tommyleong wrote:
5D is clearly better in low light
at ISO 3200, it is immediately clear which one is from the 5D
it'll be the one OOF
I think you should have said "5D has clearly lower noise
at ISO 3200, it is immediately clear which one is from the 5D"
Better in low light doesn't always lower noise at high ISO. I can also mean it focuses better, has better white balance or has fewer artefacts (including noise) during long exposures.
There are pro's and cons of both cameras. Some effect image quality more than others in differing situations. I plan to buy a 40D for use in low light, where as I wouldn't buy a 5D.
When I get my 40D I would like to try it side by side with a 5D. However, I don't know anyone with a 5D. This is because the cons outweighed the pros, sorry ...
I have a 20D and I'm pretty experienced at low light use. The 20D doesn't do well with AF in low light. It never has. I love the 20D but have always experienced that problem with it.
My initial use of the 40D in low light has been excellent. I have achieved focus in very low light levels and it really surprised me. It seems very capable in low light. But, that's just me. My low light experience might not suit someone else. It's just my very humble opinion.
I'm sure that someone with both cameras and a lot of testing experience could put together some tests to show the differences in AF.
A slight tangent.. but you can get all these cameras to focus in near pitch black if you use the ST-E2, the remote flash transmitter. It beams a super intense IR focus assist beam.
A bit general as a question, but what does the better focussing mechanism does to lenses with a history of chasing focus in certain low light conditions, like the 50 f/1,8?
Herve has a good question - I went through several 50mm lenses and eventually gave up on them due to unpredictable focusing - this was back with the 20D and rebel xt. maybe the 40D will work out better with the nifty 50?
And mpanoff, I agree - I use the STE2 for focus assist with natural lighting for parties - works really well.
herve wrote:
A bit general as a question, but what does the better focussing mechanism does to lenses with a history of chasing focus in certain low light conditions, like the 50 f/1,8?
Thanks
I would imagine that any lens that has a history of poor focusing will perform poorly on any camera.
I haven't tried my 50 on my 40D yet but will in the future. I'll check it out then but it's real hard to be objective about it. Of the lenses that I have tried, they performed excellent!
herve wrote:
A bit general as a question, but what does the better focussing mechanism does to lenses with a history of chasing focus in certain low light conditions, like the 50 f/1,8?
Thanks
That 50 1.8 is a piece of junk, no camera will compensate for its design / build quality. The focus mechanism isn't USM.
The 50mm was just an example. 30mm Sigma or 70-300IS, it couda been, just because I own these lenses.
What I was getting at is that having L lenses and non- :L ones, on the same camera, it's obvious the Ls seem to have a better focus response. And since not everyone of us own all ranges at super duper L quality, I was wondering when it comes to focus response, would the 40D afford me more performance than say, my 350D, with non-L lenses.
PS: the 350D is a piece of junk, no L lens will compensate for design-build quality..... Just saving you typing time, Mpanoff!
I was curious about the reliability of the AF on my 40D vs. my 20D and did 11 shots with each using my 100mm macro @ f2.8 (probably the best focusing of my lenses). This was an attempt to see if it finds the same focus every time. Tripod, mirror lockup, cable release, ISO 200, etc.
The 40D seems slightly more consistent to my eye, but not shockingly so. Certainly the 40D can find targets in lower light, but assuming adequate light it's not THAT much better.
WRT to the 50mm f1.8, I tried the same sort of test and it was abysmal. About 1/2 the shots were spot on, 1/4 were a tiny bit front focused, 1/4 were WAY front focused. Also, my sigma EX lenses that work fine on the 20D (70-200 f2.8 and 30mm f1.4) seems to be front focusing a lot more often on my 40D...Guess they need recalibration for the new camera?
JohnnyGCanon wrote:
A little strong don't you think? The 50mm 1.8 is built cheaply but it's IQ is one of the best. For that reason, I sure wouldn't call it "junk"!
I'm sure you must have one to give an opinion like that. I bet you could sell it pretty quickly and should since you think it's junk.
I have one.. actually I had two, ditched one of them.. replaced with a 50 1.4.
Andrew Chase wrote:
When you're using Live View and you enable the grid. You get a "rule of thirds" grid. Can you also enable a "rule of thirds" grid in the viewfinder?
Thanks.
The 4 AF points at the 2:00,4:00,8:00,and 10:00 positions mark out the rule of thirds.
Arrived today. Started by changing ISO to 1-stop levels to remove useless ISO levels such as 125 or 500. Then I took sample shots with lens. Feels very similar in the hand to my old 10d. I really like the indented grip as opposed to the 20d/30d junky Rebel grip.
The toughest part is the ergonomics of all the buttons getting moved from left side of the lcd to under it; I'm not sure how long its going to take to adjust. I keep wanting to touch the lcd screen where a button should be. The 40d also now has 2 buttons I doubt I'll ever use as well - Directprint and the Styles button .
Great update for me though since my 10d shutter was dead and needing replacing anyway ($370!).
timbop wrote:
The 4 AF points at the 2:00,4:00,8:00,and 10:00 positions mark out the rule of thirds.
Just had a look and while the 4 positions are close to a "rule of thirds" position they aren't exactly. They approximate it. Vertically I think if you used those coordinates then yes you would see thirds. It's when you look at them horizontally (drawing an imaginary line from 10:00 to 2:00 and then 8:00 to 4:00) do you see the 2nd third narrow a little.
No big deal. I was just curious. I would have thought that since you could enable a true "rule of thirds" gird on the LCD screen you could also do so in the viewfinder.
Just got mine today as well. I can definitely confirm that AI Servo "drift". Shot some images of a friend skateboarding and it would lock at first, then focus on the fence about 7 feet behind him, then come back to him and then back to the fence for another 2-3 frames. The AF point used was the center, and it remained over him the entire time.
The thing is, this was using the battery that came in the camera box, with a partial charge. Could this cause a problem like this?
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