Canon R5 Canon R5 Focus Issues

[svkinzie]

I absolutely love my R5 with one exception and maybe it's in my settings. The camera will not focus on the subject if there is little contrast, even if the focal point is right over it (example - waterfowl on a lake with no distractions in front of it - would not focus). I have to manually focus to bring it more in focus and then it works. I've missed a number of shots because of this. My 5D Mark III focused on any subject the focal points were over.
Is there a setting to help? I have looked but cannot find any. This happens on any lens, not just on my Zoom. I use back-button focus.
Thanks for your comments.

 

[Kathryn Milner]

I have found the same thing when trying to focus on a flying bird that I had no difficulty managing previously using my Canon 5D Mk III. I was disappointed to miss some shots. I am not sure if the manual focus method you are using is the same one as I just started checking out with the most recent firmware update. On page 5 of the AF Menu you can choose “Electronis full-time MF” and turn it on allowing you to manual focus to assist the auto focus to lock on. I haven’t had the chance to try it out a lot yet. I suspect it will help but I anticipate it won’t be as fast as the performance of my old camera.

 

[PRenee]

I absolutely love my R5 with one exception and maybe it's in my settings. The camera will not focus on the subject if there is little contrast, even if the focal point is right over it (example - waterfowl on a lake with no distractions in front of it - would not focus). I have to manually focus to bring it more in focus and then it works. I've missed a number of shots because of this. My 5D Mark III focused on any subject the focal points were over.
Is there a setting to help? I have looked but cannot find any. This happens on any lens, not just on my Zoom. I use back-button focus.
Thanks for your comments.

Interestingly, I just noticed this when trying to shoot a hummingbird bird outside my window. Lots of green around a mostly green bird. I use BBF also. I tried manual focus, but that was slow, focus and recompose has worked the best so far. I’m going to play around with some other options. Never noticed this on my 5d IV.

 

[Kathryn Milner]

I am having more success now by focusing quickly on the ground about 40 feet away, then aiming the camera in the sky, seeing the dark unfocused bird, and then using eye autofocus it locks on.

 

[PRenee]

I am having more success now by focusing quickly on the ground about 40 feet away, then aiming the camera in the sky, seeing the dark unfocused bird, and then using eye autofocus it locks on.

That is focus and recompose. I’m glad it’s working for you. I use it also.

 

[Readybrand#1]

I've been a photographer for 40+ years. Shot almost exclusively with Hasselblad. So, I'm used to having everything manual. In the last few years, I've been using a Canon 5D mark4. No problem. Yesterday, I helped a friend shoot a wedding with my new R5. Have it set for back button focus/eye/people. There were several situations that I just couldn't achieve focus. (either eye focus or regular) One such situation was while trying to focus on the bride who was partially blocked (at least part of the time) by the best man. I am trying to shoot this from around a 3/4 front view. I could move the focusing to where I wanted it, but when I actually pressed the back button, the camera instantly jumped to the maid of honor. ( who was about 4-5 feet beyond the bride) This happened over and over. Ended up that I used the manual focus. I have never shot a wedding before and the camera is new, I have those going against me to start. Can anyone give me some insight?

 

[PRenee]

Hey, it sounds like you had the AF face detection on. I think that’s why it was catching other people. Try turning it off when there are multiple people around.

 

[JayAy]

I've been a photographer for 40+ years. Shot almost exclusively with Hasselblad. So, I'm used to having everything manual. In the last few years, I've been using a Canon 5D mark4. No problem. Yesterday, I helped a friend shoot a wedding with my new R5. Have it set for back button focus/eye/people. There were several situations that I just couldn't achieve focus. (either eye focus or regular) One such situation was while trying to focus on the bride who was partially blocked (at least part of the time) by the best man. I am trying to shoot this from around a 3/4 front view. I could move the focusing to where I wanted it, but when I actually pressed the back button, the camera instantly jumped to the maid of honor. ( who was about 4-5 feet beyond the bride) This happened over and over. Ended up that I used the manual focus. I have never shot a wedding before and the camera is new, I have those going against me to start. Can anyone give me some insight?

This video may help. It covers a solution for switching focus in group shots... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWpuF6tGVTc

 

[TMac99]

I have an R6. I use BBF, but I have 2 buttons set up for focus. The first, the "AF-On" button is set for single point AF, and the second, the "*" button is set for Eye Detect AF. That way you can instantly swap between the 2 focus methods, so if Eye AF is not hitting where you want, you can just jump to single point Af and get focus on whatever you are centered on. This is very handy for things like birds in trees, where the Eye AF sometimes gets lost on branches. Note, I also have the joystick press action set to recenter the focus point, so if it is off center for some reason, a press of the joystick will bring the focus point back to center.

 

[Rdeyoungaia]

From my recent experience, the auto focus system that Canon is bragging about is not ready for prime time. Multiple issues of failing to achieve focus consistently on various settings for animal detection. Worst one is on long lenses failing to achieve focus at all 90% of the time. If I wanted to do manual focus, I would not have spent a lot of money on R5 and RF lenses. If I had not sold my 5D4 and was not just past the return window, the whole thing would be going back. I feel like a beta tester. At this point, I could NOT recommend the R5 until Canon addresses and fixes the various focus failure issues. The promos for how great the autofocus is are very misleading; they are selling what they hope it will do when they fix it, not what how it is actually performing. Very disappointing for a Canon user of multiple cameras over many years.

 

[Rdeyoungaia]

Glad to report that, after a MONTH at the Virginia repair center, the camera returned and focus is finally working as designed. The adjusted the dual pixel autofocus, which apparently was out of calibration.

