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

Nice ones, Al! Loving your 500?

tonylong wrote in post #11857897
So, it occurs to me that a lot of people are likely not familiar with a meaningful firmware upgrade that came out a year or so after this camera was released.

If you read the manual regarding selecting focus points you will note that the default settings have only limited functionality for the joystick. Unlike other cameras the joystick was limited to just switching between all points and a focus point and could only be used after pressing the right button anyway. The only way you could navigate between points was by then using the rear wheel. C.Fn III-9 has in the manual only limited choices of 19 selectable points, or the inner 9 or the outer 9.

But the firmware fix they released changes things! By default you still have to push the right "magnify" button to change points, but the joystick got full functionality. But even more, if you look at C.Fn III-9 you will see expanded options, the important ones with the joystick icon showing next to the choices for 19 points, inner 9 and outer 9. What this means is that the joystick is "always on" to full point-select functionality -- you don't have to press the "magnify" button first. You can still choose how many points are selectable (I like all 19).

I just figured some of you may not be aware of this and may value putting the joystick to full use!

For me its a pity there's no joystick near the vertical shutter button... because of that I've resigned to just using the dials for AF point selection. Guess its more of a pain though on the 1D4 though with its 45 selectable points.

Rai33 wrote in post #11858201
For me its a pity there's no joystick near the vertical shutter button... because of that I've resigned to just using the dials for AF point selection. Guess its more of a pain though on the 1D4 though with its 45 selectable points.

Yeah, since the firmware update was for some reason an afterthought it just didn't occur to them to put the joystick on the grip portion. It's a headache -- I try to remind myself to set my focus point prior to goint into portrait orientation.

vmlopes, your HDR's look a lot better than mine do.
I am still pretty inexperienced with HDR's even though I have been playing with it randomly for a couple years.

How do you deal with noise after the final render?
Thats the part that upsets me most when I give it a try.

Thanks Tony

NeoTokyo wrote in post #11853805
I love how bright it is and the extra color to the sky.
Care to share your PS secrets?

Practice...and stupid amounts of masking

Seriously...masking is the one way to take your PS skills to the next level

RFDII wrote in post #11857606
tdodd:
What I am gathering is the rear AF button has to be held during shutter release or AF lock is lost. May explain why my focus points aren't showing up in red on DPP. To me it looked like in one shot mode the AF lock depression or the AF select then held locks focus confirmed by the green light and beep. In AI servo do you first use AF select and the wheel to select your AF point then lock with the AF lock button and hold till shutter time?

If you're using back button AF, as I do, then there won't be an active AF point if you aren't actively pressing the AF button. It's not a question of losing lock - you already established lock (I hope) - just that if you release the AF button you're effectively in manual focus mode.

If I am using AI Servo to track a moving subject then obviously I hold the AF button down continuosly to maintain focus on the subject, well, unless I drop the ball and have to temporarily release focus and reacquire a lost target (BIF for example). However, I often shoot in AI Servo mode but use back button AF to simulate One Shot AF, briefly establishing focus and then releasing the AF button so that I can perhaps reframe just a little, or simply because I don't need to keep on AFing once I have focus.

Having said all that, one thing I'm not certain of is if you AF briefly while holding the shutter button half way, but then cease focusing while still half pressing the shutter, I wonder if the camera remembers where your active focus point was and records it. If you were to focus without the shutter button half pressed, or focus with it pressed but then release it again before taking the shot, then I'm certain the camera cannot conclude that there is an active focus point and cannot record one.

FWIW here are some screen shots from that wedding....

One Shot, one point, used with focus/recompose....

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tonylong wrote in post #11858275
Yeah, since the firmware update was for some reason an afterthought it just didn't occur to them to put the joystick on the grip portion. It's a headache -- I try to remind myself to set my focus point prior to goint into portrait orientation.

Tony can you confirm what the latest firmware is/should be??

vmlopes wrote in post #11859577
Tony can you confirm what the latest firmware is/should be??

