Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Here are my thoughts on the upgrade so far:

Turn around time from Pacific Northwest to Westcoast was 7 business days.

I tested this on a Canon 16-35mm 2.8 ii, Tokina 11-16 ii 2.8, Sigma 18-35mm 1.8, and a Canon 70-200. Unfortunately the sigma 18-35 does not work at anything beyond 1.8.

The AF worked really well on all the lenses. The order of quickness and smoothness was:
1. Sigma 18-35mm
2. Canon 70-200
3. Canon 16-35mm
4. Tokina 11-16 (this was a bit slower than the rest)

AF soise is similar to the order above except with the Sigma being louder than the Canons and the Tokina being much louder than the rest.

The AF only looks somewhat natural and "focus pulled" on the 18-35mm, everything else snaps into focus very quickly and abruptly. This is both a pro and a con for me as I'm using the upgrade to check focus quickly at weddings.

The AF seemed to work quite well in moderately low light settings.

One problem I noticed is that if you have a large depth of field between a subject in the foreground/background, the AF takes a long time to adjust on the Canon lenses (when something is in front of the camera and switching between things in the background a few feet away). There was literally 2-3 seconds where the camera was not adjusting focus then the AF would kick in.

The focus lock feature is very nice and I believe will prove invaluable during event interviews and candid focus pulls.

It's a shame the Sigma doesn't work at anything higher than 1.8 because that lens easily has the fastest and most natural looking AF. Hopefully Sigma releases an update to the lenses' firmware to resolve this.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

This is a real problem??I found this on youtube..months and I want to send C 100 Canon service .. but after seeing this footage does not know what to do.I think it is not filmed with C 100..I HOPE

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

What a funny pair of clips.

Its a bit like throwing a non swimmer into a pool and wondering why they drowned.

Inept camera work onto a, badly lit, ill defined background would throw any autofocus system out.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

I'm champing at the bit to get my DPAF done in the UK - long waiting lists, but presumably it's under way and everyone's happy - but looking at those two videos, the focus action seems to be hunting in the way that the traditional contrast based AF systems work.

Specifically, in the first video, the focus goes THE WRONG WAY in the first instance. That's sort of contradicting the 'Phase Detection' process that tells the camera which direction to focus.

Just wondering if this is like the debacle over upgrading to 1.0.3 and 'Suddenly My Atomos Ninja Won't Trigger!' - because of course the camera gets a full reset and you need to restore to that setting you diligently saved before the camera had the firmware update, or (oops) manually check all the nitty gritty settings.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Hallo

if, as is rumored, the NAB will appear C150 to better monitor and AF .. I prefer to wait a bit before sending C100 serviced DUAP PIXEL
Beter i sale my C100 and buy the new model :-) all included

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Anyone have a Canon 100mm macro (l or non l) that can see how this upgrade works for objects or products? Thinking about buying one of those lenses (non l preferred) and curious how well it works when the focus plane is so thin.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Sent my C100 off for the upgrade. Getting withdrawal symptoms already :(

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

I had a chance to put this upgrade to the test at a wedding. Overall it performed exceptionally well but there are a few things to keep in mind when using it.

I tested the lens with a Sigma 18-35mm 1.8, Canon 70-200 2.8, and a Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro (non L).

I used the Sigma for the entire bridal prep and left it wide open for the most part. This is my favorite lens for this upgrade because it has the smoothest and most natural looking rack focus. The AF was very reliable for things like the bride putting on the dress and I was even able to use it for a sliding rack focus shot up close. Be aware the AF on this lens only works at 1.8.

I used the 70-200 for the ceremony and most of the reception. This lens worked almost too well with the AF upgrade because the lens focuses extremely fast. This has a much faster, but "snappier" AF than the Sigma 18-35. This is both good and bad because while it allows you to AF faster, it also means that anything that moves into/near the center frame will be focused on. I found myself using the lock AF feature almost every shot, especially during the ceremony where a shoulder would get near the center of the frame during an over the shoulder shot. Also, the AF tracked very well during the bride's entrance down the isle.

I also used this lens outside during the photo session and it tracked very well in bright sunlight. I was using both the c100's built in ND filters and a graduated ND filter for the sky. so I'm not sure how well the AF would have worked with a blown out sky. The lens was able to perform sliding shots and maintain focus easily.

The Canon 100mm macro was the least useful due to the trouble it has focusing with such a shallow DOF. The lens auto focused fine when using slow panning movements during a shot of the rings, but struggled when tracking a rolling ring moving towards the camera.

The upgrade worked fine in low light of up to 10000-12000 ISO but we were also lighting the reception with a Dedolight 150w that was about 13' up in the air. The AF worked just as well under these conditions using both the 18-35mm and the 70-200mm. I did not test the AF shooting into completely unlit areas with no light unfortunately.

