Are wide apertures useless without microadjust?

photog9 wrote in post #13915234
I bought the camera from a local dealer, and they don't sell products for evaluation. So I can't bring it back for a 7D just because I changed my mind and want more features. I'm trying to figure out if I can compensate for these focusing errors by choosing a different focus point. It's not way off, but it's off enough to be noticeable.

I never buy from a place that I can't exchange it if I am not happy. You'd think that since you would spend MORE money getting a 7D they would do a happy dance.

using a crop, you shouldnt run into this problem as much as a full frame camera since DOF is less. Maybe composure issues or poor shutter? I've been shooting a long time with a LOT more lenses than just $2500 worth and never had much issue, especially using a crop. I did have issues with one tamron, but serviced and returned on money every time.

My 50mm f/1.4 seems to front-focus on my 60D. My 70-200 is always spot-on perfect, though I suppose the f/4 gives enough margin of error that tiny focus errors will be less noticeable. My 17-70 seems to do reasonably well, though I have lower expectations for it.

If it's something where perfect focus is imperative, I go into Live View, compose my shot, then zoom in on the area on which I want to focus, then manually focus. It's slower than autofocus, but the reliable and precise results are worth it.

Your options are to live with it, or send in your body by itself to canon for a check up. Send in your canon lenses by themselves or with body to canon, send in other lenses to manufacture with body for calibration.

Whatever you do make sure your body is finalized (left alone or adjusted by canon) prior to sending body and lenses to sigma/tamron.

just make sure you check out every possibility of the problem before you place your blame. lens, camera, and you... could be one could be all

when i shoot with my 85L wide open i make sure i dont sway any bit back and forth and i make sure the subject isnt either.

It's obvious that you've done your research on this topic and understand exactly what the problem is. Don't second guess yourself too much on this, send the body and Canon lenses to Canon and have them calibrate the lenses to the body, then do the same with the sigma and tokina lenses.

I spent 3 months second guessing my results when I got my 17-55. I was easily able to get noticeably sharper images with my 50 1.8 on my 20D. I wish I hadn't spent so much time thinking that I should just enjoy the pictures and not 'pixel peep.' After I had Canon calibrate the 17-55 to my 20D, the difference was night and day.

MrFahrenheit wrote in post #13916409
It's obvious that you've done your research on this topic and understand exactly what the problem is. Don't second guess yourself too much on this, send the body and Canon lenses to Canon and have them calibrate the lenses to the body, then do the same with the sigma and tokina lenses.

I spent 3 months second guessing my results when I got my 17-55. I was easily able to get noticeably sharper images with my 50 1.8 on my 20D. I wish I hadn't spent so much time thinking that I should just enjoy the pictures and not 'pixel peep.' After I had Canon calibrate the 17-55 to my 20D, the difference was night and day.

Yes indeed! Agree completely! If your Canon warranties for the body and 50mm are current Canon have a responsibility that they are fit for purpose. With expensive complex precision gear that is factory manufactured, calibration of body + lenses is a normal and expected part of the selling-buying transaction. It is not something extra and optional you are asking for. Don't beg, insist, nicely. I don't expect that Canon will make any fuss at all. As for the other lenses, once you have your Canon items calibrated, and you test the 3rd party items again, if they are still in warranty and still don't perform, you have a similar right to approach the manufacturers.

Regarding MA, it is an extremely valuable tool, but mainly for primes. It doesn't much help solve fine focus problems with zooms. As others have remarked, there a number of factors that can cause fine focus problems, so even for primes MA might go a long way to remove gross focus problems but perhaps still not guarantee perfect focus.

AF itself is not a perfect tool, and focus errors will likely occur whenever it gets close to the limits of its comfort! The classic test situation you have described is in fact one which is very uncomfortable for typical AF - so many high contrast edges very close to each other in 3 dimensions! Yes, a good test, but too good a test for most AF! It could doom the AF to failure. Better I think to (also) test in a situation where the AF does NOT have any choice. If it fails there it does not have any excuse!

I had a quick look at this which I incidentally just found. Might be interesting?

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk …s3_af_micoadjus​tment.html


Neil

Manufacturing tolerances have to exist or nothing would ever make it out of the factory gate. But it means that this is bound to happen at times. That's why Canon introduced the focus adjustment system. It's difficult with 3rd party lenses, but with Canon EF lenses I don't see a problem, either sort out the required adjustment yourself or send the whole bangshoot into Canon and let them do it.

The tolerances in both camera and lens can sometimes work in our favour, or as here work against us.

Thanks for the good info in the replies. Looks like I need to ship my gear all over the place if I want to get this problem fixed. I understand about manufacturing tolerances but it's still disappointing. Maybe DSLRs should come with a warning label: "WARNING: This product must be immediately returned to the manufacturer for optimal performance!" Hopefully they will be careful with all of it. I'd hate to see it come back with a new problem or with cosmetic damage.

I think it might be a user issue too. If you never shot a fast lenses before. You'll get a lot of off focus shots. At wide open, it's easy to sway a little and miss the shot.

This happened to me when I first got my Nifty Fifty. I swore my 5D2 was miss focusing. Then I realized, the DOF is tiny wide open. I then held my breath and became a tripod... before I shoot and my pictures are great ever since.

Pretty sure it's not a user issue. As I mentioned, all of these tests were done with the camera on a tripod using remote shutter release. Plus the focus variance is predictable every time.

photog9 wrote in post #13925173
Pretty sure it's not a user issue. As I mentioned, all of these tests were done with the camera on a tripod using remote shutter release. Plus the focus variance is predictable every time.

I must have missed that.

You switched bodies and the problem was the same so I feel that you can rule out the 60D body as the source of your problem. Plus, the 60D has VERY few focus error complaints amongst Canon DSLRs. Your lenses need calibration. Hopefully, they are still within warranty and you have proof of purchase. Send each one with problems back to the respective manufacturer for calibration, and the sooner, the better!

photog9,

As the beast is new, let the photo retailer do the shipping. Costs you nothing.

They may even decide to offer you a third new body and pass the one you've got to some unsuspecting newcomer?

I also experience focusing issues and am pretty convinced that it needs calibration. Can I ask a silly question? How would I actually go about doing this? For example, where exactly in Canon's website should I begin the process?