marike6 wrote:
Shotcents wrote:
Okay, I know it sounds like a trolling start for a thread and perhaps it's a bit of frustration more than any effort to get attention.
The OP seems to have devised a winning formula for getting tons of responses to his posts. But the fact is making unsupported claims and calling them "the truth" may get lots of replies but it doesn't help make DPR FX Forum a valuable tool for getting accurate info. This post is little more than a "he said, she said" situation with zero supporting scientific evidence.
Yesterday, using 70-300 VR my D800 had a 50% hit ratio on a child who was posing for the camera, so NOT a lot of movement. Typically my faster glass, like my 70-200 VRII will do much better than this. But still, at times, especially when shooting faces, the D800 will back or front focus for no reason that I can detect. Flipping to LV gets perfect results, but this is not a great solution.
Finally we get to the OP's "scientific test" or supporting data: shooting portraits with a slow max aperture, f4-5.6 consumer zoom.
Sorry, but if you had a 50% hit ratio with the D800 and any modern AF lens, then the problem is either user error or something wrong with your camera.
Is it my camera? My technique? No. I have no less than 9 friends using the D800 (6 are working professionals) and ALL of us will occasionally run into this issue. It's HIGHLY subject and light dependent, but repeatable.
More scientific data, some "9 friends (6 working pros) who occasionally" have AF issues. I suppose you also have 10 friends (7 working pros) who shoot with the 5D3 and never have AF issues.
All we are reading is more "he said, she said".
Let me repeat that: The D800 cannot match the AF accuracy of the Canon 5DIII
Nonsense. This is of course more speculation without one iota of evidence or testing data. The fact is the D800 uses the same extremely capable Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor module as the D4 and the 5D Mk III uses the same excellent AF module from the top-of-the-line 1DX.
Both modules can AF in light as low as -2 EV. The 1DX has more cross-type AF sensors, but the D4's cross-type AF sensors can AF with apertures as small as f8 vs. the 1DX with apertures of f5.6. So D800 users will get AF with more telephoto & TC combos than 5D3 users.
For predictive AF tracking, Nikon has always had the very best AF-C algorithms in the world and Canon's are none too shabby. And since both cameras use the top AF modules from the professional D4 and 1DX, expect the 5D3 and D800's AF tracking abilities to be similar. But since I haven't tested both cameras, I have no idea which camera provides better AF Tracking.
In fact, without any side-by-side testing with similar lenses it is impossible to say with any certainty at all that the 5D3 does X better than the D800 or that the D700 does X better than the D4. And proclamations of "truth" without evidence obtained from rigorous testing (Sorry but "I have 14 friends who are pros who all shoot Nikon" is not evidence") is just a thin statement without basis in fact based largely on forum chatter and hearsay.
