Canon EOS 5D Mark II – The Autofocus Lie
The Jump
In the picture above you can see two skydivers jumping out of a CASA 212 airplane at high altitude about to freefall down to earth at high speed. This is roughly what Canon’s Director and Chief Executive of Image Communication Products Operations, Masaya Maeda, did recently in an interview with DPreview. The only difference is that Mr. Maeda forgot his parachute inside the airplane.
I read the interview and immediately understood why Canon has failed to deliver with their latest products. I have recently written about the EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II and a load of other problems with Canon’s DSLR division. And it appears we now have a reasonably certain cause of all these problems. And it is a problem Nikon is certainly familiar with, namely, bad and clueless management. A few years ago, Nikon had to change their management to get the company on track again, and the company has since improved bringing some absolutely killer products on the market starting in 2007. And now, it appears that Canon suffers from a similar problem.
If you read the interview, you can see for yourself how clueless the management at Canon is right now. And to be honest, the interview wasn’t even a good one since it was filled with softball questions. For example, there were surprisingly no questions about the 1D Mark III autofocus fiasco. And still, Mr. Maeda managed to screw it up.
One of the most obvious cases of cluelessness or blatant lying can be seen in this part of the interview:
One of the most common complaints we’ve seen about the 5D Mark II is that it still has the same AF system as the original 5D. Why is this?
“Firstly the market’s evaluation of the 5D’s AF system has been very positive; there have been no complaints from users, with everyone saying it’s very good. Given that, to a certain extent, we think we shouldn’t change it. And also there’s some limitation with size; the AF sensor in the 50D is very big; the one in the 5D is much smaller. If we wanted to have all cross-sensors in the 5D Mark II, it would mean we might have to sacrifice the compactness of the body. It’s all a question of balance of features and benefits.”
This answer is simply a serious insult to our intelligence. Nothing more. It looks like Canon, in all its arrogance, thinks its users are so stupid they can tell them anything they want to. First take note of the fact that the DPReview question started by telling Mr. Maeda that “one of the most common complaints we’ve seen about the 5D Mark II is that it still has the same AF system as the original 5D.” If the 5D Mark II AF system was so good, as Mr. Maeda wants us to believe, then why would people be complaining about it not being improved in the 5D Mark II? This doesn’t make sense, ofcourse, but Mr. Maeda seems to be lacking the intelligence to understand this.
Maybe Mr. Maeda would care to explain to us how it is that the EOS 50D, which is roughly the same size as the EOS 5D Mark II, is still able to hold the “very big” AF sensor which can’t fit in the 5D Mark II. Maybe Mr. Maeda would care to explain to us, how it is that Nikon was able to include a 51-point AF sensor in the D700 an D300 cameras, which are roughly the same size as the EOS 5D Mark II. Maybe Mr. Maeda would care to explain to us, how much more room Canon would need to put an AF sensor like the one in the 50D in the 5D Mark II. 2cm? 3cm? Would it have hurt to make the 5D Mark II body 2cm wider to house a better AF sensor? Perhaps Mr. Maeda would also like to explain how it is that he heard no complaints from users, when the Internet is literally filled with complaints about the old 5D autofocus inaccuracy, especially of the outer focus points. The level of cluelessness and arrogance here reaches astounding levels.
Allow me to help Mr. Maeda with some examples of people “not complaining” about the “very good” autofocus in the 5D. All he has to do is merely check the reaction to the interview in this thread on DPReview:
So there you have it. They gave us a lame AF sensor to keep the size down. I wonder how Nikon managed to get a 51-point, 15 cross-type AF sensor into the D700…
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It’s a lie, of course. The true reason is to be searched in marketing strategies.
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He showed so much skill in dancing around the questions posed to him. “No complaints” about the AF in the 5D? No room in the body of a 5D mkII, which is larger than the 50D, for the 50D’s AF sensor? His answers on the G10′s subsequent sensor development path took a limberness that is unexpected, even in an executive of his position. Sheesh.
