Focusing issue on 5DM2

[v.k._retliff]

<p >I have this camera since May and bought it new. I have noticed constant front focusing behavior with all lenses I have. I have run few focusing tests a month ago and will probably do more this Sunday. Looks to me like it is not a constant, tests looked OK, but on my pictures I see time to time that focus is not perfect. See examples below. Red square is a focus point with single central focusing setting. Couple month ago I was trying to buy used 50L 1.2 lens and I tested it and result was awful. Owner of the lens putted it on own camera and pictures were perfect. Looks like not just focusing issue but also a sharpness. Even with micro adjustment of focus for specific lens I could not get sharpness like it was on his camera. To be sure I have bought a brand new copy of the same lens and as I said it is much better, but I do not have another camera to compare sharpness wide open. I suspect something not completely right with camera itself. You can see chromatic aberration with Av 1.6</p>

<p >My question is. Should I send camera and new lens to Canon repair center? Or just try to adjust focus for specific lens and be happy? </p><div></div>

[v.k._retliff]

<p>One more sample with 70-200L 2.8 lens</p><div></div>

[zml]

<p>Servo..? If not <strong>properly used</strong> Servo AF, these people have simply moved e.g. in the picture above the guy in the yellow shirt used to be where the senior citizen was at the moment you took the picture. In my experience, 99% of misfocus with moving objects is pilot error (it is a skill that one has to learn the hard way...) Try this: set the camera to Servo AF, high speed shooting, manual AF point selection, select the center AF point, acquire focus and follow the subject with the center focus point then fire up a series of shots without removing the finger from the shutter button (give Servo a chance...) while following the subject, keeping the focus point roughly in the same spot on the subject. You may get a few OOF shots (esp. the first one) out of a series of - say - 10, but your chances of getting in-focus shots go up dramatically. The above method is not the only one by any means, but important is the initial focus acquisition, proper following of the subject and starting your series of shots <strong>before</strong> the subject reaches the most "interesting" spot/expression/etc.</p>

[sattler123]

I think Michael hit the nail on the head - what focusing method did you use? It is obvious that the person in the background is more in focus than the subject itself - by a rather big margin. I do not believe that this is the camera - it is the operator most likely.

[markonestudios]

Might I add that f/1.2 on your 5D2 also gives an extremely shallow depth of field and, coupled with a shifting subject, is more than likely to be the cause of your missed focus in the first image. From what I've read too, the 50 f/1.2L isn't the fastest focusing kid on the block either ;-)

<p>I therefore concur with Michael and Juergen that user error is the more likely cause of your woes :)

[felix_mizioznikov]

<p>+1 for what Mike said.</p>

[v.k._retliff]

<p >You maybe right it might be my mistakes, nothing else. I am far from experienced photographer. When I will be home check more my files and have to see what focusing method was used. Most likely One shot AF, but I have to double check. Is fringe aberration on miss focused first shot is normal? I will definitely blame my stupidity but what confusing me is my experience with used 50L lens. Even properly focused (manually) shot was much sharper on lens owner’s camera than mine. I want to sort out my own flaws and possible camera irregularities. </p>

[PuppyDigs]

<p>Use AI servo to track subjects moving towards or away from the camera. One-shot is for static subjects like landscapes, macro and portraits. With one-shot, by the time you fully press the shutter, a runner will have moved and be out of the plane of focus.</p>

<p>To improve Ai servo, enable the 6 "invisible AF assist points in your custom functions. Amazing AI performance with said feature.</p>

[zml]

<p>Don't blame yourself: sports shooting (even tournament chess and contract bridge :-) is a hard to learn skill so practice often... Avoid shooting wide open with really fast lenses unless you have to or are after some effect: f/2.8 with a f/1.2 lens will still give you background blur and subject isolation, esp. with higher subject magnifications. Keep in mind that there is a noticable lag between your decision to press the shutter and the actual shutter release (over half a second, plus any shutter lag...) so shoot in high-speed mode (storage is cheap and there are "delete" buttons - a very useful feature...) Some lenses are meant to be used wide open (200/2, the f/2.8 superteles) but the ratio of OOF shots is pretty high at these aperures with action shots even with fast-focusing cameras (my experience...)</p>

<p>Now, the 50/1.2L is not the fastest focusing lens in the world but should be plenty fast for runners. It sometimes tends to misfocus but it is hard to tell whether this is pilot error, camera issue or the lens itself (a sequence of shots will give you at least some in-focus shots...) You may want to MA that lens more than once (run a very tight control set of images with MF and LiveView x10.) It does display a lot of chromatic aberration wide/near wide open so nothing surprising here. Also see here <a href="http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.2-L-USM-Lens-Review.aspx">http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.2-L-USM-Lens-Review.aspx</a> and other sources, such as photozone, etc.</p>

[steven_f1]

