5D3 + AF assist beam = slower focus

[Carerra911]

Hello All,

While I am new on these forums I have been on the Canon Rumors Forums for a few years now, 

I really wanted to bring this too the attention of you and Canon as it is simply a highly important problem, those of you that don't know, the 5D3 suffers serious focus locking issues when a Canon speedite is attached in Low light, the AF assist beam causes lag with the AF from the 5D3, this makes it virtually impossible to achieve focus in low light when the speedlite is attached, I wanted to bring the topic to this forum, so I have pasted a link to all the discussion we have already had about this problem at Canon Rumors.com - see below

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=10275.0

Please help in letting Canon know this is a very serious problem and effects the cameras performance in most working environments when a speedlite is attached and working in low light, conferences, nightclub work, weddings etc, and can stop the photographer completing the job or task.

Regards

Louis

[GIlmorePhoto]

I did shot again this weekend with 5D3 and 600EX at night and it was an exercise in frustration to say the least.  Here is what I observed:

1.  As noted by someone else in another forum, distance plays a big roll in the AF Assist beam effectiveness.  I was shooting outside in a town square, very low light, 100mm L, trying to get my wife and son shoulder up with a bit a of Xmas tree lights in the background.  At the distance necessary to make that framing possible the focus assist was virtually useless, not locking at all or shooting completely OOF shots.  This was not remedied by the suggestion of not waiting for focus confirm and just pressing the shutter release button all the way (it would get me OOF shots when it would actually fire). Turning the flash off resulted in a focused pictures (not instantly, but acceptable given the low light).  I did not have my T1i handy to compare but I did not have this problem shooting the same shots in the same square, at the same time of night, with the 430EX II and the T1i.  (Not scientific, I know but there it is...)

2.  At closer distances (40mm lens), the focus assist worked but slowly.  I would get the shots in focus but I missed the moment because of the hesitation.  This was maddening to say the least.  Here I am with $5K worth of camera kit and I could not get a decent shot that would have been possible with a lot less.  

I continue to be disheartened and hope that the issue is identified, a fix is possible, and that it will be release within the next few months.  I'm kind of gutted right now.

[marcdegroot]

so after getting my camera back from canon, i used it at a corporate event last friday.

it worked pretty good with static shots and posed shots. but when i got to the action where i needed fast focussing, it let me down again.

luckily i had the mk2 in the car, so shot with that instead.

[fatalv]

I'm in for a fix too. Aspiring wedding photographer and I've noticed this problem on both 70-200 f2.8 IS II and 50 f1.4. I haven't tried it yet on the 16-35 f2.8 II.

This problems makes me extremely nervous about shooting low light weddings. Who'd have thought I'd have to resort to the 7D for low light situations 😕

Canon please fix this!

[digital]

Thanks for the feedback about pressing the shutter all the way and not waiting for the AF confirmation GilmorePhoto.  

[digital]

Not surprised cleaning the dust did not work.  

[DeckardSolo]

Even my 8yr old 20D focuses faster than my 5D3 with the IR beam in low light.  I wonder if it is a power issue because my 5D3 also significanly drops its continuous shooting speed when the battery reaches 50% power.  I don't have a battery grip and I'm curious if these issues are resolved with the battery grip.  Is anyone using a battery grip and still getting the focus issue?

[dll1477]

SME Mike - would you have any additional information to share on this topic?

[Steve_urwin]

I can't agree with this more. I have given up on action shots with the 5D3 + 580 EXII or 600EX-RT. Posing is fine, my subject and I just have to wait until the camera decides that it's focused... however long that maybe!

[Steve_urwin]

I work as the inhouse photographer in a few different nightclubs 6 nights a week, so I run into this problem alot!!

5D Mark 3 + 580EXII or 600EX-RT both seem to suffer this problem for me.

Happens with:

16-35 L MKII

24-70 L MKII

at all focal ranges. (I'm not saying that it's only these lens, but these are the ones that I use on this camera)

Center spot focus, expanded 8 and 61pt focus or any other combination of (as far as I've found so far)

Eval, Center Weighted and Spot all problematic

ISO 100-6400 all problematic

AV mode TV mode and M mode all problematic.

To wrap it up, I haven't found any mode, or setting that aleviates this problem... If I could find a setting or model/dial/or knob to change to fix this, I'd stick to it for shot necessitate the AF beam.

I can't replicate this issue at all on my 7D in the same, or any other environment.

[echelonphoto]

Guys.....this is ridiculous....who do we call....our livelyhood is being affected here.....I just don't see how so many

photogs are raving about the 5d3 AF!  Are there two different versions going around here? I don't want to own

a 3000 paperweight...which is just what the camera is to me right now