E-510 focus frustrations and trade-up dilema

Hi everyone,

This is my first post but I have been following the forum for a while.

I have had an E-510 and twin kit lenses for around 2 years now. My hit rate has been quite poor in terms of sharpness and I have been quite disappointed although I have some great shots too.

I was concerned about my technique and took a beginners course recently and when we did a tripod/hand-held test I was the only one not to notice any difference as both images looked soft.

Anyway to cut a long story short following this and reading some tips on this forum, I did some auto/manual focus tests and discovered I seem to have a front-focus problem at the wide end of zoom lenses (I also have a 50mm F2 but no issues here). The camera has just gone back to the local distributor to be serviced and I wanted to understand from others who had similar issues, did it get resolved to your satisfaction or is the autofocus on the 510 jsut a little hit and miss?

I am also wondering whether to upgrade to resolve this, maybe to an E-30 or even more radically outside the 4/3 system (seem to be good deals on Nikon D300 right now and I know Nikon are famed for their auto-focus system) but I would prefer not to throw away the investment Ive made in the system (both learning and additional lens/flash/accessories). Plus I love the 4/3 lenses generally and have some targets for the future (12-60, 50-200, 9-18)!

Any experiences to share on this? Christmas is coming up and it will be my 6 month old son's first one so I would hate to risk soft family shots this year of all years!

Thanks for all your thoughts (and yes I am still working on my technique which is far from perfect!)

Cheers,

Stu

Stu Miles said:

is the autofocus on the 510 jsut a little hit and miss?

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Nope. I've used the E-510 for two years until it succombed to the harsh treatment I gave it and in good light it was a perfect focusser. I think you just got a faulty model.

Just curious tho: during your tripod test, did you turn off IS?
--
Mithandir,
Eternal Amateur
http://www.wizardtrails.com/

Yes, I turned the IS off (no difference either)

I've had the E-510 for about 1 1/2 years now and haven't had any focus issues either. I've had some low light seeking but that's to be expected with the 14 - 42 & 40 -150.

Since you said you didn't have any problems with the 500mm lens do you think it might be the kit lens and not the body?

Stu Miles said:

Anyway to cut a long story short following this and reading some tips on this forum, I did some auto/manual focus tests and discovered I seem to have a front-focus problem at the wide end of zoom lenses

Click to expand...

This sounds like the exact problem I had with my 510, 520, and several 510s/520s I tried in a shop. Other people on this forum have experienced it as well. There are also plenty of users who haven't had any issues at all. It's a mystery.

Stu Miles said:

(I also have a 50mm F2 but no issues here). The camera has just gone back to the local distributor to be serviced and I wanted to understand from others who had similar issues, did it get resolved to your satisfaction or is the autofocus on the 510 jsut a little hit and miss?

Click to expand...

Those who do send their 510s often forget to say how it went, but going by the people who did, it seems the issue CAN be resolved.

You can also adjust the focus manually if you have a steady hand and some patience.

However, my own 510 doesn't just backfocus, it frontfocuses as well. It will often dance around the correct focus point but never get it right. This isn't a calibration issue and I doubt theres a simple fix.

Stu Miles said:

I am also wondering whether to upgrade to resolve this, maybe to an E-30 or even more radically outside the 4/3 system (seem to be good deals on Nikon D300 right now and I know Nikon are famed for their auto-focus system)

Click to expand...

I moved from the 510 to the 620 and it was like stepping into a new system. The AF system is much more reliable, and it made me realise that, despite the very sharp sensor in the E510, I wasn't getting the best out of my lenses due to poor AF. The 620 gives me a much, much higher keeper rate.

Nikon will give you better low light AF, as will the E30.

Stu Miles said:

but I would prefer not to throw away the investment Ive made in the system (both learning and additional lens/flash/accessories). Plus I love the 4/3 lenses generally and have some targets for the future (12-60, 50-200, 9-18)!

Click to expand...

I was close to moving to Nikon after getting sick of my misfocusing E510 as well.

However a perfectly focused 12-60 on a 12mp sensor is something to behold! It really is a beautiful piece of glass. I use this plus the 9-18 and the duo is enough to keep me totally happy in 4/3.

Stu Miles said:

Any experiences to share on this?

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If you get your E510 back and you're at all unsure about it's focus, I'd recommend not wasting any more time missing valuable shots. I lost all confidence in my 510 and it really limited my photography. If you get into that situation, don't hesitate to jump to something that DOES work.

At the same time there's no reason why your 510 won't come back working perfectly. A properly focusing E510 is a wonderful camera. Fingers crossed.