What a totally painful experience. Canon just sat on it until started calling. They claimed that they had tried to reach me, but no missed calls, VM's, or emails from them. FYI, in talking to them, they would only call twice and never leave a message. Great way to support your customers, Canon! Once I started calling regularly and connected to a supervisor, she connected me to a support person at the repair center who understood the problem and was able to explain it to the technician who apparently never understood my repeated descriptions. If i had to send a product in for service again, I would call in two days after they received it (forget email, they take too long to reply and don't seem to actually read the email) and keep after them if there is an issue. Escalate ASAP.

Glad it is actually working as designed now.

 

[Memoriee]

I have an R6. I use BBF, but I have 2 buttons set up for focus. The first, the "AF-On" button is set for single point AF, and the second, the "*" button is set for Eye Detect AF. That way you can instantly swap between the 2 focus methods, so if Eye AF is not hitting where you want, you can just jump to single point Af and get focus on whatever you are centered on. This is very handy for things like birds in trees, where the Eye AF sometimes gets lost on branches. Note, I also have the joystick press action set to recenter the focus point, so if it is off center for some reason, a press of the joystick will bring the focus point back to center.

This is how I have mind set up as well and works great.

 

[Nick L]

Hi, I also am using the AF-ON for back button focus and the * button for face tracking, I have noticed that the R5 sometimes fails to focus using the AF-ON button and the eye tracking can help. I noticed the 100mm EF f2.8 macro can hunt or fail to focus especially when using the full range, but this lens could be a bit of pig on the 5D, I assume Canon will improve things in firmware if they can, but most of the time I have no issues with autofocus on the R5.

 

[Nick L]

This came from the Fred Miranda Site, I have tried this and it helps

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1714543

R5 double back button focus - bug in firmware​

I'm new here, so perhaps I missed it, but searching the forum I have found no discussion of this issue, and it seems pretty important.

Double back button focus is a superb new possibility with the R5. The common way I have seen to implement it is to have the AF-ON button set to default as your left-BBF, initiating whatever focus method you have selected in the main camera settings, usually Spot AF. The * button is used as right-BBF to initiate Face-Tracking AF, and the obvious and widely advocated approach is to use the Customize Buttons menu to assign "Eye Detection AF" to the * button. But there's a problem with this.

BACKGROUND

The issue relates to the setting in menu AF5.1 "Initial Servo AF point for Face-Tracking AF". If you're not familiar with this setting, it's best to play around with the main focus method set to Face-Tracking AF, and come back to double-BBF later. The default setting in menu AF5.1 is the third option AUTO. In AUTO, for Face-Tracking AF there is no small focus box displayed in the viewfinder, and the software just guesses what you want to focus on. Place two identical objects in frame (I use two bottles set on a table) and AUTO will initiate on the one closest to the center of frame. If you take this AF5.1 setting out of AUTO into one of the other two possible settings, in Face-Tracking AF you now see a small focus box that TELLS it where to initiate. You can move the small focus box anywhere in the frame with the joystick, and tracking will initiate on the object you specify. The difference between the two non-auto settings becomes apparent if you switch back and forth between Face-Tracking AF and Spot-AF. With menu AF5.1 set at the first option, the small box in Face-Tracking AF moves independently of the small box in Spot-AF. With menu AF5.1 set at the second option, they move together.

PROBLEM.

With dual back button focus I think most people don't want to be in the AUTO setting for menu AF5.1. When you push right-BBF to start tracking, you don't want the software to guess where you want to initiate tracking. You want tracking to initiate at the place where you were pointing the left-BBF Spot AF focus box. So you want menu AF5.1 to be set to the second option. The problem is that if you have set up right-BBF by assigning "Eye Detection AF" to the * button, there is a firmware bug that it just ignores your choice in menu AF5.1 and stays in the AUTO setting. You can prove this to yourself by putting two bottles on a table - go from left-BBF to right-BBF. When it's starts tracking it will always initiate at the object closest to the center of frame, even if you were pointing the Spot-AF focus box at something else.

SOLUTION

In Customize Buttons, don't assign the * button to "Eye Detection AF". Instead, assign it to "Register/recall shooting func". Notice that the INFO button then lets you register a setup. Un-check all except two things: AF method = Face-Tracking & AF operation = ON. The * button now operates in exactly the same way as your right-BBF to engage Face-Tracking AF, but now it DOES obey your selection in menu AF5.1.

 

[sirbenfro]

I've been a photographer for 40+ years. Shot almost exclusively with Hasselblad. So, I'm used to having everything manual. In the last few years, I've been using a Canon 5D mark4. No problem. Yesterday, I helped a friend shoot a wedding with my new R5. Have it set for back button focus/eye/people. There were several situations that I just couldn't achieve focus. (either eye focus or regular) One such situation was while trying to focus on the bride who was partially blocked (at least part of the time) by the best man. I am trying to shoot this from around a 3/4 front view. I could move the focusing to where I wanted it, but when I actually pressed the back button, the camera instantly jumped to the maid of honor. ( who was about 4-5 feet beyond the bride) This happened over and over. Ended up that I used the manual focus. I have never shot a wedding before and the camera is new, I have those going against me to start. Can anyone give me some insight?

If it was jumping from one face to another I'm guessing you must have had eye focus enabled. When I first got the R6 I had a similar problem shooting a cycling event, it would jump from the one I wanted to shoot to another rider. Like another here, I have a back button set to switch from eye focus to single point and that cured the problem for me.

 

[RedCobra]

I have not had any problems with my R5. Seems to be fine (guess my DP AF is calibrated correctly). However, I stopped using BBF. I found that if I half press the shutter with the center box on my subject, the box turns blue and when I keep holding the shutter button as I recompose the blue box stays on the selected subject as long as it is in the frame. So BBF seems redundant and slow. I did use BFF on my DSLRs. I use the control ring to select AF modes.