Focus and Zoom Ring Locations

[mike_halliwell]

In my experience, many people today CANNOT focus a camera manually

Modern DSLRs are not optimised to focus manually using the focussing screen. Sadly. Guess they're designed for bright composition.

 

Focussing a superzoom manually with a max aperture of, say f6.3, is inherently tricky. There's no focus 'pop'.. it's crap...less crap...better...less crap.... crap ie better is BEST!

 

However, they do have the little RF light for 'AF Confirm'... to make it easier.

 

Focus Peaking is a game changer and having that in VF aswell as the back LCD is a whole new world. I must use it more.....:D

 

They are so used to the cell phone camera, so if the camera will not autofocus for them, they can't shoot.

Ha! I'm so used to shouting (quietly!) at my phone to ignore the nice grass behind, focus on the bl**dy flower, it's right in the middle, what's the problem? Just do it... Grrr! !!

 

It was only meant to be a casual snap, so i could ID it later, nothing worthy of too much effort, but Oh No! Nice grass pic!

 

I like my DSLR much more....:)

 

PS. Maybe I need a better phone too? iPhone 5S...;)

[ben_hutcherson]

Ha! I'm so used to shouting (quietly!) at my phone to ignore the nice grass behind, focus on the bl**dy flower, it's right in the middle, what's the problem? Just do it... Grrr! !!

 

It was only meant to be a casual snap, so i could ID it later, nothing worthy of too much effort, but Oh No! Nice grass pic!

 

I like my DSLR much more....:)

 

PS. Maybe I need a better phone too? iPhone 5S...;)

 

I think all my iPhones(including my 3Gs with an otherwise terrible camera) have had "tap to focus." If you tap on the area of the screen where you want it to focus, it will focus there. It works at least decently well.

[mike_halliwell]

If you tap on the area of the screen where you want it to focus, it will focus there. It works at least decently well.

Mine knows that theory too, but has a bad habit of 'seeing' something more interesting in the 'tap to focus' area. I think it gets put off sometimes when I'm nearing closest focus, say for a small flower, it loses lock and finds something nice behind. Even when I definitely far enough away it remembers the nice grass...:(

 

I also have the habit of leaving a thumbprint on the lens... and at that size it completely trashes the pic!

[steve_gallimore1]

As well as missing the focus, mine has an annoying habit of registering the button press to take the shot, vibrating and showing the screen animation to confirm the shot was taken...

 

 

... then actually taking the photograph several seconds later, normally of the inside of my pocket.

 

You only know if it's done this when reviewing the images later.

 

Piece of junk.

[CvhKaar]

As well as missing the focus, mine has an annoying habit of registering the button press to take the shot, vibrating and showing the screen animation to confirm the shot was taken...

 

 

... then actually taking the photograph several seconds later, normally of the inside of my pocket.

 

You only know if it's done this when reviewing the images later.

 

Piece of junk.

Strange...sounds like you have the "self Timer" activated, what camera are you using?

[steve_gallimore1]

Strange...sounds like you have the "self Timer" activated, what camera are you using?

An Alcatel (TCL) Android phone from a few years ago (the post you quoted was in reply to another off-topic post about phones). It's most certainly not the intended behaviour, but a reproducible bug that appears to be related to system load. Unfortunately, it mostly occurs when trying to make a quick grab shot, in saving time by avoiding reaching for a 'real' camera, I end up missing the shot due to my phone not being a dedicated camera and apparently placing picture taking rather further down it's list of operational priorities than I would like.

 

(The same could be said of making phone calls...)

[CvhKaar]

An Alcatel (TCL) Android phone from a few years ago (the post you quoted was in reply to another off-topic post about phones).

(The same could be said of making phone calls...)

 

ah ok, a case of wrong topic.. i understand..:)

[John Di Leo]

I have put a big flat rubber band on the focus ring so I can id it easily by touch.