p.25 #1 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
Todd Klassy wrote:
Let's be clear...just because you never had a problem "doing this" with the 7D doesn't mean the VF "works just as well" and accomplishes the same things as the VF on the 1D, 1Ds, and previous 5D series cameras. Again, you might shoot differently than other people (i.e. different AF points selected, different AF mode, different panning techniques, different composition techniques, etc.).
For example, if you always (or more often than not) keep your subject matter centered and don't constantly move your AF point/group around from one side of the VF to the other, I can honestly see why this isn't a big deal. On the other hand, if you shoot like me, and you are constantly shooting a variety of different subjects, in a variety of different settings, and in a variety of different compositions, using a variety of different AF points to compose and frame your subject, this becomes much, much more of an issue AND this makes shooting with the 5D III in this one regard (and ONLY in this one regard) a much more difficult proposition for those of us who have used the previous method of illuminating AF points/groups. ...Show more →
Changing AF points is something I also do all of the time. I like to compose in camera and very rarely use focus/recompose. I just don't find the 7D any more challenging to use than the 1D3 or 1Ds2. I probably use servo AF the majority of the time, probably 70/30 split with single shot AF. I never have considered the 7D AF viewfinder setup an issue, which is why I have questioned if the 5D3 really is exactly the same in this thread before. I'm not lucky enough to have a 5D3, but I'd love to get my hands on one.
Edit: I should add, I'm not disputing that you have issues with the AF implementation. I'm just having trouble relating to it as in my experience I've just never had a problem like you're describing.
p.25 #2 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
Well, lucky for me I'm not an oddball as a quick survey of other gear related forums and blogs would seem to indicate that there are many others who are experiencing similar difficulties.
p.25 #3 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
Now I own the 5D III and seen what the fuss is about I believe Canon should be able to offer a new addition to AF5 - AF point display during focus via firmware. They should just modify the third option so that during pre-focus the selected point(s) briefly flash red (not the grid) and on focus it flashes again for longer. I can't see why this cannot be done in software.
p.25 #4 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
I was shooting today and I saw a guy in the French Quarter with a D4, I asked him if I could look through the VF and surprise (!) the dang red af point was visible in bright daylight sigh...a Joy to use and move around
p.25 #5 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
Todd Klassy wrote:
If you are suggesting I should first position my camera on something that has more contrast (or perhaps a lighter background) just for the sake of easily finding my AF point/group, well then I would say that in doing so I would still be spending more precious time positioning my camera and/or AF point than I ever have to do with my 5D Mark I or 1D Mark IV.'
Having not used the VF yet this is the type of experience that you read about that sets warning bells off. Spending time trying to figure out if the AF point is on target is less time you have to actually get the shot. In fast paced events this is pretty important. You don't have the luxury to wonder where it is because by then the shot is gone.
It still amazes me that this was not noticed in testing. There are threads about it all over the place so it's clearly not an isolated phenomenon. How does the test program of a major company on one of their flagship products fail to notice this? Especially when the previous flagship products did not have the issue.
p.25 #6 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
Pixel Perfect wrote:
Now I own the 5D III and seen what the fuss is about I believe Canon should be able to offer a new addition to AF5 - AF point display during focus via firmware. They should just modify the third option so that during pre-focus the selected point(s) briefly flash red (not the grid) and on focus it flashes again for longer. I can't see why this cannot be done in software.
I would love to see something implimented. But I am afraid all these options would require the flashing red lights on the side that light the LED's to be on for longer periods thus causing another set of problems.
p.25 #7 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
newseum wrote:
I would love to see something implimented. But I am afraid all these options would require the flashing red lights on the side that light the LED's to be on for longer periods thus causing another set of problems.
Thoughts?
Yes, this would increase the time that the "glow" is showing. Also the red is never visible in good light as the natural light washes it out completely. Only useful in lower light and of course in lower light then you would notice the "glow" more.
p.25 #8 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
arbitrage wrote:
Yes, this would increase the time that the "glow" is showing. Also the red is never visible in good light as the natural light washes it out completely. Only useful in lower light and of course in lower light then you would notice the "glow" more.
The only time I have issues with the focus point visibility is when the light is low, or as Todd mentioned when shooting against a dark background. In that latter situation the red glow has been sufficient to determine which AF point or points are active. So I would like to see them give use an option to activate this backlighting when you half press the release regardless of the ambient light condition.
p.25 #9 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
I thought that is what is possible to choose
I have to get this camera into my hands again. This time for some hours to check if I get along with all that new behavior.
p.25 #10 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
I am game for anything, really, just as long as I can see the chosen AF point(s) better. I understand a wholesale change to hardware would be necessary to change the VF back to the way it operated on my other Canon cameras, which of course won't happen. But I sure hope Canon at least tries to fix it some how some way with firmware.
p.25 #11 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
Maybe take a walk on the "Dark Side" save $800 and you get your selected red AF box. I can understand feature lag, feature rationing (OK so give the 5D Mk III people some reason to upgrade) but not feature regression on the "Flagship" camera.
p.25 #12 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
I'd rather shoot at 6 fps, have a much better autofocus system, and have cleaner pixels, thank you. Let's see if Canon fixes this and then makes the 5D Mark III truly a better camera than its Nikon competitor by fixing this problem. The jury is still out. But thank you very much for your Nikonion point of view here in the Canon forum. It is much appreciated.
p.25 #13 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
Well they (Canon) introduced the same "improvement" on the 1DX at twice the price. And with all the delays they did have plenty of time to massage the firmware. I bet it's not as easy as just a firmware tweak. This is the one area where I would really embrace it if they brought back the 90s technology of AF point illumination.
p.25 #14 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
just got my MkIII a couple of days ago and would like to echo the frustration that other have expressed here with this new design. i love this camera to death but i can't for the life of me figure out why Canon would make this change.
p.25 #16 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
ggreene wrote:
'
Having not used the VF yet this is the type of experience that you read about that sets warning bells off. Spending time trying to figure out if the AF point is on target is less time you have to actually get the shot. In fast paced events this is pretty important. You don't have the luxury to wonder where it is because by then the shot is gone.
It still amazes me that this was not noticed in testing. There are threads about it all over the place so it's clearly not an isolated phenomenon. How does the test program of a major company on one of their flagship products fail to notice this? Especially when the previous flagship products did not have the issue. ...Show more →
Noticing the problem is one thing. Actually doing something about it is another.
p.25 #19 · 5d M III Viewfinder illumination and af points!
I think there are two issues being conflated here:
1. The change in VF design (transflective LCD)
2. Lack of momentary illumination in AI-Servo
The first will not change this generation--it is what it is.
The second can and should be fixed via a firmware update--it should be an option even if it does result in a risk of greater exposure variation at the start of a sequence (apparently the issue is that it affects metering--though if so it's unclear to me why they can do this in One Shot).
