A tip on dramatically aiding X-E1 focusing

[shawngibson]

I've had the camera for about a week, and everything about it has been awesome, except the focus speed. It hunts, it falls down in low

light, it is basically worse than shooting with a 5D classic and 85/1.2iiL.

 

I have an event in less than two weeks that I'm getting paid for, so I've been incredibly nervous, as the AF seemed to absolutely suck on

this camera.

 

Then I read the mashing stuff on the fora, and thought, yeah right. But I was very wrong.

 

I tried it even given my scepticism.

 

I went from seconds of possibly getting the shot, or possibly not, using the half press method, to 1/4 second or so and getting the shot at

least 80% of the time. I'm blown away. This camera will not get any more firmware updates and the lens is permanently mounted.

 

I now have confidence to use this camera/lens setup on a professional level and if it performs at my first gig, I won't hesitate to

recommend it for weddings...which I would never shoot again, but whatever.

[fred_c1]

<p>Does "mashing stuff" require potatoes? Or do you mean pressing the shutter button all the way down?</p>

[andylynn]

<p>Can you describe how to mash stuff?</p>

[shawngibson]

Sorry guys, to mash the shutter means to gently push it all the way down in one step, without prefocusing. It sounds

totally counterintuitive to me, but in trying to get the focus to work better, I did a lot of Internet reading and that's how

people seem to overcome the hunting and slow focus. The term the sites usually use is mash.

 

Set the X-E1 to AFS, choose any focus point, compose, and fully depress the shutter without focusing. It focuses and

does so quickly without hunting. Bear in mind it takes maybe 1/4 second but that's a lot faster than half press, maybe

focus, maybe not, hunt, etc. which this camera does a lot of while half pressing especially in low light.

[c_watson1]

<p>"...<em>the lens is permanently mounted.</em>"</p>

<p>Sorry, Shawn, but what camera are you shooting? The X-E1 is a MILC, not a fixed lens camera like the X100(s).</p>

[shawngibson]

<p>I meant the combo I'm using, X-E1 with the 18-55 is so good I don't plan on removing this lens or doing any firmware upgrades, but I was just being melodramatic and giddy because of how much 'mashing' improved the performance.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>I never tried that but I'll have to experiment with it a bit. I also really, really like this camera but the AF is a frustration since I've become used to high grade DSLRs. And the Fuji lenses are hard to beat. At first I was skeptical of anything that can be characterized as "18-55mm kit lens" but that lens turns out to be as good as most f/2.8 zooms I've used.</p>

[shawngibson]

<p>I've only ever owned 1 zoom, I usually loathe them. I bought this one because of the IS, fully expecting to buy primes as time went on. To be honest, the only prime that interests me right now is the 56/1.2 which isn't due til 2014. I am planning on either an 85/1.2L FD or 85/1.4 AIS but that's manual focus altogether, of course.</p>

<p>The 'kit' zoom is REALLY that good.</p>

<p>Definitely not a camera for tracking or any sort of speedy AF requirement, but the mashing thing really is a bit of a godsend on such an otherwise poorly performing AF system. But on that note, is is VERY accurate even when half-pressing. Just slow.</p>

<p>I like the images enough and the camera enough that I'd rather work around the AF problems, than opt out of the system. Haven't liked a camera so much since my Contax S2:)</p>

[mostly sports]

<p> "I don't plan on removing this lens or doing any firmware upgrades," I think that's a mistake. Fuji is good about frequent and effective upgrades.</p>

[shawngibson]

<p>Yeah, in fact after a real world shoot on the weekend, I will definitely do July's firmware update. This thing is just too slow, and it absolutely refuses to focus in strong backlight.</p>

<p>CAF is also a joke. But when it does focus, the files are really, really nice.</p>

<p>Can't wait til Jan 2014 for the portrait lens, so I'm debating on either the 50/1.2L FD or more likely the Rokkor 58/1.2 for now. I can sell that lens when the Fuji becomes available.</p>

<p>I also read there is a stabilized 85/1.8 in the works, but I've found no credible source for that yet.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>I've used both the Rokkor and the 57mm 1.2 Konica AR on adapters and they both work brilliantly.</p>

[shawngibson]

<p>Thanks Andy. I'm not familiar with the Konica. How are the bokeh wide open and the sharpness stopped down?</p>

<p>What would you guys recommend for adaptors. I see very expensive, and very cheap, but not much in between. Is Novoflex worth the price?</p>

[andylynn]

<p>I'll pull together a couple samples with the lenses. My stuff is all at home and I'm not right now. But both those lenses give good sharpness from about f/2 and really nice bokeh. I'd have a hard time choosing between them. The Konica can be had cheaper because it's not as well known and isn't adaptable to Canon EF mount. The Rokkor, of course, will mount on a Minolta XD-11, which I still use sometimes.</p>

<p>Personally I go with the cheap adapters. With some lens/adapter combinations things can be just loose enough to be annoying if you think about it, but those Novoflex adapters are just too darned expensive at $200-300</p>

[shawngibson]

<p>Thanks Andy. What adaptors do you have on these two lenses, and how would you rate them?</p>

[andylynn]

I don't remember which ones I got - I have a bunch of adapters and most are Rainbowimaging or Fotodiox. I just get

whatever looks decent in the $20 range on Amazon.