D

Although I don't have an E-510 (I use an E-520), I too have suffered the same AF problems, even in good light - afternoon sun at the beach.

I always use single point AF at the centre, and get around a 75-80% hit rate with my 14-54mm MKII. It's most frustrating with group shots, and I'm certain it's not due to DOF issues (OOF even at f/8, 12m).

I will be sending mine to the service centre for calibration when I have the time. Meanwhile, I'll be taking multiple shots for those important moments - just in case.

--
Never stop learning.

I have two E510 bodies. Both are absolutely fine with no AF issues. E510 is a fantastic camera and captures incredible details.

amitava

Had an E500 and E510 and never had any focus problems with either camera or any of the kit lenses. Sold both cameras and moved to an Oly E3 with the 12-60 about two years ago. The difference in focusing speed was something I noticed immediately. Imagine (from what I've read) that the E620 or E30 would provide the same level of performance. Mainly got the E3 because of weather sealing which I needed for a trip - still a great camera. You're right that the 12-60 and 50-200 are fabulous lenses.

Thanks all of you, I am a lot more heartened by your replies.

It seems this issue is definitely NOT a reason to trade out of Olympus.

Hopefully the service will do the trick but I have my doubts as it is a distributor here in Dubai.

If it doesnt work, I'll trade up and solve it that way. Of course that leaves me with the same body dilemma as everyone else (do it now or wait for the next technology). Given the issue I'm having though Id better not wait too long.

Maybe I could go for a 620 for now, knowing that I have not broken the bank too much in case something great comes along by the end of next year.

Just one more thing? Is the 620 definitely better AF system than the 5x0 series? I would hate to find the same issues a second time!

IS off, Iknow I'm chiming in late but......these may be obvious but need to be asked. Tripod test, anti shock set, noise filter settings, PP software, or the camera could be fautly. The point being it could be a variety of things or you may just have a very sharp eye that is not happy with the kit lenses, the wish list you had for lenses would make a big difference in the out come of your shots.

I been suprised many times on this forum to see a beautiful shot (sure its an E3), only to look at the exif and see it was a E420 with a 50-200mm.

--
And now for something totally different
Tim

With respect to the E-510, I have owned 2 to date, my brother also has one and the only time I have had some focus issuess is with my 50-200 mm, so its definitely the lens.

....the only thing I would note is that the E620 I believe does have some adjustment for focus, although not as elaborate as that on the E30. If at all possible try snapping some shots on another lens at a shop.

Cheers;
--
Best Regards;
L. John K.

To test it out further, if you live view on the E-510, do those photos come out clear? I had a similar issue, but only with the 12-42mm at 12mm. If I zoom in a bit, the focus problem went away. I had to send my E-520 in to Olympus for focus adjustment.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=33242895

Stu Miles said:

Hi everyone,

This is my first post but I have been following the forum for a while.

I have had an E-510 and twin kit lenses for around 2 years now. My hit rate has been quite poor in terms of sharpness and I have been quite disappointed although I have some great shots too.

I was concerned about my technique and took a beginners course recently and when we did a tripod/hand-held test I was the only one not to notice any difference as both images looked soft.

Anyway to cut a long story short following this and reading some tips on this forum, I did some auto/manual focus tests and discovered I seem to have a front-focus problem at the wide end of zoom lenses (I also have a 50mm F2 but no issues here). The camera has just gone back to the local distributor to be serviced and I wanted to understand from others who had similar issues, did it get resolved to your satisfaction or is the autofocus on the 510 jsut a little hit and miss?

I am also wondering whether to upgrade to resolve this, maybe to an E-30 or even more radically outside the 4/3 system (seem to be good deals on Nikon D300 right now and I know Nikon are famed for their auto-focus system) but I would prefer not to throw away the investment Ive made in the system (both learning and additional lens/flash/accessories). Plus I love the 4/3 lenses generally and have some targets for the future (12-60, 50-200, 9-18)!

Any experiences to share on this? Christmas is coming up and it will be my 6 month old son's first one so I would hate to risk soft family shots this year of all years!

Thanks for all your thoughts (and yes I am still working on my technique which is far from perfect!)

Cheers,

Stu

Click to expand...

Stu Miles said:

Just one more thing? Is the 620 definitely better AF system than the 5x0 series? I would hate to find the same issues a second time!

Click to expand...

In my case, there was no question. The E620 was a different experience altogether. It's not much faster (the E510 was fast enough in good light) but the accuracy I feel is in a different universe altogether.

