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G1X Slow Focus

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Albertcpa

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I see people complaining about the slow focus. I have a Nikon D90 and even that misses focus if used in the continuous mode while shooting sports. I think that if focus is such a big deal then one needs to get a much more expensive SLR in the semi-pro or pro series. For vacation pictures and portraits, you really do not need such amazing focus speeds.
 
Albertcpa said:
I see people complaining about the slow focus. I have a Nikon D90 and even that misses focus if used in the continuous mode while shooting sports. I think that if focus is such a big deal then one needs to get a much more expensive SLR in the semi-pro or pro series. For vacation pictures and portraits, you really do not need such amazing focus speeds.
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Focus lag is not the same as missed focusing. Missed focusing is because the user isn't focusing correctly on his/her target. Focus lag is the perceptible lag between the time the focus button is pressed and the image is snapped. I miss a few sports shots with my dSLR too, but that is because of my error, not the camera's.

--
Olga
 
yet experienced street shooters can see scenes/pictures developing early in the 3-10 seconds...prefocus, and be ready to get the shot even with a slowish focusing cam. It takes experience and thinking, but often it works.
 
As DPRs "First Impressions: Using the Nikon V1" points out, fast autofocus has many practical applications:

"The V1 is the first mirrorless camera that I'd be confident about using to capture moving subjects, and potentially this means anything from boisterous children and pets to school sports days and weekend soccer games."

Life doesn't always stand still. :-)
 
Canon's Chuck Westfall states:

"it is a contrast detect AF like prior G series, but the speed is a bit faster than the G12 in most cases. The only time when that might not be true is in extreme macro situations."

Sadly, that's slower than the Nikon 1 "hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)" system.

As previously noted, DPR states that "the [Nikon] V1 is the first mirrorless camera that I'd be confident about using to capture moving subjects,..."
 
I originally wouldn't have really expected a contrast detect system to be that fast.
I had a G1 a few years back & it was pretty snappy for contrast detect.
Surprised with a Digic5 that they can't do a bit better.

In my case, I do mostly landscape work.
AF speed is not a big deal.
I wouldn't be using this for sports/action

Dan
--
'A bad idea in search of a good cause is..
just a bad idea' ... me
 
I played with the Nikon J1 and the Pany GF3 in best buy mostly to see how they comare in focus speed. This was indoors, so maybe it was contrast not hybrid focus, but I thought the GF3 was much faster.
 
Focus lag and focus speed--like virtually everything else about this camera--are speculation at this point. There have been no credible indepth tests yet. One person speculates in a forum that this camera imay be slow, and soon its all over the web that it IS slow (or has a not so good lens or the viewfinder is no better than the G12 or any number of other unproven negative attributes... ). We all need to wait until the full reviews are out to judge this camera. I am keeping an open mind until the DP Review tests otherwise.
 
Albertcpa said:
I see people complaining about the slow focus. I have a Nikon D90 and even that misses focus if used in the continuous mode while shooting sports. I think that if focus is such a big deal then one needs to get a much more expensive SLR in the semi-pro or pro series. For vacation pictures and portraits, you really do not need such amazing focus speeds.
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@Albertcpa - Who are the people complaining? Who has one of these cameras when it hasn't hit market yet?
 
jonrobertp said:
yet experienced street shooters can see scenes/pictures developing early in the 3-10 seconds...prefocus, and be ready to get the shot even with a slowish focusing cam. It takes experience and thinking, but often it works.
--
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I fit in to the "experienced street shooters" category, but my favorite kind of photography has always been impromptu "grab shots" on the street when we travel, especially since digital days. When we are walking from place to place in a foreign city, my eyes seem to constantly scan for interesting composition or subjects, and with my dSLR, I am used to quickly raising camera to eye and shooting. I keep the shutter speed high enough to freeze action while I am walking (or if the subject is moving). It usually works great, as with my Canon dSLR's I don't notice any lag either in AF or shutter.

Now I'm having to use a smaller camera due to some joint replacement surgery in both wrists, and I'm not quite sure how well grab shots will work. I tried it with my G12 and wasn't too happy with the lag, both AF and shutter. I recently got the SX40 and it does work better, I think because (for ME) of the more familiar camera body shape, which is a smaller version of the dSLR shape. I am very interested in the new G1X, and have hopes that maybe it might even be better still.

Like jonroberto said, for grab shots you do have to be aware of your surroundings and seeing pictures before you shoot. It's fun, challenging and I'd suggest giving it a try if you've never done it !

Cheers ! carolyn
--
Ranger a.k.a chammett
http://www.pbase.com/chammett

'elegance is simplicity'
 
We have already seen a video showing AF speed at both the wide end and long end. The french review site just posted AF times today for both good light and low light. Basically looks like the AF from my S90.
firefox23508 said:
Focus lag and focus speed--like virtually everything else about this camera--are speculation at this point. There have been no credible indepth tests yet. One person speculates in a forum that this camera imay be slow, and soon its all over the web that it IS slow (or has a not so good lens or the viewfinder is no better than the G12 or any number of other unproven negative attributes... ). We all need to wait until the full reviews are out to judge this camera. I am keeping an open mind until the DP Review tests otherwise.
Click to expand...
 
justmeMN said:
Sadly, that's slower than the Nikon 1 "hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)" system.

As previously noted, DPR states that "the [Nikon] V1 is the first mirrorless camera that I'd be confident about using to capture moving subjects,..."
Click to expand...
Do you know if the V1 is as peppy as an entry level DSLR? I'm seriously considering selling my DSLR. I need a lighter camera but I like to photograph moving subjects such as wildlife and the activities of my grandchildren like soccer and basketball.
--
My S100 Galleries ~ http://www.pbase.com/gailb/canon_s100
My Canon S100 Blog: http://www.digicamhelp.com/topics/camera-logs/canon-s100/
 
--thank you, Shood. So the af is nothing special. well, ok. I still want it for the IQ.
 
gail said:
Do you know if the V1 is as peppy as an entry level DSLR? I'm seriously considering selling my DSLR. I need a lighter camera but I like to photograph moving subjects such as wildlife and the activities of my grandchildren like soccer and basketball.
Click to expand...
I have no firsthand experience other than in-store, but I've read just about every english language article on the 1-series, plus most of the threads in the DPR nikon 1 forum.

Basically everyone raves about the speed in good light and metering in any light. They also rave about the 30-110mm CX lens (for the cost). There are other tradeoffs with controls, sensor size, etc. but if speed in good light is your priority then you really should look into this system.

Rob Galbraith says:

"I'd be ready to say that, on average, the J1/V1's focus and shooting speed was at the level of perhaps an upper entry level digital SLR"
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-11666-11988-12007
 
Just because someone at DPR says it doesn't mean it's absolute truth.

My Oly Ep3 with the kit wide and tele zoom (80-300 35mm equivalent) worked just fine for my son's soccer games in overcast and even foggy conditions - but then I shoot with single AF point and single shot mode. It was just as good for keepers as my previous Pentax K7 or Oly E-1.

Frankly I would pay for a bigger sensor with better image quality over an over-priced small sensored V1.

AF focus method, focus points, mode makes a huge performance in speed and accuracy difference within the same camera - and that's before you talk about making a valid comparison between them.

Oops sorry, I'm not a DPR reviewer, so I must be mistaken!

--
Shoot the Light fantastic
 
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