Canon 60D (1 Viewer)

[paul goode]

You could be right Paul,I spent several hours testing my 300/2.8 for MA with a 1.4tc, a 2x tc and the bare lens and guess what, they all were best at +/- 0

I used to fiddle with the MA back when I obviously had too much time on my hands but the only lens I saw a real improvement with was a 100-400 but nowadays I don't really bother and the results I'm getting are not causing me any concern at all, if an image is soft It'll have been my fault. Admittedly I haven't got any long lenses any more though but I do shoot a lot at f2.8

 

[davem]

...the only lens I saw a real improvement with was a 100-400...

Have to agree Paul, I 'tried' it just for curiosity when the difference between the 70-200 and 100-400 was just a little too different shooting the same subject.

MA up to +10 the 100-400 now produces some stuff almost on a par with the 70-200 2.8 which is pretty much as sharp as you like at 100% (not that I peep!) but interestingly the 100-400 with 1.4x is also best at +10.

Dave.

 

[inags]

As a 50D owner, I am pleased that, for me, Canon haven't made it redundant (despite what the DPReview preview says).

Not interested in HD video, the 50D already has more than enough megapixels & I love the quality feel of the mag body.

I've never used MA either.

 

[hollis_f]

I am surprised that canon have done what they have with the 60d, just looking at jacobs, there price for the 60d and 18-135 is exactly the same as the 7d with the SAME lens, £1399.99!! The 60d's price should be around £850 - £900

Whenever Canon launch a new model all the stores advertise it at the RRP, because some people simply must have the latest model and are willing to pay a premium for doing so. After these early adopters have satisfied their urges the retailers will start to drop their prices to something a bit more realistic.

If you go to camerapricebuster and look at any dSLR you'll see the same thing. Take the 50D, body only - that was £1200 on 28th Aug 2008. By Nov it had dropped below £900 - where it stayed until Aug 2009 when the price dropped (presumably when the 7D was announced).

The 60D, body only, is £1100. So expect that to drop to your level of £850-£900 by Xmas.

 

[seaspirit]

I have a 50D and 100-400mm, is it easy to micro adjust Tony? How would I know if it needs done?

thanks

Chas

Since you ask the question yours is probably fine.
A lens that requires tuning will display front- or backfocus in pictures,
i.e. the focus is not where you want it to be. The focal plane is shifted a bit to the front or back from the spot you aimed for and focused on.
This can be minute and hardly noticeable, but in some cases it is nearly impossible to get a tack sharp image because of it.

As far as some of the other posts are concerned. I too think that a lot of folks use micro adjust. THE reason why I choose the SLR body I am using now was its ability to do MA, and I will not buy another body that does not offer this option. For those who do use it (know about it) it solves the problem and it is out of your mind. Nothing left to complain about, so why talk about it .........

 

[kristoffer]

MA is just a band-aid for equipment that needs service. If you need MA, you should send your gear to service. The 60d looks nice speced but too expensive of course at the moment.

 

[Kevin Conville]

I have a 50D and 100-400mm, is it easy to micro adjust Tony? How would I know if it needs done?

Go to Digital Photography Review and look in the Canon Forums and search Micro Focus Adjustment. There will be lots of info there. I did this but came up with this system which, for me, was much more consistent and easier to quantify. The targets are 5 1/5" apart and the the plane of focus was 30' away. The tape was for fine tuning.

Note that 22" is the actual plane of focus allowing for the angle. Depth of field extends about 1/3 in front of the plane of focus and 2/3 in back. This is how it is supposed to be. This taken wide open, after calibration. The grid and physical separation are to allow the camera to easily and consistently find focus. Single point center focus window was used, this is important (duh).

This image was with a brand new EF 400 f5.6 after calibrating the mirror (different process from your 50D, unfortunately) and this process took an hour or so. MFA makes it far more simple and up to 20 lenses can be calibrated to a single body and it remembers the settings whenever that lens is attached.

 

[Kevin Conville]

MA is just a band-aid for equipment that needs service. If you need MA, you should send your gear to service. The 60d looks nice speced but too expensive of course at the moment.

Problem is, and you would know this if you knew more about it I suspect, on a body without MFA Canon can only calibrate 1 lens properly to a body. If you have two long lenses, for example, you'll be out of luck with one of them. You would also know that Canon gets it wrong as often as they get it right and it's a subjective call on their part once the thing meets their spec, which isn't very tight.

You would also know that this is a wide spread issue and brand new equipment can be unsatisfactory. Once warranty is out (1 year here in the US) Canon charges over $100. per lens and if they don't do it to your satifaction, the whole process starts again, on your dime. Oh yeah, shipping and insurance are on you as well, both directions.

You may not want/see the need for MFA, but I do. I have about 200 test shots with my 70-200 f4 and my 400 f5.6 done under controlled, repeatable circumstances and I can say unequivocally it's a real issue.

