FZ1 autofocus after upgrade

erhard · Apr 10, 2004

i used to have FW version 1.04 and upgraded my FZ1 to 2.00

i noticed by playing around that the autofus works very well in low light when the modes witch is in normal recording mode (the red camera symbol) however when i go to night mode it is not good at all - kind of weird

also the LCD becomes very dark in night mode - unfortunately i don't know how my camera behaved before the upgrade in these 2 modes

any ideas

i read all the threads regarding this but nobody noticed that the autofocus works differently in the differnet modi

any ideas how to go back in FW version?

erhard

i do have also a sony 707 which i like a lot but this FZ1 is really a nifty little very flexible camera

Erasmus41 · Apr 10, 2004

It sounds normal. Were you using night portrait mode at night, or in daylight? This mode works differently from the others.

erhard said:
i used to have FW version 1.04 and upgraded my FZ1 to 2.00

i noticed by playing around that the autofus works very well in low
light when the modes witch is in normal recording mode (the red
camera symbol) however when i go to night mode it is not good at
all - kind of weird

also the LCD becomes very dark in night mode - unfortunately i
don't know how my camera behaved before the upgrade in these 2 modes

any ideas

i read all the threads regarding this but nobody noticed that the
autofocus works differently in the differnet modi

any ideas how to go back in FW version?

erhard

i do have also a sony 707 which i like a lot but this FZ1 is really
a nifty little very flexible camera

Outcast Ranch · Apr 10, 2004

To my knowledge it is not possible to revert back to your original firmware version.

Glenn

erhard said:
any ideas how to go back in FW version?

erhard

i do have also a sony 707 which i like a lot but this FZ1 is really
a nifty little very flexible camera

erhard · Apr 10, 2004

i agree but it does not make sense that the night mode has a worse autofocus - the daylight mode is limited to 1/8s exposure time and shows better autofucus and better LCD preview

i feel this is not right

could you please confirm my finding - also i did this without flash in night mode

Erasmus41 said:
erhard said:

i used to have FW version 1.04 and upgraded my FZ1 to 2.00

i noticed by playing around that the autofus works very well in low
light when the modes witch is in normal recording mode (the red
camera symbol) however when i go to night mode it is not good at
all - kind of weird

also the LCD becomes very dark in night mode - unfortunately i
don't know how my camera behaved before the upgrade in these 2 modes

any ideas

i read all the threads regarding this but nobody noticed that the
autofocus works differently in the differnet modi

any ideas how to go back in FW version?

erhard

i do have also a sony 707 which i like a lot but this FZ1 is really
a nifty little very flexible camera

Click to expand...

John_Reed · Apr 10, 2004

I haven't used my FZ1v2 much in night scene mode since the upgrade, so I just tried it. You're right, auto focus doesn't work as well, at first glance. What I found was that it would actually focus, but the green dot would continue flashing, indicating that lock hadn't been achieved. I switched over to "Portrait" mode with the same lighting, and got lock. With or without the lock, though, it was still possible to shoot the shot, and the night shots seemed to come out in focus. It seemed easier to get good results with "matrix" focus, rather than "spot" focus, by the way. Give it a try. I'll tell you what, though, the same experiment would've been tough to do on the FZ1 before upgrade - I couldn't have seen any subjects! Glenn is correct - converting your FW is a "one-way" street, of no return. The one feature of "night scene" you can't duplicate through the other modes (say, shutter priority to 8 seconds) is the "slow curtain" flash sync, which I think fires the flash just before the shutter closes. All my night scene shots have been done with the flash retracted anyway, though.

erhard said:
i used to have FW version 1.04 and upgraded my FZ1 to 2.00

i noticed by playing around that the autofus works very well in low
light when the modes witch is in normal recording mode (the red
camera symbol) however when i go to night mode it is not good at
all - kind of weird

also the LCD becomes very dark in night mode - unfortunately i
don't know how my camera behaved before the upgrade in these 2 modes

any ideas

i read all the threads regarding this but nobody noticed that the
autofocus works differently in the differnet modi

any ideas how to go back in FW version?

erhard

i do have also a sony 707 which i like a lot but this FZ1 is really
a nifty little very flexible camera

