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05/09/2004 12:51:58 AM · #1 |
Hi everyone.
I got a problem with my camera's AF system. 8 out of 10 shots are out of focus in spite of the fact that i have focused on a subject and the green light lit steadily claiming that the focus has been done successfuly!!. the manual focus is not of any help in distances greater than 3-4 meters, i mean you can not detect the exact time the subject is in full focus on the LCD. i have upgraded my firmware to the latest version, it improved a bit but the problem still exist.
any idea or rule of thumb to focus properly and fully under control will be greatly appreciated. |
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05/09/2004 12:52:56 AM · #2 |
Make sure it's not motion blur instead of being out of focus. post some examples?
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05/09/2004 01:02:07 AM · #3 |
All I can say is aim just below your main subject and then bring the camera back up and shoot. The AF on that thing is miserable. If the red AF light comes on, it points just above what ever you are trying to focus on in the view finder. Don't even get me going about the Manual focus capabilities! Sell it while you can still get a good price for it and buy a DSLR! Thats what I did.
Hope that helps. |
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05/09/2004 09:33:16 AM · #4 |
I have this camera and yes, it does sometimes have a mind of it's own when it comes to auto focus. It looks for areas of high contrast. So it your main (in the center) subject is dark, for example my black dog, it will search the background instead and focus on parellel tres behind. It like verticle parellel lines especially, rather than horizontal
So you have to think a bit like it does. If your subject has some contrast that the camera will like, use autofocus. If your subject is dark, lacking contrast or if there is some more interesting contrasts behind it (I got caught once by images in a mirror which I had ignored but the camera loved) then use the manual focus.
Yes, it is impossible to focus with the LCD screen, especially with old eyes. However the distance in feet/meters can be set with accuracy. Check your manual. I dropped my 5050 recently (awwck - shutter button broke off) and during withdrawal while I wait for repair, the E-1 is looking very tempting.
I love the 5050 . I broke one of the latches that holds the batteries in and discovered that a little table top tripod would hold the battery cover closed. THAT improved my focus more than anything!! Always having a tripod attatched to the camera made me realize how much of my focus problems had actually been camera shake. |
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05/09/2004 09:35:37 AM · #5 |
I posted the previous reply when that same question was asked recently and I got the following reply from soheil:
"Thanks for your kind reply regarding my question about Autofocus in C5050. i found something that may be of any help to you also, i already have changed my firmware software to the latest version and this dilemma is decreased dramatically. i got the file and also the site you can download the file together with the detailed instructions to install it on your camera. let me know if you are interested and i will send them to you ASAP."
I haven't tried it yet. Contact him. |
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05/09/2004 06:31:49 PM · #6 |
About the c5050z and focusing: I have the same "problem", and I don't know if it is inherent to the c5050z or of all non-dslr digitals.
What I do for better focusing of distant subjects is:
- set the camera to AF = off and SPOT focusing method (or center focusing)
- use the camera in "A" mode (Aperture Priority)
- use f8 aperture if at all possible
- pick the lightest section of the picture that I want to take and set the speed (using the AEL, or "Auto Exposure Lock", button) - if speed is below 100, I change the f number a couple steps down and reformat
- I focus on a far section in the picture I want to take where there is a lot of vertical contrast. In other words, some section of the picture where there is a good light/dark contrast preferably vertically. Sometimes I turn the camera the other way, focus, then, holding the shutter button half-way down, turn the camera again, recompose, and push the button all the way down. Does this make sense to you?
If I am in a hurry and want to take a number of far-away shots and don't want to bother to focus each time, I set the manual focusing to about 2/3rds of the way up between 5 metres and infinity, always in F8, and shoot away.
Funny thing is, even with all of this, I get "blurry" or not entirely in focus pictures anyway sometimes - but not as many as I used to get :)
All of this also gives me practice in composing in camera, which I think is quite helpful in general.
Ursula
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05/09/2004 07:59:31 PM · #7 |
Not sure if this is of any help, but using a tripod and even buying the remote control really help you. I am not sure if your focus problems are from the AF/MF or if they are unintentional bumping of the camera, but I do know that it is very easy to blur photos with this camera. When you figure out the other propblems let me know too.
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05/10/2004 02:18:41 AM · #8 |
Thank You very much for all your kind replys.
Emorgan49 is true i've sent the same problem to her before, but as the problem was still kicking, i decided to post this message.
by the way recently i found that focusing with the flash turned on improves the focusing!!. may be irrelevant but it is better than when the flash is turned off. |
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