Can a Canon 6D Mark II autofocus issue be adjusted by the user, or does it need Canon service?
Asked 9/19/2018
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My Canon 6D Mark II was front-focusing badly, and I couldn’t correct it with the camera’s autofocus microadjustment. Canon service noted that the focus points were off and that the camera required electrical adjustments to the AF sensor. Is that something they are effectively doing beyond normal AF microadjustment, or is it the same kind of adjustment I could have made myself? In other words, when a 6D Mark II needs AF sensor adjustment, does that require factory/service tools and expertise?
Originally by user77750. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user77750
7y ago
2 Answers
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Based on my experience with CPS, that summary on the invoice was written before they actually looked at your camera and was adapted from your description when you sent it to them.
The technicians at Canon's Factory Service facilities have access to areas of adjustment within the camera's firmware that are not available to the end user (at least not without hacking the camera's firmware). They can probably adjust the AFMA in a greater range and center the 'zero' point in the AFMA adjustment available to the end user via the camera's menu so that it is closer to the needed adjustment with either your lens (if you sent it in as well) or a 'blueprinted' lens (if you didn't include your lens).
Is this ideal? Probably not, because it means the PDAF sensor may still be a bit further/closer to the lens than the imaging sensor is. But it is a lot easier (and thus cheaper for the service center to do and ultimately for you to pay) to do an electronic adjustment than to mechanically adjust the PDAF sensor. If it solves your issue enough to get your camera within Canon's range of tolerances it is considered 'good enough' by Canon.
Also based on my own personal experience with CPS/Canon Factory Service:
When a repair is invoiced as 'electrical adjustment' it doesn't always come back with the actual problem resolved.
I had a lens that was demonstrating slight tilt and sent it in with a general "lens is out of alignment" and "focus is inconsistent" description. They 'electrically adjusted' it and sent it back. The alignment issue was no different than before. The only thing I could tell they did was to slow down the AF speed of the lens.
A while later and after a hard impact the alignment issue was worse and I sent it in again. This time I included example photographs taken with the lens on two different camera bodies showing the severity of the problem as well as photographs taken with one of the same camera bodies and another, similar lens that did not show the issue. I also requested they reset the AF speed to factory defaults, as that had not solved my problem when the lens had been sent in earlier. The second time I got the lens back aligned properly and the AF speed set back to the original speed.
Lessons learned:
- Include as precise a description as possible as well as example images that demonstrated the problem and example images that eliminate other pieces of the puzzle from being the cause of the problem.
- If the issue isn't fixed the first time, contact them and insist they do it again and fix (at no additional charge) what you've already paid for them to fix!
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
If Canon says the AF sensor needs “electrical adjustments,” that generally means more than the user AF microadjustment available in the camera menu.
On Canon bodies, service technicians can access calibration/firmware adjustments that normal users cannot. They may reset or recenter the camera’s internal autofocus calibration so the user AF microadjustment range works properly again. That is not something most owners can do themselves unless they use unsupported firmware hacks.
Also, service invoice wording may sometimes reflect the issue as described when the camera was sent in, not necessarily the final diagnosis.
So: if your 6D Mark II was front-focusing beyond what AF microadjustment could fix, sending it to Canon was the right move. User AF microadjustment can compensate for small lens/body focus errors, but if the camera’s phase-detect AF system itself is out of calibration, that typically requires factory service rather than a user adjustment.
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