Overall the upgrade is definitely worth the money from a wedding videographer's standpoint, and really takes a lot of stress away during the bridal prep and ceremony where every second counts. I will post some examples from the wedding in a couple of days for anyone curious as to how it worked.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

I don't think this piece by Philip Bloom on the C100 Dual Pixel AF has been posted on here yet? Definitely worth watching if you're interested in this upgrade.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Thanks for posting the Bloom Dual Pixel video Andy.

He pretty well sums up all the advantages (and disadvantages) of this upgrade. I’ll be booking my C300 in to get this added in May although I’ve not totally made my mind up. I’ll be sorry to lose the contrast based Auto focus we had added at the last firmware upgrade. Although this only works with the 18-135 STM lens it’s actually produces a very nice slow focus pull, similar to how one does it manually. But having said that it does not seem to be as reliable as the new Dual Pixel AF.

The trick clearly is to use the focus lock option.

But really my dream incarnation of this new feature would be to have the ability to set the speed of the focus change, to be able to set where in the frame AF is calculated and to have a face recognition option built in. Could these feature be added in future upgrades? I’m not sure but they already exist in very closely related camera systems, the XF range of camcorders and the Eos 70D.

This video shows the flexibility of the AF on the 70D. ( a fraction of the price of either the C100 or C300 ) Some of these very sophisticated features features shown rely on a touch screen, something this generation of Cinema Eos Cameras does not have.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Mark, thanks for posting this. Uploading in 480p was disappointing, but it gives the idea. I'd love the touch screen feature as well, though I want a touch screen that doesn't get finger prints. Oh well.... I guess we can't have it all.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

:-) 500 USD only autofocus? Better i buy a Ninja Blade..in many tests I've seen, I do not follow a steady cam convins.E ok .. but otherwise I personally prefer manual focus

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Well, my upgraded C100 arrived back an hour ago and I've been playing with various EF lenses.

Wow, some of them are pretty noisy, too noisy to use with internal mics or even a shotgun, though the AF works pretty damn good!

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Had a chance to try this with a 100mm 2.8 L IS. Worked great as long as you set the distance switches properly.

Unfortunately the lens' manual functions did not work properly so I had to return it!

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Dave
could you list which lenses are noisiest possibly? Im thinking of sending one of my C100s away for the upgrade and would like to know more about what you think.

Another thing that occurred to me was, when I use both my C100s on a shoot, and set them up the same with perhaps a 24-105 on one and a 24-70 on the other, I end up with images that are identical in terms of exposure and colour balance which is VERY helpful in the edit. Do you think adding the upgrade will mess this up?

I'd love to see it in action before I decide, and you're only a couple of hours away from me. If you're free for an hour sometime maybe I could impose on you for a look at yours in action? PM me if you're up for it.

Cheers

Wayne

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Actually, I was thinking of doing a video for youtube with the various lenses and how they react, with on camera audio to capture the sound and maybe another camera looking at the focus scales on the lens.

It does seem like it focuses very quickly on a subject (which is good), but then if the camera is moving towards a subject, or perhaps the camera is stationary and the subject is moving towards the camera, it seems to zone focus rather than tracking them smoothly.

What I mean by that is maybe the subject is at 12 feet and all is good but then as the subject moves (i.e. walks) towards the camera it seems to hold that focus position until the subject is maybe 9 or 10 feet then it makes a big adjustment (with associated lens focus noise), like the subject is about to move out of this focus 'zone' and in to the next. Does that make sense? The subject stayed in focus, but there are jumps every so often which are most apparent in how the background (to the sides) appears is in focus rather than the subject itself. It's certainly not as smooth in tracking as my XF for instance.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Well I sent mine off on Tuesday and it's done and on its way back. Should have it monday morning. Only doing the one camera for now. I think its too expensive to do them both and Probably wouldn't get much use out of it on both cams. Looking forward to having a play with it early next week.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

I 'took my C100 to the vet' on Monday, and it's back - so I did some tests with the 18-135mm STM lens.

BTW, Sigma 50mm 1.4 - works at all apertures, but is a DOG - seems to only do contrast detection, and even then it does it very inaccurately. It behaves just like it did on a 7D and 550D - frustratingly badly in AF. Save yourself a bar bill and snap off the 'AF/MF' button in MF mode. Canon 24-105 - a bit slow, but it does the business. Canon 70-200 L f4 - slow, but accurate. Noisy, especially with IS engaged!

But stuff all that - how does it work with the newer STM lenses? Short answer: good.


If you think this is a sort of 'cat video' but with birds, please note that I'm testing - and it doesn't always work. Feathers are good for checking focus accuracy, birds move around and have no 'face detection', and pay attention to what's in the middle of the frame *when* it comes to focus.

There is a latency of just under a second where the software is tuned to say 'okay, yes - you have looked at this for long enough for me to do a focus pull'. This is important.

