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Great Focus 'AFTER' firmware upgrade! Or something else?

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Vikas Mal

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I just upgraded my firmware to 2.0.0 from 1.0.1, about 5 hours ago.

Just before the upgrade, approximately 7 hours ago, I tried out AF with the 10D (about 3 weeks old and I haven't had much time to play with it, so went for a shooting spreethis afternoon and was dissapointed with the results and hence decided to do the Dice Test for AF accuracy, as done by Phil in his review) using some dice positioned just behind one another.

(Shots taken with 10D, 28/135 IS USM at f/5.6)

In the first shot, the focus (centre focus used) was on the die with the 3 on it. As can clearly be seen, the camera was front focussing in this shot (took about 10 shots and the result was the same in all)

Shutter speed for this one was 0.3, WB tungsten, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139517

In this shot (taken AFTER the firmware upgrade), the focus (again centre focus used) was on the number 6 die. This shows a remarkable improvement with the focus being pretty much perfect IMO. Again took about 10 shots and the results were identical (even those taken with the 50mm/1.8 prime were tack sharp)

Shutter speed for this one was 4, WB florescent, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139523

Now, just wondering if this was actually due to the firmware upgrade or are there any other parameters involved?

Just hope that the camera stays this way henceforth. :-)

Regards, Vikas.
 
Just wanted to add....

The first photograph was taken in an florescent light source (Same as the one in the second photograph) along with a table lamp with a 60w bulb. The second one didn't have the table lamp light source in it (the pic which shows better focus).

Could the lighting have something to do with it perhaps? Just wondering...

Vikas
 
Vikas Mal said:
I just upgraded my firmware to 2.0.0 from 1.0.1, about 5 hours ago.

Just before the upgrade, approximately 7 hours ago, I tried out AF
with the 10D (about 3 weeks old and I haven't had much time to play
with it, so went for a shooting spreethis afternoon and was
dissapointed with the results and hence decided to do the Dice Test
for AF accuracy, as done by Phil in his review) using some dice
positioned just behind one another.

(Shots taken with 10D, 28/135 IS USM at f/5.6)

In the first shot, the focus (centre focus used) was on the die
with the 3 on it. As can clearly be seen, the camera was front
focussing in this shot (took about 10 shots and the result was the
same in all)

Shutter speed for this one was 0.3, WB tungsten, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139517

In this shot (taken AFTER the firmware upgrade), the focus (again
centre focus used) was on the number 6 die. This shows a
remarkable improvement with the focus being pretty much perfect
IMO. Again took about 10 shots and the results were identical
(even those taken with the 50mm/1.8 prime were tack sharp)

Shutter speed for this one was 4, WB florescent, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139523

Now, just wondering if this was actually due to the firmware
upgrade or are there any other parameters involved?

Just hope that the camera stays this way henceforth. :-)

Regards, Vikas.
Click to expand...
--
If only thire wos money to mayke owt of typo's
 
I'm glad you're happy following the upgrade Vikas, but there were other variables in the two tests. They seem much more likely to be influencing the test -- especially since Canon didn't publish any notes regarding AF improvements.

In the interest of others who are reading and wondering, here are my thoughts about why I don't think this test is conclusive.

The shutter speed is particularly suspect.

There's no mention of a tripod. And since the two test shots have different field of views, I'm assuming one wasn't used. When doing this type of macro assessment, even the slightest camera movement will make a difference.

Even with a tripod, changes in the lighting conditions, aperture, and WB will all have an affect on the exposure. An over- or under-exposed image would tend to look less sharp, because the shadows and/or highlights get lost.

The upgrade will reset the camera back to default settings. It's possible that the exposure compensation, contrast, sharpness, or other settings are different between the two tests.

Enough with the dice. Let's see some of your other work, Vikas! :)
Vikas Mal said:
I just upgraded my firmware to 2.0.0 from 1.0.1, about 5 hours ago.

Just before the upgrade, approximately 7 hours ago, I tried out AF
with the 10D (about 3 weeks old and I haven't had much time to play
with it, so went for a shooting spreethis afternoon and was
dissapointed with the results and hence decided to do the Dice Test
for AF accuracy, as done by Phil in his review) using some dice
positioned just behind one another.

