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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Canon 1.4 Extender Autofocus?
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Showing posts 1 - 9 of 9, (reverse)
AuthorThread
01/17/2010 03:04:20 AM · #1
Hi everybody!

I got my new Canon 100-400 lens in and my Canon 1.4 extender in yesterday. With these two coupled together, I knew that I would loose autofocus with my 5D Mark II but I didnt realize how much I suck at manual focus. I know that this will provide some great experience in becoming better at using MF, but it would still be nice to get the AF to work. I know you can tape down 3 contacts on the extender to get autofocus to work. Does this damage the lens or body in any way? Any recommendations on taping the contacts? Ive read it can be a pain to do...

Thanks!!
Brandon

oh, do you tape down the contacts from extender to the lens, or the extender to the body?
01/17/2010 09:48:43 AM · #2
Here is more on the taping of contacts

//www.jseaman.com/articles/1.4%20teleconverter.html

Message edited by author 2010-01-17 09:49:10.
01/17/2010 10:45:20 AM · #3
make sure you have the diopter adjusted correctly if your manuel focusing that may help too
01/17/2010 12:19:30 PM · #4
You can also use live view and zoom in 10x to help manual focus
01/17/2010 08:32:28 PM · #5
I'm not so sure you really suck at Manual focus as much as that lens doesn't take the 1.4TC worth a hoot, and add the demands the 5DII sensor puts on glass, you are just asking for disappointment.

Matt
01/18/2010 01:03:56 PM · #6

Hi
I just read about taping the 1.4 contacts, so I tried it. Worked great. So seeing that worked so great, how would it work with a 2x tele. It did not work. Does the 2x use a different set of contacts??
Thanks for the 1.4 info
eaglebeck
01/22/2010 10:59:15 AM · #7
Hi Eaglebeck,

I read in the 1.4 manual that the 2x doesn't support auto-focus at all. The 1.4 AF was still supported with the high-end cameras (guess 5d isnt high end enough...), which is probably why the 1.4x allowed taping of contacts, while the 2x does not work when taping the contacts...

bobonacus, what a great idea! Ill have to try that....

And, I dont think I said thanks for all the other comments. Thanks!
01/26/2010 09:29:19 AM · #8
Hi Brandon

Thanks for the info on the 2x extender. The 1.4 works great with the contacts taped. I took some shote at the Wild Bird Center on Padre Island,TX and they were sharp and the exposure was right on. The only thing I noticed was when the lens was set on 350-400 mm that the focus would hunt back and forth before it settled down to be in focus.

Thank you for your service with the Marines.

Don Beck eaglebeck
01/26/2010 10:11:40 AM · #9
With the 1.4 and 100-400 combo, you will have a max focal length of 560mm. With the 1.4, any vibration or camera/lens movement will also be multiplied by 1.4. This may be some of what you are seeing when you try to manual focus with the long set up and get images that are not so sharp.

I know that with my manual focus lenses, that I tend to focus just beyond my intended target range.
I read some excellent old school advice from Robert, Bear_music a while back. He said to rock your point of concentration back and forth between the heads up numbers or grid lines in your viewfinder, and the intended subject as you focus. This helps keep your eye focused to a set distance. When you try to focus the lens, your eye is working to compensate, and your eye's point of focus tends to drift, causing you to think that you have focus when it's not there. I use the technique often, because about 80% of my lenses are older manual focus Nikkor Ai's from the 70's and 80's, and it helps a lot. I keep the grid lines turned on in my viewfinders for that reason.

I also ditto the earlier post about making sure the viewfinder diopter adjustment is set correctly. My eyes are not the same, and without thinking about it, I sometimes focus using my left eye when doing vertical shots, and miss focus completely.
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