So, I have been doing other tests (which I will share when I'm not supposed to be 'working') where I've used the One-Shot AF - hey, this button WORKS! Seriously, that's how it's going to work for me. WHen you have a clear shot of the subject 'in the sights' so to speak, dab the button'; Instant. Now you can re-frame for the 'negative space' or 'looking room'. One Shot AF was a bit of a waste before Dual Pixel AF, and now I think it's my favourite mode.

Disclaimer: 80-90% of the time, we use manual focus. There are times - shooting children, chickens, even consenting adults in unrehearsed and unrepeatable moments - when a good solid AF is really useful. The Canon upgrade isn't 'tap to focus' or 'zone focus' (which is really cool), but it does help me get one step further to replacing my EX1s for certain types of observational videography.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

if canon can enable us to move center focusing with joistik,I do this update on C100.It is difficult to keep a video frame and track and center focusing.there is a delay when you lock focus to a point after the start and focus?

Thanks Matt

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

I think the one-shot AF mode may help here. But yes, the next logical step is for the AF area to move like the Magnification area. Hey Canon, we don't compose with the centre being the key area of interest - not the last few centuries at least! LOL

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

My C100 is "getting done" next week. No it's not perfect - but I can see times when it'll be mighty useful in run-n-gun situations so on balance it's worth the cost for me.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Mine arrived back this morning and I used it on a shoot at lunchtime which was a bit more run and gun than I was expecting. Pretty impressed with the results.

It left me more time to work on the framing and composition than worry about the focussing, so thumbs up from me.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Had mine for about 2 weeks with the upgrade and worth every penny!! Steadicam and crane now piece of cake. Center point isn't a problem if you assign a button for toggling AF modes. Not a fast way of working and sure I'd love the joystick to move the AF box but certainly puts this camera in a very different league from others. My first test was chasing my dogs around with a 50mm 1.4 at f1.4. Worked really well!! Next was this video which I didn't have the right lens for so I did some post zooming. Pilot surprised everyone with this impromptu performance. But the AF tracked the plane perfectly. Will be re-shooting soon with a proper lens!


And here's another video from the same day…(a couple of shots are from my friend's 1D mk4 and are handheld shaky)

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

I got my upgraded C100 back from Canon about a week ago. Dual Pixel AF is definitely a useful feature if you're doing any kind of shooting in unpredictable circumstances. It's great for quickly grabbing and locking focus, which is where I think I'll get the most use out of it. It's also extremely useful in slider shots or other movement where you'd have a hard time pulling focus as a single operator.

My only complaint is the price. Charging 10% of the camera's price for adding one feature — requiring just labor and no new hardware — seems like they're gouging their customers.

A final note of interest if anyone's holding out for a firmware update that makes the focus area movable: Chuck Westfall of Canon states in a video interview at NAB with Dan Chung that that may be possible on future products, but on this generation and on this particular sensor, Canon uses the center area because they know that's the part of the sensor they can count on to work for the feature. Pretty clear Canon has no plans to make it movable on the current C100.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

I picked up that point Chuck made in that video too - watched it last night. I should get out more, especially on Saturday nights!!!

This, to me, looks like a classic case of Canon "managing customer expectations" on the likelyhood of other features being added to the current crop of Cinema cams...in other words this is all we're going to get regarding the Dual Pixel AF. For sure, that centre focus box is not going to be joystick moveable....However, and this is purely conjecture on my part, I suspect that it also means no other "cool new features" are likely to be added to the current crop of Cinema cams via (paid for) firmware - really hope I am wrong :-(

To end on a more positive note, I had confirmation from Canon UK in Elstree on Friday afternoon that my C100 has now had its DPAF upgrade done - so I should have it in my hands again very soon. Wooooee!

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

I agree about the price. I'm running two and can only afford to get one done at the moment. Happy with the one that works though.

If I'd known they were going to change their minds about adding it as an option to new models, I'd have waited a couple of months before buying my second one. Rather cheesed off about that.

Re: Canon it's Feb. 2014, is the C100 AF upgrade available yet?
 

Just got my C100 back via UPS about 30 minutes ago

Tried it with the Canon 17-55mm F2.8 IS EF-S first and it seems to work pretty well - and for sure assigning Button 7 (the one on the side grip labelled 'Magn') to 'AF Lock' was the first thing I did after resetting all my menu options back to how I want them.

Then I tried my Canon 70-200mm F4 IS. Bit slower than the 17-55 (but still a bit snappy).

Then I tried my Canon 100mm Macro F2.8 Hybrid IS. Lovely! Really quiet IS on that one and a much slower, more natural refocussing on some medium telephoto shots - some really nice results!

Canon 10-22mm F3.5 works great too.

This is all just shooting close-up to a Cherry blossom tree near my studio and then repositioning the shots and watching how the focus tracks.

This looks like a very usable additional tool.

I've never really used any autofocus systems on my cams before either!