Jump to content

Suggested improvement for Canon Engineers


paul_russell1

Recommended Posts

<p>As great as the focusing system is on my 7D (and thanks to previous help from photo.net posters I'm getting more proficient with it) I sometimes wish there was a quicker way to select a focus point. It'd be really cool if Canon could ahem come up with a way cough cough to select a focus point, just by cough cough looking at it, in an ideal world it would also track point as your eye followed the subject.<br /> If only cough cough the technology existed to bring out a DSLR with such a feature.<br /> And if only they'd hurry up with the 7D firmware upgrade to release agc off in video mode.<br /> Cough cough.</p>

<p><em>N.B. Responses from Michael Liczbanski are actively discouraged.</em></p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As far as focusing points, Nikon cameras have 51, while the 7D has only 19, but seriously I don't see any difference in the quality of the photos, although I could be wrong. My gripe against Canon is that the focusing points are all grouped together in the center of the viewfinder. Sometimes you have to go elsewere...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>I have an EOS 3 with 45 points, and yes centrally grouped. I use one shot AF-lock for that. And move the camera.<br>

Nikons don't have a way of looking at a focus point and it becoming active though, if only Canon did!<br>

If only canon did.<br>

Oi! Canon! Oi!...</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p><em>My gripe against Canon is that the focusing points are all grouped together in the center of the viewfinder. </em></p>

<p>Not in the 7D. Not even close. The AF system changed a lot for the 7D. Download the manual and check it out. Still, it's nontrivial to change the AF point on the 7D; it was certainly easier to change on the 40D. (I just keep my cameras on the exact center point and rarely deviate).</p>

<p>To be fair though, Canon could move four of the AF points to wider and higher in the VF. I think technically this must be a challenge for them.</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Not in the 7D. Not even close."

 

Even on the 7D the focusing points are still centered in the middle. I was on an assignment once and I was trying to focus the image in the middle and also trying to focus the image in the far right corner but I was unable to do it, why ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>Eye-directed focus points was tried back on the EOS 5 and some subsequent models and Canon stayed with it longer than the public did. It sounds like a better idea than it is.</p>

<p>What's wrong with the little nubbin, or whatever you call it? And you are aware that the camera can be moved and pointed in different directions to hold focus on some point?</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<blockquote>

<p>Robin Smith [subscriber] [Frequent poster] , Apr 02, 2010; 06:44 p.m. The eye-controlled focus that Canon had in the 90s never worked with me anyway. It was a waste of time in my opinion.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Worked a treat for me (on the 3 at least, the 5 had no vertical and the 50e had too few points) and on all models it had a switch. On for the folk who liked it. Off for those who didn't. Hows that for choice? Those who like it get to use it and development continues. Those who don't, write it off rather than switch it off.<br /> Bring back ECF canon!</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>Buy an EOS 3 and you will see that Canon has a vreat way of selecting from 45 focus points. The EOS 3 was very close to an EOS 1V (the last Canon pro film camera) and had the same 45 point Af system. I was actually a big fan of eye control but it evidently causes problems if you wear glasses. From memory the EOS 3 dates from about 1998 - it had the best version of eye control they made. Sadly they stopped developing the system.</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>I haven't used my 3 since acquiring a 1V and 5D II, but the ECF feature worked well for me even though I do wear glasses. Perhaps it's because my spectacle lenses have anti-reflective coatings.</p>

<p>I would definitely welcome the return of ECF. As Paul says, if you don't like it, simply turn it off.</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>ECF worked great for me, pretty much 100% hit rate. It's not a waste of time. Instead, it could be merely another method of choosing AF points: auto, manual via QCD, manual via joystick & manual via ECF. I don't use 90% of the options on my 7D, e.g., HDVD, AF-on, LV, etc., but I'd hardly call them a waste of time simply because I don't use them. Why? Some other shooter needs that feature. It's extremely small minded to believe everybody else thinks and shoots like you. These cameras need to be all things to all people that's why there are 100s of feature and 3 or 4 ways to enable and combine them. </p>

Sometimes the light’s all shining on me. Other times I can barely see.

- Robert Hunter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>ECF still works great for me (EOS 3) and I would like Canon to offer it again. If you don't want to use it for some reason, it can be disabled and you can select focus points the hard way.</p>

<p>I don't just use it for focus-point selection. On the EOS 3, ECF works very well with "multiple spot metering" and DEP mode.</p>

<p>This ECF Wish List thing is so often posted here that it is approaching the status of "Nikon vs Canon" and "Film vs Digital"</p>

<p>...somebody must like to use it....</p>

<p>Cheers! Jay</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>Another vote <strong>for </strong>ECF!</p>

<p>How many EOS 3's were sold compared to 1v's or 7e/7ne's to 7's? ECF was the finale straw that convinced me to retire my aging Pentax Spotmatic F, and jump ship to Canon.</p>

<p>For Canon, where is my EOS 3d, with ECF? My grandchildren and a digital ECF SLR camera, truly, a match made in Canon EOS heaven!</p>

<p>For Harry, if all is not in focus, perhaps a DOF problem, just increase your aperture.</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>I have an EOS 3 with ECF but have not used it enough to really determine how GOOD it is.</p>

<p>But like Harry says, still the clustering towards the center of all of the AF points in the VF.... Hmmm.... (at least on all XXD and 7D bodies, and also probably the 5D's).</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>I have an Elan IIe, and the eye-controlled focus works well on it. But it has only three focus points. A friend has an Elan 7e, which has seven focus points, and the ECF does not work for him at all. I did work for me, however. The ECF works off of reflections from the eye. I suppose that some people have eyes that reflect in a manner better suited to the ECF system than others. Canon did give you the option of buying a camera model with or without ECF. (My friend did not check the ECF before he purchased his Elan 7e. He just assumed that it would work for everyone.)</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>No, ECF did not work well for everyone. But it did work for a lot of us, and I for one, thought it was great. There were times I chose to select manually, but most of the time it was the easiest way to pick an AF focus point. Many of the previous canons were put out in two models; one with ECF and the other without. Wish they'd do it again. I would gladly pay extra for an ECF model.</p>

<p>And I agree about the clustering of AF points. I wish they were spread further apart.</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>I liked the ECF, as well.<br>

Canon also need to work on their G11 series cameras. The G11 is a P&S for knowledgeable photographers, usually a second camera to take on holiday. For some reason Canon decided to cancel ETTL functionality specifically when the camera is switched to manual exposure mode. Canon engineers don't seem to understand how their equipment is used -- for the G12, please fix that problem.<br>

On the topic of lenses, I'm waiting for a sharp, professional level ultrawide zoom for use on the FF and APS-h series sensors. It's been a long wait.</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>This one is for the flash. One thing I would like is a "Quick shift bounce" where you can pivot the flash 90 degrees to the left or the right just like the sony flashes. It will be useful when I am shooting vertically and you do not have to get a camera flash bracket for this. If only I could get a sony flash to work on my 7D.</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...