5D Mark III - First 24 Hours Review (post yours here!)

189111314

Comments

  • eoren1eoren1 Registered Users Posts: 2,391 Major grins
    edited May 16, 2012
    Nice! Love that sound as the waves recede over the pebbles. Yeah, the weather has not been cooperating with new camera fever!! Pretty sure if you have ALO on in the camera, that it will be applied to the jpegs it writes.

    Dude - give DPP another try. DLO should be a boon for landscapes.

    You choose mwink.gif
    One is straight out of camera with ALO on. One is processed in LR 4.1 RC 2. One is processed in DPP.
    I will say DPP is slightly less awful than it used to be ne_nau.gif

    1
    i-f7N6LG2-L.jpg

    2
    i-92C6TLg-L.jpg

    3
    i-MDJVPW8-L.jpg
  • eoren1eoren1 Registered Users Posts: 2,391 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    Need some help with AF.
    I'm sure it's user error but would like to figure this out before sending the camera in for the sensor cleaning.
    Compared to my 50d, I feel like my keeper rate is not where it should be. Shot my 4 and 6 yo with the 70-200/4 is yesterday in good light and had shutter speeds of 200-800 depending on cloud cover. Had the 6 yo run by me and missed critical focus on most shots. Some behind, some in front.
    This morning used the 70-200 and 24-105 to shoot my girl in her room. F/4 shutter 1/250. Focus on back LCD when zoomed in didn't seem spot on. Tried to quickly dial in +5 and -5 micro adjustment to no avail.
    Used Case 1 yesterday til switching to Case 4
    Tried spot and expand AF.
    When the camera did get focus (and I got critical sharpness maybe 30-40% of the time), it was scary sharp. Iris detail and all that. Most of the time it seemed okay but zooming in showed that it was slightly off.
    I also tried to turn is off this am and did not notice a difference.
    Aby suggestions for dummy proof AF settings and test scenarios to get a handle on this?
    Thanks
  • jmphotocraftjmphotocraft Registered Users Posts: 2,987 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    1, LR. 2, DPP. 3, camera. I like 2 best. But hey if LR is what you're used to and that's how you work best that's great. I've tried LR a few times and each time I just can't get into working it and also I don't like the default colors as well - although last time I tried it I discovered that you can apply camera color profiles, and that gives the color I'm used to. But again, that's an extra step. DPP is so easy for me. Also DLO is great for pixel peeping and printing big.
    -Jack

    An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 23,763 moderator
    edited May 17, 2012
    I do recommend turning off IS for most action photography. The notable exception is for panning motion of subjects with a predictable and smooth path of motion.

    For active kids in close quarters I recommend AI-Servo mode. Remember that AI-Servo uses "predictive" autofocus and it requires around 1/2 second to sample the subject after you half-depress the shutter button (and you should try to track the subject during that time), and then you should squeeze off a few frames (a short burst sequence).

    If you just try to mash down the shutter it does not give the predictive AF system time to sample and you will not be as successful.

    The Canon 5D MKIII also has lots of additional settings to fine tune the AF algorithms, to help accommodate things like distractive items in the frame or distractive subjects that may quickly move through the frame. There are also AF point/region selection options to consider.


    http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2011/1dx_af_pts_article.shtml
    http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2012/5d3_multiple_af_points.htmlp
    http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2011/1dx_af_menu_article.shtml
    http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-III-DSLR-Camera-Review.aspx
    http://thomascampbellphoto.com/how-to/canon-5d-mark-iii-custom-settings/

    While the following is for the Canon 1D MKIII, it might offer some combinations of things to try on the 5D MKIII:
    http://www.pressefotografforbundet.dk/fil/eos1dmk3_af_cfn_guide.pdf
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • eoren1eoren1 Registered Users Posts: 2,391 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    Jack - 2 was LR mwink.gif

    Ziggy - thanks. I mostly used ai servo but tried some one shot this am to compare. I have read through the 1dx AF info from Canon and will check again. I should note that I have is turned on all the time and only turn it off when the camera is on a tripod. Figured it could only help even at 1/400...

    Oh and no mashing involved. Gave the camera plenty of time to track and settle.
  • jmphotocraftjmphotocraft Registered Users Posts: 2,987 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    My experience is consistent with what Ziggy says, you have to give the AF a little time to acquire a moving subject before you go for the full press. I've been very impressed with my 5D3's AF, coming from a 1D2N and a 7D. It is possible your unit is out of spec though. My 7D was. Sent it back and had it back in my hands in 7 days and it was much improved. If you're sending it in for a cleaning anyway, it couldn't hurt to have them look at the AF. I would do this for peace of mind at least.
    -Jack

    An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
  • jmphotocraftjmphotocraft Registered Users Posts: 2,987 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    eoren1 wrote: »
    Jack - 2 was LR mwink.gif

    BS! ;) 2 and 3 have the same exif format!
    -Jack

    An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
  • eoren1eoren1 Registered Users Posts: 2,391 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    BS! ;) 2 and 3 have the same exif format!