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They certainly did not ask me. One shot AF is fine as long as you do not try to use one of the outer AF points with fast primes.
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You know, if Mr Masaya Maeda would just give me an honest answer and say “we had to cripple the 5D a little to protect the 1Ds market” then I would stop complaining and probably just go buy either a 5D MkII or 1Ds MkIII. But it is all these lies and deception that is what makes me want to sell all my Canon stuff and switch.
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only makes sense when the consumer has no where else to go. With the Nikon d700, there is a viable route. So instead of keeping Canon users in the family, they will lose them to the d700 because not everyone who wants pro AF wants a brick of a camera.
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I want the camera for IQ with stills, good AF, durability, ….. I don’t want to waste my time with OOF or lose irreplacable shots. While price tends to seperate the camera’s user groups, their are plenty of ‘amatuers’ using some very fine equipment, taking outstsnding photos, and conversly some ‘pros’ using 40D’s and 20D’s (I personally know them). The point… a lot of pros use the 5D. Don’t scrimp on AF. While I don’t necessarily expect 1D AF, I DO EXPECT better than a xxD series, especially when the new 5D is released after the 50D!
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I shot 5D’s for 2 seasons – beautiful files, fine body, lousy AF. Lived with it because there was no alternative for the money. That’s not the case anymore and therein lies the source of the complaints you here. The 5D has 3 things that cost me shots:
1) Poor AF off-centre
2) Shutter lag
3) Mirror-blackout
Over at DWF those are repeated time and time again and have been for a long time now. Chuck Westfall is a member, so we have access to a senior Canon source and Canon are well aware of the complaints.The three issue appear to remain so with the MkII.
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I vote with my wallet. I have two 1D series cameras, got rid of my 5D and went with a D700 because of the AF issue.
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well, now you know why Canon stumbles Always suspected it was top management, now we know for sure.
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The response speaks for itself: Canon are either clueless or disingenuous.
I hope Mr. Maeda reads all of these posts and can get in touch with reality soon. What is going to make all of this even worse, is when Canon will be releasing the 5D Mark III in the future, or a similar sized body, with a much better AF sensor, something that is bound to happen. In hindsight, Mr. Maeda’s answer is going to look even more ridiculous.
At this point you may also be interested to read my previous post on the 5D Mark II autofocus shortcomings. There certainly are people at Canon who have a clue, and let’s hope that they will be able to get a hold on things soon. It looks like the 5D Mark II is not going to be able to go up against the Nikon D700, especially not if Nikon drop their prices once general availability of the 5D Mark II becomes a fact. Sit back and watch it happen.
Update 10/05/2008: Also check this comment. And if you happen to have Mr. Maeda’s email address, send it to me so I can get in touch with him personally.
IMPORTANT Update 12/22/2008: Read my latest post on the 5D Mark II, especially before you buy!
This entry was posted
on Saturday, October 4th, 2008 at 8:21 am by Karel Donk
and is filed under 
October 4th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Right on, bro!
I love this article. Now I am much more convinced to ‘jump ship’, because the guys at Canon don’t seem to understand certain things.
Mr. Maeda clearly doesn’t live in the now, but way in the past. Or does he believe his own lie.
I have already put my focus on a D300 which will be my first Nikon.
Thanks for the sublime way of putting down this subject, my friend. Keep on opening our eyes.
For those who are still asleep………
October 7th, 2008 at 2:16 am
Thanks for a very interesting website.
A Canon photographer with interests in Rense.com + 911 + Inforwars is almost too good. Thanks.
