on the 70D Under custom function AF # 6,- I had option 1 set, which pretty much stops attempt to autofocus when it doesnt achieve focus right away. I'm not sure if this is the default. Option 0 is to continue to seek focus.. this cleared it up.
I guess on shorter lenses or even on the Tamron 150-600 at short FL's it didn't matter, but when zoomed in all the way, the AF system is challenged, therefore, the focusing just stopped dead. I don't know why it wouldn't restart though when I pressed the button again??
Does anyone understand this I was not shooting in terrible conditions(moderate light and contrast). Is it the fact that at 600 I have a narrower focusing room for error that caused the focusing to stop? or is it the specifics of the lens? So as long as I allowed the camera to "keep hunting" it acquired focus. Since I'm not a BIF or action specialist I'm not bent out of shape if it's not the fastest combination in the world, as long as it doesn't just stop dead in the tracks..
lescrane wrote:
Problem solved. USER ERROR!!!!. sort of..
on the 70D Under custom function AF # 6,- I had option 1 set, which pretty much stops attempt to autofocus when it doesnt achieve focus right away. I'm not sure if this is the default. Option 0 is to continue to seek focus.. this cleared it up.
I guess on shorter lenses or even on the Tamron 150-600 at short FL's it didn't matter, but when zoomed in all the way, the AF system is challenged, therefore, the focusing just stopped dead. I don't know why it wouldn't restart though when I pressed the button again??
Does anyone understand this I was not shooting in terrible conditions(moderate light and contrast). Is it the fact that at 600 I have a narrower focusing room for error that caused the focusing to stop? or is it the specifics of the lens? So as long as I allowed the camera to "keep hunting" it acquired focus. Since I'm not a BIF or action specialist I'm not bent out of shape if it's not the fastest combination in the world, as long as it doesn't just stop dead in the tracks.....Show more →
Longer focal lengths result in large defocus ranges. The setting in your camera exists to prevent the lens from continually hunting for a focus that it thinks it can't achieve, and thus protecting the AF motor. You can "help" the lens find focus by manually turning the focus ring closer to the point of focus. The lens should resume AF.
mitesh wrote:
Longer focal lengths result in large defocus ranges. The setting in your camera exists to prevent the lens from continually hunting for a focus that it thinks it can't achieve, and thus protecting the AF motor. You can "help" the lens find focus by manually turning the focus ring closer to the point of focus. The lens should resume AF.
thanks for the advice. Have never used anything more than 400 before. Someone else commented in this thread that one should not expect to use outside focusing points on a f 6.3 lens.. center only...Should I just give up on using zone focus or the non-center points? After all, if we zoom out, we have a wider field of view and an f 5.6 lens, the outside points/zones seem to help, then when we pass 500, it's not effective.
cameron12x wrote:
I tend to agree and I believe this could be one major reason we're seeing such widely varying results across bodies?
Great discussion point!
cameron, abqnmusa,
You may have seen my post about mounting the tamron on my new 70D body and not being able to focus at all in AI servo using non center points. I had the custom function in AF set to stop autofocus, rather than continue when AF not achieved. So basically you are saying, stick to center point when at 600mm (f6.3).??
I was attracted to the 70D in part because of the enhanced # of focus points and the idea of the zones, but I guess there's a trade off when you use slow, long lenses and using those points/zones is a hindrance rather than a help.
wanna buy mine?lol. tx for helping me learn this Hope you find one in stock soon.
. I'm have kept up on all the forums and seen that many users are having issues, some maybe because of a learning curve, some because of issues particular to the equipment. Overall, I'm happy with the sharpness of the lens and that I can now capture subjects that I could not before. There is a whole system to learn, not just lens but how to use it w/the camera, new tripod/head, etc Will be worth the time and money.
on the 70D Under custom function AF # 6,- I had option 1 set, which pretty much stops attempt to autofocus when it doesnt achieve focus right away. I'm not sure if this is the default. Option 0 is to continue to seek focus.. this cleared it up.
thanks for posting this -- I'm pretty sure this is my issue too (on the 6D). I haven't had much time (or light) to play with it, but was disappointed to find it wouldn't focus at all when starting too far oof. I recall setting this to 1. Am now really eager to use the 150-600 again with this setting at 0.
