DocDav Loc: IN

I shoot a canon 90D. about a year old. However, my eyes are 71 years old, have both had cataracts and i wear progressive lenses. Manual focus eh what? I miss the old days of split screen manual focus. Any actual tips for manual for an old(er) fart like me? I would be interested.

philo Loc: philo, ca

I was afraid that the lens was broken, and what to do about that. Like you it was driving me nuts. Just trying to compose the next shot it kept going in and out and the motor was always running. So i switch to M on the lens and things returned to normal.
So thanks again.

lowkick Loc: Connecticut

The depth of field on the 100mm macro is paper thin, especially at wide open. The closer the lens is to the subject, the worse it gets. If you are hand holding the camera, the slightest sway of your body will throw it out of focus. To demonstrate, try taking a shot of something close up with your camera on a tripod. Then, using the same settings and distance, try the same shot hand held. Then compare.

Also, try closing down your aperture to increase the DOF. That may help you and may not take away too much of the out of focus background you may want.

hrblaine

All these bells and whistles just confuse and annoy me. Still waiting for the one that turns me into Ansel Adams! <g> S'why I stick to my 5Dc! Harry

Just4stan

I use the Canon 100 macro on a Canon 6D. For sharp focus for flowers or anything else use a tripod and manual focus. If you have image stabilization turn it off. Focus using live view. Once you have sharp focus magnify the image, refocus and do it once more. Then expose your image. If you are photographing in the field, beware of motion of the flowers due to wind.

fantom Loc: Colorado

good point

philo Loc: philo, ca

things are working as they should. Using manual in live view with a hoodman.

(Download)

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Are you using a lens adapter to fit the 100mm lens to the EOS R mirrorless?

Which Canon 100mm macro is it... the EF 100mm f/2.8 USM or the EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM?

If it's the 100L, are you sure it's the AF that's "always running", or perhaps it's the IS that you're hearing?

Rather than asking Manuel to do the focusing, you might want to try manual focusing... check your user manual.

Surprised to hear of "focus hunting", if that's what it is, with the EOS R. It's AF system is a setep up from AF systems in even the most advanced DSLRs. For one, it's able to work in lower light (-5EV or so, compared to -3EV, at best, with any of the Canon DSLRs... many can only do -1EV or even -0.5EV). That should make it far less prone to hunting.

Macro lenses, by their very nature and design, are slower focusing than many non-macro lenses. Are you sure it's not eventually locking on? Are you using continuous (AI Servo) focus? Or are you using One Shot. The latter should stop and lock, once focus is achieved.

I can't help but think that either there's something wrong with the lens or the lens adapter you're using.... Or there's something wrong with the way you have the camera set up. I'd recommend you review the AF related settings of the R, beginning on page 257 of the user manual.

It's always best to use as few AF points as possible. That's you taking control of where the camera and lens focus, rather than leaving it up to the camera to decide. Your camera has choice of seven different "focus methods"... Face Detection/Tracking, 1-Point, 4-point Expansion, 8-Point Expansion, Zone, Large Zone Vertical, Large Zone Horizontal.

Face Detect/Tracking is sort of like "All Points Auto" in the DSLRs. In that the camera essentially chooses what to focus upon.

1-Point give you the most control over exactly where the camera and lens will focus.

4-Point Expansion allows you to choose the starting point (much like 1-Point), but allows the camera to switch to using one of the four adjacent AF points... above, below, right and left of the point you selected... if you don't keep the starting point right on the subject. Good to use with moving subjects that change direction and are difficult to track.

8-Point Expansion is the same as 4-Point, except now the four diagonally located AF points also can be used by the camera, effectively meaning that all points around the point that you choose can be utilized, if the camera thinks it needs to do so.

The three Zone areas are different in that you only select a group of AF points, any one or several of which the camera can use at any time, either as the initial focus point or to switch to if needed. These are sort of like somewhat scaled back versions of "All Points Auto", only limited to working within the region of the image area of your choosing.

There are also any number of other focus "tweaks". Check those to see if you have something set incorrectly (you could just do a full camera "reset", but that will also cancel some other settings you've made and you'd need to go through it and reset them).

Most EOS R users report that their EF and EF-S lenses work just as well or even better than they did on a DSLR, when adapted for use on the mirrorless camera. Canon themselves claimed the EOS R had the "fastest and bestest" AF system in any camera, when the R was introduced. Unless something is wrong or incorrectly set, it certainly should be able to AF your macro lens!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The EXIF says that was shot with a 5D Mark IV... I thought we were discussing using the macro lens on an EOS R?

philo Loc: philo, ca

the problem has been corrected. One of our member pointed out the continues auto focus was a default setting and now that i disabled it the problem is solved.

DrPhrogg Loc: NJ

Depending on the effect you want, increase the depth of field by using either manual or Aperture priority and used a higher f/setting. Depending on the lighting, you may have to increase the ISO. Also, use single spot focus.

philo Loc: philo, ca

as far as spot focus is concerned you have to be careful; because the dof is so small one flower may be in focus and the one next to it will be out. You may want to try a little bit wider focus then spot.