If you think Canon is a big mess, and maybe too expensive, go and look for
german Leica. Had both the SLR and the M6 viewfinder cameras and it was just pain pain pain…
One M6 lens had to be re-adjusted, and when it came back, there was dust inside between the lens-elements, and they were not even tightened properly in their holders, making a slight noise when shaking the lens . The SLR camera viewfinder info didn´t show the actual aperture settings the lens would use when pressing the button. Sold all my Leica after some years. Currently have Canon and Mamiya RZ67 all non-digital, but after reading your blog I have to reconsider if a Canon D5 Mark 2 will be the right choice for my first all digital Canon. Hmmm, very depressing..
Thanks Thomas
October 11th, 2008 at 9:47 am
First of all EOS 5D Af is very preciseand accurate whre the camera itself has been targeted. Its not a sport camera. For that its the 1DmkII, -N and III bodies.
And secondly Your opinions are simply trash … of course Youareentitled to say what You want but claiming 5DmkII AFfaulty is idiotic. Which goes to that You have to be nothing more than a TROLL.
Go crawl back to Your cave …
October 11th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I believe you are the troll here…
October 11th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I saw many of you complain about this interview of this Canon executive, especially on this very point on 5D II AF issue. I rather see his answer as very skillful. One should always consider the followings:
1) Very few 5D owners complained about 5D AF until when they saw what Nikon offered last year. So the statement from this Canon executive is quite accurate.
2) The AF issue on 1DsIII is a fiasco to Canon, I believe he realises this fact. If I were him, I would not want to repeat the same fiasco in a new camera release. I will choose to use a proven AF system even though it is a bit old. The best is using the old one which could focus well though a bit inadequate compared with the one from Nikon. This could be the reason why the price of this features packed camera is set at 2,700 USD.
3) A new AF system for this level of camera from Canon must be better than the one currently used in 1DsIII. Canon may have it and fully tested it at the moment, I don’t know. If it is true, Canon must put it in the 1DsIV before the 5D line, this is simple marketing sense. I think this 5DII is a temporary answer to Nikon aggressiveness, there will be a new body with better AF and weather sealed release after Canon releases 1DsIV.
What is Ironic to me is everybody who complains about this AF never says that they are willing to pay a higher price should they get better AF.
October 11th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I don’t agree with your statement that the better AF should cost more, at least not in this case. Nikon has a 51-point AF in the D300 which costs around $1600. How is it that Canon can’t put at least something like that in a body that costs $2700 ?????????????????????
I would have been somewhat satisfied with at least the 50D AF in the 5D2. Even that was impossible for Canon.
October 12th, 2008 at 3:31 am
Not to mention that they fit the 45-point pro AF into an (analog) EOS 3 body…
Maybe the 45-point AF module is a lot smaller than the 9-point module of the EOS 50D
October 12th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Simply use contrast detect AF in live view mode and you will have an unlimited number of focus points AND absolute accuracy. What more do you want?
For all I care, they could drop the beam splitter AF capability from DSLRs alltogether and give us back the bright, high magnification viewfinder of the FD mount manual focus cameras..
October 12th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
The interesting thing is the fact that so many written so much about a camera almost no one ever laid their greedy little hands on…
For me it`s a must buy camera.
I have no use for a “super fast” focus or high bursts of fps since stuff like that will be shot by my old trusty 40D that i have been capuring birds in flight with my 24-70L 2.8 and even shot picures from far away with my 70-200l 4 IS where perhaps usually 4 out of 6.5 fps are in crisp focus.
When i buy the 5D Mk II it will be 99% for the large prints shot in studios, outdoors from a tripod and all the other non-action pictures I usually take.
It`s pretty easy to get all worked up about what they dont include in a new camera, but there are cameras that if you pay for it you get the speed and crazy auto focus…
Also the fact that atleast I invested bigtime into the L series and primes from Canon would atleast scare me from switching to the nikon camp.
Next year or 2 perhaps the killer camera will surface from Canon and totally annihilate all competitors and all will be nice and dandy again and all fanboys will once agin cheer.
But till that day we just have to be happy with what they offer.
