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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Auto v Manual Focus (1 Viewer)

delia todd

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Please note, I'm not really a photographer and really struggle to understand camera settings. At one time I only used any camera on Auto.

A few years ago, I got brave enough to try on Aperture setting and am now fairly comfortable with that and changing the f setting from 4.5 through to 8, as the light allows (and play about with EV without really understanding what I'm doing;)).

Something said in the Gallery the other day, made me look at Manual Focus (I've only used Autofocus of course, which can sometimes be very slow and doesn't always lock on particularly birds in flight against the sky).

I changed to Manual this morning and it shows MF in red on the screen but the camera will not focus on anything. So I'm obviously missing something.

The camera is an Olympus SP55O-UZ.

Any help appreciated... but please don't talk technical:gh:
 
I assume that you have been following the instructions on page 27 of the manual. Does the camera show the enlarged focus zone while you are using the buttons to focus? If you have mislaid the book I can send you a link.

(Unfortunately I havn't got this range of cameras in the collection here, one lives a hundred miles or more away so can't actually check it out live at the moment.)

Update - the XZ-1 will manually focus following the same procedure as on your camera, its just not documented that way, and I do have one of those around.

It works, but it wouldn't be my first choice for focussing. I think that this has less to do with being a photographer than overcoming the not very helpful manual. If the camera is set to MF press the OK/FUNC button and it should bring up the enlarged focus area (on the camera I am using I have to do it twice). The pressing the top or bottom of the ring around the OK button will change focus further or closer respectively (slowly) - press OK again when you are happy - practice towards the wide angle end of your zoom and pick something like a magazine about 6 feet away.
 
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Just checked this online in the manual.
It appears you need to press and hold the OK button as you have locked MF at the moment (which is why it is in red). Then use up and down to change focus.

When set to [MF] • Press Up/down to set the focus. During operation, the focus area is enlarged. • Hold down OK to fix the focus. The focus is locked at the distance you have set, and MF is displayed in red on the monitor. To adjust the focus, hold down OK again.
 
Oh that's great Graeme - worked just as you said. Now I can get practising LOL.
 
I assume that you have been following the instructions on page 27 of the manual. Does the camera show the enlarged focus zone while you are using the buttons to focus?

Unfortunately I havn't got this range of cameras in the collection here, one lives a hundred miles or more away so can't actually check it out live at the moment.

Sorry, missed your post earlier.

Ummm... I seem to have mislaid my manual, so I just went into the various options on the camera to find where Manual Focus was so I could have a play with it.

What is the actual benefit of manual over auto focus?
 
Benefits are limited to when the subject is small in the frame or the scene is cluttered, in my experience.

So, if a bird is in a bush, AF might choose to focus on the bush. But that's why I'm normally on centre-point only focus, to limit it. I place the bird centre, get the shot then crop.
If the bird is really IN the bush, AF will focus on nearer branches.
Generally though, if AF focuses on the right thing for you, then use AF because it will most likely be more accurate than you.

It is quite a nice feeling to zoom in on a bird, manual focus to see the feathers in their finest detail then take a photo, I must say.
 
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