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IS and Focus Hunting

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Ron Goodenow314865

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My 510 tends to focus hunt far more than my 300 and 330 in relatively low light and some low contrast situations, and occasionally it simply gives me out of focus images. Particularly frustrating with 70-300 and 40-150 lenses. I've checked out both cameras with all lenses, cleaned contacts, tried various exposure and focusing settings, etc.

I have tended to leave IS on. Could this be contributing to the problem? Anyone else had this experience with the 510. Should I simply turn IS off until I know I need it?

Thanks.
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Take photos not pixel counts....
 
I cant see how IS would contribute to your focus woes
I would be looking elsewhere

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AF-S.

Is there a separate sensor for focusing? If so, is it subjected to cleaning? Or something I should clean?

I hate to send the camera back. It is great otherwise, and now out of warranty. But can be pretty frustrating.
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Take photos not pixel counts....
 
is it like that with every lens ?
post an image or two...
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plɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ɟo doʇ uo ǝɹɐ ǝʍ 'ɐılɐɹʇsnɐ uı
 
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=32259261&q=Image+Stabilizer&qf=m

I does not have anything to do with AF, but I would always leave IS off with long lenses and shutter speeds faster than 1/100 seconds. Also switch it off when using a tripod. I would even switch it off by default and only switch it on when you need it (e.g. long exposures).

I was experimenting with this last night with my 50-200 lens on an E-620. At 100mm or 150mm or 200mm with shutter speeds between 1/100 and 1/500 my images are sharper with the IS OFF than with IS on.

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--RemcoG
http://www.flickr.com/photos/remcogroeneweg/
 
and that has zip to do with focus hunting
Kaayman52 said:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=32259261&q=Image+Stabilizer&qf=m

I does not have anything to do with AF, but I would always leave IS off with long lenses and shutter speeds faster than 1/100 seconds. Also switch it off when using a tripod. I would even switch it off by default and only switch it on when you need it (e.g. long exposures).

I was experimenting with this last night with my 50-200 lens on an E-620. At 100mm or 150mm or 200mm with shutter speeds between 1/100 and 1/500 my images are sharper with the IS OFF than with IS on.

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--RemcoG
http://www.flickr.com/photos/remcogroeneweg/
Click to expand...
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plɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ɟo doʇ uo ǝɹɐ ǝʍ 'ɐılɐɹʇsnɐ uı
 
Most noticeable with 14-42, 40-150 and 70-300. Sometimes with 14-54. But, erratic. For example, I was recently in Arizona doing landscapes in bright light and though I could find a distant outcropping, rocks, etc. the 40-150 had to be focused manually. Slap the 9-18 on and no trouble. On another recent trip my 14-42 kept slipping in and out of focus on simple landscapes (using full frame metering). I also notice that the red light focus indicator is extremely small, as opposed to the very large and clear ones on the 300 and 330. Hmmm. Again, much of the time no trouble. Maybe pilot error but I can't figure out what.
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Take photos not pixel counts....
 
I have e-510 my father has e-520 so I cut test 70-300 on both body's.

Here is my observation:
e-510 with original firmware -> lots of hunting but still useable at 300mm

e-510 + firmaware f1.2 or f1.3-> terrible hunting mutch worse than previose Firmaware

e-510+ 70-300 both updated to new firmaware -> best focusing but still worse than e-520 with newesd firmware. (but was practicaly identical)

So I whould say uprg u firmware first, if u din't done it yet, becouse there was some terrible Firmware for e-510 witch make focusing with 70-300 realy hard.
 
True. But it may seem that his images are out of focus, while it is in fact blurryness caused by the IS. Just my 2 cents. I was crossing this issue last weekend.

BTW: what does ZIP mean?
 
You may be onto something with the firmware. Before I upgraded to 1.3 it seemed to be better, now that I think of it. Is 1.3 the latest? I have not upgraded 70-300. Will do that, though I hate messing with Oly update process. But I still seem to have issues with other lenses.

I have an event shoot tonight and will turn off IS and see what happens. I really appreciate the responses.

--
Take photos not pixel counts....
 
In the continuous AF mode on both my E520 and E1, my 70-300 has this nasty habit of getting confused, goes all the way in to the closest focus distance and stays there. When it does this, I have to wind up switching to manual focus and racking it all the way back out manually, then re-set the switch to AF. For that reason I don't take it to the track anymore to shoot horse races.

In Single AF, it behaves ok.
 
Focus hunting is a contrast issue, plain and simple. IS has absolutely no bearing on focus motor function. IS kicks in after the focus is locked.

I don't understand why there is this constant banter about IS causing softness at high speeds and on a tripod when Oly clearly states in the manuals for all the IS enabled cameras that it should be TURNED OFF in both instances.

IS can indeed negatively affect IQ if not used for the proper shooting parameters.

2 main causes for OOF pics are subject movement, and or camera movement with improper choice of speed for conditions present.

OOF pics can many times be attributed to not paying close enough attention to speed.
Good shooting technique is very important!
 
The mirrors on all SLRs are front coated and delicate.

Unless you can clearly see smudges or obvious dirt or dust they are best left alone.

If in fact you absolutely need to clean a mirror it is best done first by trying to blow it off and if that doesn't work, a lens pen, or lightly apply some lens cleaning fluid to a Q tip and use that.Make sure the Q tip is of goog quality and no stray fibers are coming off it.

Never apply any hard pressure to the mirror as it can be knocked out of alignment!
 
if the mirror needs cleaning get a tech to do it
i dont think this is the problem either...

--
ʎǝlıɹ

plɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ɟo doʇ uo ǝɹɐ ǝʍ 'ɐılɐɹʇsnɐ uı
 
Rriley said:
if the mirror needs cleaning get a tech to do it
i dont think this is the problem either...
Click to expand...
Ditto. The screen/mirror on my E520 has stuff all over it and does not affect performance. I would do no more myself than to try and blow anything out of the mirror box with a blower bulb. If more detailed cleaning is required, send it to Olympus, but that should not be causing any performance issue.
 
Ron Goodenow said:
My 510 tends to focus hunt far more than my 300 and 330 in relatively low light and some low contrast situations, and occasionally it simply gives me out of focus images. Particularly frustrating with 70-300 and 40-150 lenses. I've checked out both cameras with all lenses, cleaned contacts, tried various exposure and focusing settings, etc.

I have tended to leave IS on. Could this be contributing to the problem? Anyone else had this experience with the 510. Should I simply turn IS off until I know I need it?
Click to expand...
It has nothing to do with IS, but it can be that the main mirror or the secondary mirror is dirty or out of alignment, or the AF sensors are dirty. Not much is needed for the AF sensors to be disturbed, a straw of hair may be enough. Blow the mirror chamber clean, but if you see dirt stuck un the mirror let some experts do the cleaning. The view finder screen has also nothing to do with the AF, so leave it as it is.

Here is an article describing how and where to clean the camera. The images are from the E-500, but all cameras are similar, except the E-3xx and the MFT.

http://olyflyer.blogspot.com/2007/08/focusing-problems-with-e-500.html

Good luck.
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http://www.olyflyer.blogspot.com/
 
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