A real mixed bag from Saturday with bright sunlight. It is funny that out of a run of 5 or 6 shots maybe two will be bang on but in no particular order.

Hopefully Canon are thoroughly investigating any issues whether real or perceived and will provide us with some constructive comment soon. I do feel that their silence on the matter is somewhat poor customer service considering the money that has been spent by all of us.

I must laugh at all the threads I am now seeing stating "Canon havn't sorted the AF on the MK III so I have bought a 40D instead etc etc" hardly a comparable purchase but hey maybe the thread can now be kept to people who actually own and use the camera which will be far more constructive.

Regards

Simon

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 08:13 AM

Yakim Peled
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p.28 #18 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Jeff wrote:
I just wish that someone in Japan would say something formal to someone, because all of the internet rhetoric in regard to the 'real problem with the MkIII' is getting old. We need some facts, it's been more than 3 months.

The only formal statement I've seen is here:

http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/prodtech/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003615569

"What's in the firmware is not necessarily a direct response to Galbraith's report," Westfall told PDN. "What it results from are things that Canon in Tokyo uncovered during their testing that they wanted to improve."

Westfall added that he "wouldn't be a bit surprised to see another firmware update somewhere down the line" for the camera to fix other issues that may emerge.

"We're not claiming that this new firmware is a panacea for anyone who has had anything wrong with the camera," Westfall said. "We're continuing to research the issue very carefully to make sure the camera is doing what it is supposed to do. If there's anything about that camera that isn't a 100 percent, we're going to find out what can be done to fix it."

BTW, re: The "$4500 paper weight" issue: I personally know a pro photographer which has the Mk III and it sits in the bag for most of the time. He only shoots with it when he needs high ISO and only using manual focus as he "can't trust the damn thing to focus properly". He has a two D2X, a D200, a 1D Mk II, a 40D and an array of pro lenses from both Canon and Nikon.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 10:16 AM

Yakim Peled
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p.28 #19 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

UA935 wrote:
I must laugh at all the threads I am now seeing stating "Canon havn't sorted the AF on the MK III so I have bought a 40D instead etc etc" hardly a comparable purchase but hey maybe the thread can now be kept to people who actually own and use the camera which will be far more constructive.

Hi Simon,

1. I'm glad I made you laugh. I seem to be having a strange sense of humour. When I tell a joke, nobody's laughing. When I'm in a casual conversation, someone bursts into laughter. It's a mystery to me but I take comfort in the fact that at least I made someone feel good at some point of time.

2. Of course they are not the same but as I am only an amateur, I can make do with the 40D for a while.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 12:53 PM

Monique
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p.28 #20 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Yakim Peled wrote:

BTW, re: The "$4500 paper weight" issue: I personally know a pro photographer which has the Mk III and it sits in the bag for most of the time. He only shoots with it when he needs high ISO and only using manual focus as he "can't trust the damn thing to focus properly" . He has a two D2X, a D200, a 1D Mk II, a 40D and an array of pro lenses from both Canon and Nikon.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Should we go back like years ago, shooting at manual AF?

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 01:03 PM

Yakim Peled
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p.28 #21 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

That was his particular choice. Reading the posts here it is obvious that it is not the choice of many.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 01:06 PM

brainiac
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p.28 #22 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

>The only formal statement I've seen is here:

I guess you know, Yakim, but that seems pretty out of date, since it mentions firmware 1.0.9. It would be nice to have a formal statement, however vague about future firmware possibilities. For a start I would love to know in which version, if any, and when, if ever, they plan to enable joystick focus-point control. Better communication might stop me buying a D3. The silence seems pretty arrogant bearing in mind the stink.

>Should we go back like years ago, shooting at manual AF?

My enjoyment of wide apertures and high iso in almost no light also forces me to depend on MF. MF comes into its own in these circumstances, especially because digital allows you to focus bracket at no extra cost. There has never been an AF system that works well in really low light, and frankly autofocus remains beset with problems like front/back focus, search, focus/recompose et cetera et cetera. There is nothing primitive about MF if used skilfully. I bought my 1D3 a fortnight ago, despite the AF complaints, primarily for use as a manual focus camera. Why not?

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 01:32 PM

Yakim Peled
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p.28 #23 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

Yes, I know.
Yes, you are right.
Yes, I totally agree.
But as I said, it's the only formal statement I've ever seen.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 01:51 PM

Kier
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p.28 #24 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

brainiac wrote:
For a start I would love to know in which version, if any, and when, if ever, they plan to enable joystick focus-point control.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't hold your breath. The removal of the assist button for quick or temporary selection of the 'home' point, plus the fact that the joystick is unreachable when shooting in vertical orientation (lame design) suggests that Canon have little interest in furthering the ergonomics of the camera.

If they do anything it's likely to be something completely useless like an option to use the joystick as a direct print button.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 03:02 PM

Iberian
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p.28 #25 · •Poll v3.1: MkIII have AF issues?

I love MF and wish I could use it all the time, but 10 fps and moving objects is a bit beyond my skillset.

Edited on Oct 29, 2007 at 04:27 PM

Sep 20, 2007 at 05:47 PM


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