Think Plasma/LCD flat panel tv`s, the one`s invested in “expensive” models say 1-2 years back are totally raped by new models with 10 times better picture, that`s how new technology works (and marketing depts…)
Well I will go grab a new 5D Mk II and take it for a spin and see if I like it and if it satisfies my needs before I go monkey and start postingcrazy talk!
October 12th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Different companies offer different products and market them differently. As a consumer, we’re entitled to choose products accordingly. I’d choose products suited to my needs and disregard those that don’t. At the end of the day, we choose the products we buy… no use blaming people for what we have decided to purchase. Nothing against you as I do feel for you though that you’ve heavily invested in a lot of canon gear, and in the end aster a few years, their line up doesn’t seem to match what the competition offers for your style of shooting that sure sucks man. Thanks for sharing as I’ve just started with some basic Canon gear and am thinking twice now before upgrading and plunking the big ones.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
So why may I ask is 51 AF points more accurate than 9? More choice does not mean more accuracy. Also, it seems like it would take a long time to cycle through them.
Having owned a Canon 5D, and having used a Nikon D300 quite often, I would never say the D300 has a higher amount of in focus shots. Also, when enabling only 11 points on the Nikon system, they are all clustered in the center circle, which is completely useless.
The fact is, the 5D produces MUCH better files, with a simple, yet reliable AF system. 51 inaccurate points is far more a curse than a blessing.
Give me a 5D or 5DII over a D300 or D700 any day. Simple to use, reliable, and beautiful RAW files, vs an overcomplicated, packed with features camera system without the IQ to back it up.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:35 am
The INTERVIEW:
), I’ll tell you if the AF is that “bad” (the one from the 50D, the one I already use, is not bad at all). Until then…
You are 98% right.
You are, however, 2% wrong, because 5D MK II is NOT a lousy camera. It simply DOES what it was DESIGNED to do, and nothing more.
The FINANCIALS
Trust me, I am a Canon user and I simply WANT better products from Canon. Yes, the 5D MK II might not have the ultimate AF system (and that piece of interview makes me hate that executive guy), but that’s just for the PROFIT, dude, and this is not a game of VOLUME, but of profitability per unit.
As many people can figure out, Canon is a MUCH LARGER CORPORATION than Nikon (check some financial data). Canon needs a much serious “blow” from Nikon in order to lower the profitability (read: to have a 150 AF points system with “area AF” option in the next gen AF sensor- you don’t know what that is, don’t you? I’ll give you a clue – the human eye is a huge AF sensor, and some people in the industry are working like hell to put this principle in their DSLR cameras… remember that the “eye-like” color capturing ideea went wrong – see Foveon sensor, so something else must be done)
The TECHNOLOGY
You see, when 5D WAS already on the market, it was simply the king of the hill in high ISO… no Nikon in sight (sorry guys, I really test from time to time Nikon cameras -from my friends- and I know that there’s a lot of very good photographic material out there – but this simply was not the case when 5D arrived)
The QUESTIONS
And now, honestly, the two billion dollar questions: who has a 21 MP sensor on the market with that HIGH ISO IQ? Nikon? Sony? How many of you guys will send your 200 mm f/2 L IS USM to the recycle bin? Or the 800 mm f/5.6 L IS USM?
The END
You might have your Nikon for the AF “hype” (for now) and for the “professional look” (D3, D700). I agree. And that’s why competition is good…
When I’ll have my MK II (final version
Thank you. Zerg
October 25th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Consider the TRUE IMAGE QUALITY from Canon.
The 9-point AF in Canon is more accurate that Nikon’s 51 AF. Result can be seen on AI Servo mode.
In anyway, Canon’s image quality is WAY TO FAR BETTER than Nikon’s.
Try long exposure, bulb mode, at least 80 seconds: Nikon D700 @ f/4 and Canon 5D @ f/4
Just my two cents.
October 25th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Everyone knows Canon has better image quality, but what good is better image quality when your picture is soft or out of focus?
