AFPS performance of EOS 1V

[lanierb]

FYI: I've been trying to find out for months whether Canon has

sufficiently improved the AFPS performance on the 1V to the point that

it is usable for birds in flight (which it isn't on the 3), and I

think I finally got an answer in Arthur Morris' latest e-mail

bulletin:

 

"It is my recommendation that EOS 1v users NOT use Automatic Focusing

Point Selection AF mode for photographing birds in flight. On my

upcoming New York/New Jersey trip I will test the 1v for flight

photography using the central sensor only. I had hoped that AFPS

would perform better than it did for flight photography on St. Paul

where we had spectacular chances with flying Northern Fulmars. While

I did make many sharp images, there were many soft images as well.

And though conditions were difficult, we were largely making "top

shots" as the birds were hanging just below our position high on

Southwest Cliffs. It is my strong belief that the unsharp images

WERE a result of improper focus and NOT a result of the relatively

slow shutter speeds (1/250 sec.) that were used."

[danny_weber]

I tried using it to shoot body surfers--got lots of sharp water and

mostly out-of-focus subjects. It frequently would latch onto the

water drops falling off the curl of a breaking wave, producing an

interesting effect, but not what I wanted.

[david_montgomery]

I have found that when shooting flying birds if the sky is the background then AFPS works ok. However, if the background is terrain or trees and such then AFPS seems to focus on the background.

[kurt_heintzelman]

I too just read Arthur's e-news comments regarding the use of the 1V's AFPS for birds in flight, and I was left wondering which selectable AF sensor pattern he was using, i.e., 45 point, 11 point, or 9 point? Hopefully Arthur will visit this thread and perhaps provide further thoughts and observations regarding this issue.

 

I've been using the EOS 1V since May, and have so far been trying out the 45 point AFPS mostly with moving railroad subjects; in this respect, I have thus far found the 1V to a railroad photographer's dream camera. However, locomotives and trains are obviously larger targets than birds in flight! I have not yet tried the 1V's AFPS with birds in flight, but when I do, I've long suspected that the 11 or 9 point pattern may prove more effective than the 45 point pattern. There are undoubtedly many situations in which the 11 or 9 point patterns will work better (or not well at all), and this underscores the need for Canon to finally release the EOS 1V software so that one can take advantage of the so-called custom function "groups", in which one can preset several groups of CF configurations based on one's various preferences.

[patrick_chase]

Veering briefly O-T, and responding to Kurt Heintzelman:

 

The Canon ES-E1 software for the EOS-1v is now available - I got my copy the other day (my local store received 4 copies, and all were gone by mid-day).

[scott_fairbairn]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the AFPS is ALWAYS from the 45 points I believe. The 11 or 9 points is basically a limiter that you select so that it doesn't take forever to scroll through when you are manually selecting a point. By selecting 11 or 9, you don't affect the number of points that the automatic mode chooses.

[kurt_heintzelman]

Scott: I have the EOS 1V manual here before me, which states, "...since the selectable focusing points are limited to 11 [or 9], you can better concentrate on framing the subject. Although you select the focusing point in the same way as with 45 focusing points, having fewer selectable focusing points makes it faster to select a focusing point...you can select one of 11 [or 9] focusing points..." (pg. 40). A distinct advantage of the 9 or 11 patterns is that, with CF 13, spot metering can be linked with the active AF sensor.

[kurt_heintzelman]

Addendum: The manual does not seem to specifically state whether or not all 45 sensors remain active when in the 11 or 9 point pattern, but the above quote SEEMS to suggest that they are not. Anybody know the answer to this conundrum?

[patrick_chase]

To Kurt Heintzelman: Scott is right. CF 13 simply changes the number of _manually_ selectable AF points. Automatic point selection is always a 45-point affair. This can be verified quite easily by putting the camera into automatic selection mode with CF13 enabled, and watching the ensuing light show...

[dan_smith]

And to think I focus by looking at the subject on the ground glass & using my fingers on the focus ring of the lens. And NO, I don't always get sharp images of birds in flight. While autofocus is really nice & someday I will have to bite the bullet & get with the times, just be aware that with all the computer gizmos being put on cameras it is still possible to get birds in flight with old fashioned manual cameras and lenses.

[ryan_taylor1]

Dan:

 

You seem to be departing from your idea of the perfect photograph. Everyone knows that it can only be done with the absolutely newest electronic cameras from canon or nikon.

[kurt_heintzelman]

Yeap, y'all are right. I combed through the manual, and it is mentioned in fine print.

[phil]

Dan: if you are happy doing manual focus for in-flight, then excellent. But I suspect many of us have found that AF increases our chances of getting sharp flight shots (and missing less opportunities) and that is by no means a bad thing. The camera is merely a tool, and having a better tool is nothing to bemoan.

[gregory_rogalsky1]

It nice to hear that Im not the only one who thinks that autofocus isnt all its cracked up to be . Under real world conditions ,I tried it, it didnt work . Perhaps one day, but Im not holding my breath. The good part is many people are dumping there perfectly good manual focus lens which I can buy on the used market.

[_____133]

Very off-topic: the only thing autofocus has done is lessen our ability to anticipate the action.

[gregory_rogalsky1]

Ha Ha . It funny . I can't stop laughing. Keep selling your FD gear . I Im a focus God.

[peza]

<b>How I deal with shallow depth of field and fucusing.</b><br>

Unfortunately I have only EOS 30 (US Elan 7 ?) and 70-200/2.8 + TC's thus I'm limited for not so distant subject's.

<br>I do following - manualy select 1 of 7 AF points which will be at most close to (birds ?) eye in expected composition, quickly focuse on it's eye, lock AF and do composition & shot.

With this technique I did as well some birds in flight closeups mostly with satisfactory results.<br><BR>Regards