PattyW60 Loc: Northwest Illinois

That's what I love about BBF. Now that I'm used to it, I don't see myself going back.

PattyW60 Loc: Northwest Illinois

Thanks, Jerry. The reset seems to have solved the issue; don't know why, but it's better.

Oregon Canon 1960 Loc: St. Helens, Oregon

The 7D mark II had focusing issues until the came out with a Firmware update (Ver 1.0.5).

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

What makes you believe BBF won't work with AIServo? I and probably tens of thousands of other Canon shooters use that combination with great results.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

That is a blanket statement which although not totally incorrect, is very incomplete and implies something which is not true. The 1.05 firmware update fixed some focus issues on a couple of specific lenses. See below for specifically what the 1.05 update contained.

1. Improves AF accuracy when used in combination with the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM lens or EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens.
2. Fixes a phenomenon in which, in very rare cases, the "Peripheral illumination correction" is applied inconsistently.
3. Fixes a phenomenon in which, while performing an EF lens firmware update, the progress bar displayed on the LCD monitor may freeze at 100% even though the update has been completed.
4. Fixes a processing error in relation to the leap second for the "Geotag information appended to image" and "Log data" GPS functions.
5. Fixes a phenomenon, where at the time of shooting in very rare cases "Err 70" occurs, or the shutter does not release.

Jerry Green Loc: Huntsville, AL

I use BBF. Your movement after focus with the shallow depth of field may be the issue handheld or on a tripod. Try changing the focus point by selecting the spot that you want to be in best focus. That way movement will have little effect on the composition of the shot. This can be used even with BIF. If the bird is flying from right to left set a focus point to the left of the screen so you can be focused on the eye. Shoot a burst holding the focus button and have the camera in continuous focus. Of course you have to predict which way the bird will be flying. An example would be an Osprey returning to the nest. They usually land flying in to the wind. Set the focus point accordingly. For the photo of the bee on a flower you may want to use the rule of thirds for the composition. Set the focus point to one of the intersecting lines. That way you can fill the frame with your composition and crop very little.

Toment Loc: FL, IL

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

The majority of AF errors are usually the fault of the operator.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Good to hear.

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

Did you try turning on and off the IS feature on the lens? Sometimes that can affect focus.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/image-stabilization-when-use-it-and-when-turn-it

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Yes it does!

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I'm glad the reset seems to have fixed the problem. But, it seems that you have not tried going back to BBF. If you do, make sure that you also set the shutter button setting so that it only activates the exposure. I have two guesses that might have been your original problem. 1) you didn't set the shutter button correctly when setting it up for BBF - 2) that you have not performed all the firmware updates on you 7D MkII body.

I suggest you play with your camera lens combo for a while and if you get serious about macro photography, start using a tripod.

I had the non IS and then later opted for the IS version of the 100mm macro lens by Canon. This upgrade alone was really worth the money for handheld shooting since the IS version is way more steady. I got twice as many keepers with the IS version. Macro photography is difficult because getting the depth of field to get the subject in focus slows the shutter duration and then holding the camera still becomes more difficult. The other option is to take a lot of photos of one subject and then stacking them. You get great results, but it's a lot of work. Some enjoy this, but I'd rather not fuss with it.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

I believe that A1 servo DOES work with BBF.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

95 times out of 100... it's neither. Most of the time, it's a user issue.

Macro photography naturally has very shallow depth of field and is extremely unforgiving of focus errors. You can see how shallow it can be, in the image below (Canon 180mm macro lens):



Not knowing your experience with DSLRs and macro in particular, there are a number of possibilities and things that might help:

1. You mention "recomposing" and that can often be a problem. It would probably be better to instead select an individual AF point that is right on the subject, where you want the lens & camera to focus, so that you don't need to recompose. On 7DII I'd use Spot Focus, which is high precision, single point mode. (BBF and One Shot are correct.) 7DII is actually a little slow focusing in One Shot mode.... It's extremely fast in AI Servo, so you might try that instead.