(Shots taken with 10D, 28/135 IS USM at f/5.6)

In the first shot, the focus (centre focus used) was on the die
with the 3 on it. As can clearly be seen, the camera was front
focussing in this shot (took about 10 shots and the result was the
same in all)

Shutter speed for this one was 0.3, WB tungsten, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139517

In this shot (taken AFTER the firmware upgrade), the focus (again
centre focus used) was on the number 6 die. This shows a
remarkable improvement with the focus being pretty much perfect
IMO. Again took about 10 shots and the results were identical
(even those taken with the 50mm/1.8 prime were tack sharp)

Shutter speed for this one was 4, WB florescent, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139523

Now, just wondering if this was actually due to the firmware
upgrade or are there any other parameters involved?

Just hope that the camera stays this way henceforth. :-)

Regards, Vikas.
Click to expand...
--
http://jacemouse.com
 
Couldn't have been caused by all settings being restored to default conditons could it?

Lowlight 4 second exposure, focus test?? Even David and his Processing buddy wouldn't approve of this?? :(

Rich
Vikas Mal said:
I just upgraded my firmware to 2.0.0 from 1.0.1, about 5 hours ago.

Just before the upgrade, approximately 7 hours ago, I tried out AF
with the 10D (about 3 weeks old and I haven't had much time to play
with it, so went for a shooting spreethis afternoon and was
dissapointed with the results and hence decided to do the Dice Test
for AF accuracy, as done by Phil in his review) using some dice
positioned just behind one another.

(Shots taken with 10D, 28/135 IS USM at f/5.6)

In the first shot, the focus (centre focus used) was on the die
with the 3 on it. As can clearly be seen, the camera was front
focussing in this shot (took about 10 shots and the result was the
same in all)

Shutter speed for this one was 0.3, WB tungsten, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139517

In this shot (taken AFTER the firmware upgrade), the focus (again
centre focus used) was on the number 6 die. This shows a
remarkable improvement with the focus being pretty much perfect
IMO. Again took about 10 shots and the results were identical
(even those taken with the 50mm/1.8 prime were tack sharp)

Shutter speed for this one was 4, WB florescent, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139523

Now, just wondering if this was actually due to the firmware
upgrade or are there any other parameters involved?

Just hope that the camera stays this way henceforth. :-)

Regards, Vikas.
Click to expand...
 
Your AF could have easily frontfocused by 100 microns (at sensor) in tungsten light.
http://www.canondslr.com/articles/af-firmware/

Also, your test can only detect gross AF errors, + -100-200 micron. You need ruler to see the position of the focal plane.

Use Mishkin's or Pekka's test to test AF.
http://www.canondslr.com/articles/m-dream/
Vikas Mal said:
I just upgraded my firmware to 2.0.0 from 1.0.1, about 5 hours ago.

Just before the upgrade, approximately 7 hours ago, I tried out AF
with the 10D (about 3 weeks old and I haven't had much time to play
with it, so went for a shooting spreethis afternoon and was
dissapointed with the results and hence decided to do the Dice Test
for AF accuracy, as done by Phil in his review) using some dice
positioned just behind one another.

(Shots taken with 10D, 28/135 IS USM at f/5.6)

In the first shot, the focus (centre focus used) was on the die
with the 3 on it. As can clearly be seen, the camera was front
focussing in this shot (took about 10 shots and the result was the
same in all)

Shutter speed for this one was 0.3, WB tungsten, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139517

In this shot (taken AFTER the firmware upgrade), the focus (again
centre focus used) was on the number 6 die. This shows a
remarkable improvement with the focus being pretty much perfect
IMO. Again took about 10 shots and the results were identical
(even those taken with the 50mm/1.8 prime were tack sharp)

Shutter speed for this one was 4, WB florescent, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139523

Now, just wondering if this was actually due to the firmware
upgrade or are there any other parameters involved?

Just hope that the camera stays this way henceforth. :-)

Regards, Vikas.
Click to expand...
 
you shouldn't have changed the dice or the lighting.

you should've been tripod mounted, done the firmware upgrade, then taken identical shots.
Vikas Mal said:
Just wanted to add....

