Reading mode: Light Dark

Gm1 will anything improve focusing

Go to last post
B

Blanko00

Well-known member
Messages
248
Reaction score
160
A little while ago I bought a GM1. The quality of the files is everything I hoped for.
But, before that I was using the much maligned Nikon J1, a camera I've been very happy with. Now I'm finding the GM1 focusing very poor in comparison, it's quick, but has a nack for picking up anything other than my subject.
I shoot Street and obviously seeing, framing, composition all happen on the fly and fast. Unfailing the camera picks up a drain pipe, a shop sign... click, I've got an out of focus subject.

I'm old enough to have used zone focus, in fact right up until my J1, I did. But was so pleased to be able to hand it over to the camera. I know the Nikon has a reputation for preternatual focusing, but I didn't imagine on changing systems, I'd have to go back to the 1970s. Besides one of the reasons for wanting a bigger sensor, was wanting to be able to exploit a little DOF.

So any ideas? Any settings that are going to up performance to 'usable'? Do any lenses offer a marked improvement. Right now I'm using just the kit 12-32mm in the 28-35 (in old money) area. My plan having been to check the camera out, then commit to the couple of lenses I'll use.
--
www.flickr.com

Brandon Chambers

Explore Brandon Chambers’s 570 photos on Flickr!
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com
 
Are you shooting with all focus points enabled or just the centre focus point?
 
Pinpoint focus on it's smallest setting. Very visible where it focusses on.
 
Blanko00 said:
A little while ago I bought a GM1. The quality of the files is everything I hoped for.
But, before that I was using the much maligned Nikon J1, a camera I've been very happy with. Now I'm finding the GM1 focusing very poor in comparison, it's quick, but has a nack for picking up anything other than my subject.
I shoot Street and obviously seeing, framing, composition all happen on the fly and fast. Unfailing the camera picks up a drain pipe, a shop sign... click, I've got an out of focus subject.

I'm old enough to have used zone focus, in fact right up until my J1, I did. But was so pleased to be able to hand it over to the camera. I know the Nikon has a reputation for preternatual focusing, but I didn't imagine on changing systems, I'd have to go back to the 1970s. Besides one of the reasons for wanting a bigger sensor, was wanting to be able to exploit a little DOF.

So any ideas? Any settings that are going to up performance to 'usable'? Do any lenses offer a marked improvement. Right now I'm using just the kit 12-32mm in the 28-35 (in old money) area. My plan having been to check the camera out, then commit to the couple of lenses I'll use.
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebrandonchambers/
Click to expand...
A lot will depend on how you have the focus setup - if you have it setup in the more automatic settings using all the focus areas or a large focus box then it will typically focus on the closest thing that has lots of contrast - if that happens to be the drainpipe a meter on front of your chosen subject then so be it.

If you want to exploit the narrower depth of field, then you will just have to tell it what to focus on... using the pinpoint focus or placing a single, small focus box where you wish in the frame will give you much more reliable focus at that specific point, but will require a more refined technique as you will need to place that point over your subject.

You could also use an inbetween setting - setting it to single point focus with a medium sized focus area where you will mainly use it will remove more distraction from the edges of the frame and narrow in the autofocus to give it a better chance of picking your chosen subject rather than something else.
 
Face recognition? Haven't tried it myself, not even sure it has it but I think it does.
 
Blanko00 said:
A little while ago I bought a GM1. The quality of the files is everything I hoped for.
But, before that I was using the much maligned Nikon J1, a camera I've been very happy with. Now I'm finding the GM1 focusing very poor in comparison, it's quick, but has a nack for picking up anything other than my subject.
I shoot Street and obviously seeing, framing, composition all happen on the fly and fast. Unfailing the camera picks up a drain pipe, a shop sign... click, I've got an out of focus subject.

I'm old enough to have used zone focus, in fact right up until my J1, I did. But was so pleased to be able to hand it over to the camera. I know the Nikon has a reputation for preternatual focusing, but I didn't imagine on changing systems, I'd have to go back to the 1970s. Besides one of the reasons for wanting a bigger sensor, was wanting to be able to exploit a little DOF.

So any ideas? Any settings that are going to up performance to 'usable'? Do any lenses offer a marked improvement. Right now I'm using just the kit 12-32mm in the 28-35 (in old money) area. My plan having been to check the camera out, then commit to the couple of lenses I'll use.
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebrandonchambers/
Click to expand...
The GM1 with a crop factor of 2 has a shallow depth of field compared to the Nikon with a crop factor of 2.7. The Panasonic focus on a target at 15 feet with a 25mm lens (50mm FF field of view) at f5.6 has a depth of field of 9.27-39.2 feet. The Nikon with an 18mm lens (48.6mm FF field view) has a depth of field of 8-119.6 feet. Stop the GM1 down to f8 and you will have approximately the same depth of field as the Nikon at f5.6.
 
Try using pinpoint focus. It will focus on a very small area and magnify it to show you exactly where it achieved focus. Of course now you are in charge of selecting the focus point, but if you do your part the camera performs very well in my experience.
 
Another vote for Face Recognition if there are people in the shot.

About the only setting that I can get reasonable shots of my granddaughter with !!
 
If I am photographing people (close enough to clearly see their faces), I normally use the "face detect" mode of focus and finds it works extremely well most of the time. In any event, you can see where it is focusing before you take the shot: the yellow square indicates the face it has found and is focussing on. I have found it to be remarkably accurate most of the time, although there are clearly situations that fool the focussing system.

