5d Mark II AF speed

I've heard that the AF on the 5D Mark II is somewhat slower than most higher-end cameras. I was wondering how it compares to the XTi? i want to upgrade and go big, but I don't want to lose in any departments. I do shoot some action stuff at times and since i'm used to the speed of the AF on my XTi, if the 5d mkII is similar then i won't be losing anything. If its better then that's a bonus!

I saw on another site that someone said it was slower than any of the cameras and that it was the worst camera for action. i've seen some great shots posted on this board of action pictures taken with that camera though, so i wanted to ask here for an opinion before trusting that one person on some random photo site!

thanks in advance!

Go to pbase and look through the 5D Mk II gallery.

Crayons15 wrote in post #7435070
I've heard that the AF on the 5D Mark II is somewhat slower than most higher-end cameras

Well, seeing as how the older higher end cameras above it are the 1D series, and they have there own processor dedicated for focus. That and the AF is meant to be for focusing in servo at 10FPS with fast moving objects.
Nick

Slower than a D700, and fewer fps than a 40D, but no problem compared to a XTi. I can't imagine you'll be anything other than thrilled with the upgrade.
Some people are jumping on "Not quite as fast as <x>" and saying things like the 5D2 is no good for sports, etc - but there's plenty of very good sports/wildlife shots around as you've seen.

Only time I've been disappointed with the AF has been with fast lenses wide open in very low light - specifically the 50mm f/1.4, but that's a challenging focus and my 5D2 certainly outperforms my 400D.

Stirfried wrote in post #7435249
but that's a challenging focus and my 5D2 certainly outperforms my 400D.

exactly what i was looking for, thank you!!!

and i'm doing concert photography so the AF in low light thing sucks, but as it is my Xti wont focus half the time in very low lit bars, so anything better than that is a plus!

The 5D AF is designed around the center and has not just a cross-type point for accuracy but has invisible "assist points" clustered around the center point to keep tracking moving objects around the sensor.

This center point AF is close to the 1D bodies, although lacking some of the processing power for sheer speed. But it performs quite well compared to the outer bodies. The outer AF point are weaker in design, although they work OK in good light.

Plenty of people actually get good results shooting sports and wildlife with the 5D2, but you get the best results from a 1D "pro" series body. The biggest reasons why people choose a 40D/50D are things like faster shutter speeds, smaller files and having more pixels in the smaller area of the crop.

^thank you Tony! I thought about a 50D but i have a really high expectation for stuff so i figured i should just go for better now while i am ahead, rather than upgrading again in another year or two! I really like that that the 5dmk II has video also, so that's what draws me in over the 1D series. Plus I am on a little bit of a budget! but really, as long as its better than what I have now I will be happy! My main focus right now isn't sports or wildlife, even though I do enjoy shooting both, so I think i will be very happy with this camera! I just got kind of scared when that person said this camera was awful at action shots! but that's not true so i'm happy!

Well, there are a ton of threads discussing the AF of the 5D2, and I've heard very positive reports about people using the center point for action, even if it's slower than the 1D cameras. Check out the 5D2 photo thread, there should be examples there. It's just not engineered for that kind of thing regarding overall performance.

Make sure you get the kit, with the 24-105 lens, because you'll need it for your mid range of focal length (replacing the 18-55 range on the XTi with a little extra length). Your 70-200 will work well for the sports stuff, although at f/4 you'll need to up the ISO when the lights go dim.

^i will check that out, thank you! was actually wondering if i should just get the body and get a wider angled prime lens since i'll be shooting in low light a lot. but not sure i will have enough $ left to do that after i break the bank to buy the camera! so i might do the kit for now. I can always just stick with my 50mm for the band gigs like i have been.

Yeah, for band gigs you will want a faster lens. You might want to check out the Performance section of the Photo Sharing sub-forum to see some shots people have taken and the lenses used.

The question about speed might be valid, but how often do you need speed if you focus in almost complete darkness? I was photographing for a project and was surprised that the camera could focus in a low contrast and low light situation.

^i don't just shoot concerts, i also like to shoot my sister playing basketball, so that's why i was asking about the speed.

thank you for all your help tony!

if this helps... shot this gig under terrible red light - ambient without using flash was ISO 3200 f2 at 1/10th second to get a standard +/- 0 exposure... (didnt use that in these shots though)

performed flawlessly - used peripheral focus points and filled with a bit of flash.. (im sure flash helped my focus but i have shot in bad conditions no flash and still surprised at how well it focuses off centre)

havent done any super fast paced sports yet... will be testing at an air show in a week or so and will post about that later

CyberPet wrote in post #7436399
The question about speed might be valid, but how often do you need speed if you focus in almost complete darkness? I was photographing for a project and was surprised that the camera could focus in a low contrast and low light situation.

When we're talking about moving objects, speed is relative. When Canon talks about "faster focusing" distinguishing the 1-Series from the slower cameras, Canon talks about motor vehicles moving at high speed.

The 5D2 should have no problem keeping focus on anything/one moving at less than 15-20mph--and if a guy on stage is moving that fast, he's not going to be on the stage for long.

super-nicko - that helps a lot, thank you! those pictures look super for bad lighting conditions!

RDKirk - sounds like this camera will work fine for me! thank you! lol @ the guy on stage moving faster than 20mph :P