Bobapingu
Veteran Member
The manual attempts to explain this on Page 94 but it's still not clear to me when best to have it on or off. I'd appreciate comments from those that find it useful.
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OM-1 AF Scanner, On or Off?
- Thread starter Bobapingu
- Start date
It’s basically a “try harder” option for focusing.
If it’s off, and the camera can’t achieve focus, it will leave the focus position (distance) alone. Your hope is that conditions will improve and your subject will drift back into focus.
If it’s on, and focus fails, the camera will rack focus trying every distance to get a lock. This is slower, and loses the original focus position, but it will more likely achieve focus if it’s possible.
I usually leave it on.
If it’s off, and the camera can’t achieve focus, it will leave the focus position (distance) alone. Your hope is that conditions will improve and your subject will drift back into focus.
If it’s on, and focus fails, the camera will rack focus trying every distance to get a lock. This is slower, and loses the original focus position, but it will more likely achieve focus if it’s possible.
I usually leave it on.
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Bast Hotep
Senior Member
Avis setting, for those of us old enough to remember
Bobapingu
Veteran Member
You'll have to be clearer. I've reached the average life span of a Bulgarian (luckily, I'm not one) but never been much on car hire.Avis setting, for those of us old enough to remember
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Peter Foiles
Senior Member
In the US, back in 1977, the Avis marketing slogan "we try harder" was introduced and they went from loosing money to turning a profit for the first time in years. Reputed to be one of the best marketing slogans of all time.You'll have to be clearer. I've reached the average life span of a Bulgarian (luckily, I'm not one) but never been much on car hire.Avis setting, for those of us old enough to remember
Bobapingu
Veteran Member
Got it! Thanks.In the US, back in 1977, the Avis marketing slogan "we try harder" was introduced and they went from loosing money to turning a profit for the first time in years. Reputed to be one of the best marketing slogans of all time.You'll have to be clearer. I've reached the average life span of a Bulgarian (luckily, I'm not one) but never been much on car hire.Avis setting, for those of us old enough to remember
drj3
Forum Pro
If there is something visible in the EVF, then the camera will generally focus with the AF Scanner OFF. However, if there is nothing visible in the EVF then the camera will generally not focus on anything if there is nothing visible in the EVF.
The AF Scanner ON racks the lens one time back/forth to see if there is anything on which to focus if there is nothing visible in the EVF.
In most situations, you would probably want to leave it turned ON. With my MC20+300mm f4, the camera would rarely focus on anything (given the shallow depth of field) if the scanner was turned Off.
I actually liked the scanner on the E-M1s better, since they have a setting where the camera would rack the lens a second time, if it found nothing to focus on with the first rack. I found this useful when focusing on small fast-moving targets with a sky background for situations where it missed focus on the first scan.
The AF Scanner ON racks the lens one time back/forth to see if there is anything on which to focus if there is nothing visible in the EVF.
In most situations, you would probably want to leave it turned ON. With my MC20+300mm f4, the camera would rarely focus on anything (given the shallow depth of field) if the scanner was turned Off.
I actually liked the scanner on the E-M1s better, since they have a setting where the camera would rack the lens a second time, if it found nothing to focus on with the first rack. I found this useful when focusing on small fast-moving targets with a sky background for situations where it missed focus on the first scan.
Bobapingu
Veteran Member
Thanks for the hint. I did just that. The response was that whether on or off didn't change the BIF score so probably more useful for older slower lenses.
drj3
Forum Pro
If you shoot shorter focal lengths or slower lenses, then the AF Scanner setting will not typically make much of a difference. If you shoot longer focal length, faster lenses then it will make a very important difference.
I set my 300mm f4 lens (not a an older slower lens) at the minimum focus distance, then point it at a very distinct target 30 feet away.
If the camera is set to AF Scanner OFF, the OM1.1 or OM1.2 will simply not focus on anything. The EVF has no distinct pattern visible. There is nothing visible to me (or the camera) in the EVF, so the camera does not try to focus.
If the camera is set the AF Scanner to ON then either OM1 will immediately rack the focus from minimum to maximum distance and focus on the target.
If you shoot shorter focal lengths and slower aperture lenses, there will almost always be something visible to you in the EVF (and to the camera) so there will probably be little difference in how it focuses. If you always manually prefocus, there will be no difference since you provide the rack of the lens.
Try shooting flying swallows with a sky background at 600mm without prefocus with the AF Scanner set to OFF vs ON and you will quickly see the difference the AF Scanner makes with challenging focus situations.
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drj3
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Bobapingu
Veteran Member
Point taken. Thanks!
Toni Genes
Leading Member
Enable it.
On the previous camera (E-M1 MK II), I got big AF improvments by enabling it.
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