5D Mark 2 Viewfinder

I've been looking into my next body to upgrade to and I am strongly leaning towards the 5d2. I've just been googling around and have found an image which shows the spread of AF points of the view finder

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.mark. wrote in post #9379570
This image has had the "rule of thirds" imposed over the top. I'm shocked to see how clustered the points are. It barely seems worth switching from the centre point (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit!).

Thats been a complaint of the 5D cameras for a long time.

I have absolutely no problem with the arrangement of focus points or the whole focussing system performance. Don't believe all you read, because you will note that most of the negative comments about the 5D2 focus setup are from folks who have never used a 5D2 let alone own one. Of course there are faster cameras, but if you want the ultimate in IQ and a very usable focussing system, the 5D2 is it! IMO

I'm ok with it when shooting portraits, I just go to the closest focus point and re-compose a little. With action type AI servo though It would be nicer for the focus point to be more spread out. It's a good thing I can crop the hell out of the image with little difference. It's one of those things that this camera lacks but I easily forget when I see the images taken with it.

I must admit that I was suprised when I first got my 5D2, but ultimately I do not think it will matter that much. I was using center point on my 50D most of the time anyway.

Yeah, I almost exclusively use focus and recompose, but basically the 5D has one really big center point. That can be a really big problem with the 5Ds shallow DOF, and using a super fast lens wide open (think 85L.) Focus and recompose can be problematic because as you move, you are rotating a little. With a bigger DOF, not a problem, but with a razor thin DOF, you loose some focus. The D700 has a leg up on Canon on this one, not to mention it has a pro level AF system.

So yes, definitely a problem, and a major part of why people are clamoring for the 5D to get better AF, in addition to the fact it is fairly slow for a camera used by many pros.

BUT.. as others have said, it doesn't really bother me for what I shoot, mostly portraits and art.

hmmm this has really got me thinking. One of my reasons for upgrading is low light shooting of friends/family at parties/events. Candid shots look (imo) better when you try and get an eye on a rule of third intersection. Shooting candidly, you don't really get chance to focus and recompose. Also, if shooting low light, I'll be using a prime probably wide open which equals no focus recompose as I'd have a very shallow dof. So, I'd either use one of the (so called) outer points which are inferior to the centre one, or use the centre and crop my pics a lot.

People manage with this AF layout right? This has just swung the ball in the 7d direction. I'd love FF for the high ISO and ability to really isolate your subjects, but I seem to be giving up a lot that the 7d offers to get it.

Seems like you could "crop compose" with a center point focus and 21mp. Of course if you want or need all of that resolution it wouldn't work, but for those with more flexible requirements that could be a simple solution.

1dsmkII - 45 points of love. But even in the 1 series, the focusing ellipse is the same size between the 1.3crop and the FF - meaning it covers less area in the FF cameras.

I use the center point on the 5D mostly. Occasionally I use an off center point. usually that works out.

professoryeti wrote in post #9380504
Seems like you could "crop compose" with a center point focus and 21mp. Of course if you want or need all of that resolution it wouldn't work, but for those with more flexible requirements that could be a simple solution.

The "crop compose" method would work but I prefer to get as much right in camera. Maybe I'm overreacting and this isn't a big issue. I'm going through the 5d2 pic thread and thinking "I wonder what focus point was used here"!

I probably haven't done enough candid stuff with my 5D yet, I just haven't had much time to use it, but I typically did the focus and recompose business on my 40D, and didn't have a ton of trouble.

The 5D II is going to have considerably better high ISO than the 7D.

If you are taking the time to switch up focus points, you can use that upper right and then recomposing to the 1/3 cross isn't very far, so the change in focus isn't great. I wouldn't be too worried with the primes you have now, but if you picked up the 50L or 85L you may have some trouble wide open.

Unfortunately this isn't really something you can test out in a store, all I can offer is that despite the fact I said it IS a problem, it hasn't bothered me in doing shooting pretty similar to what you do. And to me FF is the way to go, unless you need the weather sealing or fast AF and fps of the 7D. It is a heck of a camera, and I loved my 40D, but the 5D is just right.

I was using a 5D2 in store with a 24-70 f/2.8L and I had trouble focusing on peoples faces that were just several feet away from me. It would simply refuse to lock and would go back and forth a few times. stuck the lens on my 50D and shot away.

I don't know what's up, but something is fishy.

The AF point spread is basically the same in all of Canon's cameras. It only appears smaller in the 5D because it has the largest sensor, and not enough people have a 1Ds to complain about it.

There was a tech tips article awhile ago about it, basically it's very difficult to make useful AF points very far from the center of the lens.

toxic wrote in post #9381162
The AF point spread is basically the same in all of Canon's cameras. It only appears smaller in the 5D because it has the largest sensor, and not enough people have a 1Ds to complain about it.

There was a tech tips article awhile ago about it, basically it's very difficult to make useful AF points very far from the center of the lens.

Hmm.. looks like you are right:

1Ds:

.mark. wrote in post #9380094
hmmm this has really got me thinking. One of my reasons for upgrading is low light shooting of friends/family at parties/events. Candid shots look (imo) better when you try and get an eye on a rule of third intersection. Shooting candidly, you don't really get chance to focus and recompose. Also, if shooting low light, I'll be using a prime probably wide open which equals no focus recompose as I'd have a very shallow dof. So, I'd either use one of the (so called) outer points which are inferior to the centre one, or use the centre and crop my pics a lot.

People manage with this AF layout right? This has just swung the ball in the 7d direction. I'd love FF for the high ISO and ability to really isolate your subjects, but I seem to be giving up a lot that the 7d offers to get it.

I would say that if you use all the focus points and you're wide open, you're going to get some shots with your main subject out of focus because one of the peripheral points picks up an extraneous object in the background, for example. For candids, don't you think that most subjects will be in more or less the same plane? If not, I'd go one f/stop higher, and use only the central point and recompose. And if you set the camera so you can change to a single peripheral point, you'll lose the shot in the time it takes to change the focus point.

I think IQ is better with the 5D2 than the 7D, esp at high iso's.