Migrating from 9 to 19/45 AF points

[Jay Gould]

From the 7D thread:


There is some good info at the Canon Digital Learning Center about the new 7D AF system. Maybe RG's choice of Zone AF for a running object was just a poor choice. See the end of the following page:

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=3049&productID=329&articleTypeID=5

JR

Many of us "9 AF Point" shooters are all of a wonderful sudden going to find ourselves with 19 AF Points/45AF Expansion points. While some of the stuff in the quoted discussion regarding the 7D AF system is new, a lot of it will be "old" to those of you that are using 1DX bodies and buying the 7D as a second body to replace perhaps a 40 or 50D.

To the extent that you can provide some tips and tactics for use of the 19/45 AF points based upon your 1DX experience and drawing from the article, that would be very helpful to assist in our move from 9 to 19.

Thanks in advance for the work I have commissioned ;) :D

[Jamie Strickland]

Jay really the 7D 19 AF system is different than the 1D's the 7D AF points really don't cover any more area than the current 40/50D it just has more in between the current 9 so its better but nowhere close to the area of the 1D points. Which I think Canon made another mistake on, just like the 5D the AF points are even worse on that they are far to close together, I thought they would spread them on the 5D MKII but nope they didnt do it their either :( That is the number one thing I dont like about the 5D series the AF points spread is way to small.

The spot AF points on the 7D look great, I am hoping that will help because I know sometimes with my 40D and I am trying to focus on a head of an egret for instance with the 500L it somtimes catches branches that are feet behind it instead of the head :( So I hope with the more precise spot point it will be more accurate.

the whole new AF system looks pretty neat but until people start using it its probably going to be hard to tell what the best setups are since there are so many new options that even the 1D does not have.