EOS 3 AF system

[cnhoff]

Hi,

 

in the EOS 3 viewfinder, you can't see the auto focus points position

until they light up when focus is achieved, right?

 

Isn't this an issue, especially when only 11 points are used? In what

pattern are the points arranged in the 11 points setup?

 

Thanks

[mark u]

The details are in the manual, available here:

 

http://www3.canon.de/pro/bda/fot/eos/

[cnhoff]

Ok, thank you, i will check that.

 

Are there any user's who want to share there personal experience with this system?

[stb]

I used to own an EOS 3. Think of the 45 sensors not as 45 individual sensors but as a continuous AF area as shown in the viewfinder. That is the way it really works. If you don't wear glasses, you can train the eye control system to detect your eye precisely and the speed and precision you can get is really amazing. I tried the 11 points setting and found that the camera is slightly faster that way. The EOS 3 is never slow, anyway. For me, it was either the 45 points or just the one central one that worked best.

[carl smith]

I was able to get the EOS 3 to work when I wore contacts or glasses, but I used two separate profiles for it.

 

The 11 pt mode includes a band across the middle horizontally and vertically as well as a couple more. It's still fairly quick using the ECF and 45 points, but it helps for you to learn where to look and how to do it. Don't look at the focus point, look through it.

 

The camera I use now doesn't have ECF, but still has 45 points but with the 45 active I'd say its faster than just 11 on the 3 (1D MK II).

[bill_goldman]

When you set the camera to limit the focusing points to 11, you are ONLY setting a limit on the MANUALLY SELECTABLE number of focusing points. With the camera set to 45-point auto select mode, ALL 45 points are still active.

[bill_goldman]

That should be MANUALLY OR BY EYE-CONTROL.

[marcin berduszek]

Hi!

It's great that I found that topic - that similar to my question -

 

how this af points work with differnt mattes? Without elipse?

for egzample with Ec-D Laser Mate with Grid?

[cnhoff]

Yes Bill, i know, but what i really wanted to know (maybe i didn't get myself clear) was:

 

With my ELan7E you always SEE the position of the AF points (small rectangles), but from what i know, on the 3 they only light up when focus is achieved.

So, when using 45 points, i simply look at a place in the ellipse of the 3'S viewfinder and i will certainly "hit" a AF point. So far so good, but

 

when i only use 11 points, is it not very difficult to know or guess where the remaining enabled focus points are actually located?