I suspect your camera may be defective because if you focus lock,
AI servo should not kick in to refocus when you complete the
shutter press. At least it doesn't on mine. Please correct me if I
am wrong here, maybe I am the one with the defective camera!
Aside from a defective camera, which you should definitely change,
a DSLR also has very shallow DOF and if you are using a very fast
lens and wide aperture, any slight forward or backward movement of
the subject or photographer will render the focus soft or blur.
This is however common to all SLRs and should not only affect the
300D. It merely means a non-SLR user who migrated from a consumer
or prosumer digicam should be aware because they expect sharp
results from their expensive new DSLR like before in a P&S. I
remembered that I took horrible pictures when I moved from analogue
P&S to an analogue SLR so I can appreciate the disappointments.
Canon 300D may be a $1,000 camera but it is still priced at the
bottom of the DSLR heap so we need to be realistic that it will not
perform to the level of it's more expensive and bigger brothers
like the 10D, D100 or S9. Looking back, the 300D is probably the
first camera where the AF mode was extensively discussed/debated
even before the camera was launched so all of us had a lot of info
on it before we bought. I certainly went in with my eyes wide open
on what the limitations are and I knew that for the price I will
have to compromise on certain features and learn to overcome some
issues. However, so far the camera has performed as it has been
programmed to in my experience.
Judging from the comments here, I see that perhaps some had a bad
experience with defective cameras whilst others may have had very
different expectations of this camera's performance. I think one
shot AF will be great to have on the 300D but it wasn't part of the
package when I bought it so I can't really complain that I have
been shortchanged. Plus over here in Asia, we don't have a return
policy so we tend to be extra cautious when buying and do our
homework before plunking in the dough.
Perhaps it's not a denial that AF problem exist but a denial that
some may have skimped on their homework and bought the wrong
camera. Either way a problem is a problem and a problem needs a
solution. So check the auto focus again, focus lock by selecting
the focus point and half press the shutter. Keep half pressing and
recompose, then shoot. If camera shifts focus, then it's defective
in my opinion. Change it, repair it or sell it and get on with
enjoying photography.
Some members of this forum deny 300D autofocus problem. I want to
make simple clear case upon just one problem - autofocus, recompose
in 300D in creative Av or Tv mode. Here we go:
- 300D is $1000 camera
- $1000 cameras should allow people to be creative with their tool,
so 300D has creative modes - like Av and Tv.
- creative modes, like Av and Tv, allow you to control DOF, shoot
in RAW, adjust ISO...
- one of the first thing you learn about taking pictures is to
avoid putting your subject in dead center of the frame.
- focus-recompose is one of the basic functions in creative
photography and technique to avoid putting subject in center of
frame.
- to be able to reliably focus on desired spot you have to know
where camera will focus so we will use center AF spot.
- to reliably focus-recompose:
- frame your target-spot in center of frame
- half-press shutter button and lock focus on target spot
- recompose your picture
- press shutter button all the way down
This is basic of the basic technique in taking pictures. I have
problem with this technique with my 300D. Half of the time I have
pictures that are out of the focus because AI Servo will kick in
and change focus.
Anybody think that Canon made $1000 camera that cannot do
focus-recompose?
Anybody think that Canon deliberately put such a limitation in
their camera?
I think it's a bug - huge one and IMHO Canon must respond -
ignorance wont help since this problem is here to stay until is
solved..
Darko
PS
I respect this site and my decision to buy 300D was mainly based
upon 300D review from this site. I would like to hear from Phil
about this problem since I didn't find anything about it in his
review.
--
--PC Long
'I can't remember since when but I now have photographic memory.'