    I cloned out the tree at top and caution tape behind tree on right in cs5 on the LR one mwink.gif
  • jmphotocraftjmphotocraft Registered Users Posts: 2,987 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    Hmm, well you are good with LR then. I am not. DPP gives me what I want.

    Where is that anyway, Stramsky's?
    -Jack

    An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
  • eoren1eoren1 Registered Users Posts: 2,391 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    Yup. New pier just built.
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,167 moderator
    edited May 17, 2012
    Tested high f-stop AF on the III...

    Found out that it was a real good idea for me to have kept my old Tamron 1.4x TC. Works great with the 400 f/5.6. It vignettes (a lot) along the corners, but AF is still very speedy at f/8.0. The EXIF and the camera still see f/5.6 because the reporting contacts are not present on the Tammy's as they are with the Canon TC's. The Canon 1.4x TC still renders superior results, but does not allow AF on the III.

    Another find is that the Kenko extension tube set (including all of them stacked together!) still allow AF to work at something like f/13 with a 5.6 lens, like the 400 L. That is amazing, and I didn't see too much vignetting with those.

    Still, I'd like to see some firmware update that allows native focus at f/8, now that we have a decent AF system on the cam.
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    David_S85 wrote: »
    The Canon 1.4x TC still renders superior results, but does not allow AF on the III.

    David, you can always tape the pins on Canon's. Mine's been taped for years...

    168134187_ajimD-L.jpg
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,167 moderator
    edited May 17, 2012
    Nikolai wrote: »
    David, you can always tape the pins on Canon's. Mine's been taped for years...

    Yes, there's that too. Would duct tape do better? I hear it can fix so many issues. headscratch.gif

    And with that, since I use DPP as a processing front end, the Lens Corrections tab wouldn't register the Canon TC, would it? Normally, DPP recognizes the presence of the TC and can also correct for it, and it would not be included in the exif. Not that the Tammy would show up either.
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,167 moderator
    edited May 17, 2012
    Charging batteries. I've found that if you unplug the charger when it is lit continuously right away, the battery will not last long. When you leave it plugged in for several hours after it stays lit, then the battery will last a whole lot longer.
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • eoren1eoren1 Registered Users Posts: 2,391 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    David-
    Apparently it takes a few full charge/discharge cycles before you reach good capacity on these batteries. I'm letting mine die with video practice to get them up to speed.
  • eoren1eoren1 Registered Users Posts: 2,391 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    Did a straight running test of the AF. Using both 70-200 and 24-105. With and without IS. On Case 1. Camera is definitely off. Mostly backfocus but enough that I don't think microadjustment would do enough. I'm done wasting my time testing this thing. UPS label arrived for the cleaning. Only decision now is whether to send lenses too and make sure they are all tuned correctly.
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    David_S85 wrote: »
    Yes, there's that too. Would duct tape do better? I hear it can fix so many issues. headscratch.gif

    And with that, since I use DPP as a processing front end, the Lens Corrections tab wouldn't register the Canon TC, would it? Normally, DPP recognizes the presence of the TC and can also correct for it, and it would not be included in the exif. Not that the Tammy would show up either.

    You want the thinnest insulation film possible. Sorry, no duct tape here ;-)

    Well, you have to decided what's more important to you - AF or lens correction. Typically long focal lenses do not have a whole lot to compensate for any way, so I'd choose AF, but it's me. I only use TC on top of my 100-400 when I'm shooting something uber far away (like the moon, or those bears at Beargasm in Glacier NP in 2007), so at that point the lens correction is the least of my worries, but correct focusing often is...
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,167 moderator
    edited May 17, 2012
    Nik, you know I was kidding when I asked about the duct tape, right?
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    David_S85 wrote: »
    Nik, you know I was kidding when I asked about the duct tape, right?

    I sure did thumb.gifwinkdeal.gifrofl, but other people (who don't know either you or me) read this forum, too, and they may have gotten a wrong idea and ruin their gear , so I thought I'd rather save some poor schmuck $150ne_nau.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,167 moderator
    edited May 17, 2012
    So I'd better not make that Super Glue suggestion I was gonna make then.... rats.

    So, moving on, I just did a couple hours of handheld night shooting around town with ISO's from 50 to 25K. Going through a whole lot of shots after some wine and cheese friday.gifbinge.gif . Might post some here in a bit.
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited May 17, 2012
    David_S85 wrote: »
    So I'd better not make that Super Glue suggestion I was gonna make then.... rats.
    rolleyes1.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • Matthew SavilleMatthew Saville Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,352 Major grins
    edited May 18, 2012
    eoren1 wrote: »
    Did a straight running test of the AF. Using both 70-200 and 24-105. With and without IS. On Case 1. Camera is definitely off. Mostly backfocus but enough that I don't think microadjustment would do enough. I'm done wasting my time testing this thing. UPS label arrived for the cleaning. Only decision now is whether to send lenses too and make sure they are all tuned correctly.

    Yep even with our mk3 that seems to have an issue locking focus in One-Shot, I have found Ai-Servo plus 9-point AF point clusters + "Case 3" to be AMAZING at nailing anything and everything I point it at. And this is on a nearly pitch-black dance floor with extremely erratic subjects.

