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Is AF micro adjustment with EOS R needed ?

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    Is AF micro adjustment with EOS R needed ?

    Hi...I am a long time Canon user and have been following the new EOR R progress with interest. By all accounts it's a first rate camera and I am sure there will be more 'interesting' developments to follow.

    BUT.. I have an overwhelming question. I have read the EOS R manual and I can't see any mention of AF micro adjustment.That is..whether it is needed for EF lenses... or not..! Or whether the new range of dedicated lenses have any need for micro adjustment...

    I understand that a DSLR has to deflect light through the main mirror to the AF sensor which is below the main mirror so therefore there will be a 'discrepancy in focussing' with some lenses used ( I use all EF L series lenses and they all need a micro adjust ) hence the need for micro adjustment.

    I also understand that the mirrorless cameras directly use the sensor for focussing which is directly behind the rear lens element so there is no need to deflect light onto the focussing sensor as with a DSLR. SO no need ? for micro adjustment.? But I am not convinced yet...!

    Canon say the EOS R works seamlessly with EF lenses using the EF adaptor. But it is a heck of an expensive purchase if they do not focus as well as they do on my 5D Mk111...!

    I would feel more content if buying an EOS R that Canon "clearly identified" either that there is no need for micro adjustment with EF lenses and dedicated EOS R lenses one way or the other. Not knowing would stop me buying the EOS R as I wouldn't want to risk my current range of EF L series lenses on a mirrorless camera without knowing for sure they would focus perfectly as they currently do.

    I wouldn't want to rely on the internet for answers as everyones opinion is different.

    Sorry long question but give it some thought if you own EF L series lenses..... Thanks guys...

    #2
    Re: Is AF micro adjustment with EOS R needed ?

    I’m pretty sure it’s not needed on a mirrorless camera for the reasons you suggest. Certainly it never comes up as a question on any of the forums I frequent and neither of my Fuji cameras - an X Pro 2 and X-T2 - have any kind of AF fine-tuning options.

    Regarding the adapter, I suspect there may be some slight difference in focus speed between native and adapted lenses but not so much it would be problematic. Accuracy I would expect to be as good for both.
    EOS 7D mk II, Sigma 150-660C, Canon 17-85 EF-S, Tamron 10-24 and a wife who shares my obsession.

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      #3
      Re: Is AF micro adjustment with EOS R needed ?

      HI Andy and thanks for reading and replying to my question.

      However, as you say in your first sentence "I'm pretty sure" its not needed on a mirrorless camera and nor does the question about AF micro adjustment pop up anywhere else on forums... that's the same brick wall I come up against so far.

      As I mentioned I have invested in a range of L series lenses and the EOR R would make a nice addition for purpose. But after searching the internet I have no concrete support to convince me that there would be no focussing issues with EF L series lenses on the new EOS R.

      I feel Canon ought to nip this one in the bud so to speak as there is a world of EF L series owners out there probably (I hope) thinking the same thing. No where in the Canon advertising for the compatibility between the EOS R and EF lenses currently in use is there any mention of Micro adjustment with front or back focussing issues...If there are any !

      Clearly Canon are catering for EF lens users re the new adapters. So they want to hold onto EF L customers. And no doubt in the course of time there will be a whole range of EOS R lenses available but currently this transition period for Canon with new mirrorless cameras and lenses is vital to the success of the EOS line and as such I feel we ought to be certain about compatibility issues, if there are any, between the two ranges of lenses.

      I hope I don't sound too pedantic... but as someone who got bitten in the bum as auto focus issues were developing way back in 2008 and until they were finally ironed out by Canon to the excellent tools they are now... I feel that to protect my investment in Canon equipment I need to know for sure before any further investment could be made....

      I can't rely on "general opinions" and internet guesses to convince me that I won't have any issues with front or back focussing with EF L lenses on the EOS R..then only to discover by myself that my EF 300 L front focusses by a tad after extensive use on the EOR R a year down the line... for example.

      It could (and did) cost me a lot of time and effort and loss of photo opportunities discovering something that ought to have been obvious right from the start..

      So come on Canon... lets hear from you please :)

      Thanks again Andy... I look froward to hearing other opinions... Regards...
      Last edited by gerryg; 20-02-2019, 12:00.

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        #4
        Re: Is AF micro adjustment with EOS R needed ?

        There is no requirement for AF microadjustment on a mirrorless camera. With an AF SLR of any type the focus is controlled by a separate set of sensors located in the base of the camera using a small amount of light which passes through the semi-silvered portion of the main mirror and is bounced off a secondary mirror into the AF sensor array. This means the light path for the focusing system is not the same as that for the actual image acquisition system (film or sensor), includes two moving parts and varies slightly according to assembly tolerances - the net result is that the true length of the AF light path may not be exactly equal to that specified for the AF controller. In most cases the difference is not enough to notice but in some situations, such as with long lenses and/or wide open, critical sharpness may be slightly off which is where microadjustment comes in.

        In the case of mirrorless cameras the image sensor is also the AF sensor therefore there is no possibility of any difference between the light path of the focus and acquisition systems - if the image is in focus at the AF sensor it's also in focus at the picture sensor since the two are the same.

        My mirrorless Panasonic G cameras have no form of microadjustment either and they don't miss focus even at the long end of the tele lenses I have nor have I come across complaints about misfocusing with Sony's A series cameras.
        Nigel

        You may know me from Another Place....

        The new ElSid Photogallery...

        Equipment: Far too much to list - including lots of Nikon...

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          #5
          Re: Is AF micro adjustment with EOS R needed ?

          Thanks for replying Nigel...

          I agree with all thats been said above...

          I fully understand the science behind focussing...

          But I still feel that a mention from Canon as a leading camera manufacturer, in either the EOS R manual or in the advertising... would have put minds at rest that there is no need for AF micro adjust in either the new range of lenses or the current EF range that the EOS R is compatible with would not have gone astray...

          There shouldn't be a need to have to scour the internet to see if anyone else has come up with any issues on a camera topic before buying...

          One shouldn't have to "assume" that all will be ok....before purchasing.

          Many thanks guys for your input and taking the time to read...

          Happy days eh..

          Regards...Gerry

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