# 6D Mark II only has 27 f/8 AF points for TWO lenses?



## ahsanford (Jul 21, 2017)

See two pics attached. 

The first is from the official Canon 6D2 overview video here. Right at the 2 minute mark, they state 27 f/8 AF points for the teleconverter crowd.

The second is the f/8 shooting info video from Canon, shown here. Only two lenses -- and for a 6D2 owner, let's be frank, really only one that they might own -- get the 27 f/8 AF point functionality mentioned in the first video. 

_All the rest of those teleconvertered combinations only get the center AF point at f/8. _ 

Wow. I did not know that -- did you? 

- A


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## chrysoberyl (Jul 21, 2017)

Oh, no!

I just ordered a...

5DIV.

But I would be upset if I had ordered a 6DII!


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## ahsanford (Jul 21, 2017)

chrysoberyl said:


> Oh, no!
> 
> I just ordered a...
> 
> ...



I'm just wondering how many folks shooting wildlife with a teleconvertered 300 f/4L, 400 f/5.6L, 100-400L Mk I, etc. ponied up the bucks on the prospect of having some compositional flexibility with the 6D2, only to find out their $2k purchase for a very specific need _can only be realized by buying a 100-400L II_.

I hope folk didn't have their hopes tied to these 27 AF points, or that they were prepared to use LiveView + DPAF to get off-center AF working. Maybe they all are used to teleconverter fine print shenanigans and they withheld their money until the manual or this video surfaced.

I am rank amateur in this field of shooting -- no, that's an insult to rank amateurs -- so I defer to the birders on how big a deal this is. 

- A


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## SecureGSM (Jul 21, 2017)

why 100-400 L II only? there is also the 200-400 F1.4 L lens with in-built 1.4x extender to go with it as well. Perfect low cost, affordable super tele zoom lens to complement the entry level Canon FF


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 21, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> Wow. I did not know that -- did you?



Yes. 

Haven't people been complaining about the fact that 6DII got the 80D's AF system? This is from well over a year ago...

[quote author=Canon DLC in Feb 2016]
*Focus with 27 AF points, at f/8, with newest tele lenses + extenders*
For technical reasons, *two of the latest super tele zoom lenses from Canon can provide added AF coverage*, if they’re combined with the most recent Version III Canon EF tele extenders. Twenty-seven AF points are available, as shown here:





For technical reasons, Canon’s most recent Version III EF 1.4x and 2x tele extenders can combine with the latest super-telephoto lenses to provide even broader coverage at the EOS 80D’s AF sensor. These two lens + extender combinations allow AF at these 27 AF points. And, users can freely manually select any one of these AF points, as well as change to different AF Area options.
*Lenses providing this broader 27-point coverage at f/8 effective maximum apertures with the EOS 80D are:
EF 100–400mm f/4.5–5.6L IS II + Extender EF 1.4x III
EF 200–400mm f/4L IS Extender 1.4x lens + Extender EF 2x III (built-in extender not used)*


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## ahsanford (Jul 21, 2017)

SecureGSM said:


> why 100-400 L II only? there is also the 200-400 F1.4 L lens with in-built 1.4x extender to go with it as well. Perfect low cost, affordable super tele zoom lens to complement the entry level Canon FF



Here's the f/8 situation on the 1DX2:
http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2016/eos1dx_mkii/eos1dx_markii_f8_af.shtml 
(see page 2 or toggle it to a single page)

---> as expected the 1DX2 gets the goods here, 61 AF points at f/8, even for some older lenses like the 100-400L I. But there are, even on the great 1DX2, some older lenses that don't play nicely with off-center f/8 points.

Here's the f/8 situation on the 5D4:
http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/0/0300024970/01/eos5d-mk4-im-en.pdf
(see page 115 for a hot knuckleball of conditions and fine print, wow)

---> if anyone can distill this down to something easier to understand (perhaps like the 1DX2 or 6D2 lists I've linked), please do!

- A


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 21, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> _All the rest of those teleconvertered combinations only get the center AF point at f/8. _



Only the center point selectable, just like my $6800 penultimate flagship 1D X.


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## ahsanford (Jul 21, 2017)

neuroanatomist said:


> ahsanford said:
> 
> 
> > Wow. I did not know that -- did you?
> ...



Ah. So it's a straight clone of the 80D then. 

So doesn't that no-fine-print-or-footnote-listed comment in the release video above, release info at B&H (below) kind of set up some birders for a nasty trap here? The camera can be returned, of course, but if you bird, you really need to (at least) RTFM before committing dollars, right?

- A


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## Khalai (Jul 21, 2017)

It's well documented in the manual, which has been available for some time. Always RTFM


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## Ladislav (Jul 21, 2017)

Does this apply to third party lenses and third party extenders as well?


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## Mikehit (Jul 21, 2017)

Ladislav said:


> Does this apply to third party lenses and third party extenders as well?



As I understand it, no. 
If you have all-Canon kit then the tc talks to the lens and the camera and 'tells' the body that you have effective f8 and the camera then refers to an internal table that tells it whether to try and AF. If it is not on the look up table AF is actively blocked. 

With a third party teleconverter, that 'conversation' does not happen so the camera tries to AF. The reduced light arising from an effective f8 means that AF is variable (which is why Canon decided to actively block it). I believe the same happens with 3rd party lenses but not sure.


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## hne (Jul 21, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> SecureGSM said:
> 
> 
> > why 100-400 L II only? there is also the 200-400 F1.4 L lens with in-built 1.4x extender to go with it as well. Perfect low cost, affordable super tele zoom lens to complement the entry level Canon FF
> ...



The 5DmkIV manual is easiest simplified to "AF is possible with all combinations of lenses and teleconverters that result in an f/8 or larger maximum aperture but unless you use mkIII teleconverters you will be limited to 1 centre cross type and either 8 or 12 surrounding horizontal-only AF points. With mkIII teleconverters you'll get all 61 points of which the centre 21 remain cross type, except for when converters are used to an f/8 combination with 300/4 (non IS), 800/5.6, 1200/5.6 or 70-200/4 (both versions), in which case a mkIII teleconverter does not improve AF point availability."


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## ahsanford (Jul 21, 2017)

So it's partially [age of lens] related and partially [power of the body's AF system] related. Interesting.

I generally associate this level of fine print to Sony (burst rate with or without AF tracking, if the format is compressed or not, etc.), not Canon. 

- A


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## Sharlin (Jul 21, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> Here's the f/8 situation on the 1DX2:
> http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2016/eos1dx_mkii/eos1dx_markii_f8_af.shtml
> (see page 2 or toggle it to a single page)
> 
> ...



Actually, the 1DX2 and 5D4 AF point availability tables are exactly identical. It's the same sensor, more or less. 
(See 1DX2 manual here.)


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## arbitrage (Jul 22, 2017)

I knew it was the same as 80D which I owned for a short while. Why it is only those two combos on 80D and 6D2 is beyond me. The fact that the 200-400/2x works but 200-400 with internal and external 1.4s (which I actually find better) doesn't work. I never understood why these two combos were the only ones. I would like to know the number of 80D and 6D2 users that own the 200-400/2xTCIII though.....can you count them on one hand or two? (I was one of them for a few months).


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