2. Also, macro lenses in general are slower auto focusing, even when they have USM focus drive. This is for two reasons: The lens has to move it's focus group a long, long way to go from infinity to full 1:1 magnification. But they also are slower focusing by design, using "long throw" focus mechanisms that emphasize precision rather than speed. It can take some practice to become accustomed to this.

3. Use Live View and zoom in.... or use the camera tethered to be able to view the image on a larger screen such as a laptop or tablet. 7DII has the new "Dual Pixel Focus" in Live View, which is a lot faster and more useful than previous Live View autofocus.

4. Often macro shooting is better done with manual focus. There's a technique of moving the entire camera and lens closer to or farther from the subject, until focus is achieved.... Not turning the focus ring at all. Well, actually using it to set the degree of magnification, but not to focus.

5. I believe the 100L macro lens has a three zone focus limiter.... make sure you have the correct one set.

6. Image Stabilization can cause "image drift" in the viewfinder. This actually doesn't effect still shots, usually. You might try turning IS off, just to see how it works.

7. Be sure the "focus problems" you are seeing aren't actually camera shake (i.e. overall image softness, nothing in sharp focus). In fact, at highest magnification IS doesn't help all that much... maybe a stop's worth (and the Hybrid IS in the Canon 100L is actually one of the best.... most others brands stabilization is of no help at 1:1 magnifications). Much of the time for higher magnification close-ups you'll need some sort of camera support. Put the camera and lens on a tripod and take your time to set up and focus it. At the very least, use a monopod... or whatever else might be handy. For the shot below I used an empty 5 gallon paint bucket turned upside down, resting the camera and lens on it (Canon 100/2.8 macro lens).



8. Stop the lens down for additional depth of field and slightly more tolerance of missed focus.... though to be honest it won't be much at high magnifications. Of course, this might force you to use slower shutter speeds and/or higher ISOs... Macro flash can help by adding more light instead.

9. Get a "focusing stage". These devices sit between the camera and tripod head and are used for high precision focus by moving the camera and lens in the manner described above. Some stages just slide (an extra long Arca-Swiss lens plate can serve as a low-cost focus slider)... others have gears and knobs for very precise work. Heck, some are even motorized and computer controlled, for "focus stacking", among other things.

10. Set your camera to it's fastest frame rate and take a fast burst of shots instead of a single one, to increase the odds of getting one or two that are correctly focused.

11. With high magnifications, there simply are a lot of misses. So take more shots! Shooting handheld with a vintage manual focus Tamron 90mm macro lens, for the image below I probably took around 75 shots to get a few in focus (and well composed, etc.):



12. Your camera has Micro Focus Adjust feature, where you can fine tune the accuracy of your lens. It might help to do that. Look for info how it's done the camera manual (or get a software such as Reikan FoCal to automate the process).

The Canon 100L is a very high performance lens and should be able to produce extremely sharp, high quality images. If you have a "protection" filter on it, try shooting without it. Also, one of my favorite things about the Canon 100mm macro lenses is that they can optionally be fitted with a tripod mounting ring. This makes them a lot nicer and easier to use on tripods, monopods, etc. (Most other 90mm, 100mm, 105mm macro lenses cannot be fitted with a tripod ring.)

And, 7DII has adjustments in the menu, prioritizing whether you want fast shutter release or better focus accuracy in AI Servo mode. There are two such adjustments: 1st image priority obviously effects how the camera handles the first image in a series. 2nd image priority effects the second and all subsequent shots in an burst. In other words... 1st image priority effects "acquisition"... while 2nd image priority effects "tracking". Obviously, for macro shooting it would probably be best to set focus accuracy high, even if it slows down shutter release. Note that this only effects AI Servo mode... won't do anything in One Shot (where it's already sort of prioritized for focus accuracy).

And, yes, it might actually be a problem with the camera or lens. While this is actually relatively rare, it should be checked out carefully to be sure. I'd do some careful tests, on a tripod, both manual focus and AF. This also will be helpful slowing you down and learning how the lens & camera combo work together.

Hope this helps!

texaseve Loc: TX, NC and NH

WOW! Awesome information. Thank you.