The E620 also has focus adjustment so if you're not happy you can make the necessary tweaks using the menu.

D

My E-510 consistently back focused with all lenses at all focal lengths. I could see it in test shots with focus test charts and in other test shots. I could also consistently focus better with live view using S-AF+MF.

I sent it back for repairs and it has focused properly since.

The unfortunate part for me is that first it had a problem with IS which was fixed under warranty, and I think the back focus problem was a result of the first repair.
--
BruceMcK
http://www.pbase.com/brucemck

Hi,

My E510 front focused at the wide end of my 14-42, 40-150 and 70-300 lenses. A number of people had similar experiences (front focus at wide, ok at full zoom).

An auto focus verses manual focus with 10x live view comparison will give you an idea of how the auto focus is doing.

I sent it in three times, the last time with the two kit lenses. They sent me an E520 with two new kit lenses that third time, I haven't tested those yet. The Olympus rep was quite nice, but I couldn't wrangle an upgrade to an E620 with it's focus calibration option! Really, I was only trying do them a favor.

With any luck they will get yours fixed on the first servicing.

Good luck,

Will

Bluetrain048 said:

However, my own 510 doesn't just backfocus, it frontfocuses as well. It will often dance around the correct focus point but never get it right. This isn't a calibration issue and I doubt theres a simple fix.

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Just a comment on this - I had the same problem with the E-300 recently (it worked before, but I started to notice it a little while ago). It turned out that there was dust (or something) on the AF sensor. I flipped the camera upside down, and used a sensor blower with the camera in cleaning mode. It is now as good as new again. I'd highly recommend trying this before doing anything drastic, as a blower can be had for about $5 from any camera store.

Cheers
--
--Wyatt
http://photos.digitalcave.ca

LJohnK said:

....the only thing I would note is that the E620 I believe does have some adjustment for focus, although not as elaborate as that on the E30. If at all possible try snapping some shots on another lens at a shop.

Click to expand...

Unless I am sorely mistaken, the 620 has just as many possibilities in AF adjustment as the 30 does. (For reference: I have the 620, but not the 30). You can adjust down to the AF point at tele and wide for each lens. The UI kinda hides this fact, though (and justifiably so IMHO); you can adjust each lens first, then use the -> arrow to go deeper to get at the individual AF point, etc.

Cheers
--
--Wyatt
http://photos.digitalcave.ca

Stu Miles said:

It seems this issue is definitely NOT a reason to trade out of Olympus.

Click to expand...

I find this to be definitely a reason to go with another brand as I also have focus issues.

Unfortunately I have put some money in getting 2 more lens for my E-410 and am stuck with.
The current affordable Olympus to me simply do not cut it.

My E-510 focuses quickly and accurately and the IQ in JPEG's is incredible. Blew me away again yesterday, early morning shoot at a nature reservation with trees glazed with snow and ice set like crystal against dark blues/indigo of ponds. Very contrasty scenes but some 400 shots came out clear as a bell. Color rendition also continually amazes this watercolorist.

Sorry for waxing poetic, but the last post just set me back a bit. Don't like accusing anyone of being a troll, but wow, what negativity about what I've found to be a solidly built and reliable camera.

If you do have a flawed E-510, Amazon is currently selling E-620 bodies for $530. Can't go wrong at that price and this would allow you to continue using your Zuiko lenses.

Well, a few weeks after my first post on this topic.

I got the E510 and 14-42 lens back from the distributor just before christmas.

I asked them what they did and they said they cleaned the sensor and checked the focus and it 'seemed' to be ok now.

Of course when I checked, the front focus issue was still evident - no improvement. They suggested waiting for the visit of an Olympus service technician in February but I am impatient to get a fix so.................I just ordered an E30 from B&H in the US!!!!

I thought long and hard about changing system and buying a Nikon D300S but despite the obvious advantages in the body I just thought they didnt outweigh the great quality, fast, well-priced glass of Olympus (plus it would have been an investment of 2000$+ vs. 960$ for the E30 inc. delivery). I just could not find an acceptable compromise in the Nikon lens lineup (although I am sure there is one)

I also tried the E620 and although it has the auto-focus adjustment and other improvements, I didnt like the grip and thought I would much prefer the better VF and autofocus of the E30.

Now I am excitedly awaiting the delivery.

I will now try to sell the E510 with kit lenses to fund the purchase of a 14-54 MkII or part-fund a 12-60 - then I really will have the best of the Oly world to explore!!!!

I will report (like many others) on how happy I am with the upgrade!

Thanks for all the support

Stu