I'm not sure what the latest version is -- I didn't do the latest update because I haven't had to send mine in for the hardware fix that some cameras needed. I do have the rev that put the joystick AF into place. I have FW version 1.2.3.

tonylong wrote in post #11859634
I'm not sure what the latest version is -- I didn't do the latest update because I haven't had to send mine in for the hardware fix that some cameras needed. I do have the rev that put the joystick AF into place. I have FW version 1.2.3.

I have 1.2.5 but the joystick only becomes active once the right button is clicked ??

vmlopes wrote in post #11859637
I have 1.2.5 but the joystick only becomes active once the right button is clicked ??

You have to set C.Fn III-9 to 3, 4 or 5 (for selecting all 19 points, or either the inner 9 points or the outer 9 points).

These selections enable you to directly just push the joystick to just go to selected points. If you want to use the all points AF, you might need to play a bit with pressing the right button -- it seems a bit "twitchy" if you try to just use the joystick.

TL/TD:
Thanks for the clarifications on firmware changes and the photos showing the af points. BTW my MKII was just in for service in January and it came back with firmware 1.3.0.
I just spent hours reading everything I could find on MKII AF on Canon's site and then all the forum posts here and I am still confused. When I hit the rear small blue AF point selection button in One shot mode I can choose my AF point by manually positioning it with the wheel depressing the shutter half way and get the green light and the beep done deal. The only noteworthy addition is if I manully position the focus point so the entire ring lights up the Canon doc I found says it is now in AF mode. Not sure what that means. They also have a narrative about registering your Home AF point by selecting it then hitting the AF point selcet button and the ISO button at the same time and upper display showing HP or Home Point. This can then be directly accessed by a center tap on the controller.
What I gleaned from TD's post was in AI Servo mode you manually choose your focus point first then hold the AF On button down while your track your subject. Releasing the AF on button puts you back in manual mode to let the path to your subject clear for example then pressing the AF on button again continues the focus tracking. So the AF selection button was used to do just that and the AF on button was used to track while actually shooting. I have no doubt that works but could not find anything in the Canon doc concerning the need to hold the AF On button down shooting.
I appreciate the input from both of you. Thank you

Rai33 wrote in post #11858201
For me its a pity there's no joystick near the vertical shutter button... because of that I've resigned to just using the dials for AF point selection. Guess its more of a pain though on the 1D4 though with its 45 selectable points.

yep - i find myself fiddling with the joystick with my left hand when i am holding the camera vertically

This explains back button AF operation and its benefits - http://www.usa.canon.c​om …ArticleAct&arti​cleID=2286. If you use back button AF then you have the option to take a shot either with or without AF being active at the moment the shutter is released. If you retain AF operation on the shutter button then, unless you switch the lens to MF, AF will always be active at the moment of shutter release. Sometime this can be just fine. At other times it can be irritating.

Choosing whether or not to use back button AF is quite distinct from selecting AF points, which is a separate topic. Basically your options there are to have....

- a single AF point of your choosing on its own;
- a single AF point of your choosing with two assist points enabled;
- a single AF point of your choosing with six assist points enabled;
- all points enabled.

When you pick all AF points the behaviour in One Shot is different from the behaviour in AI Servo. In One Shot mode the camera will use and illuminate the AF point(s) closest to the camera which have sufficient contrast for a good lock. In AI Servo mode you must initially track/target your subject with the centre point. The other points will take over AF operation if the camera determines that your subject has moved away from the centre point and is now elsewhere in the frame. DPP (or probably the camera itself) does not appear to record/display exacty which one of the many AF points was active when you are using all AF points in AI Servo mode. I have no idea why.

Regarding the selection of the points themselves, I have set up the camera so that the joystick has direct control over AF point selection. There is no need to press any buttons in order to change the selected AF point. I've added the menu item to enabled and disable expansion points to "My Settings" or "My Menu" or whatever it is called.