tonywong88 wrote:
uz2work wrote
According to Chuck Westfall, who should know more about Canon products than any Canon employee in the US, the AF cut off for the 1D X is, in fact, f5.6.
Below, I've pasted Westfall's reply to Arthur Morris, who was asking about the AF cut off.
"AF is unavailable on the EOS-1D X if the maximum aperture reported to the camera through the electronic lens mount is smaller than f/5.6. This is a lower specification than previous EOS-1 series DSLRs. On the plus side, consider the fact that with most f/4 lenses including the 400 DO, 500/4L IS and IS II, and 600/4L IS and IS II, you now have 41 cross-type AF points plus color and face detection, whereas you had no cross-type points and no color or face detection during AF with previous EOS-1 series DSLRs using the same lenses, not to mention a significantly wider AF coverage area from left to right." My question is why would they be telling Art Morris this instead of consulting with him before the project and design was even started. You'd think that Canon Engineers and Project leads would go in the field to see how their explorers of light are shooting...
Probably the D4 will introduce F/8 AF next week. I wonder if people made enough noise now that they could fix the F8 focus issue...there is another 5 months before it's supposed to launch.
One of three things has likely happened:
1. Canon marketing has blundered and they don't understand the full capabilities of the body and it can indeed focus at f/8.
2. Canon has done this by design so that photographers are forced to spend more money on faster (and/or longer) glass in order to have the ability to use autofocus with the reach that they need for given FL subjects.
3. There are technical reasons with this body which prevented focusing at f/8 to be easily implemented.
It's hard to know which of the three reasons are in play, or a combination of them. Regardless, I think that this is a fundamental shortcoming of the body which WILL cut into potential sales. Hopefully in can be "fixed" before the body goes into full production!
"Houston, we have a problem..."