Canon1DX Autofocus Help Request

[wfooshee]

Limiting your depth of field with a long lens may be most of your issue. I put 400mm, f:2.8, 100-foot subject distance into an online DOF calculator and got acceptable depth of field of 3.2 feet. If subject distance was only 50 feet that drops to an astonshingly narrow .8 feet (9-1/2 inches!)

Even to f:8 at 50 feet distance only gets me 2-1/4 feet of depth of field!

I think you may be seriously over-estimating the depth of field you expect to get.

If you're further away, it's not quite that critical: 200-foot subject distance, 400mm f:2.8 is 13 feet DOF.

So going for that tight shot when your subject is fairly close, you're going to have DOF issues.

 

[EIngerson]

First, micro adjust your lens to your camera. I'm betting that's your problem. Second, just because it has F2.8, doesn't mean that's where you want to shoot with it.

Take a look at the grass in the photo you shared. the focus plane is behind your subjects.

edit - Didn't read all the replies above. But I guess most of us agree. lol

 

[pmastro1973]

I have two 1DX camera bodies and the two lenses I was using with them are the 400mm 2.8 & the 70-200mm 2.8. I took everything in to my local camera shop to have the lenses calibrated to both camera bodies. This was the email response I got when he had finished the calibration:

"One camera produced a consistent sharp picture with both lenses. After trying both your lenses and other lenses of my own I was unable to get consistent sharp shots out of the other 1DX camera body? I tried every AF adjustment and was unable to get two shots on the same target of equal or any sharpness."

The camera body that produced sharp images was the one I used to take the photo posted here; however, he did say the 400 lens was not focusing correctly with that body.

Is it possible the other camera body is defective as he indicates? I'm just wondering if this is a common problem with the 1DX?