<p>I agree with the others in that it looks like operator error. However it is fairly simple to test the camera/lenses by doing a <a href="../learn/focustest/">focus test</a>. The other thing you can do is to stop down the lens a little bit. In your first pricture Av was 1.6 while the shutter was 1000. If you reduce the shutter 1/500 of a second you can narrow the aperture one full stop. That would increase the depth of field while still maintaining a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the runner. A shutter speed of 1/250 of a second still might be fast enough. </p>

[steven_f1]

<p>I agree with the others in that it looks like operator error. However it is fairly simple to test the camera/lenses by doing a <a href="../learn/focustest/">focus test</a>. The other thing you can do is to stop down the lens a little bit. In your first pricture Av was 1.6 while the shutter was 1000. If you reduce the shutter 1/500 of a second you can narrow the aperture one full stop. That would increase the depth of field while still maintaining a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the runner. A shutter speed of 1/250 of a second still might be fast enough. </p>

[model mayhem gallery]

<p>You have good taste in equipment. I shoot with the 5D2 and 85 1.2L. I generally only manual focus this lens as it is so slow. Lens may look sharper on a crop sensor camera like a 40D becuase they only use the center portion of the lens. 5D2 are much harder on a lens because they use the lens edge to edge thus showing more or a givin lens true potential and flaws. Keep practing you will get it. Photography is harder than it looks.</p>

[steve_dunn2]

<p>I think the other responses are most likely correct in these examples. I did, however, want to bring up one other thing you need to keep in mind regarding the AF system: the AF sensors are larger than the corresponding markings in the viewfinder. In each picture, some part of a person behind the subject is not far away from the box and could conceivably be included in the area which the AF sensor sees.</p>

 

<p>Like I said, I think the problem here is that the runners are moving and, for whatever reason (whether it's user error, a lens that is one of the slower AF performers, or something else), AF isn't tracking them as well as you'd like. But if you're also seeing this in situations that can't be explained by a moving subject, have a look to see if perhaps AF is locking onto the wrong subject (or the wrong part of the subject).</p>

 

<cite>I suspect something not completely right with camera itself. You can see chromatic aberration with Av 1.6</cite>

 

<p>That's a lens issue which tends to be common in (among other things) ultra-fast lenses. For photos in which it's particularly annoying, there are a number of software packages which can correct it.</p>

[v.k._retliff]

<p >Wow, what a wealth of information and advices. I really admire people who spend time and patience to educate and help. I will pay more attention to my focusing technique and learning camera features. Unfortunately I am overloaded at my daytime work and have only Sundays for myself so it is quite slow process for me. I mostly reading other’s posts and guess have no qualification even to formulate question properly sometime. But I like challenge and hope I will make from myself much better armature than I am right now with your help. As I said I will run focus tests this weekend and I hope everything will be fine with equipment. My own errors I will eradicate eventually with more training. </p>

[chris_clarke3]

<p>I always aim for the eyes (centre focus), servo with a 50L is a learning curve.</p>

<p>Get the red square on an eye and you are good to go with the 50L.</p>

[dogbert]

<p>Presumably front focussing would show up in a static focussing test in one shot mode.</p>

[stephen_asprey2]

<p>Are you on firmware v1.1.1? Start there.</p>

[v.k._retliff]

<p >I double checked my setting and yes it was One Shot AF, not Servo. </p>

<p >I also took a look in more my shots with 50L and they all constantly have front focus. It makes me feel like it is not only my fault. If time permitted I will do focusing tests today at work and show results. Lenses I have 14L 2.8, 24-70L 2.8, 50L 1.2, 70-200L 2.8, 100-400L 4.5-5.6. I will use a technique was recommended to me on this tread. </p>

<p >Firmware in my camera is 1.0.7. I did not update it because I do not believe a new version will improve anything from the features I am using right now. I will update if I will have suspicion it will.</p>

[15sunrises]

<p>Quite an incredible set of gear you have there. </p>

<p>I'd suggest trying more real world tests with the techniques listed above to try and narrow down whether the issue is user or camera. </p>

<p>If you're going to do specific 'focus tests', I'd suggest doing them on a tripod so you eliminate motion blur. If you're going to do sharpness tests, then once again again do them on a tripod, with the lens stopped down at various apertures and compare.</p>

[dave_holland]

<p>I focus with my right thumb using the '*' button (CF4=1 on the old 5D and others). This allows me to dissociate focus from shutter release. When shooting sports this permits more latitude to focus and then recompose, without worrying that my camera will refocus on something in the background.</p>

[v.k._retliff]

<p>Here is test shot with 70-200 Av2.8</p><div></div>

[v.k._retliff]

<p>24-70 F50 Av 2.8</p><div></div>

[v.k._retliff]

<p>50L Av 2.8</p><div></div>

[v.k._retliff]

<p>50L Av 1.2</p><div></div>

[v.k._retliff]

<p>Sorry, white balance was on cloudy, I reshot last one with WB on AB</p><div></div>