M Lucca wrote:
Nailing focus (first to go Beep!) <> focus accuracy. Situational differences, compound by lens choice and technique invalidates your experience to those of Form.
...I don't understand what you said. Are you saying that my experience is not objective enough to be valid and there is too much potential for user error to say that any of it is the camera's fault? Or are you saying that I think my views are superior to all others (which I disagree with)?
form wrote:
I used AF-C and AF-S mode, especially during one or two weddings where the activities were basically not that interesting for a time (e.g. I had captured many of the goings-on and most important people during an LDS receiving line) and I had a few free moments to experiment with different settings. I would point 35 or 85 at various subjects of 10-20 feet distance and see how many shots I could get in focus with AF-S, AF-C 1 point and AF-C 9 point. I didn't notice much difference between them, one setting (can't remember which now) seemed to do marginally better but it definitely wasn't close to 100%. Environment was probably about 1/160 @ ISO1600-3200 @ f/1.8ish (I'm shaky so 1/160 is about a minimum safe setting for me at 85mm).
Then second shooting during a different reception slow time (the time when I was getting so many OOF images with D800 that I put it away), I alternated between AF-S and AF-C again to try to see if I got better results with one or the other. Don't get me wrong, I reviewed the photos today and found that the in-focus rate wasn't as bad as I thought (seemed more OOF on the LCD than on my monitor), but there were plenty of unexplained misfocuses that were a bit front or back focused without any pattern I could see. ...Show more →
That might explain it. I don't use AF-C mode for weddings. I use AF-S all the time and the focus is fast and accurate. AF-C is a hit or miss for me.
cineski wrote:
I thought about switching to Nikon because I'm just dead sick of Canon's etiquette with their own paying photographers. A buddy of mine is a Nikon shooter and got the D800. I got to play with it. Focus SUCKED where my 5D3 would snap to accurate focus. He ended up selling it and is sticking with Nikon's 1 series equivalent. D800 in real world wedding shooting = shrug. Really wish we could get that sensor, though.
My experience has been the opposite: D800 af is fast and very accurate. 5Dmk3 was also fast, mut missed a lot in darker situations, while the D800 kept focussing. D4 is just a lot better than both. Focussing with the 35G is just a pain, it's an amazing lens when it focusses. 85mm focusses very accuratly, same as 24-70 and my 70-200 vr2.
The problem people are having in believing you is that you're basically saying that the ANCIENT and horrendously/nortoriously shitty 5DII AF system is better than the brand new D800 system (It's not).
I could see what you're saying if you were comparing it to a 5DIII, which has been said to have better AF point coverage and arguably better AF performance.
There has been some D800 recalls. maybe you had one of them? I'd would be extremely surprised to find that the D800's AF system isn't better than the 5DII.
deepbluejh wrote:
I could write a myriad of witty, sarcastic, snarky remarks here, but I won't. Instead I'll give you an honest answer that is short and to the point.
D. Diggler wrote:
Suppose you heard about the new D800 firmware. People are reporting that focus is noticeably improved in both AF-C and AF-S. Maybe you should try it.
Maybe he should try a different profession.
Form, all this spiel about improved dynamic range, better AF etc is for the most part marketing irrelevance for pro photogs like yourself. I'm pretty sure pro wedding togs were taking amazing pictures 10 years ago. Yep, they definitely were.
Your issue is not with the gear. It's with yourself. Hundreds of other members have said it too. You need to just change your outlook my friend. I kinda understand you as in many regards I feel the same way about my profession (not photography), and I am always considering new gear, lenses, cameras, flashes etc but ultimately after spending a horrendous amount of money I realise that none of this stuff makes me take better pictures. Taking more pictures, reading posts on here, reading magazines, trying new things, making mistakes, all make me take better pictures.
Smile. You have awesome equipment. A D800 and a 5D3. Many people can only dream of owning such equipment. They're 2 of the best DSLR's ever released so I struggle to see how anyone can suggest they're not enough to make amazing pictures with.
My advice. Go buy a Fuji X100 or X-E1 (not for your wedding work). Take a few weeks and take the camera out with you every day. It will force you to look at photography in a different way. It will force you to slow down, look at the light, look at your subjects and the composition in a way you're not used to. It will challenge you! When you go back and pick up your 5D3 or D800 you'll suddenly realise what beasts they are and just how insanely competent they are. I realised that I was letting the camera do too much of the work. After using the Fuji for a few weeks I have a whole new appreciation for the Nikon DSLR's and feel I am taking better pictures than before.