October 29th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Fully agree with the above. I use Canon for small-size reproductions, as well as fotoshoots, larger Hasselblad for the 40+ Mp reproductions. Canon´s color capabilities blow me away each and every time. Even a simple 1000 US 40D delivers as good color as the big sensor in the Hasselblad (just not as good quality pixelwise, but I don´t know of any DSLR that can compete with midformat anyway). Color: that´s why I chose Canon for smallformat, and not Nikon. And L-lenses, naturally.
To me, the big headache is the shutter lag. I was very much willing to buy the 5D Mark II, but 73 ms makes the camera useless to me. I might consider Nikon, but the color is simply not good enough.
I don´t care much about AF: manual focus is usually faster with me – though nowadays indeed far more difficult than it used to be with the analogue Canons. In fact, color is the only good thing about all this digital crap: I get as good a result as I used to do with professional emulsion. And that is something that still amazes me each time I see the result on my screen.
Canon still makes great DSLRs! (and yes, with you I could WISH they made them faster, leave out the video joke and concentrate on the professional side, speed, AF; all true. But still: great camera´s!)
November 1st, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Did anyone ever hear of MANUAL focus?
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:36 pm
agree with HUMPHREY, it doesn’t mean more focus point is more accurate ?????? they can make 1001 focus point, but miss. find canon focus point even only 9+6 is more accurate than , Nikon gear , become good because their excellent marketing strategy , not because their hv better camera, about full frame , canon hv since 2002,canon hv excellent 45 focus point since long time ago limeted due For 1D series, Nikon just well behind Last year D3, just keep copying , nikon hv 51 FP just last year just suddenly become hype, hw compare before 2007 nikon PF compare1d canons, well too much behind from canon, but not much became hype, Canon tried CMOS, Nikon followed and many things,but I hv do admit nikon make better body, look better to grab the ameteur/beginner attention, they don’t knowreally what it mean gd/bad picture. mostly they thought picture look better on their LCD, they just buy because Nikon camera look better also hype, also Nikon hv better features not quality
media too much hype For high Iso lately, hw before canon3 yeard old 5d still gd at high iso, rarely been so much exposed in media, Hw about low iso, low iso 50-100 , canon still ahead not even become hype??? canon able to make much morePixel ( 21MP) camera, media say we don’t need them, I would like to c know nikon just wanna release 24mp camera, what media would say, we don;t need nikon hv 24 mp camera. I quess not, they will say we need 24 MP , it usefull hv more pixel l!!!!! and blah blah blah
But Nikon become gd camera in digital era, also because help from sony, thanks to sony who help them make nikon sensor, Nikon not able to make a gd digital sensor,
the bottom line, this person karel also most people easier to talk/critize but in the real business they can’t do any better, worst instead.
critize Mr Maeda, he think he is clever than him and know more hw to run canon marketing??/ Canon/ mr Maeda hv a reason why new 5D MKII stay with same FP, is better hv.more FP , but not always,also important hw is accurate? Mr maeda think don’t need to chance because is so accurate already, why make to 21MP ( most peple say we don’t them) Mr maeda don’t need to explain why why? He know the answer,
Nikon produce colour, especially in their LCDr be honest, it’s too much colour, too vivid, it isn’t real, canon produce more natural colour , close to natural colour what we see wht the camera produce , !!!!!!!! yes look better, vivid colour but not so real, why people become start like unnatural colour because help hype of media, ,gd investing in advertising and marketing,
December 6th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I 100% agree with this. I just picked up my 5d mark 2 last week and I’m already experiencing some problems. I own a 50d as well and the AF on the 50d is much more usable than the 5d2, which is absolutely rediculous! My biggest complaints are the size of the 9 points (all bunched up in the middle), and the inability to focus when the AF point is on a dark surface. The first one I guess I can live with, but the 2nd one is absolutely not acceptable! Especially when the 50d has no problems with that whatsoever.
