Canon AF points are off-centered

[jcc]

I just swapped a gridded focusing screen into my Canon 1V. After checking through the viewfinder, I see that the AF array is shifted slightly (about the width of an AF square) to the right. Just to double check that it wasn't a badly seated focus screen, I played musical chairs with the 1V, 3, and 1Ds (D is for decorative, not digital, I swear!). Both 3 and 1Ds have the center AF point squarely over the central intersection, with only the 1V showing the shift to the right. I'm pretty confident it's a problem with the camera, and not the screen.

I could keep the non-gridded screen back on it, but now that I know that this shift exists... it irks the heck out of me!

Is there a user fix to shift the AF squares, or is this a send it in to Canon problem?

 

[jcc]

No one knows what I'm talking about?

 

[Peltigera]

Or no one cares. So long as the AF marker matches the AF sensor, it does not matter one jot.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

I suspect the red LED emitters in the viewfinder have been jarred off-centre, likely from rough treatment. As the focusing screens are quite a positive fit once installed, it is unlikely that the screen is incorrectly seated. This AF emitter shift has been reported in the EOS 1V, EOS 5 and 1N — but it requires quite a decent knock for this to happen, like dropping (which will also impact the mirror box and prism — two of the weakest areas in the EOS cameras). Remove the focusing screen and reinstall it just to be very certain. If the problem persists, the camera will need a bench examination (take your purse...).