6D AutoFocus is Horrible.

Why does everyone think the auto-focus on the 6 is so bad ? I have been pretty impressed with mine and it seems on par or if not better then the 5dII i used to use.

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Nissanfairladyz32 wrote in post #16919248
... it seems on par or if not better then the 5dII i used to use.

That's what everybody else say too.

But then there's the 5D Mark III and the 1DX...

apersson850 wrote in post #16919257
That's what everybody else say too.

But then there's the 5D Mark III and the 1DX...

I haven't used a mark 3 or a 1DX yet, but for the price im not complaining. I've used the 5D classic and mark II and auto-focus speed or accuracy has never been an issue with all that i have shot, i don't do wild life so maybe for bird shots it would not do so well. All i hear is how horrible everyone thinks the auto focus is.

You have clearly used the middle AF point. How about the other AF points? Because my 5Dc can make those shots too. There's where the difference is... Nobody complains about the centre Af point, but the other AF points are seen as lazy for tracking purposes. For example, the second picture is great; however it would have been more beautiful if the dog was framed at the right. And that kind of focus with F/4 the 6D isn't up to while tracking with off centre AF point.

You are using the center AF point which is really good at autofocusing. However, the outer points are a different story since they are not cross-type.

I think you're just a good photographer capable of guessing where your subject is going to be and anticipating when is the vital time to snap that focus on. Any camera would probably do for you lol.

The first shot is a cracker. I missed a 10ft leap out of a bowl from a BMX rider the other day. I could have blamed the camera but it was my fault. Snapped to focus far too early and got a nice shot of the bushes with an arty OOF shot of a sweet tabletop.

Paulstw wrote in post #16919294
I think you're just a good photographer capable of guessing where your subject is going to be and anticipating when is the vital time to snap that focus on. Any camera would probably do for you lol.

The first shot is a cracker. I missed a 10ft leap out of a bowl from a BMX rider the other day. I could have blamed the camera but it was my fault. Snapped to focus far too early and got a nice shot of the bushes with an arty OOF shot of a sweet tabletop.

I'm very new with using servo to catch moving subjects, I usually only done stills using one shot, i was afraid the 6d would not be able to catch good action shots, but ive been impressed with what i have done with very minimal experience shooting action, i know people that have done alot more sports related shots will get more out of the 6d.

The 6D AF is up to some basic action shooting and general purpose shooting.
However, shooting a f/1.4 or f/1.2 prime on it is no fun. The outer points aren't accurate enough and focus recompose can be enough to throw off the focus. With 41 cross types focusing a fast prime is ever reliable and easy.

Mornnb wrote in post #16919317
The 6D AF is up to some basic action shooting and general purpose shooting.
However, shooting a f/1.4 or f/1.2 prime on it is no fun. The outer points aren't accurate enough and focus recompose can be enough to throw off the focus. With 41 cross types focusing a fast prime is ever reliable and easy.

Yeah obviously not up to 5d3 standards, but im wondering how it competes with similar nikon's like the d600. its mainly from nikon users have said the autofoucs is terrible.

Not really apples to apples comparing bodies that are 1k more. Of course an extra grand will get you a better camera. I just bought a 6D because it's what I could afford and I wanted to buy new. It's like those car fax commercials where the car is on fire and the listing says new paint.
I'm happy with my purchase so far.

In regards to Autofocus accuracy, Lens Rental did a test and recorded the standard deviation of various cameras Autofocus performance. Now, this is essentially a measure of bodies AF trustworthiness.
http://www.lensrentals​.com …ity-part-3b-canon-cameras

1DsIII 29
5D II 38.5
50D 34
7D 41
1DIV 22
60D 34
T3i 41
1Dx 17
5D III 17
T4i 29
6D 28


And for the sake of comparison, here's how Nikon did:
D4 22
D800 24
D3x 36
D700 30

Stop me If I'm wrong, but usually the lower number is te better, and yet the 7D rates terrible, I would think it was much better considering a lot of birders use it. Maybe terrible is too strong a word, but variation seems to be the key word.
Its also one of the older cameras tested, and the older cameras didn't have the newer AF systems.
Very interesting info.

Bsmooth wrote in post #16919336
Stop me If I'm wrong, but usually the lower number is te better, and yet the 7D rates terrible, I would think it was much better considering a lot of birders use it. Maybe terrible is too strong a word, but variation seems to be the key word.

Birders use it because of it's AI Servo performance. A large number of AI points is a different thing to accuracy.
The 7D is great at AI Servo, but I have indeed noticed that the 6D can be more reliable in single point one shot mode.
Basically, what this is telling us is that the 6D's centre cross type is better than any of the 7D's AF points.

Lens Rental also says one reason for this is because recent bodies use a closed loop system making use of a AF position confirm sensor in the latest L lenses.

Nissanfairladyz32 wrote in post #16919248
Why does everyone think the auto-focus on the 6 is so bad ?

Because the are repeating what they read as opposed to what they have experienced first hand.

Somedude18 wrote in post #16919267
You have clearly used the middle AF point. How about the other AF points? And that kind of focus with F/4 the 6D isn't up to while tracking with off centre AF point.

Ratjack wrote in post #16919292
You are using the center AF point which is really good at autofocusing. However, the outer points are a different story since they are not cross-type.

I never use the center point - I use lower left or lower right depending upon the direction that the car will enter the frame. Focus is fast and holds the subject through obstacles or when multiple cars are in the frame. An added bonus is the ability of the 6D produce noise free shots at high IOS settings.

Canon EOS 6D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM, ƒ/22.0, 105.0 mm, 1/50, 100 ISO

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Mornnb wrote in post #16919339
Birders use it because of it's AI Servo performance. A large number of AI points is a different thing to accuracy.
The 7D is great at AI Servo, but I have indeed noticed that the 6D can be more reliable in single point one shot mode.
Basically, what this is telling us is that the 6D's centre cross type is better than any of the 7D's AF points.

Lens Rental also says one reason for this is because recent bodies use a closed loop system making use of a AF position confirm sensor in the latest L lenses.

Each lens/body combination provides a different experience, and a certain lens/6D could work better than that same lens/7D, but the opposite could be true with a different lens.

Even Lensrental acknowledges this.

Regarding motorsports on a paved track, I am not sure that it is the most pressing use of an AF system. The cars follow a pattern, they are large subjects, nothing often gets in your way, they move in a 2D space, and you pan with them allowing a much greater success rate. Other sports that involves subject material moving erratically with other objects constantly interfering with your intended subject while moving in 3D space makes for motion that is much harder to configure for and track.

What that means is that 5 major factors goes into how well one body "works" for you vs another:
- Body
- Lens
- Types of motion/activity/subjec​t material
- Lighting
- The photographer's skill at that type of event

There are so many combinations that it is no wonder we get into these same "which AF system or body is best, and I have a budget to meet", there isn't necessarily a single right answer.