The 5d2 IQ is amazing, but the AF system really failed.
Just ranting..
December 6th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
While I would have liked to see a 50D style AF system in the 5D Mark II, I cannot think of a single one of the photographers I know using a 5D that don’t think of it as the best digital camera to come along. At the end of the day, image quality is the ultimate goal and the 5D delivers. Plus, the fact that the 5D series of cameras is targeted at landscape and studio photographers probably had a lot to do with the lack of an AF upgrade. Canon spent the money where it matters, on image quality. If you want to shoot action, take a look at a model designed for that sort of photography. The 50D is a great camera, and the extra magnification factor will help pull in those frame filling compositions. You could even use the extra bucks you saved on your camera body to buy a new lense! Despite Nikon’s recent line of quality cameras, it was Nikon, not Canon, who basically dropped off the face of the earth for years with a whole slew of sub-par cameras. Every single photographer I know who used Nikon in the film days is now a Canon shooter! That says a lot when it is your livelihood that is on the line. Maybe Canon should have done more, but at least they didn’t leave us with a pack of crap for years on end!
December 6th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
The 40D and 50D will focus faster in One Shot AF mode with the outer focus points because they are crosstypes and extra sensitive. The 5D2 outer focus points are not crosstype, only the center one. So it’s no surprise that they suck.
More focus points doesn’t mean it’s more accurate, but more focus points gives you more options for composition, and more CROSSTYPE focus points give you more accuracy. The Nikon D300/700 have about 15 crosstype focus points!
The 5D2 now has an even bigger problem. Image quality issues. Just read the following link:
http://fakechuckwestfall.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/black-dots-from-hell-is-the-5d-mark-ii-fucked
December 17th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
All I can say is are you sure you don’t work for Nikon and this looks like industrial espionage to me lol
How can the two cameras be compared Nikon 700 has 12 mega pixels this one has 21.
And bad shutter lag ??? ummm millisecond [ms]: 73 = 0.073 of a second
Come on really if you’re going to slate this product at least do your home work… How many milliseconds do you think it takes to respond to an action shot I mean the time it takes U to see the shot and press the shutter? A lot more than 73 I’m sure.
There is 1000 milliseconds to a second by the way
December 30th, 2008 at 2:33 am
its a combo of byebye canon and year 2008, say hello to nikon and year 2009.
i’ve finally made my up my mind to jump ship to nikon after waiting for a year plus surviving on 5D replacement rumors and eventually 5Dii is a disappointment.
nuff said abt the old AF system. 21mpx? i’d probably need 2132432114gig of memory card to shoot a wedding assignment. If i were to use sRaw on a 5dii, why not the d700 with superior AF? on top of that, i have to worry about black dots from hell and possible noise banding too.
Maeda!!!! get the message already!! i dont think luck is enough for you to survive in coming 2009.
January 31st, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I have used Canon 5D cameras for 2 years and love them, they have made my business as they are dependable and just work without thinking. I have just got the 5D Mk 2 and used it for the last month. The image quality at iso 200 and 400 amazing ISO 6400 rubish. I think the camera has been over hyped and canon are probably going to be in trouble……It is a sketchy camera…the video mode locks up when you use the highest raw mode and the autofocus on my camera hunts…….o dear canon……it is like they sent me a beta version….obviously not the same one as Vincent Laforet. Anyway back to autofocus…..if you select just the center point only and focus some of the other points glow red as well in a sort of twitchy focus….not quite focussing way…the center point lights up fully.
I’m going back to my 5d for now and will send it back to canon
February 5th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I just returned a new 5dII that would only accurately focus on a stationaary contrast flat object 70 % of the time. My 1ds would rarely miss focus ever under any situation. same was true of my eos 3. Its gonna be sony or nikon so look for my L lens on EBAY.
