-= 1D MkIII Owners discuss =- and Post Your Pics

illini181 wrote in post #10288165
I purchased this camera from a friend that upgraded to the IV. This is one of my first shots with it.

Your friend obviously didn't use up all the really good shots in it!

Well Captured!! (And she's hawt...!)

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #10288184
There really are no secrets...

Get the fastest shutter speed you can get (bump your ISO if necessary, even in daylight), set your feet shoulder width apart, support your lens well (many folks work with their left hand in too close to the body .. get it out and down the barrel a bit) and one trick I do use is to move my feet so that the "shot zone" will fall right around the point at which I'm square to where my feet are pointing.

IOW, if the plane is flying left to right and I want a head on to profile shot, I'll face slightly left of center. If I want a profile to tails away, I'll face slightly right of center. This keeps me from having to shoot while too coiled up where I'd be shooting kind over one shoulder.

I usually shoot in three-shot bursts at 8 fps and I do use IS Mode 2. I figure if the technology is there, use it.

Above all else, practice. Shooting moving traffic is a good way to practice panning techniques.

Thank you Jay.

The more I use this camera the more I love it. First shot is ISO 1250 pushed 2 stops in post. Absolutely incredible color and detail retention compared to my 5d and 50d. No adjustments other than exposure! I'm floored.

I also don't think I had one out-of-focus shot all day, heh.

Hey gang, hope you don't mind me littering this thread with questions as I hone in on focus with my Mark III...

I was going through Canon's AF guide and noticed that in order to have ultimate AF abilities, the camera needs to be married to a lens with a minimum aperture of 2.8 otherwise you lose some AF precision (the vertical legs of the cross-hairs). What are your experiences here?

Also, they state that the proper technique if you want to use the AI servo AF across all 45 points, is to achieve focus with the center point first. The camera will then track that object anywhere across the frame using the 45 points. Is this how you all track moving objects?

In my earlier post, I used this technique but limited the AF to the center point with kids riding down zip lines and was disappointed with the results. Would I have done better (esp. as a beginning tracker) to let the camera choose between all 45 points? I was using the single center point based on what I've read for birds in flight (sub in kids for birds in this case!)

I'm not an export of the fine points of the AF.

I will say that I do use my 70-200 f/2.8 IS whenever possible, that is, whenever I'm shooting action in the range covered by this lens because I expect close action shots to be optimum in the AF and in sharpness and that lens delivers, and I figure that the wide aperture is a factor.

That being said, in all honesty, the lens I use the most with the 1D3 is in fact the 100-400 which at the long zoom is a f/5.6 lens. And, to be totally honest, I almost always use the lens with a 1.4x TC attached, which now makes it a f/8 lens! On top of that, the AF will only use the Center point! So, naturally, I don't mess much with Ring of Fire shooting! But I do use this combo for my wildlife stuff and that includes birds in flight and with care I can get some very nice results.

Another option with the 1D3 is the AF expansion points. I've messed with them a bit but not a lot. They would be useful with subjects that are large enough to benefit from off-center points that can pick up focus areas that the center point may miss.

If you practice, center point is enough for almost everything except flying bugs at dusk.

dog rocket wrote in post #10297628
Hey gang, hope you don't mind me littering this thread with questions as I hone in on focus with my Mark III...

I was going through Canon's AF guide and noticed that in order to have ultimate AF abilities, the camera needs to be married to a lens with a minimum aperture of 2.8 otherwise you lose some AF precision (the vertical legs of the cross-hairs). What are your experiences here?

Also, they state that the proper technique if you want to use the AI servo AF across all 45 points, is to achieve focus with the center point first. The camera will then track that object anywhere across the frame using the 45 points. Is this how you all track moving objects?

In my earlier post, I used this technique but limited the AF to the center point with kids riding down zip lines and was disappointed with the results. Would I have done better (esp. as a beginning tracker) to let the camera choose between all 45 points? I was using the single center point based on what I've read for birds in flight (sub in kids for birds in this case!)

The three lenses in your sig are the lenses that i use most often. I find that I don't have any issues with AF on the center point - I have center point expansion enabled however. I'm constantly blown away at how quickly this lens focuses, even with my f4 lenses.

Sold my 5D2 and bought a used 1D3. It fits more of the type of photography I'm zoning in on.

I haven't had a chance to use it yet...but I'm looking forward to it!

Dog rocket check your setting that sets the focus speed (think it's focus tracking speed.). I've played around with all the settings but like the fastest the best as it reacquire focus faster but on the flip side it can lose focus faster to. What is your setting. Can you post some of those photos?

The end of the 100 meter dash at the state championship.

I love this camera. Great colours and detail

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Not the greatest pic, but you've got to love the 10fps. Hand held 5 shot HDR:

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Great shot James. You should post that in the birds forum.

Sweet!

Methodical wrote in post #10281644
Real tight shot...just wanted to show the close working environment up there

...Talk about an amazing shot, executed under solid photographic principles (e.g. composition, sense of dynamics/tension, etc.)

Keep up the great work,

PIX