6D focus issues? Nope.

I'm an event photographer. I shoot racing, highschool sports, concerts, models, and whatever catches my fancy. I've been using a 1D Mark3 for years. I've wanted a full frame camera for the portrait and concert work, but just couldn't justify the price of the 5d. Enter the 6d. After reading all the sob stories about the poor focus system I was initially hesitant, but decided to buy one anyway knowing its weakness. I could always use the 1 series for fast focus shoots and the full frame 6d for the prettier work.
I received my 6d on Fri. and hadn't bothered to take it out to shoot until today. And after hearing again about the poor focusing properties of the 6d and its inability to focus on 'fast moving children' in another post, I decided to put it to the test, and put this nonsense to bed.
I took my 6d out and shot R/C aircraft. Small, fast and probably impossible to get focus on according to internet lore.

The gear: 6d and 70-200 2.8

The disclaimer: I'm sick and I'm on cold medicine and a 16oz Redbull energy drink. These shots are handheld, and shot at moderately low shutter speeds to show proper amounts of prop blur, so some handshake is definitely present.

These are all VERY tight crops to try and show the level of focus that was achieved.

The conclusion: Buy a 6d. Enjoy the quality iq of a full frame camera. Don't be afraid of the focus system. It focuses. Are there better focusing cameras? You bet. Does this one suck? Not by a long shot.

what af point and mode did you use?

kin2son wrote in post #16712093
what af point and mode did you use?

+1
I've got the same question
nice pics by the way

Before this discussion goes down hill, and it will soon thanks to the perennial 6D focus bashers (er, I mean realists), let me say this. I don't make nor do I desire to make significant money with my photography. Therefore, I can't justify the expense of a 5DMk3 or a 1DX.

Having started with an Argus rangefinder a few decades ago and subsequently working my way through numerous manual focus SLRs and then on to AF DSLRs, I love my 6D. It does what I need it to do to result in photos with which I am very happy. My keeper rates satisfy me.

As I understand it, the AF on the 6D is at least the equivalent of and perhaps better than the 5DMk2's... a camera which served many professional photographers admirably for years.

Just because there are better AF systems on the 7D, 5DMk3, and 1DX (and perhaps other 1 series DSLRs) the quality of photos rendered by cameras with "lesser" AF systems is not suddenly invalidated.

Now that I have gotten that off my chest, feel free to begin or continue your bashing of the inadequate outer points and the lack of cross-type or multi-cross-type focus points.

I'll be somewhat disappointed if the same gang of naysayers don't take the bait and rise up to put this and other 6D users in their place.

Dwain

Nice shots but I could get same with 10d, my first dSLR. I am not sure what we trying to prove/disapprove here.

kin2son wrote in post #16712093
what af point and mode did you use?

Centerpoint and AI Servo. The same single point I use on my 1 series. I fired 497 shots today. 6 were out of focus, 2 of which were panning errors of my own. ( See disclaimer in original post)

Has skill level of the photog population degenerated so far as to require a viewfinder FULL of focus point options? Should all cameras just grab and focus the image like my iPhone does?

The point of this post was to try and let the people on the fence about the 6d know that its okay to buy it. Its a great camera. It excels in low light performance, very hi iq etc.

All this nonsense about it having some inadequate focus system is just that. Nonsense. If you WANT a better focus system, you can buy it. Canon offers it in a few other models. All it takes is money.

So again, to you folks that are on the fence about this camera, there is nothing wrong with this model. You could shoot just about anything you want with it.

Regards, -Todd-

H8Monday wrote in post #16712510
Centerpoint and AI Servo.

Ah as expected. 6D is perfectly fine and well established that it's as good (if not better) with that mode than higher models.

Meaning that you've never needed nor take the advantage of a 1 series's sophisticated AF system. And as bobbyz said, a 50D (I wouldn't go as far as 10D) in center point al servo mode will easily match it.

More focus points gives you more freedom when compositing and framing your shot accurately and reliably. It has nothing to do with degeneration

Fact that you are a center point only shooter makes you more nonsense than those who demand better and more flexible AF system

Heya,

It is definitely over-stated the AF abilities of many cameras on this forum.

But that said, that's because they're not speaking in context of what AF system they're referring to. They just blanket statement the whole thing as "autofocus." So I never take it serious.

If I took all the commentary serious, I would never have tried to do birding with a junk Rebel with a non-IS lens.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/mwise1023/12060​724374/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/mwise1023/12060​635653/

Much like af systems, there are different type of bif shots. Big birds have a tendency to glide around and don't dart or move all that fast. In many regards they are much like airplane shots, easy to track and snap, especially against a uniform background. Af systems differentiate themselves when subjects are small, erratic or other objects might draw attention away from your intended subject.

Good shots OP, regardless. Not sure how many of us here have ever tried to shoot RC models in flight, especially trying to blur the props too. Not easy, I'd say harder than most BIFs (at least with birds you can use faster shutter speeds).

It's just my opinion that these kind of threads probably wouldn't exist if it hadn't been often, and wrongly and categorically stated on the internet that the 6D's AF was crap. I'm not trying to stir anything up here, we've been through this many times but it's true that 6D users often feel the need to prove the skeptics wrong. No, most of these 6D owners are not trying to convince people that the AF is as good as the 5DIII, 1DX, 7D, 70D, or older 1D series (or at least I'm not). That's not the point. The only point is to dismiss the "6D AF is crap, unable to track at all etc." myth.
Most of us here of course are pretty knowledgeable about what the 6D AF can and cannot do (or can do but with less accuracy/keepers etc.). So I'm not preaching for the crowd here, I'm just trying to explain why these threads exist in the first place.

gabebalazs wrote in post #16712920
It's just my opinion that these kind of threads probably wouldn't exist if it hadn't been often, and wrongly and categorically stated on the internet that the 6D's AF was crap. I'm not trying to stir anything up here, we've been through this many times but it's true that 6D users often feel the need to prove the skeptics wrong. No, most of these 6D owners are not trying to convince people that the AF is as good as the 5DIII, 1DX, 7D, 70D, or older 1D series (or at least I'm not). That's not the point. The only point is to dismiss the "6D AF is crap, unable to track at all etc." myth.
Most of us here of course are pretty knowledgeable about what the 6D AF can and cannot do (or can do but with less accuracy/keepers etc.). So I'm not preaching for the crowd here, I'm just trying to explain why these threads exist in the first place.

I believe you're correct! But why do certain people deride the 6D AF? Sorry, but I think it's rationalization for their hefty purchase! This is the one very noticable feature that stands out and they try to latch onto it. The 6D has a noticeably different AF system...hmmm; must be crap! That's the reason I spent all this money (or contemplating it)!