1DIII AF system...can you say learning curve?!

I finally had the chance to get out with my new-to-me MkIII and have a go at the most challenging subject I have ready access to -- hard-charging Pugs!

I've attached what I feel are the best of the lot. Believe me, I tried a variety of settings/combinations and got plenty of bad shots. Looking them over with ImageBrowser's AF point overlay I can say with a fair amount of confidence that most bad shots were user error falling under one of these circumstances:
1. failure to put chosen AF point where needed
2. failure to maintain AF point placement
3. failure to let IS system settle
4. failure to pan properly
5. AF point placement not having enough detail to lock focus

I believe with a lot of practice the camera wil prove to be a winner. The moral of the story is that you should not pick up this camera and expect magic, which I knew going in...now I have proof.

Please feel free to comment and share experiences.

That dog is so ugly that he/she comes across cute. Seriously though - great photos.

I don't think this camera requires any more learning than any other, it's all about good technique. I picked mine up coming from a Mk II and got an instant boost in keeper rate.

HankScorpio wrote in post #9097149
I don't think this camera requires any more learning than any other, it's all about good technique. I picked mine up coming from a Mk II and got an instant boost in keeper rate.

If I was coming from a MkII I'd agree. However, going from a cam with two AF choices, single and servo, to one with numerous CFs to tweak the behavior of the system requires some testing to see what works best for each situation.

Relative to point #3, these shots do not seem to need IS active. I find IS to be a hindrance when shooting action usually unless I am panning.

JeffreyG wrote in post #9097228
Relative to point #3, these shots do not seem to need IS active. I find IS to be a hindrance when shooting action usually unless I am panning.

Agree! After reviewing the shots and finding that the IS may have played a role in some of the OOF shots I decided that I will disable it next time for action shots. It is pointless to have to wait for the IS system to "settle" when you need to act quickly.

I came into photography in the mid '80s when it was basically shutter, aperture, focus and shoot. I left photography for a number of years and have only gotten back into it the last couple of years...quite a few more variables to think about when it comes to gear settings.

Nice stuff! I always find it interesting with my mark III, especially on high speed (H), how many are not keepers. But then there is that one in the middle of the burst that is so spot on, I doubt I could have gotten it with single or low (L).

I see what you mean about learning curve when you are used to the two choices you listed. An interesting option is to enable AF point expansion, you'll see other points around the one you selected light up but not as much as the main one. This has saved my rear a lot of times.

As for IS settling, I'm not entirely sure what is meant there, as I cannot recall having to wait for it to settle. I have the 24 - 105L and the 70 - 200L which are both IS. Am I missing something here? I do agree that once in a while it seems like IS does more harm than good, though it is rare.

The pros of IS certainly outweigh any cons. The only suggestion I have with IS regards tripod use; They SAY they are tripod sensing, but if it's wrong, boy is that a cringe-maker when you get home and know it was IS that kicked on and goofed it up. My suggestion is to always turn it off on a tripod.

mmm this is something out the the topic but the color looks kind of washed off. is it aRGB?

Replaces wrote in post #9097990
mmm this is something out the the topic but the color looks kind of washed off. is it aRGB?

Uh oh, this could turn into a million-page-thread.
All I can tell you is I shot in Adobe RGB, did PP in Lightroom and exported sRGB jpgs for web-use. Colors look good to me, but YMMV.

Hey! With a name like Pugsley, what else could you shoot!? I see "specialty photographer" written all over this!

Replaces wrote in post #9097990
mmm this is something out the the topic but the color looks kind of washed off. is it aRGB?

I was thinking the color looks like November in the south.

JeffreyG wrote in post #9098136
I was thinking the color looks like November in the south.

You mean green?!
I'm from PA originally so I know where you're coming from.

HankScorpio wrote in post #9097149
I don't think this camera requires any more learning than any other, it's all about good technique. I picked mine up coming from a Mk II and got an instant boost in keeper rate.

I think going from any other body to a 1 series does require a little more of a learning curve.. IMHO.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #9098433
I think going from any other body to a 1 series does require a little more of a learning curve.. IMHO.

i think he meant 1d mark II, not sure though

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #9098433
I think going from any other body to a 1 series does require a little more of a learning curve.. IMHO.

It didn't for me or anyone else I know. Most of my photographer friends can happily shoot a rangefinder one minute then a large format the next. The only difference is learning where the buttons are. I recently had to do a shoot at a client's studio with their equipment, I'd never seen a Hasselblad H3DII in the flesh before but I found the required settings within a minute or two and was off and running. If you understand the image triangle and have eyes then all cameras are pretty much the same.