If you are using the default multi-area focus, then the green rectangles show where the camera is focussing before you take the shot. If that mode is not focussing where you want, switch to the single area or pinpoint focus modes (and you can use the touch screen to select the focus point).

I think you'll find that the GM1 focus works very well once you get used to using the camera and the various focus modes. If you are finding that the focussing is regularly a problem with the kit lens, then using a faster lens (either zoom or prime) will also improve the situation.
 
In addition to the comments made so far, do you have another lens (you can borrow) to try out? Hard to believe I know but there are reported cases of m43 lenses front/back focusing. Another lens might help confirm it's the 12-32mm lens. Or not.
 
Try the pinpoint (crosshair) target. It focuses exactly where you place the target.
 
Blanko00 said:
A little while ago I bought a GM1. The quality of the files is everything I hoped for.
But, before that I was using the much maligned Nikon J1, a camera I've been very happy with. Now I'm finding the GM1 focusing very poor in comparison, it's quick, but has a nack for picking up anything other than my subject.
I shoot Street and obviously seeing, framing, composition all happen on the fly and fast. Unfailing the camera picks up a drain pipe, a shop sign... click, I've got an out of focus subject.

I'm old enough to have used zone focus, in fact right up until my J1, I did. But was so pleased to be able to hand it over to the camera. I know the Nikon has a reputation for preternatual focusing, but I didn't imagine on changing systems, I'd have to go back to the 1970s. Besides one of the reasons for wanting a bigger sensor, was wanting to be able to exploit a little DOF.

So any ideas? Any settings that are going to up performance to 'usable'? Do any lenses offer a marked improvement. Right now I'm using just the kit 12-32mm in the 28-35 (in old money) area. My plan having been to check the camera out, then commit to the couple of lenses I'll use.
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebrandonchambers/
Click to expand...
I have a GM5 but, the focusing system should be the same as the GM1. I have the framing grid turned on and use the single vertical/horizontal lines with the cross point dead center so it's like looking through a rifle-scope. I use a single focus point centered on top of the cross point of the two grid lines. I just put the crosspoint on my subject, half-press the shutter to focus, recompose and fire. I have not had any focus problems with the GM5 using this method. Also use the same type of framing grid with a small centered focus point on my E-M10.

Zone Focusing. I have two lenses I use for street shooting; the Olympus 12mm f/2.0 and the Olympus 17mm f/1.8. Both of these lenses have what Olympus calls their Snapshot feature. You pull the focus ring back, the camera goes into MF mode, you get a distance scale to use for zone focusing, and now the focus ring has hard stops at minimum focus and infinity. Depending on the light, I stop down the lens to f/5.6 or even better f/6.3, and set the distance scale to the 3-meter mark. At f5.6 with the 12mm, everything from 1 meter to infinity is in focus and with the 17mm, everything from 1.5 meters to 24 meters is in focus. Both of these lenses have excellent image quality, blazing fast and accurate autofocus when you want to use it, and high quality metal bodies and mounts. Either is smaller than the 12-32mm when the zoom is extended. The 17mm has become almost glued to my GM5.
 
Blanko00 said:
A little while ago I bought a GM1. The quality of the files is everything I hoped for.
But, before that I was using the much maligned Nikon J1, a camera I've been very happy with. Now I'm finding the GM1 focusing very poor in comparison, it's quick, but has a nack for picking up anything other than my subject.
I shoot Street and obviously seeing, framing, composition all happen on the fly and fast. Unfailing the camera picks up a drain pipe, a shop sign... click, I've got an out of focus subject.

I'm old enough to have used zone focus, in fact right up until my J1, I did. But was so pleased to be able to hand it over to the camera. I know the Nikon has a reputation for preternatual focusing, but I didn't imagine on changing systems, I'd have to go back to the 1970s. Besides one of the reasons for wanting a bigger sensor, was wanting to be able to exploit a little DOF.

So any ideas? Any settings that are going to up performance to 'usable'? Do any lenses offer a marked improvement. Right now I'm using just the kit 12-32mm in the 28-35 (in old money) area. My plan having been to check the camera out, then commit to the couple of lenses I'll use.
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebrandonchambers/
Click to expand...
Use pinpont AF - it is accurate and fast. Set the Pinpoint AF Display to FULL and time to SHORT, set AF+MF to ON, set MF Assist to ON set MF Assist Display to FULL, set peaking to ON.

Get yourself a better lens - say the Panasonic 15mm f1.7 or any other lens that has a focus ring. Even any of the Sigma ART lenses will be good. But there is a huge choice to pick from.

Then you will get full screen magnification assist to find the point of auto-focus and if you wish to improve on that just keep the shutter button at soft press and work the focus ring - the lcd will magnify full screen to whatever magnification factor you use and focus peaking will switch on automatically to allow the finest of fine, precision focus. All done in a flash with just a little practice.

If you must use something other than Pinpoint AF then the same MF fine tuning technique works.

But Pinpoint AF on its own is usually precise enough for most.
 
The Gm1 is one of the best focusing camera out there. It's about the best I've owned, and I've owned quite a few. You need to learn how do use it, that's all.
 
addlightness said:
In addition to the comments made so far, do you have another lens (you can borrow) to try out? Hard to believe I know but there are reported cases of m43 lenses front/back focusing. Another lens might help confirm it's the 12-32mm lens. Or not.
Click to expand...
This.

The 12-32mm has some limitations due to it's compact design, but it should get correct focus 100% of the time in all but the lowest of light conditions.

AFS + Fast AF + AF box set to half the size of the central box of the 3 x 3 grid line should get you focused correctly near instantaneously.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top