5D to Mk II focus issue?

<p>I am rather late with upgrading from my 5D to the MK II.<br /> I really needed the extra file size for bigger prints. So I sold the 5D & on Sat I bought a new Mk II<br /> <br /> To date I have only taken a handful of shots but the focus seems 'a hair' off - is that possible?<br /> Anyone else...is it a known issue?</p>

<p>I have years of experience with the 5D & my lenses so I know what it 'should' look like</p>

<p>Thanks<br>

Frank</p>

<p>Have you tried Micro Focus Adjustment..? And if not, why..?</p>

<p>because I expect it to be pin sharp out of the box - just as my 5D was</p>

My 5D2 seems to autofocus accurately. Sounds like yours doesn't. As noted, it's possible to fine-tune the focus. Annoying as it may be, it probably won't adjust itself, no matter how hard you expect it to.

<p>Frank: MFA is there for a reason so use it. This is one of the best features that has come along (with room for improvement, for sure, but great even "as is.") You may also pack the stuff and cart it off to Canon.</p>

<p>FWIW: Even though all cameras and lenses I use are adjusted by Canon when first put in service, pretty much all require some MFA adjustment, and sometimes there is a world of difference between MFA 0 and +1.</p>

<p>All things mechanical and electronic need adjustments: when you buy a car, the dealer does a lot of work before delivery because the car straight from the manufacturer would simply not run properly if at all. When you buy a plasma TV you do adjust various parameters to your liking, don't you? Then why not do it with a camera..?</p>

<p>Are you pixel peeping? You are looking at a much bigger "print" compared to your 5D classic and therefor it would be normal to look softer at 100%.<br>

And yes, use MFA - that's why it's there!</p>

I find most of my lenses don't need MFA on my 5D2. However, one of them does and having MFA is a real life saver.

Before you had to grin 'n bare it. Realize each lens will require differing amounts of MFA, so you need to carefully test

each one. So no issues with mine. Works great and I'm happy with the AF for my style of shooting (landscape, travel &macro).

<p>Another thing that may be happening: Maybe the focus was just "a hair" off with the original 5D but because of the smaller file size you didn't notice it?</p>

<p>If the focus is off on all the lenses, the camera body might need to be calibrated. Canon will do that for free under warranty.</p>

<p>Extraordinary.<br>

I have been shooting for decades and digitally for 5.5 years and had never heard of MFA or that it was necessary to calibrate lenses. I learn something new everyday. OK, I'll check it out in the manual and if anyone wants to share an easy & inexpensive way to do it that'd be great.</p>

<p>Hi Frank. Here are some simple instructions to get you started:</p>

<p><a href="http://jasonweddington.com/2011/01/fixing-focus-issues-with-af-microadjustment/">http://jasonweddington.com/2011/01/fixing-focus-issues-with-af-microadjustment/</a></p>

<p>My problem was specific to a certain lens, so the lens was to blame, not the body. With the 5D MkII you can apply per-lens adjustments, if you have a few lenses that don't focus properly. Or you can apply the same adjustment to all lenses, which you would do if each lens is off by the same amount.</p>

<p>This is C.Fn. III, menu item 8 on the 5D Mark 2.</p>

Make sure that you eliminate all other options before you use MFA. My 5D is spot on or very close with most lenses

so my MFA adjustments are quite small

Could this be the issue?

 

http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2011/05/01/why-your-21mp-file-looks-softer-than-your-12mp-image-at-100

 

Dan

<p>Thanks for this. I was just looking at some images at 50% to see how they'd compare. Unfortunately I no longer have my original 5D to do a real world side-by-side. The thing is that with my 5D I could count the eyelashes, see crisp blood vessels in the whites of the eyes - that's how sharp & clear it was. Now I cant and I doubt it's just the file size & 100% viewing. But I'm no expert on this matter so I stand to be corrected</p>

<p>A 5DII portrait lest you see all the minor things the subject would want to hide. If you cannot resolve eyelashes on a 5DII portrait then you have an issue. They shooting a test target or newspaper on the wall at a similar subject distance and see what happens - if it is not sharp and you are at low ISO, on a tripod etc... then you need MFA. Use the live view mode and the 10x magnification as you play.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone. I have it done now and will do a shoot today and hopefully have good sharp images:-) A follow up question is - once its done , its done - right ? No need to re-do from time to time?</p>