Zone AF was your most frequently used mode? What types of photography are you doing? For my wildlife stuff, I use spot AF / AI servo with my 7D almost exclusively. I have trouble enough getting the focus I want with that and can't see how zone AF would work.

No no, not Zone AF . Zone AF doesn't let you choose the initial AF point. The mode that Neuro and I were talking about is Automatic AF Point Selection (yes, the one for people who don't really care about what should be in focus). And when you are in Automatic AF Point Selection AND AI Servo, you can select the initial AF point for tracking (I know, it is not really intuitive, and may be that's why the feature's been there for 5 years and still is ignored by some). The advantage of this mode is that all the AF points are used for tracking, so when the subject quits the initial AF point, the other points will take care of it.

YMMV, but I'd avoid using Spot AF combined with AI Servo. Spot AF uses a narrower area for acquiring focus, so it is slower to acquire focus, and it is more difficult to keep the subject within that (narrower) area.

Here are some photos I took with my 7D and my 100mm L Macro, I wish I had the 1D X/5D III and the 70-200mm f/2.8 II L IS for these situations, but that was all I could afford

I honestly do not believe any Canon or Nikon system currently has anything like flexible spot. I know there are the zone and all points modes, but when you pick a single AF point, as far as I know (and maybe the 1D X is different), only that one point will be used, regardless.

I think you are mistaken. Just to make sure we're on the same page here regarding the 5DIII (that page is p.77 from the 5DIII manual), with 61-pt auto selection in AI Servo, you manually select any single AF (1), and the AF system will track the subject across the array of AF points, switching points (2).

So again, can you please explain what is different about the Sony system?

Well, maybe it's just something up with my 5D III. It's currently in my hands. I'm looking at the top LCD, and it says "AI SERVO". When I look through the viewfinder, I see the AF display for One-Shot AF. I don't see any AF points displayed...I only see the brackets. If I move the joystick around, no AF point shows up or is selected. If I activate AF...THEN I see AF points.

So, your telling me that my 5D III isn't behaving properly....that sucks. :\ I guess I need to figure out what's wrong, because I haven't been using the all points mode because it doesn't always initially lock onto my subject properly, and I often miss shots. On the other hand, using single point selection mode is a PITA for BIF.

A tip worth trying is to toggle through the AF modes and try again when you get to the all-points mode. A couple of times and don´t ask me how it happens, I have seen what you describe. But for me it has been sufficient to toggle through the modes and try again.

I reset the camera, and tried that, and it still did not work. Then, I just hit the AF mode button (the one on the back, which you press first, before pressing M-Fn to actually switch modes), and moved the joystick. That worked. So, in most AF modes, you can just move the joystick, and the selected AF point moves. But in all points mode, you have to first hit mode, then use the joystick to move the AF point? Seems very tedious...

But, it does seem to work...mostly. It does initially lock onto the subject under my selected point...but it jumps a lot. As I track, it doesn't seem to really STICK to the originally selected subject...which is kind of annoying. I am not using my 600mm lens, though, so maybe it will work better on that.

I have to say, AI Servo with 61-pt auto is one of my most frequently used modes, it's C3 on my 'everyday' shooting setup. Great to be able to start at a lateral point, pick up a subject moving across the frame, and have the camera track that subject through the frame. The active AF points literally dance across the viewfinder.

When I look through the VF in AI Servo with 61-pt auto, I see a single point showing within the brackets (as I said, I have a different one set for each orientation). As is expected, you need to either tap the AF point select button or the tap the shutter button to move the AF point around with the joystick (that's true in One Shot or AI Servo - the AF system has to be active, and it times out with the metering timeout - although that is selectable on the 1-series).

At least you now know that something you've described as "pretty amazing" and also as "impressive" and "kick-ass" as a Sony 'innovation' is something your 5DIII has been able to do all along (although having the metering tied in as it is on the 1D X and 7DII is even better).

Wait ... sorry to come back to this: this feature was already implemented in the 7D (yes, the one which was out in 2009, page 90 user's manual). If I am not wrong, the 7D is the first Canon dSLR which has this feature. And just like Neuro, this was one of my most frequently used mode

Well, the last one at least is impossible to my understanding. You can't take a FF AF system and put it in a crop body. Or can you?

I'd say it's not impossible. The 1Ds series and 1D series had the AF coverage surface of 8x15mm. The 1D X has the AF coverage of 8x19mm. It's still smaller than the Canon APS-C sensor size, but not much.

I saw the headline "new bigger savings from B&H". The lens I purchased yesterday, the 24-70 f2.8 ii is now $2099 vs $2049 I paid yesterday. How is this better??? My attempt at posting this earlier was blocked.

It's "bigger rebates on select lenses". Are you sure that the 24-70II is on the list ?

I have all the three except the TC. Wondering if it is worth spending the money on kenko when I have the other two options. I heard mixed reviews abt kenko when mounted on the 70-300

Rhanjs

Hello, juste out of curiosity, did you compare the IQ of the 2nd and the 3rd solutions? Keep in mind that "reach" is about pixel density. A 5DIII image cropped to the PoV of a Canon APS-C sensor will have about 8.7MP, so a little bit more than a 30D image and a little bit less than a 40D's. I'd say that the 5DIII has slightly more reach than the 30D and a little bit less than the 40D, but a cropped 5DIII image should have better IQ than a 40D's, given the difference in technology .

Although the 17-55mm F2.8 IS is the full frame equivalent of 27-88mm F4 IS

The 17-40mm is 27-64mm F4 on crop

Just to avoid some confusion:The 17-55mm f/2.8 IS is the full frame equivalent of 27-88mm f/4.5 IS.The 17-40mm f/4 is equivalent to 27-64mm f/6.4 on crop.

You don't lose a stop and a half by cropping. You must mean 'as it pertains to DOF'. Just to avoid confusion.

Furthermore, I think this example can't be quite right for even DOF. Note that the o.p. says: The 17-55 is the full frame equivalent of 27-88 f/4.5 IS; ANDthe 17-40 f/4 is equivalent to 27-64mm f/6.4 on crop

but how can the equivalent f/stop for DOF purposes increase both when you move to full frame and when you move to crop? Or am I missing something?

Oh sorry! I wanted to use the same words as tomscott. He certainly understands the conversion, I think he had juste typed too fast . A longer statement would be:The 17-55mm f/2.8 IS is the full frame equivalent of 27-88mm f/4.5 IS on crop (I ignored the "on crop" in the previous post because the 17-55mm is a lens for crop bodies). The 17-40mm f/4 is the full frame equivalent to 27-64mm f/6.4 on crop.

So go ahead and switch to Nikon already. They're a reputable company that makes good products. You obviously prefer theirs to Canon's, so what on Earth is keeping you as a Canon customer?

hehehe .. the usual fanboy crap, wehn they up against the wall.No I do not want to switch to Nikon. I want a new, improved EF 100-400/f 4.0 (!) - 5.6 L IS II with MTF like the new nikon and at a price not higher but preferably lower than the new Nikon. To go along with the other Canon stuff I got.