EOS 90D poor OVF performance

[Cross]

First let me start by saying I love my 90D for stills but the Optical view finder focusing seems to have issues even with my 100-400 is II  especialy birds in flight. I and many others in other forums I belong to have a couple issues. One I call focus hang, for instance if a bird flushes suddenly and I pull up the lens (No matter which I have mounted )starts to focus and then just stops. I then have to point to a high contrast target and the lens will come alive again, and yes I have continue to hunt enabled and face tracking disabled. Also 9 point focus is pretty much unusable single point works pretty well. I upgraded from my 80D for the newer sensor but my 80D way ot performs the 90D when it comes to birds in flight. I am really hoping a firmware update is in the works to make the camera a little more enjoyable for us birders. Again stills it is fantastic need some of that for BIF.

[BurnUnit]

Good catch there, KV.

And all within a span of a little over 4 hours. What a coincidence.

[CaliforniaDream]

Are you using BBF or half press?  Also what focus mode are you in?

[Cross]

Not a coinicedence , I answeared that a few pages back, that  I posted in other forums that I belong to, that I was coming here to seek help with the issue hoping somebody from canon would have some helpful advice. or at least would bring it to their attention that a lot of us are having an issue getting OVF to work on birds in flight.

[Cross]

BBF,AI servo single point  as I mentioned 9 point seems to cause focus hang issue most often I am using F7.1 . I actually recreated it yesterday in my yard I forced no focus on flat blue sky then moved to electric pole and lens would not try to refocus with 9point on every time, switched to single point and was better. Then I tried it with AI Focus 9 point worked every time  (Lens refocused) even with all points selected in AI focus no hang. Again not complaining about missed shots because of my mistakes my issue is when the camera just fails to focus.  I also have 80D and all lenses I have tested work as they should in AI servo. Test yestrday  were done with new Canon 100-400 is II

[CaliforniaDream]

Very strange.  I don't know if I have tried the exact same senerio.  I will try later today.  

[Waddizzle]

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@Cross wrote:

BBF,AI servo single point  as I mentioned 9 point seems to cause focus hang issue most often I am using F7.1 . I actually recreated it yesterday in my yard I forced no focus on flat blue sky then moved to electric pole and lens would not try to refocus with 9point on every time, switched to single point and was better. Then I tried it with AI Focus 9 point worked every time  (Lens refocused) even with all points selected in AI focus no hang. Again not complaining about missed shots because of my mistakes my issue is when the camera just fails to focus.  I also have 80D and all lenses I have tested work as they should in AI servo. Test yestrday  were done with new Canon 100-400 is II

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My advice to contact Canon Support to work out your issue still stands.  I am truly mystified that you haven't tried, yet.  My initial assumption of operator still stands, too.  

Almost no one uses AI Focus.  Why?  Because focusing slows down while the camera figures out to use One Shot mode or AI Servo mode.  The more AF points you have active, then the more time the camera takes to figure out what to do.  The camera will evaluate each and every active AF point in order to make its' decision to go One Shot or AI Servo.

Almost no one uses One Shot mode, which AI Focus.does, to photograph a BIF.  Why?  Because more times than not, between the time you lock focus and when you actually fire the shutter the subject has moved out of your DOF, and will appear out of focus.

As for the camera stopping to focus goes, there is a setting within the camera you need check: [Autofocus lens drive when AF Impossible]. Good Luck, and good-bye.  Contact Canon Support is the best advice you need to hear.

[jrhoffman75]

I have seen a recommendation to turn off face recognition focusing in orange custom setting menu. 

[John_SD]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

Again, I strongly [advise] that all of you contact Canon Support.  A user forum is not the best place to raise your concerns with Canon.

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I agree. The forum is better suited to helping guys with dials, settings, advice on lenses, gear and software advisories. The issues these people are having can't be resloved by talking about it. They need to contact Canon Support and make arrangements to have their gear checked out.  

[Cross]

Thank you, and yes I will contact support.But please let me know if you can recreate.

[Cross]

I will contact them, and I have been shooting BIF for awhile, I do not use anything but AI servo for BIF and I dont know how it could be opretor error if the camera refuses to focus. When it works the shots are fine here are a few more examples cropped to fit upload allowance. But as you can see when focus happens I have no issue with results the one swallow shot you can also see its prey.As far as setting to continue to hunt is enabled ITR off and I even turned off sleep mode in case it was just hanging coming out of sleep mode.