The first photograph was taken in an florescent light source (Same
as the one in the second photograph) along with a table lamp with a
60w bulb. The second one didn't have the table lamp light source
in it (the pic which shows better focus).

Could the lighting have something to do with it perhaps? Just
wondering...

Vikas
Click to expand...
--
http://www.outboundmusic.com
Your link to independent music!
 
RichW said:
Lowlight 4 second exposure, focus test?? Even David and his
Processing buddy wouldn't approve of this?? :(

Rich
Vikas Mal said:
I just upgraded my firmware to 2.0.0 from 1.0.1, about 5 hours ago.

Just before the upgrade, approximately 7 hours ago, I tried out AF
with the 10D (about 3 weeks old and I haven't had much time to play
with it, so went for a shooting spreethis afternoon and was
dissapointed with the results and hence decided to do the Dice Test
for AF accuracy, as done by Phil in his review) using some dice
positioned just behind one another.

(Shots taken with 10D, 28/135 IS USM at f/5.6)

In the first shot, the focus (centre focus used) was on the die
with the 3 on it. As can clearly be seen, the camera was front
focussing in this shot (took about 10 shots and the result was the
same in all)

Shutter speed for this one was 0.3, WB tungsten, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139517

In this shot (taken AFTER the firmware upgrade), the focus (again
centre focus used) was on the number 6 die. This shows a
remarkable improvement with the focus being pretty much perfect
IMO. Again took about 10 shots and the results were identical
(even those taken with the 50mm/1.8 prime were tack sharp)

Shutter speed for this one was 4, WB florescent, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139523

Now, just wondering if this was actually due to the firmware
upgrade or are there any other parameters involved?

Just hope that the camera stays this way henceforth. :-)

Regards, Vikas.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Hey, don't underestimate the power of a firmware upgrade. Why heck, after I upgraded my firmware, I was able to throw away my bottle of Viagra, my 401K retirement account doubled in value and I found I was able to play the violin...

Doug
--



No, that's not my middle finger....
 
Dear Jace,

Thanks for your reply and agree, that the test was faulty... actually I didn't really set it up as a test for before/after firmware upgrade but only did the test again cause I was so dissapointed with the results of the first one.

Yes the lighting was different and so were the shutter speeds but both were taken with the camera on a tripod.

Anyway, enough of testing I think, am happy with the camera so guess I should just take more pics and thats it.

:-)

Thanks.

Vikas
Jace Mouse said:
In the interest of others who are reading and wondering, here are
my thoughts about why I don't think this test is conclusive.

The shutter speed is particularly suspect.

There's no mention of a tripod. And since the two test shots have
different field of views, I'm assuming one wasn't used. When doing
this type of macro assessment, even the slightest camera movement
will make a difference.

Even with a tripod, changes in the lighting conditions, aperture,
and WB will all have an affect on the exposure. An over- or
under-exposed image would tend to look less sharp, because the
shadows and/or highlights get lost.

The upgrade will reset the camera back to default settings. It's
possible that the exposure compensation, contrast, sharpness, or
other settings are different between the two tests.

Enough with the dice. Let's see some of your other work, Vikas! :)
Vikas Mal said:
I just upgraded my firmware to 2.0.0 from 1.0.1, about 5 hours ago.

Just before the upgrade, approximately 7 hours ago, I tried out AF
with the 10D (about 3 weeks old and I haven't had much time to play
with it, so went for a shooting spreethis afternoon and was
dissapointed with the results and hence decided to do the Dice Test
for AF accuracy, as done by Phil in his review) using some dice
positioned just behind one another.

(Shots taken with 10D, 28/135 IS USM at f/5.6)

In the first shot, the focus (centre focus used) was on the die
with the 3 on it. As can clearly be seen, the camera was front
focussing in this shot (took about 10 shots and the result was the
same in all)

Shutter speed for this one was 0.3, WB tungsten, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139517

In this shot (taken AFTER the firmware upgrade), the focus (again
centre focus used) was on the number 6 die. This shows a
remarkable improvement with the focus being pretty much perfect
IMO. Again took about 10 shots and the results were identical
(even those taken with the 50mm/1.8 prime were tack sharp)

Shutter speed for this one was 4, WB florescent, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139523

Now, just wondering if this was actually due to the firmware
upgrade or are there any other parameters involved?

