1D Mk III - Confused about AF settings

Well the big black beast arrived yesterday and I'm trying to come to grips with the dizzying array of options with the AF system.

C.Fn III-8 AF expansion -
I'm thinking this would be a good thing for action, sports, birds in flight, but not for portraits when I want to lock onto an eye or something. Am I correct?

When would you use 8-1 (left/right Assist AF points) rather than 8-2 (surrounding Assist AF points)?

C.Fn III-2 AI Servo tracking sensitivity
The description in the manual leaves me scratching my head. Can you provide examples of situations where you would want it slow or fast?

C.Fn IV-13 Shortened release time lag
What the heck is this "stabilization control" referred to in the manual? Are we talking about image stabilized lenses or something else? What are the disadvantages of enabling this function, and is it even possible to tell the difference?

Thanks in advance.

Hey Curtis...I'll try to remember from when I had my MkIII...
C.Fn III-8 - Correct...I would only turn it on for tracking moving objects
C.Fn III-2 - Servo tracking sensitivity tells the camera how long to stay at a particular focal plane when it's lost track of the subject. (ie. it moved too fast for you, or something came between you and the subject). I like to set it to the slowest setting so that my camera stays with my subject better. About the only reason I can see to set it high is if you want to just hold the AF button down and swing the camera through a group and get as many different subjects as possible.
C.Fn IV-13 - I never messed with this, so have no idea.

III-8 AF Expansion: I have been using 1 for soccer and 2 for BIF. I am not sure about 0, but did use it when trying to isolate a single bird in a ground flock.

III-2 Tracking sensitivity: I think the idea here is when to let the camera jump to foreground crossing objects. I have been using 0 for soccer so that a player crossing in the foreground doesn't shift focus. I tried -1 & -2 for BIF since I didn't want it to fall off of the bird, but found that if I lost focus, I had a hard time getting it back - I suspect this is user problem and will to experiment more.

The other setting to consider here is III-4 AI Servo Tracking Method. This also has to do with objects crossing in front of the focus plane - but I haven't figured out how this interacts with III-8.

Shaun

PS: Wow - I just noticed that I never updated my signature!! Time to get the 1D in there!!

Hey Curtis,

I think your question about tracking sensitivity has been well answered. As for left/right AF expansion vs complete AF expansion - left right is good if you're tracking an object moving horizontally across the frame.

C.Fn IV-13 "Shortened release time lag" is a weird function, I think it decreases shutter lag at the expense of stronger mirror vibrations. When you need the ultimate in precise timing (I never have a use for this).

If you check out the product "recall" announcement here....

http://www.canon.co.uk …109&page=1&type​=important

you will see a link to a guide on getting the most from your 1D3 AF. Here's the link....

http://web.canon.jp …eosd/eos1dm3af/​index.html

John, Shaun and Perry - Thank you for your input. Very helpful.

Tim, that's a great link. Much appreciated!

Curtis N wrote in post #7461342
Tim, that's a great link. Much appreciated!

Similar guide but as a .pdf file - easier to wade through, I feel....

http://www.pressefotog​rafforbundet.dk/fil/eo​s1dmk3_af_cfn_guide.pd​f

Easier to print out and read on the toilet, too!

Curtis N wrote in post #7462305
Easier to print out and read on the toilet, too!

I almost spit out my drink. Thanks!

Curtis N wrote in post #7459393
Well the big black beast arrived yesterday and I'm trying to come to grips with the dizzying array of options with the AF system.

C.Fn III-8 AF expansion -
I'm thinking this would be a good thing for action, sports, birds in flight, but not for portraits when I want to lock onto an eye or something. Am I correct?

When would you use 8-1 (left/right Assist AF points) rather than 8-2 (surrounding Assist AF points)?

C.Fn III-2 AI Servo tracking sensitivity
The description in the manual leaves me scratching my head. Can you provide examples of situations where you would want it slow or fast?

C.Fn IV-13 Shortened release time lag
What the heck is this "stabilization control" referred to in the manual? Are we talking about image stabilized lenses or something else? What are the disadvantages of enabling this function, and is it even possible to tell the difference?

Thanks in advance.

This is a great document. Its not new (possibly updated) but for you its going to make your life with the MKIII much easier. Bearing in mind that there's no single optimum setting for all situations (which you've recognised"), I have found it useful to set up the 3 sets of customisable functions for my type of shooting and then switch between them, using Menu, C.Fn setting register / apply. You'll need to read the procedure carefully. There's a big difference between the use of Register, and Apply. Get it round the wrong way and nothing will change. I've done that today and have obtained better control than ever before! Make a note of the settings. It gets confusing.
Also bear in mind that as of March 4th, there is a general recall apparently on all 1DMKIIIs. Mine has been updated but isn't perfect so apparently another fix has been developed. You can read about this elsewhere on the Forums.

Hope that helps.

The stabilization thing has to do with the aperture. When stabilization control is applied, the camera makes sure that the aperture has stopped in the correct position, regardless of whether you close the aperture to the minimum opening or use it almost wide open.

When you cancel stabilization control, you can shoot faster if the aperture isn't too far from wide open, but the shutter release lag will depend on the aperture used, so it may change from one picture to another.

Hey Curtis,
Congrats on the new beast! You have some reading/studying to do.