EM1 continous AF and tracking

Chris R-UK wrote:

Colin K. Work wrote:

The problem is that as of now, PDAF has neither the coverage or sensitivity of higher end DSLRs, so essentially while there is nothing wrong with PDAF in the right conditions, it's simply not as capable overall.

Do you know whether there is any fundamental reason why on sensor PDAF is always going to be inferior to the sort of PDAF system in a DSLR using a separate mirror assembly and PDAF array? (Maybe that is one for the Science and Technology forum).

Mirrorless cameras runs most / all its features by CPU. So there are bottlenecks and priorities what is done. DSLR still allows to have a PDAF sensor externally from CPU, so a own dedicated unit can do just that one thing and control the focus, while CPU does different things.

Canon has its dual pixel sensor that first arrived in the 70D and is also in the 7D MkII and that certainly gives PDAF coverage of the whole sensor. However, as it is currently implemented, it doesn't seem to have as fast AF in Liveview as a top mirrorless camera. I wonder why that is. I also wonder why Canon hasn't put it in the EOS-M.

Well, the E-M1 PDAF coverage isn't full frame but it is very good for most use anyways, problem just really being only horizontal and not so dense (like Sony A7rII with 399).

And Canon is still lacking in electronically and digital side as they don't need to use so new CPU and software features as mirrorless cameras do.