By the way, I didn't "discover" it by reading forums and then testing to find a problem. No, I bought a new EF400 f5.6 and was frustrated at inconsistencies with my bird shots. Opened up, the lens was unpredictable. That led me to look into it and then learned of all this calibration stuff. It works perfectly now.

 

[Roy C]

I used to fiddle with the MA back when I obviously had too much time on my hands but the only lens I saw a real improvement with was a 100-400 but nowadays I don't really bother and the results I'm getting are not causing me any concern at all, if an image is soft It'll have been my fault. Admittedly I haven't got any long lenses any more though but I do shoot a lot at f2.8

After wasting a few hours with the 300 I have not bothered with any of my other lenses - they all look sharp to me so if it ain't broke ..........

 

[Kevin Conville]

After wasting a few hours with the 300 I have not bothered with any of my other lenses - they all look sharp to me so if it ain't broke ..........

Exactly. Good for you.

I hope your point isn't to extrapolate from your "wasted hours" that the problem doesn't exist, generally, with others.

I derive from your statement that your 300 is fine and that because you have not seen anything in the pics from your other lenses that you didn't think it was worth any further effort.

I am curious however why you played with it at all, and why it took hours to conclude there was no problem. One should take controlled test shots before any fiddling ensues. In your case that should have been the end of it.

 

[Tectortony]

Pigeon Pete,
I found that my lens on full extension was front focusing and it was easily seen, a bit fiddly to adjust but now the lens focuses where it should. A bit of trial and error is required. But in my case well worth the effort.
My other lenses required no adjustments, the shorter the lens the less the need to do any adjustments due to increased depth of field.
Regards Tony

 

[Roy C]

Exactly. Good for you.

I hope your point isn't to extrapolate from your "wasted hours" that the problem doesn't exist, generally, with others.

I derive from your statement that your 300 is fine and that because you have not seen anything in the pics from your other lenses that you didn't think it was worth any further effort.

I am curious however why you played with it at all, and why it took hours to conclude there was no problem. One should take controlled test shots before any fiddling ensues. In your case that should have been the end of it.

What others do or think is of no concern to me.

 

[inags]

What others do or think is of no concern to me.

Withdrawn

 

[Kevin Conville]

What others do or think is of no concern to me.

Foolish me. I thought this was a dialog.

10,000+ posts and this reductive reply? Interesting.

 

[kristoffer]

I can't help wondering why you are a BF member.

Roy has been very helpful and friendly in countless posts here on BF, unlike many other. I wonder why you should judge his membership.

 

[inags]

Roy has been very helpful and friendly in countless posts here on BF, unlike many other. I wonder why you should judge his membership.

I didn't mean that. Original comment withdrawn

 

[Roy C]

I can't help wondering why you are a BF member.

That makes two of us I am afraid. BF use to be a great place with friendly people giving great advice - what little photographic knowledge I have has all come from folk on BF and for that I am grateful. But now, as mentioned earlier, it seems as if everyone with a DSLR is a 'expert' and the main aim is to score brownie points by questioning and scrutinising every post for a possible flaw.
There seem little left for the novice amateur snapper like myself.

If other people want to MA their lenses or carry out controlled test then that's fine - it is not my concern. By the same token why should anyone else be concerned about why I did a MA test and I certainly should not have to explain how I did it ( if I did I am sure there would loads of the 'experts' ready to pounce to tell me what I prat I was).

 

[Nikon Kid]

If your sitting here with a 7d then a 60d is of no interest to those owners, looking at the spec it's abit like the 40d upgrade to the 50d alot will not make a change, weather it will make owners of a 40d that did not change upto 50d or 7d make a upgrade to the 60d maybe ? but I think the price will have to fall considerably. I like the Vari-angle 7.7cm (3.0”) 3:2 Clear View LCD its 1 million dots..........

 

[Adey Baker]

If your sitting here with a 7d then a 60d is of no interest to those owners, looking at the spec it's abit like the 40d upgrade to the 50d alot will not make a change, weather it will make owners of a 40d that did not change upto 50d or 7d make a upgrade to the 60d maybe ? but I think the price will have to fall considerably. I like the Vari-angle 7.7cm (3.0”) 3:2 Clear View LCD its 1 million dots..........

The change to both LP-E6 battery and SD-type cards will not impress any xxD-series owners wishing to upgrade. Those of us with ancient knees who like to do low-level work will like the swivel-screen, though.

 

[Kevin Conville]

Roy,

My intent wasn't/isn't to bust your chops, it is to raise the level of discourse.

I think my posts say that clearly by citing examples, anecdotes, Canon repair pricing, and a photo. Your post(s) basically offer that it's a waste of time.

When I tried to ask about that process, I was dismissed.

OK, so maybe you and I won't be friends, I don't know, but please don't accuse me of being provocative. I will say however, that the nature of the written word, by non poets, is that it can be misinterpreted.