I finally got my hands on the December issue of Chasseur d'Images and
was quite pleased with the results of their AF shootout. For those of
us afflicted with a perpetual inferiority complex, this should prove to
be an excellent tonic:
F5 13 of 13 photos in focus with 300/4, closest photo @ 6 meters
13 of 13 photos in focus with 300/2.8, closest photo @ 6 meters
N90s 7 of 7 photos in focus with 300/4, closest photo @ 9 meters
7 of 7 photos in focus with 300/2.8, closest photo @ 9 meters
EOS3 8 of 9 photos in focus with 300/4, closest photo @ 15 meters
10 of 11 photos in focus with 300/2.8, closest photo @ 13 meters
EOS1n 7 of 9 photos in focus with 300/4, closest photo @ 20 meters
8 of 10 photos in focus with 300/2.8, closest photo @ 17 meters
The following points stand out in my mind:
- the Nikons exhibited no performance degradation with the slower,
externally driven lens
- the Nikons maintained focus to a much closer distance
- the F5 outperformed its competition (by at least 30%) without the
benefit of the MN30 nicad battery
- the EOS3 does not quite live up to its paper specs; it should have
matched the F5 in performance
