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With above lenses, which you deemed a good example (the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 and the Tokina 12-24mm f4)? PD AF is waaaay more accurate. And that is the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

 

Your 2nd question is a very leading one, and not a honest one. 

 

If you read posts on forums a lot, you will notice that very seldom there is talk about MFA in Canon FF forums (way less than for instance there is on Nikon FF forums with cameras like the D800). 

Besides that, Canon (and probably Nikon) says that MFA is there for emergencies, when you have a lens calibration issue and can't have it calibrated at that time.

 

It is also true that CD AF can deliver OOF results, and that that is not just in low light. 

 

This is getting tiresome, though. The simple fact is that (at least Canon DSLRs, but also Nikon DSLRs see Dave's experiences) can focus just fine with large aperture lenses with shallow DOF, and have no issue getting an eye in focus, not even with a 85mm f1.2, a 50mm f1.2, or a 200mm f2. And that one does NOT have to shoot several frames "in the hope that one is in focus".

 

I can't help that you have made bad gear choices, apparently, in the past. That does not excuse the FUD posts about DSLRs and PD AF in general, though.

 

Your denial is quite baffling.

 

Roger Cicala at lensrentals.com is probably the person who has the most objective and extensive testing experience in the industry. That's what they do for a living: testing body + lenses combinations in controlled environments.

 

Anyone wanting real hard fact about AF accuracy must read this article: Autofocus Reality Part 1: Center-Point, Single-Shot Accuracy

 

Here is what he says about AF microadjustments with fast lenses: The conclusion is pretty obvious: If you want to shoot wide aperture prime lenses and you don't want to use microfocus adjustment, you just refuse to cope with reality.

 

And here is the conclusion of the article:

• LiveView (contrast-detection) AF on a still target is more accurate than phase-detection AF. It should be so. Contrast detection is using the actual sensor to determine focus; phase detection is not. Overall we found about one shot in 10 was out of focus with phase detection.
  
• LiveView AF is as accurate as Roger View MF. You may be better than this, or you may not.
  
• Phase-detection AF has more shot-to-shot variation than contrast detection. It's not huge, but it's real. This shouldn't surprise anyone. Phase detection was developed for fast AF speed and to detect subject movement. It wasn't developed to be more accurate.
  
• Microfocus adjustment pulls good phase-detection AF results up to a par with LiveView, but it doesn't eliminate the small amount of shot-to-shot variation that phase-detection AF has.
  

Now, who is spreading FUD?

Why is it so difficult for you to admit that AF on a mirrorless camera is more reliable than AF on a DSLR?