This was exhaustive testing on two lens with and without IS on withand without tripod stopped down 1.5 stops
March 31st, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Hi Steve,
In regards to Sony DSLR’s I’d wait till Sony release more models, its still early days for them and they released only 1 semi-professional (a700), 4 entry level models and 1 full frame professional camera (a900). If their new models aren’t any good then get a Nikon d700.
someguy6481
May 25th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Canon fanboys use certain tactics when the integrity of their equipment or their deity (Canon) is put into question. I have compiled a list of the most common apologetics and accusations:
- you don’t know how to use your equipment.
- error 99′s are a normal feature.
- Nikon have errors as well, so it’s normal for Canon to have them.
- there is nothing wrong with the auto focusing system, it’s your fault.
- quality control costs money (as mentioned previously).
- it’s normal to recalibrate your lenses, even from a “L” range lens.
- lens hood are additional accessory and should be sold separately.
as we can see, circular reasoning and lying is a trait of the Canon fanboys and of Canon executive.
what I find most insulting is that a once great leader in photography will sell faulty DSLR cameras in exchange for your hard earned cash. Canon are seriously taking you for a bunch of fools, wake up people, there are alternatives.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
The Canon 5D MK II has focusing problems – period!!! Thanks for posting these blogs because I thought i was going crazy! Review I wrote that Canon hasn’t posted on their website!!
I know this will sound strange but I love this camera but it’s going back to be exchanged tomorrow! I’ve used it for 28 days (50mm 1.4, 24-105L 4.0, 85mm 1.8, vertical grip, 580 EX II) and made the mistake of assuming this product would work as advertised, but in the real world electronics don’t always work. I’ve done several photo shoots and two weddings, at first I thought it was just me being too overzealous trying to be creative and not taking my time focusing – but a steady pattern began to develop.
Close to 50% (30%-50%) of the shots were out of focus. Finally yesterday (5-24-09) and today I did extensive testing on a tripod using the 10 sec timer and ended up with the same 30%-50% shoots out of focus. I am hoping this is an anomaly and my replacement camera will work but unfortunately I found on the net that several people are reporting the same thing, “focus problems.” Others are saying they have no problem at all so it could be just a bad batch or a particular production plant (who knows).
What is for sure is that when it works it’s unbelievable and the video is incredible also (high quality short clips is all I need for advertising and this more than fits the bill). Plus, word is out that a free firmware update allowing you to shoot in full HD using manual exposure controls including ISO, aperture and shutter speed will be out in June.
I say it’s worth the try, be mindful and test it thoroughly (tripod w/timer) before the exchange period ends and make sure it is focusing and giving you the photos you deserve after spending this kind of money. I don’t want to go to the Nikon D700 but if the problem persists – I need a camera that works and produces usable professional results – my customers demand it!
Jury still out
no in body stabilization
Sony’s flash better design for portraits
June 19th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I have recently purchased a 5 D Mark II. My question is when one is shooting in video mode, I seem to be manually focusing rather than having autofocus available. Which setting should the camera be on to allow autofocus in video as a subject moves?
June 19th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Rich, you can’t autofocus in video mode on the 5D mark II. Only manual focus.
July 13th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
i’ve been suspect over a couple of shoots now.luckily the output for the clients has been small.
i tested 2* 5DmarkII bodies with both a 85 1.2 prime & a 50 1.4 prime lens. i measured from the body with distances over 2m,4m & 6m with a focus point of a piece of cardboard with attached tear sheets with beauty products. i interchanged both cameras & lens at those points.they were also both standardized with aperture & tripod/timer. i was in a studio with two flash heads pointed into the ceiling.
i have to say i wish i could have tested a old 5d model aswell for comparsion sakes, but both cameras calibrated with DPP software looked soft without any sharpening. not blurry just soft. sharpening from 3 onwards(only in RAW) seems to me a typical standard.
i aint too sure what to do next as i cant afford a new nikon & as i’ve just tested 2 bodies(which were purchased at different dates), what advantage would a new exchanged body give me?
if you use DPP how far in sharpening can you go?
i’m disappointed that autofocusing is something i cant fully trust now & im out of ideas.
go to manual focus?(which sucks,my eyes aint so good) maybe try the micro adjustment on the camera?i have to hire lens which means i cant recalibrate the lens.
damm that cost me 3k.