[lindsay_dobson]

<p>Professional photography + 'mash the shutter'</p>

<p>.... given that the vast majority of my work (and the work of most of the professional people photographers I know) involves critical focus and mostly focus-recompose, this method is not really workable, particularly in a wedding environment where you really can't afford to miss key moments. I used to own an XE1 and I sold it because the performance was simply untenable if the camera were to act as a viable professional work tool, where we need critically accurate focusing which is consistent - the keeper rate from the XE1 on a professional shoot was pitiful to be honest (though the camera was perfectly adequate for casual walkabout photography). I now use the OMD for most of my pro-jobs and compared to the XE1 it's like night and day. </p>

[shawngibson]

Lindsay, I respect your needs and experience, but the X-E1 is VERY precise. It is slow and it hunts, but the D700 with

85/1.4 I've borrowed for my shoot this aft is much slower because it hunts a lot more than the Fuji. The D700 is slightly

better in low light, however. Neither of the cameras are instant, by any means. It's up to the photographer to use either

camera well and anticipate, where possible, the coming shot.

 

If you are a wedding photographer who is comfortable composing and working slower, as opposed to rapid-fire let's take

a million photos, I still recommend that the Fuji works.

[lindsay_dobson]

<p>Shawn, the focus speed isn't always the issue, but the accuracy is at times unpredictable despite employing all available precautions and techniques. As you say, the speed of your assignment is important (and the kind of clients you work with - mine are not forgiving), but even on a fairly controlled fashion shoot the XE1 proved to be too much of a risk. For some reason my X100 is far more accurate and that does see pro use (on occasions where I don't have a chance to change lenses, but I can grab the X100 for a quick wide shot).</p>

<p>The focus accuracy is quite subject-dependent, and where faces/eyes are concerned (and their relative size in the frame) there can be problems with the XE1. There were other areas of the camera's performance which I also found disappointing. Each to their own - we should of course use kit which suits our own methods irrespective of others' needs or preferences. </p>

[andylynn]

<p>I find the X-E1 usually works well for my needs but I can see where it would get frustrating in the situations you're talking about. It does miss focus more often than my DSLR and I'd imagine it would be a risk for timing-sensitive shots. Usually in situations where I've got the Fuji if I miss focus I can try again, and when I want to set a focus point I have time to go to the AF button and then the direction control, but if I were doing events (in 2013, when many or most clients expect you to nail every conceivable shot regardless of the venue lighting and expect that you're only going to stop the action and make them pose at certain times) that would result in a higher rate of missed shots than if I were doing the same things but with a DSLR. I don't think I'd rely on the Fuji for those situations.<br /><br />Probably the nest generation will be a whole different story, since undoubtedly they'd incorporate the focus improvements in the X100S.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>BTW, Shawn, I haven't forgotten about the lens comparison, but most of my images shot with those lenses on adapters are from a NEX camera (which doesn't keep lens data for manual lenses) and I can't tell which shots are which lens! I'll have new material soon though.</p>

[shawngibson]

Well I guess the proof is in the pudding, for me. I shot just under 500 images tonight, mostly indoors, but a bit outside too.

The camera did its usual frustratingly slow focus maybe 30-40% of the time but from what I can tell in the viewfinder, I

may be OK. Fortunately, it was a very relaxed 80th birthday party for the patriarch of a large family, three generations, all

laughing and drinking, so I did not feel pressure. In fact, in some group shots, when the camera wouldn't focus, I made

jokes and said the damn camera won't focus, and people took it in stride. I got lucky, and to be honest, I would not shoot

this generation for a wedding. I hope the next generation is considerably better with the AF.

 

That does not deter me from the system, though. I actually had a D700 in my bag and didn't once feel the need to bring it

out. I kind of wish I had for the 85/1.4, but I was on a roll with the Fuji.

 

Dear Fuji, please dramatically fix the AF. You have a real winner here if you do.

 

Andy no worries, I'm not in a hurry for a manual focus lens. I'm quite happy with the zoom and to be honest any portrait

lens I get right now will just be a stopgap til the 56/1.2 arrives.

 

Now what I'm going to do for 135/2-ish equivalent is another story. I can barely manual focus the zoom at 50mm because

my hands are too shaky. I guess I'll be using a tripod for long shots which, of course, is the preferred method anyways.

[shawngibson]

Ps I didn't 'mash' the shutter even once, I wasn't comfortable with that in a paid, professional, once in a lifetime setting. I

guess old habits die hard.

[m_stephens]

<p>Fuji X Focusing</p>

<p>I have the X pro, and it did take a bit to realize that mirrorless cameras use a different technology for AF, that doesn't work like a dSLR. After trying different ways to use the camera, I settled on full manual, and it works like a dream.</p>

<p>In addition to manual exposure, I put the focusing mode switch on M. I assign "AE-L/AF-L" button to be "on when pressing" and to be "focus lock only." This button is directly under the right thumb. Look through the viewfinder, put the focusing mark on the subject, press the AF-L button and the focus snaps right to the point, then compose and shoot with <em>zero lag</em>- snap! There's no lag because the pressing of the shutter doesn't invoke AF function in manual mode. </p>

<p>If you need to fine tune the focus, look through the excellent EVF, press magnify, and make minute adjustment with the focus ring. It took me two practice sessions with this setup to have it mastered, and I have zero problems now with the AF.</p>

<p>If I want to be more "automatic" I set the focus mode to C - continuous. In this mode, the AF is always adjusting as you move the camera around. Therefore it is always "close" to what you want to focus on. When you press the shutter button, the lens has a small way to move. Uses a bit more power, but I have two batteries and no concern for needing to conserve power.</p>

<p>The full manual mode makes the camera handle faster and the results are more predictable. The raison d'etre for this camera is the X-trans sensor and rangefinder form factor, not the "automatic features," which dog the camera down. When operated manually, the camera becomes a super-charged, massively improved "Canon 7" with better film and better glass.</p>

[shawngibson]

<p>Turns out this was probably the best event shoot of my life, after 25 years. I'll post images once getting permission.</p>

<p>I've never been so excited about digital photography as I am right now.</p>