Canon 5D Mark II AF Problem!

<p>I have missed a couple of shots because the Canon 5D Mark II has failed to focus. In one occasion, it occurred inside a church while shooting a baptism using flash. I first took a shot to the subject and the camera focused fine; Immediately after I tried to take essentially the same shot by recomposing the image slightly but the camera failed to focus (exposure ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/40 sec, IS ON). This issue has occurred unexpectedly more than ten times already. It is independent of the type of lens since it has happened with either the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS or the 16-35mm f/2.8 II. It takes a few seconds for the camera to refocus again. It is frustrating and sometimes the subjects have noticed that I am having a technical issue.<br>

I would like to know if this a problem that is unique to my camera or if this is a more general issue with the Canon 5D Mark II.</p>

<p>Thank you for your comments.</p>

<p>Nicolas</p>

<p>Mine doesn't do that...</p>

<p>All cameras do that in dim light with low contrast subjects. The question here is a matter of degree. Normally in such situations I use only the center AF point as it is the most sensitive and dependable. If it misses, I grab the MF ring and dial in focus the old fashion way. It's easiest to do this with AF assigned to the (*) button and use the shutter only to trip the shutter.</p>

<p>Without further information, it is difficult to give an opinion. What was the AF drive mode? What was the AF point selection mode? Etc, etc.</p>

<p>It's not unexpected in low light, especially with any of the 8 outer focus points which are all linear sensors. The center sensor is a cross sensor and so may perform better in low light with low contrast subjects.</p>

<p>The 1Ds MkIII is better but it costs more than double. However, for a working professional who needs the best possible AF, the additional cost is worth it.</p>

<p>I find that only using the center AF point for any subjects where there focus in challenging helps. I have found that if the camera is in auto selection of the AF point and the conditions are poor (dark light, fast moving subject or limited contrast / edges) the auto AF is not very happy and can hunt. With the center selected I have only had focus issues with a subject that is travelling fast and suddenly appears (e.g. a skier jumping off a cliff when shot from below - so you cannot see the skier until they are in the air above you). In these situations even my EOS 1Vs struggle.</p>

<p>Didn't I read on this Forum that the Canon man said that the AF on the 5D mk2 was perfectly adequate. I assumed this took into consideration that because of the low light capabilities of the camera the AF would be similarly first rate under these conditions. I think most 5Dmk2 owners would rather a first rate AF instead of first rate movie mode. To my mind ISO 800, 1/40th at f4 is dim but not dark, similar to under heavy cloud, and conditions where I would expect the AF to work</p>

<p>I don't have a 5DII, but I rarely have AF problems with my vintage old skool 5D. Of course the photog needs to take charge of the camera. They're always a way around a problem. You just gotta finesse it a bit.</p>

<p>Use the center focus point. Use faster lenses in dim light. Help the camera out by putting the focus point on an area where it can easily attain focus. That is, don't expect your camera to focus on a solid color (either the black of the tuxedo or the white of the gown) in dim light. Find a contrast difference.</p>

<p>I've missed catching fish because my rod failed to hook them. :)</p>

<p>Eric</p>

<p>No I know what he's talking about, mine does the same thing. I have mine set to focus using the AF-ON button. Most of the time, no problem, but sometimes I press the button repeatedly and it won't even attempt to focus (ie, nothing happens).... This happens with all of my lenses (70-200, 24-70, 17-40) and in any lighting situation, any AF configuration (single point, multipoint). At first I thougth it was just me, but it's been happening with some regularity, it's repeatable for the most part.<br>

No it's not a contrast issue... I can center the focus point on a sharp contrasty edge, and when it's acting up, it does nothing. Usually if I zoom in/out, A quick turn back/forth of the FTM, or restarting the camera solves the problem, but obviously I shouldn't have to do that.<br>

I'm assuming some kind of firmware issue, maybe an issue with the AF-ON button. I'm going to contact Canon this week regarding the issue.<br>

Anyone else have a 5Dmk2? Please try using AF-On and let me know if it fails to do anything on occasion.</p>

 

<p>Update: contacted canon, they said it is an issue requiring servicing. They stopped short of saying it's a known issue, but she said i'd want to get it in right away to avoid the issue progressiely worsening.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Of course the photog needs to take charge of the camera. They're always a way around a problem. You just gotta finesse it a bit.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>And sometimes there's a genuine issue with equipment failing.. Suprise surprise.</p>

<p>Since you are using flash anyway, you could also use it's AF assist feature.</p>

<p>I'm having the exact same problem, usually when I try to refocus shortly after getting the focus. This is what happens:<br>

- I use autofocus (always using the center focus point only),<br>

- camera gets correct AF<br>

- I recompose my shot so I have to AF again<br>

- the camera fails to AF. When using a IS lens the IS remains active even though I have released the shutter button.<br>

This has happened outside on a very sunny day, so it's definitely not an issue with not having enough light.<br>

