ef mkIII extender... HATE IT and canon

KIPAX

KIPAX

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KIPAX Lancashire UK
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So I buy a brand new 1.4 mkIII extender .. I ahve two 1dmkIVs a 400mm f2.8, a 135mm f2 and a brand new 70-200 f2.8 mkII.. all either new or recently calibrated.. i get sharp pictures wiht in camera calibration turned OFF

No matter what combination I use.. I cant get a decent picture at any f stop using the extender :(

So I send it off to canon elstree.. I am platinum CPS member.. send it monday.. got back today.. thats loverly and quick..

This is what canon have to say
"Checked and tested with workshop lenses, found upto standard. * may need to be calibrated to body and lenses"

OMG I hate calibrating..especialy on a zoom... why cant they just work! :(


..


Phew... feel a bit better now :)
 
I would have been surprised if you didn't get a single minor focussing anomaly with that diverse combo. But if AF micro-adjustment just isn't working, check that the lenses without TC are accurate first as any error will be compounded with the TC. Also ensure
the focussing plane is properly aligned with and without the TC. A slightly offcentre focus alignment could be a cause.
 
eccles said:
I would have been surprised if you didn't get a single minor focussing anomaly with that diverse combo.
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As i said I cant get a usable picture from any combo with either mkIV or any lens...

eccles said:
But if AF micro-adjustment just isn't working, check that the lenses without TC are accurate first as any error will be compounded with the TC
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Seriously mate i appreciate the attempt to help but didnt you see this bit? :) "all either new or recently calibrated.. i get sharp pictures wiht in camera calibration turned OFF"
 
scottthehat said:
sorry i did see that what i ment was can you not just take it back or send it back as you should not get that many problems, then go try one before you buy.
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But didnt i already do that? i sent it to canon who gave it a clean bill of health after testing it saying its perfect.. on what grounds could i send it back to the supplier? and what would I gain? if they replaced it with an equally perfect working one i would still have the same problem surely?.. it needs calibrating witht he camera and lens..
 
and you believe them 100% how many times have things been sent to sigma or canon and nikon to come back with a clean bill of health to find its duff still even know its suppose to be fine, i have had a lens sent back 3 times and everytime it come back they said it was fine, and it was clearly not in the end i got a new one. i believe there was someone on here who sent a canon 24-70mm of to canon for a service or repair and it come back duff 3 or 4 times.
so all i can say is go try some more and see if there is a difference,
 
I've been waiting for you to give us the low down on the 1.4 mkiii .....Its a real ball ache getting the MA done. What method do you use Tony ?
 
Tugster said:
I've been waiting for you to give us the low down on the 1.4 mkiii .....Its a real ball ache getting the MA done. What method do you use Tony ?
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havent tried yet ... but when i needed to... i simply shot at human faces on diff settings until it was right... you cant beat a human face for calibration...
 
KIPAX said:
As i said I cant get a usable picture from any combo with either mkIV or any lens...




Seriously mate i appreciate the attempt to help but didnt you see this bit? :) "all either new or recently calibrated.. i get sharp pictures wiht in camera calibration turned OFF"
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Of course I saw that, but you're evidently complaining that by adding a TC you don't achieve proper focus. Adding a TC can easily change the calibration of a lens such that it needs AF micro-adjustment for accurate focus, even if your lenses without TC appears to be spot on and need no micro adjustment on their own. I have no idea of the precise reasons; sufficient to say it's always been a problem with PD focussing which is why micro-adjustment is provided in yours and other high-end cameras. If you're saying that you cannot get accurate AF adjustment, you should be able to use contrast detect live view to make some test shots with that to see if the TC is sharp. If those test shots are also unsharp then your TC is a duffer.
Best regards,
Mike.
 
Oh, and don't use human faces. Put the camera on a tripod and use a static subject. Three coins on their edges at slightly different distances work well.
 
KIPAX said:
havent tried yet ... but when i needed to... i simply shot at human faces on diff settings until it was right... you cant beat a human face for calibration...
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Microfocus adjust take two minutes once you've worked out the right method. Rather easier than sending stuff to Canon. You must have read the dozens of threads on this.