July 26th, 2009 at 4:59 am
I just have to comment here.
It’s my first time ever taking part on any discussion revolving around cameras and technology.
But here we go…
I just bought 5d MKii + 24-105L F4 + 85 f1.8
After using pretty much every Nikon & Canon DSLR camera out there, I finally (after 8 years of waiting) think that I am holding a real camera. A camera that captures the scenes as I want, and produces lovely quality for minimum postprocessing and large magnifications – For me a large print would be around 1 meter for the longer side of the print.
Straight out of the camera, the pictures have a “quality”, which I previously haven’t found in any DSLR (Not really played with the sony a900 or nikon d3x -so no experience over there).
It’s almost like looking at a medium format scan. Not quite, but almost, and that is enough. With careful framing and composition, some brilliant photographs can be produced, something which isn’t possible without 20+ megapixels and L glass.
Ah and the autofocus. Yep, it’s slowish. It’s not quite accurate. Comparing to an old Nikon d2 autofocus system, it’s like driving a bulldozer compared to a slick sportscar. In dark it struggles to find the center spot etc. I am actually thinking of trying manual focus with this camera! Maybe some Zeiss manual focus lenses would do wonders…?
But that’s not the point. With this camera, I think one doesn’t do so much of action photography anyway. How many of you have run around with a medium format camera, trying to focus on moving objects with finger on automatic-fire? – That’s what I thought.
This is a camera, that brings back photography to (digital) photographers after many years of darkness – unless you have afforded a medium format digital back previously!
It’s not perfect. It needs careful planning and careful execution. It’s great – with limitations!
Best wishes to you all,
get the camera you deserve!
August 15th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Bought a D700 and a AF-S 24-70 three weeks ago, and before that I was using a 5D. I’m afraid I have to agree with you. While the 5D’s AF is decent when using the center AF point with prime lenses, the AF accuracy for zoom lenses like 24-105L and 24-70L is rather poor. And 5D can’t tracking moving subjects.
With the D700, I get 99.999% AF accuracy with MOVING subjects, a hit-rate better than 5D’s on STATIONARY subjects.
Someone in Canon need to be sacked.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:03 am
“With the D700, I get 99.999% AF accuracy with MOVING subjects, a hit-rate better than 5D’s on STATIONARY subjects.”
-Yep, that’s what I would think!
It’s true, even with stationary subjects I have to be very careful… and still many are slightly out of focus. (or should I say the focus was where it was, because something happened in my camera movement or subject distance between firing the shutter and focus lock, or it wasn’t locked correctly in the first place!)
In indoor photography, with a maximum aperture, the camera doesn’t tolerate shake or movement well… So last time I used a tripod! (non-center composotion and focusing was really difficult with the tripod) I think this Eos- battery grip could actually balance the camera and make it much more usable (just my guess really) ?
Still I am very pleased with the succesful pictures. Totally. So as long I know what I am doing, and get a little bit lucky, I am absolutely happy with it. Actually I think I am shooting pictures now more than ever.
October 15th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I’ve had the 5D Mark II since 12/2008 (10 months), my main concern was the cameras total inability to focus on a dark subject even with a 580 exii flash onboard.
Other focusing issues seem to be croppying up. Baffles me because I totally did not see this coming. I use 24-105 4.0 L IS, 24-70 2.8L, 100 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 L IS.
I haven’t tried the manual focus since I can’t trust my eyes. After my recent experiences I’m going to take a shot at manual.
When I searched on this issues I was hoping to find a solution such as a firmware update.
gary