I can still take a picture, and after 7 or 8 seconds the focus 'unlocks' and I can AF again. Turning the camera on and off also fixes the problem.<br>

At first I thought it was an issue with my IS lens, but I've also experienced this problem with a another lens.<br>

I'll contact Canon Netherlands to get mine serviced as well :(</p>

 

<p>David, could you tell me in which region you contacted Canon?<br /> I contacted Canon Netherlands and they did not know anything about this problem. I'd like to be able to direct them to a region that does know about this problem so it gets repaired correctly.</p>

<p>I would like to thank those who provided helpful comments. The AF problem has gotten worse. I spoke with a Canon representative and I will need to ship the camera for service in NJ. "If you're missing catching fish, it is possible that you may not be using the best rod/hook combination in the market."<br /> Nicolas</p>

<p>The Canon repair department got back to me a while ago.<br>

They said it's most likely the shutter button getting stuck. The metering stops automatically after 8 seconds, so this would explain why it 'unstucks' after a while.</p>

<p>Getting ready to ship my camera for service, I spoke with a different Canon representative yesterday and he recommended that I should reset all the settings of the camera back to default. I did that last night and I have tried to reproduce the observed problem by aiming the camera a different places. I have tried about 100 times, and so far I have not been able to reproduce the problem a single time. The AF looks quite responsive! I don't know if this simple procedure fix the problem, but I feel motivated.</p>

<p>I've had the same issue too, at first thought it was low light/low contrast but it has since happened in well lit high contrast situations, happens a couple of times every wedding (so 3-5 times in 1200 or so shots) and yes, I've missed key shots as a result.</p>

<p>I purchased my new 5D Mark II a few weeks ago and noticed that I was also getting focusing problems. Being a fairly professional and regular user of the original 5D I couldnt work out what the problem was. I do alot of outdoor portraiture work and found with the 5D Mark II on a number of occasions that despite a number of shooting programs and options even when the autofocus point is pointed at the subjects head the whole photo came back blurred. I checked the settings and even at ISO 400 with f8.0 and a shutter speed of 1/250sec I was still getting out of focus shots. I found this to be very very odd and not something I had experienced with the original 5D.<br>

See this link which shows the problems I was having with quite a few of my outdoor shots:<br>

<a href="http://www.portraitmale.co.uk/problems/blur.jpg">http://www.portraitmale.co.uk/problems/blur.jpg</a><br>

You will need to do a proper 1:1 view on this.<br>

My 5D Mark II also suffered from crashing when shooting in Full HD mode even though the Scandisk Card was Ultra III and I also had issues with the metering where I sometimes had photos which were bleached out.<br>

I phoned my camera shop where i purchased it and explained the problems and they contacted Canon. A day later the camera shop (Walters in the UK who I highly recommend) offered a full replacement with no debate or the usual bull you get from some camera shops.<br>

<br />I went out today and did a series of test shots with a test subject and all shots came back fine and no focusing problems using the same shooting conditions as I used above. I found that the metering was also far better under a number of test conditions so perhaps the focusing problems arent down to user error in all cases and may be a sign that there is a problem with this camera. I have a feeling for those people who know how to use this camera and are having focusing problems then my advice would be to contact Canon or the place where you purchased it and ask for a replacement or to have it checked with Canon.<br>

This link below shows the shots I am now getting back on my replacement 5D Mark II so fingers crossed this may have solved my focusing problems. Notice how the subjects face is very sharp and in-focus compared to the previous shot even though the f value was 4.0! Hmmm so after taking around 20 test shots all of them came back perfect. I wonder then is it user error or is there a problem with the 5D Mark II that Canon is not being honest about?<br>

New shot from replacement 5D Mark II :-)<br>

<a href="http://www.portraitmale.co.uk/problems/focusok.jpg">http://www.portraitmale.co.uk/problems/focusok.jpg</a></p>

<p>This problem turned out to be a error on my side, not a hardware problem at all.<br>

I noticed this week that whenever the AF got stuck I was accidentally touching the AF-ON button with my thumb. (Does it make me look less silly when I say I touched it ever so lightly?)<br>

Perhaps this is the case with other people having this problem as well?</p>

I have exatctly the same AF focus problem as @David bowens and @Marcel vijfwinkel. Even after having replaced the

camera body for a complete new model! Also I have the problem with various lenses. VERY annoying. Anyone knows how

this can be solved?

<p>Some problem as the OP here. I know well how focusing should work, and the guys stating that this is user error just don´t know this issue. My camera freezes when I try to focus: I cant fire, and focusing is completely unresponsive. It does not hunt for focus and no focus point light up. I go "wtf?" and take the camera from my eye, and after a few seconds of swearing it suddenly comes back to life again. This happens completely at random.<br>

Annoying to say the least. Also very annoying that the problem is so random, because I can be pretty sure that Canon service are not able to reproduce the error :-(</p>

<p> Easy..use manual focus.</p>

<p>Easy...use manual focus.</p>