    As others have said, for such erratic and fast-moving subjects you do have let the camera hone in before it starts tracking beautifully, but after that it's just keeper after keeper. Not 100%, but still 100X better than the mk2. The mk2 was absolutely un-usable using AI-Servo on a dark dance floor.

    =Matt=
    My first thought is always of light.” – Galen Rowell
    My SmugMug PortfolioMy Astro-Landscape Photo BlogDgrin Weddings Forum
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,167 moderator
    edited May 18, 2012
    The village fair was in town tonight, so that was a perfect opportunity for a shake-out of the III in dim conditions. It did pretty well. I did notice some unfortunate hot pixels in some shots, which could be easily cloned away in post. The ISO's and noise aren't magic, but are a world away from what I experienced with the 40D.

    The Wheel
    i-d5MK69K.jpg
    0.6 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 93mm, hand held.

    Freak Out! Ummm, please read the EXIF below the shot. It took about 25 tries to get this one hand held.
    i-NNFJ29n.jpg
    1.3 sec, f/25, ISO 50, 200mm, hand held.

    Matterhorn
    i-pXXkd8C.jpg
    1/30th, f/8, ISO 400, 138mm, hand held.

    Hard Sell
    i-WqVWvX8.jpg
    1/5th, f/6.4, ISO 100, 200mm, hand held.

    Wheee!
    i-ZfG3Vzp.jpg
    1/500th, f/4, ISO 3200, 200mm, hand held.

    All's Quiet a Block Away
    i-wNF3S53.jpg
    1/25th, f/15, ISO 3200, 200mm, hand held.
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • mjordanphotomjordanphoto Registered Users Posts: 88 Big grins
    edited May 18, 2012
    Yep even with our mk3 that seems to have an issue locking focus in One-Shot, I have found Ai-Servo plus 9-point AF point clusters + "Case 3" to be AMAZING at nailing anything and everything I point it at. And this is on a nearly pitch-black dance floor with extremely erratic subjects.

    As others have said, for such erratic and fast-moving subjects you do have let the camera hone in before it starts tracking beautifully, but after that it's just keeper after keeper. Not 100%, but still 100X better than the mk2. The mk2 was absolutely un-usable using AI-Servo on a dark dance floor.

    =Matt=

    Man... you're making this seem like a MUST BUY for me (with all my frustrations with the 5DII AF)... especially with the double rebates when you buy a lens with it right now... oh credit cards, forgive me!
  • jmphotocraftjmphotocraft Registered Users Posts: 2,987 Major grins
    edited May 18, 2012
    Dance Recital
    Some dance recital action over here. :)
    -Jack

    An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
  • pmaxwellpmaxwell Registered Users Posts: 129 Major grins
    edited May 18, 2012
    My replacement 5D MKIII showed up today (first one locked up quite a bit), and battery is fully charged now. I'm going to start my second round of the first 24 hours tomorrow.
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 23,763 moderator
    edited May 19, 2012
    pmaxwell wrote: »
    My replacement 5D MKIII showed up today (first one locked up quite a bit), and battery is fully charged now. I'm going to start my second round of the first 24 hours tomorrow.

    Congratulations on the new (replacement) camera. clap.gif
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • OstravaczechOstravaczech Registered Users Posts: 45 Big grins
    edited May 20, 2012
    Sensor problem?
    I just got mine few days ago. It is an amazing camera. I did some shots at ISO102400 and noticed strange sensor behavior at the lower right corner. Can someone comment on that? Not that I will be shooting at that ISO but I want to make sure that I didn't buy 3500 dollar camera with faulty sensor.
  • divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited May 20, 2012
    I'll let the more knowlegdeable respond as to whether that looks like it is indeed a problem, but...
    I did some shots at ISO102400 and noticed strange sensor behavior at the lower right corner.

    I mean... isn't it LIKELY that there will be some strange sensor behaviour at those kinds of ISOs?!?!?! Just 4 years ago it was all about iso 800. Just saying....

    I of course take your point that at that kind of price you want to be sure that there's nothing wrong with it, but even so. 102,400. Just... wow. :jawdrop
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited May 20, 2012
    I just got mine few days ago. It is an amazing camera. I did some shots at ISO102400 and noticed strange sensor behavior at the lower right corner. Can someone comment on that? Not that I will be shooting at that ISO but I want to make sure that I didn't buy 3500 dollar camera with faulty sensor.

    What were you shooting, back of the lenscap? mwink.gif
    Looks like a random noise due to the total and utter lack of light..deal.gif Or, more likely, a stray light from a light source that your eyes couldn't even recognize as one. Someone stroke a match a hundred yards away or something...
    102K ISO is a H2, i.e. twice-extended, way out of "normal" (25K - normal eek7.gif, man, I love technology iloveyou.gif!) ISO range. High level of noise is expected. And if you shooting in a pitch black environment you may (and will) get all sorts of random effects. ne_nau.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
Sign In or Register to comment.