Don't use a face, unless it's a perfect flat one*. And I'd be surprised if all your lenses were perfect at zero adjustment, especially with an extender, though I'd be equally surprised if they were actually far out with quality gear like yours.

* Don't use or coins either. Subject must be at a typical working distance - close enough to show any errors, but not so close that you start to introduce errors that are not apparent at normal range.
 
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HoppyUK said:
Microfocus adjust take two minutes once you've worked out the right method. Rather easier than sending stuff to Canon. You must have read the dozens of threads on this.

Don't use a face, unless it's a perfect flat one. And I'd be surprised if all your lenses were perfect at zero adjustment, especially with an extender, though I'd be equally surprised if they were actually far out with quality gear like yours.
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as in havent tried on current setup with TC
Have micro adjusted in the past and found faces the best bet accross a football field when using a 300 or a 400

Had my equipment calibrated at leihmans 60 quid a go... had brand new equipment since then and everything works fine on micro adjustment disabled....accept i tell a lie.. because i had completely forgot that the 400 is set at +3

the 135mm for example was calibrated at leihmans... its now even more sparkling than before and spot on at f2 in all distances shot..

I ahve not tried to micro adjust with the TC on yet.. that was my rant.. its a nightmare and I hate doing it.. yes read the various threads... but i still strugle.. I am a competant photogrpaher.. I am confident enough to say that.. however what isnt apparent is how long it took me to get competant and how long it took for things to sink in :) I aint the quickest off the mark... but i get there eventualy :)
 
KIPAX said:
as in havent tried on current setup with TC
Have micro adjusted in the past and found faces the best bet accross a football field when using a 300 or a 400

Had my equipment calibrated at leihmans 60 quid a go... had brand new equipment since then and everything works fine on micro adjustment disabled....accept i tell a lie.. because i had completely forgot that the 400 is set at +3

the 135mm for example was calibrated at leihmans... its now even more sparkling than before and spot on at f2 in all distances shot..

I ahve not tried to micro adjust with the TC on yet.. that was my rant.. its a nightmare and I hate doing it.. yes read the various threads... but i still strugle.. I am a competant photogrpaher.. I am confident enough to say that.. however what isnt apparent is how long it took me to get competant and how long it took for things to sink in :) I aint the quickest off the mark... but i get there eventualy :)
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Fair comment, and it is frustrating, but that's the way it is when you're working to critcal standards which I know you are with that kit. With long lenses, it's hard to get a realistic shooting distance unless you have a long room, so I would try this method outdoors.

Pin a page of text to a brick wall and set the camera up square on a tripod, to frame an area about five bricks wide. Something like that, about 3-4ft wide which might simulate the kind of distance for a head shot. If it's correct at that, I can't think it would be out at greater range.

Shoot pictures at +10 through to -10 at increments of 5 then scroll through them and see which is sharpest. You should be able to do that on the camera's LCD on max magnification. Pick the best one and then fine tune at smaller increments around that. Do a double-check using live view AF which should always be perfect so there should be no difference between them when you're done.
 
Was it at Canon elsetree? They seem to do some automated checks, that have some very generous limits of tolerance.
You really have 2 options now. 1. Get rid of it and just be careful with a new purchase. That's clearly the easiest way, with cost penalty. 2. It has to go back to Canon as many times as needed till its perfect. Phone up CPS support and explain them, and demand the TC to be tested by hand and calibrated till perfect, or it will go back again. They will bear the cost of all postage. Ideally you would send the camera, and a lens with it. It DOES seem to help them.

Since you mention that your whole kit was re-calibrated, are you sure they are not all OFF by a big margin, just working well together? But I am not surprised if they are perfect and TC is not.
 
KIPAX said:
wow I wasnt expecting that gary ;)
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But seriously mate, how many times are you going to have problems with Canon, what about the expense of getting it sorted, what about the hassle, what about the lost income while its all tied up in the shop getting calibrated yet again, me i just stick any lens on any body and it just works.

Sorry if its old hat Tony but its just a little less old than your problems.

I want to see you above all others having no problems at all. :thumbs:
 
Gary Coyle said:
But seriously mate, how many times are you going to have problems with Canon, what about the expense of getting it sorted :thumbs:
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And Nikon NEVER breaks, and their service is free :dummy:... yeah right
 
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