recalls... 1dmarkIII

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>Had a month free so I decided to send both my 5D and mkIII in for recall issues, mirror arm on the 5D and "electronic adjustment" on the mark III, wondering if anyone else had the mkIII fixed and if there were any noticble differences... I have'nt had much of a test yet... so, any noticible improvements?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>My 1Ds3 is performing better with peripheral AF points than before the fix/firmware update. I never had any AF issues after the first submirror fix on the two 1D3 I use (I don't own these) and frankly I don't know what Canon did to these bodies in the lastest round of fixes but neither shows change in any direction in AF performance.<br>

You may wanto to search the 'net (places like sportsshooter, etc.) for opinions about various fixes to 1D3 but keep in mind that many comments come from the people who have never been within spitting distance from the camera in question...</p>

<p>My 1DMKIII just suddenly started having autofocus problems after thousand of good shots. Works great on static shots, but not on objects moving towards me, like a long jumper approaching the sand pit.<br>

I'm waiting for the shipping label to be emailed so I can send it in. I'll report back when I get it back.<br>

Mike</p>

<p>I sent mine in for the latest update. I wasn't having any problems, but I was surprised at how much better it is after the update. It's really rare getting a focus error shooting action now. </p>

<p>I got mine back 2-3 weeks ago. So far, what I see is that the 1Ds3 seems to be improved a bit. The 1D3 doesn't. I used the same settings of 1Ds3 for 1D3, but I don't see any improvement. I need more test cases though to confirm this. I also need more test cases to really confirm the fix does improve my 1Ds3.</p>

<p>Notice that this AF problem, while shown universally among most 1D3 and 1Ds3, it is more like varied among individual camera. I know people who own 1D3, and even after the 1st fix, their camera works well.</p>

<p>Jeff and some others mirror the experience of friends who have stayed with the 1DMkIII. Some noticed improvement, some didn't. After 3 of them in quick succession with autofocus tracking problems I undid the deal and stuck with the 1KMkIIn. I really wish the MkIII performed as promised on AF because the image quality in all other respects was excellent. So, I wait until the MkIV and then only after it has been out for some time. Come on Canon and get us the gear we need without the glitches. If you do that some of us will buy and use it. My Nikon buddies keep showing me results that look great. I do understand that now matter what is great now will be passed shortly with the next generation. Just wish the AF fixes on the MkIII worked all the time and I would have one of them.</p>

<p>No difference, here. Still inconsistent focus at f/1.4 (20-40% of pics out of focus). Canon says this is normal.</p>

 

<p>I do know from experience that the choice of focus point in closer work at wide apertures is a problem with most AF cameras. Few do enough testing to find out just where the AF points really are spot on. Close work at wide apertures looks great when it works. Manual focus this way was fine for me for years and then the eyes get older and AF comes to the rescue... sort of. Not as accurate as I used to be(per a review of older contact sheets & louping the original negatives) but pretty good compared to old eyes. Just wish it was a bit better.<br>

Can calling this 'normal' isn't comforting at all. Practice might help. I know with the MkIII I tried shooting with the center AF on the eyes rather on the chest of competitors running directly toward me in hopes the AF problem had to do with it picking up the pumping hands that at times rose up far enough to maybe influence the Auto Focus sensor. Didn't work, was still off. I was better with manual focus and the years of experience. Shame to pay for a 600 f/4 AF only to find the old manual skills are better than the latest/greatest camera body made specifically for what I was doing.<br>

So, I wait for the MkIV to come out and hope it works well. Meanwhile the 1DMkIIn's are still holding up well. (any chance Canon, for eye controlled focus like the EOS 3 when the MkIV comes out?)<br>

Those who have MkIII's that are working well are lucky. The image quality is excellent. Just wish my experience had been positive and I would be using them.</p>