Canon focusing problems?

[ShlomoHaviv]

I am thinking to get a 5D Mk II & a 7D (or Rebel T2i). But I am a little concerned about the 5D2 for a couple reasons:

First, I hear Canon is having some focusing problems with their newer bodies (7D &  T2i included), and a pro camera store suggested I wait a little till they fix it (he was not pushing me toward Nikon at all).

The other is that the 5D2 is almost 2 years old, so Canon may be coming out soon with a newer version of a full frame.

Anybody heard rumors about either of these two points?

Many thanks.

[Ken Bennett]

Canon are notoriously tight about future product releases. However, I think expectations are that a new pro hi-res 1Ds Mark IV body will be released at least 6-12 months before a 5D update, and since the pro body hasn't been announced yet, it'll be some time before the 5D III. The original 5D went three years before an update.

As for autofocus, well, that depends on the camera. The 5D Mark II that I tested from CPS was fine. Nothing great, but nothing bad to report. I ended up buying the 1D Mark IV instead, which is great for AF and operating speed.

[JohnTodd]

Shlomo,

There're a lot of online posts about the 5D2's autofocus, but very few that actually detail what's wrong with it, how the writers are testing it, or what cameras they're comparing it with. My humble opinion is that, because Canon didn't announce that the AF was 200% better than the original 5D, many people assume that it's archaic and worthless.

My humble opinion as a 5D2 user is that, for shooting fast sports, fast wildlife or low-contrast subjects in very, very low light, there may be better AF cameras on the market. For everything else, landscapes, travel, portraiture, etc., etc., I find it very acceptable. I very seldom miss a shot because of the AF; when I do, I tend to think of it as user error in not understanding how AF works.

Regarding it's replacement, the best advice I've seen is, does the current camera provide the features you need to take photos today? If not, you're guessing what the next camera will be like. Do you need more than 21MP? Are you willing to bet that it will have another stop of DR or less noise? A 5D2 doesn't become worthless the day the 5D3 comes out - try to buy an original 5D now to prove this. If a 5D2 takes the pictures you want today, go out and buy it and enjoy!

[jerryrock]

The Canon EOS 7D has a totally new autofocus system that is very customizable. It has some autofocus features of the 50D and some of the 1D Mark IV including spot autofocus. I believe the reports of autofocus problems last fall from early adopters were mostly due to user error. There is a slight learning curve involved. I have had no autofocus problems with the 7D I bought in January of this year.

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?ac...;articleID=3049

[ShlomoHaviv]

Thank you all for your response, I think I will just get the 5D2 and try it out.

I’d like to throw something else your way, which I am a little confused about.

When I was trying to decide between Canon and Nikon (5D2 and D700), I read somewhere that one should consider the number of pixels, AS WELL AS the spacing of the pixels on the sensor.  If I recall, the writer described Canon as going the route of increasing the number of pixels, whereas Nikon thought that spacing is more important.

Not sure what that means, and which of the two points affects image quality, which is all I am after at the end of the day.  Seems to me that, for any given size sensor, increasing the number of pixels will by definition condense their spacing on that sensor.

Does anybody understanding this and can explain it to me?

Thanks

[JohnTodd]

'Spacing' might refer to the size of the pixels, rather than their distance from each other. Read like that, the assumption would be that 12 million pixels spread over a full-frame sensor might give a better image than 12 million pixels spread over a smaller sensor. For example, skipping over some assumptions about technology, a 12MP Canon 5D can give a better image (on some measures) than a 12MP Micro 4/3rds camera, because the pixels are individually so much larger.