Mine will be delivered tomorrow. I plan to give it a good test shooting basketball with strobes tomorrow evening. I am shooting the two games strictly to test the lens so if it is a complete failure, so be it.
I plan to use a few different bodies too but mainly a 5D III and Mark IIn. I suspect many want to see how it works for something besides birds.
sure. When you read the manual or the "help function" within the menu settings on the 70D, it says that setting 1 (where it stops searching) is "recommended for super telephotos", setting 0 where it keeps hunting "not recommended for super telephotos". That's why I changed it off the default. Someone else explained it; I also was advised to try manually focusing to nudge it towards the right distance. I rarely touch manual focusing w/other lenses.
forgot to "quote" this is resp to White Crowned Sparrow on a wire shot
this is beautiful!!! good job showing off your skill and the equipment.
Also illustrates another plus of this lens.. almost no CA. My Tamron 70-300VC is horrible with tree twigs or wires against a white sky. I was afraid I'd see purple fringing esp in winter w/all the bare twig and white skies.. it has not crept in at all
lescrane wrote:
sure. When you read the manual or the "help function" within the menu settings on the 70D, it says that setting 1 (where it stops searching) is "recommended for super telephotos", setting 0 where it keeps hunting "not recommended for super telephotos". That's why I changed it off the default. Someone else explained it; I also was advised to try manually focusing to nudge it towards the right distance. I rarely touch manual focusing w/other lenses.
But that has nothing to do with the Canon bodies that will not change focus in AI Servo, regardless of what that setting is.
Also, you should not have to manually focus to nudge it towards the right distance, unless it is a fault of the lens, which it is.
I finally got some sun today but it isn't mattering, everything I am shooting is soft. Be it electric poles, and or transformers or what ever. This was the only salvageable shot I got today. Tomorrow I'm going to try it on a tripod. I'm seeing some good results from others so not sure what my problem is.
I took "Big Ron" out for a spin this evening. Two indoor high school basketball games. Let me preface this by saying the long reach of this lens really is not useable for basketball. I always admire those using a 400mm 2.8L successfully. I find my 300mm f2.8L plenty long to manage. My framing on really tight shots were flat out terrible.
However it is sub zero outside and there are no outdoor sports so I used it where I knew it really wasn't well suited. My really goal was to see how it handled and focused specifically tracking objects (players) running towards or away from me. Yes, I shot several sequences of players running to the far end and was just getting the back.
Anyway, my impressions are very favorable. I used both a Canon 5D III and Canon 1D Mark II n and had no noticeable difference in focusing or tracking. I also found it hunted for focus no more than my Canon 300mm f2.8L with a 2x and with the limiter set to infinity.
It is a heavy lens and even for someone shooting tens of thousands of shots per year, I found I need some practice to keep things framed better even using a monopod. I typically shoot with the Canon 70-200 f2.8L II or Canon 70-300 f4-5.6L (which I love) hand held or the Canon 300 f2.8L and a Canon 1.4x on a monopod.
There is no way I took advantage of the capabilities of the lens shooting indoor basketball. However my crude test tells me I will be please come outdoor sports.
Here are a few shots (jpg) sharpened and resized. I did both hand ambient and with my strobes.
I was not shooting in terrible conditions(moderate light and contrast). Is it the fact that at 600 I have a narrower focusing room for error that caused the focusing to stop? or is it the specifics of the lens? So as long as I allowed the camera to "keep hunting" it acquired focus. Since I'm not a BIF or action specialist I'm not bent out of shape if it's not the fastest combination in the world, as long as it doesn't just stop dead in the tracks..
