Calibration for EOS R6 Mark II / front focusing issue

[EK25]

Hello everyone! I am very confused - and will be thankful for your patience! So I have been shooting with EOS R6 Mark II for over 1 year by now, and a couple of months ago started noticing unusual blur of human faces in my images - very often focus started falling in front of the actual AF point (e.g., AF on the eye, the actual focus - on the shoulder / a balloon the person is holding). I have been shootng with the same lens from the beginning - EF 50mm STM 1.8 lens with an adapter. So at first, I thought it might be the issue with the lens getting old(? since the problem appeared just recently) so I got a new EF 50mm 1.2 USM lens. Unfortunately, same problem persists. Someone recommended I should calibrate my lens (?), but I have just read that mirrorless cameras do not require calibration. I am really confused. Is calibrating a camera vs calibrating a lens a different thing? Or am I sort of always calibrating a "duo" (i.e. if I change something in my camera, does it mean that if I later get Rf lens it will have to be recalibrated again)? At this point what should my next steps be? Thank you so much in advance.      

[deebatman316]

You can’t have front or back focus on a Mirrorless camera. That’s why there’s no option for AFMA/ AF Fine Tune. Show us pictures of the problem. Have you tried an RF lens. Not all EF lenses are fully compatible with the AF systems found in newer EOS R series cameras especially lenses released before 2009. What settings are you using so we can if the problem persists.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

What you read is true.  Lens calibration (from a user standpoint) is not possible on a mirrorless body.  

Worth noting.  Adapters are not created equally, so it's important that you use a Canon brand adapter with your EF lenses and mirrorless body.

Canon does offer a precision alignment service.  This is a factory calibration performed at a Canon service center.  You can read more about it here 

Canon Precision Alignment | Canon U.S.A., Inc. https://share.google/ZZkSMkIMNyXoOK6Jz

[EK25]

F3.2, SS 1/800, ISO 160Even though AF point is near a dad's eye, his face is completely blurred and mom's face (more forward) is more in focus as well as the balloonThe focus is supersoft here while I expected a huge detail in her eyes

[EK25]

Same here, the actual focus is on her shoulder not on her eyes

F2.5, SS 1/500, ISO 2500

[jrhoffman75]

Focus tuning in a DSLR adjusts for possible calibration differences between the mirror down focusing system and the mirror up focusing system. In a mirrorless body the there is only "mirror up" focusing system.

However, the camera still needs to evaluate the electronic data on the sensor to determine when the focus is best; it's not looking at the image.

Canon Precision Alignment | Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon does provide a calibration service for RF product line components. You might want to contact them to discuss your situation. Canon support 1-800-OK-CANON. Although RF cameras don't offer the capability some Nikon cameras allow for AF calibration in the body.

Before you conclude there is a problem I suggest you try and get an RF lens or a different EF lens to test.

The EF 50mm f/1.2 is not the best item for verifying focus. 

[EK25]

I have not tried Rf lenses, and I understand that shooting with a Canon adapter + Ef lens is worse than with an RF lens. What puzzles me is why at first it worked and then a couple of months ago something happened...  

[EK25]

thank you! Yes, using a canon adapter. 

[jrhoffman75]

---

@EK25 wrote:

I have not tried Rf lenses, and I understand that shooting with a Canon adapter + Ef lens is worse than with an RF lens. What puzzles me is why at first it worked and then a couple of months ago something happened...  

---

"shooting with a Canon adapter + Ef lens is worse than with an RF lens"

Not correct. EF lenses function as well if not better on an RF body. While RF lenses are generally smaller, lighter and higher optical quality than equivalent spec EF lenses (newer designs) the EF lenses function fine. 

[deebatman316]

The EF 50mm F/1.2L USM lens is NOT COMPATIBLE with DPAF (Dual Pixel AF). That lens was released in 2007. Don’t expect new features in an EOS R series camera to work with old lenses. Only EF lenses released in 2009 and newer support DPAF. You’ll notice limitations with lenses that you adapt.