Just hope that the camera stays this way henceforth. :-)

Regards, Vikas.
Click to expand...
--
http://jacemouse.com
Click to expand...
--
Regards, Vikas Malhotra
http://www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=15086
 
Agree, the test was faulty...... sorry about that. But regarding the settings, they were already at default, hadn't changed anything to start with except for centre focus and jpg large which I changed to also after the firmware upgrade.

Vikas
RichW said:
Lowlight 4 second exposure, focus test?? Even David and his
Processing buddy wouldn't approve of this?? :(

Rich
Vikas Mal said:
I just upgraded my firmware to 2.0.0 from 1.0.1, about 5 hours ago.

Just before the upgrade, approximately 7 hours ago, I tried out AF
with the 10D (about 3 weeks old and I haven't had much time to play
with it, so went for a shooting spreethis afternoon and was
dissapointed with the results and hence decided to do the Dice Test
for AF accuracy, as done by Phil in his review) using some dice
positioned just behind one another.

(Shots taken with 10D, 28/135 IS USM at f/5.6)

In the first shot, the focus (centre focus used) was on the die
with the 3 on it. As can clearly be seen, the camera was front
focussing in this shot (took about 10 shots and the result was the
same in all)

Shutter speed for this one was 0.3, WB tungsten, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139517

In this shot (taken AFTER the firmware upgrade), the focus (again
centre focus used) was on the number 6 die. This shows a
remarkable improvement with the focus being pretty much perfect
IMO. Again took about 10 shots and the results were identical
(even those taken with the 50mm/1.8 prime were tack sharp)

Shutter speed for this one was 4, WB florescent, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139523

Now, just wondering if this was actually due to the firmware
upgrade or are there any other parameters involved?

Just hope that the camera stays this way henceforth. :-)

Regards, Vikas.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Regards, Vikas Malhotra
http://www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=15086
 
Ha Ha, your reply made me smile.

But hey, I was just asking if it were the firmware, which I obviously guess it wasn't and of course the 'test' was faulty, its just that I noticed that the focus in low light was better after the firmware, maybe I am trying to convince myself.........

Also, it wasn't really supposed to be a test per se regarding the pre/post firmware upgrade, just something I observed. Which is why I was inquiring if it was the firmware upgrade or something else...

Vikas
DougH said:
RichW said:
Lowlight 4 second exposure, focus test?? Even David and his
Processing buddy wouldn't approve of this?? :(

Rich
Vikas Mal said:
I just upgraded my firmware to 2.0.0 from 1.0.1, about 5 hours ago.

Just before the upgrade, approximately 7 hours ago, I tried out AF
with the 10D (about 3 weeks old and I haven't had much time to play
with it, so went for a shooting spreethis afternoon and was
dissapointed with the results and hence decided to do the Dice Test
for AF accuracy, as done by Phil in his review) using some dice
positioned just behind one another.

(Shots taken with 10D, 28/135 IS USM at f/5.6)

In the first shot, the focus (centre focus used) was on the die
with the 3 on it. As can clearly be seen, the camera was front
focussing in this shot (took about 10 shots and the result was the
same in all)

Shutter speed for this one was 0.3, WB tungsten, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139517

In this shot (taken AFTER the firmware upgrade), the focus (again
centre focus used) was on the number 6 die. This shows a
remarkable improvement with the focus being pretty much perfect
IMO. Again took about 10 shots and the results were identical
(even those taken with the 50mm/1.8 prime were tack sharp)

Shutter speed for this one was 4, WB florescent, ISO 100

http://www.pbase.com/image/23139523

Now, just wondering if this was actually due to the firmware
upgrade or are there any other parameters involved?

Just hope that the camera stays this way henceforth. :-)

Regards, Vikas.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Hey, don't underestimate the power of a firmware upgrade. Why
heck, after I upgraded my firmware, I was able to throw away my
bottle of Viagra, my 401K retirement account doubled in value and I
found I was able to play the violin...

Doug
--



No, that's not my middle finger....
Click to expand...
--
Regards, Vikas Malhotra
http://www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=15086
 
What, you think I was kidding? I'm playing at Carnegie Hall tonight!! :-)

--



No, that's not my middle finger....
 
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