Nicholas Johnson
Forum Enthusiast
First of all, let me say that I loved my Digital Rebel for the first few days, until my memory came in and I really started trying to shoot serious photos with it. Two commonly shot situations really bothered me so much that I just couldn't stomach keeping the camera.
1) I was shooting at a well lit cross country running meet at a local church. Tons of kids running around, I thought it might be an opportunity to take advantage of that crop factor with the 70-200IS. Big mistake. I couldn't get the AI servo AF to activiate for most of the shots. In the end I just kept tapping the shutter to get it so AF until I liked the composition. Half the shots were out of focus. It looked obvious that the runner behind the running I'm focusing on (as he/she runs towards me) is in focus, but my subject is not. But I thought, shoot, this isn't a 1D. I'm stretching it here.
2) I was shooting a 14 month old child trotting around. This is the point at which I decided that if it doesn't sit still, and you don't have those great manual focus skills, you can't photograph it with the camera reliably. I could use my old Olympus C3030Z and get in focus photos, because I just turn on continious focus. Heres the real clincher.
3) I went to my local Best Buy to return the unit, 14 days after purchase, and they said go to this other one (short drive away) and they'd have a 10D and I can switch there (sounds good I think). Go there and find that all the Best Buys in south Florida are out of 10Ds, out of Digital Rebels. I cannot get an exchange. Period. Just... no. So then I have to prove that I'm not taking back the camera because I don't like it, or they'll charge a 15% restocking fee on this hunk of junk. Its not junk, but I don't just shoot still lifes. (lives?)
The manager (or so he seemed) found out how to make it go in to continious focus mode: hold down the shutter on something far, point at something close, wait 10 seconds, and it goes continious. Thats the secret of how to start AI servo, hold the shutter a long time. Now, its 10s at 18mm, I couldn't get it under 30 at 55mm (f/5.6 is likely the cause). The employee said that this is the way it should be. It may not work like I want it to, it may not work as advertised, but it does work, so I have to pay $150 for them to take the camera back. Little note; the problem is no different when using a 50/1.4.
He then told me to call corporate if I wasn't happy. So I did, stood around on hold with them until they picked up, and they told me they had to talk to Canon to get the specs. 20 minutes later I'm on with the Canon guy that said he didn't know what the appropriate lag time between One Shot AF and AI Servo should be, they don't have the specs, but it shouldn't be 10 seconds. I tried to get the "manager" so the Canon rep could say this to him. Nowhere to be found.
I got someone else who talked to the Canon rep for a minute and hung up. She asks "What did Jose[?] say we were calling Canon for?" Corporate wanted to leave the decision up the Canon, I tell her. She goes off, says she'll try to see if she can get another Digital Rebel in the store by talking to a Regional Supervisor. Heck, I can sell a new box on EBay. She dissapeared. The manager guy comes back and says everything will be refunded and my credit card will be credited. I was just shocked.
Sigh.
I don't know if this 3.5 hour ordeal was worth $150. Worst thing was I did it first thing in the morning and was going to drop off the camera and go back home to eat breakfast. I layed there starved on the Best Buy floor on perpetual hold.
A few more notes: I know that the sports idiot mode gives AI Servo AF, but no RAW capture, so the highlights are as good as gone. I ordered a 10D from an online retailer with a bunch of good ratings later today, hope to get it in by Friday. I hope I don't have to deal with any AF issues on the 10D. And if I can post the photos I will, so you's can see what I mean about the late focus.
Runners. I just couldn't convince the AI Servo to kick in. Center AF point used, pointing at the left shoulder of the kid a bit left of center.
Go here for a 50% downsampled version: http://www.pbase.com/image/21602661/original
I don't mean to seem ungrateful, but it just wouldn't do what I told it to, far too often.
1) I was shooting at a well lit cross country running meet at a local church. Tons of kids running around, I thought it might be an opportunity to take advantage of that crop factor with the 70-200IS. Big mistake. I couldn't get the AI servo AF to activiate for most of the shots. In the end I just kept tapping the shutter to get it so AF until I liked the composition. Half the shots were out of focus. It looked obvious that the runner behind the running I'm focusing on (as he/she runs towards me) is in focus, but my subject is not. But I thought, shoot, this isn't a 1D. I'm stretching it here.
2) I was shooting a 14 month old child trotting around. This is the point at which I decided that if it doesn't sit still, and you don't have those great manual focus skills, you can't photograph it with the camera reliably. I could use my old Olympus C3030Z and get in focus photos, because I just turn on continious focus. Heres the real clincher.
3) I went to my local Best Buy to return the unit, 14 days after purchase, and they said go to this other one (short drive away) and they'd have a 10D and I can switch there (sounds good I think). Go there and find that all the Best Buys in south Florida are out of 10Ds, out of Digital Rebels. I cannot get an exchange. Period. Just... no. So then I have to prove that I'm not taking back the camera because I don't like it, or they'll charge a 15% restocking fee on this hunk of junk. Its not junk, but I don't just shoot still lifes. (lives?)
The manager (or so he seemed) found out how to make it go in to continious focus mode: hold down the shutter on something far, point at something close, wait 10 seconds, and it goes continious. Thats the secret of how to start AI servo, hold the shutter a long time. Now, its 10s at 18mm, I couldn't get it under 30 at 55mm (f/5.6 is likely the cause). The employee said that this is the way it should be. It may not work like I want it to, it may not work as advertised, but it does work, so I have to pay $150 for them to take the camera back. Little note; the problem is no different when using a 50/1.4.
He then told me to call corporate if I wasn't happy. So I did, stood around on hold with them until they picked up, and they told me they had to talk to Canon to get the specs. 20 minutes later I'm on with the Canon guy that said he didn't know what the appropriate lag time between One Shot AF and AI Servo should be, they don't have the specs, but it shouldn't be 10 seconds. I tried to get the "manager" so the Canon rep could say this to him. Nowhere to be found.
I got someone else who talked to the Canon rep for a minute and hung up. She asks "What did Jose[?] say we were calling Canon for?" Corporate wanted to leave the decision up the Canon, I tell her. She goes off, says she'll try to see if she can get another Digital Rebel in the store by talking to a Regional Supervisor. Heck, I can sell a new box on EBay. She dissapeared. The manager guy comes back and says everything will be refunded and my credit card will be credited. I was just shocked.
Sigh.
I don't know if this 3.5 hour ordeal was worth $150. Worst thing was I did it first thing in the morning and was going to drop off the camera and go back home to eat breakfast. I layed there starved on the Best Buy floor on perpetual hold.
A few more notes: I know that the sports idiot mode gives AI Servo AF, but no RAW capture, so the highlights are as good as gone. I ordered a 10D from an online retailer with a bunch of good ratings later today, hope to get it in by Friday. I hope I don't have to deal with any AF issues on the 10D. And if I can post the photos I will, so you's can see what I mean about the late focus.
Runners. I just couldn't convince the AI Servo to kick in. Center AF point used, pointing at the left shoulder of the kid a bit left of center.
Go here for a 50% downsampled version: http://www.pbase.com/image/21602661/original
I don't mean to seem ungrateful, but it just wouldn't do what I told it to, far too often.