--
John Reed

Nikon CoolPix 4500 Panasonic DMC-FZ1 (w/FZ2 upgrade)

erhard · Apr 10, 2004

John

thanks for trying so quickly - interesting finding that the green light keeps blinking though focus was achieved - i'll try this too

i've ordered another FZ1 - this camera is a steel for $249 - for a friend and will try before upgrading

erhard

John_Reed said:
erhard said:

i used to have FW version 1.04 and upgraded my FZ1 to 2.00

i noticed by playing around that the autofus works very well in low
light when the modes witch is in normal recording mode (the red
camera symbol) however when i go to night mode it is not good at
all - kind of weird

also the LCD becomes very dark in night mode - unfortunately i
don't know how my camera behaved before the upgrade in these 2 modes

any ideas

i read all the threads regarding this but nobody noticed that the
autofocus works differently in the differnet modi

any ideas how to go back in FW version?

erhard

i do have also a sony 707 which i like a lot but this FZ1 is really
a nifty little very flexible camera

Click to expand...

--
John Reed

Nikon CoolPix 4500 Panasonic DMC-FZ1 (w/FZ2 upgrade)

Erasmus41 · Apr 10, 2004

In night portrait mode, the green light has nothing to do with focus. In this mode, the camera will select F6.5 (or F8 in daylight) and a focus setting where everything is in focus from 5m to infinity at wide angle. It gets the right exposure by extending the shutter speed. The flashing green light is telling you that the zoom is not at wide angle. Try it for yourself. This is not well described in the manual, but if you think about it, there is no point in a contrast detection focusing system trying to focus at night!

erhard said:
i feel this is not right
could you please confirm my finding - also i did this without flash
in night mode

Erasmus41 said:

erhard said:

i used to have FW version 1.04 and upgraded my FZ1 to 2.00

i noticed by playing around that the autofus works very well in low
light when the modes witch is in normal recording mode (the red
camera symbol) however when i go to night mode it is not good at
all - kind of weird

also the LCD becomes very dark in night mode - unfortunately i
don't know how my camera behaved before the upgrade in these 2 modes

any ideas

i read all the threads regarding this but nobody noticed that the
autofocus works differently in the differnet modi

any ideas how to go back in FW version?

erhard

i do have also a sony 707 which i like a lot but this FZ1 is really
a nifty little very flexible camera

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Erasmus41 · Apr 10, 2004

I forgot to add that this seems to be same for FZ1 and FZ2, and probably FZ1 upgraded. No change there that I can see. I would only add that this is one well designed camera from an engineering point of view, even if the user documentation leaves a little to be desired. You chose well.

Erasmus41 said:
erhard said:

i feel this is not right
could you please confirm my finding - also i did this without flash
in night mode

Erasmus41 said:

erhard said:

i used to have FW version 1.04 and upgraded my FZ1 to 2.00

i noticed by playing around that the autofus works very well in low
light when the modes witch is in normal recording mode (the red
camera symbol) however when i go to night mode it is not good at
all - kind of weird

also the LCD becomes very dark in night mode - unfortunately i
don't know how my camera behaved before the upgrade in these 2 modes

any ideas

i read all the threads regarding this but nobody noticed that the
autofocus works differently in the differnet modi

any ideas how to go back in FW version?

erhard

i do have also a sony 707 which i like a lot but this FZ1 is really
a nifty little very flexible camera

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

John_Reed · Apr 10, 2004

au contraire, monsieur! Granted, with the flash down, for a "total" night scene, focusing wouldn't be important. But with the "slow curtain" flash sync, the intention is to be able to focus on the foreground subject(s) who will ultimately be illuminated by the flash, while taking in the surrounding background during the long shutter opening. Are you saying that this mode should only work for subjects at least 5m distant from the camera? I don't think so. But I also know that it can focus on closer subjects, it just doesn't show that it's locked.

Erasmus41 said:
erhard said:

i feel this is not right
could you please confirm my finding - also i did this without flash
in night mode

Erasmus41 said:

erhard said:

i used to have FW version 1.04 and upgraded my FZ1 to 2.00

i noticed by playing around that the autofus works very well in low
light when the modes witch is in normal recording mode (the red
camera symbol) however when i go to night mode it is not good at
all - kind of weird

also the LCD becomes very dark in night mode - unfortunately i
don't know how my camera behaved before the upgrade in these 2 modes

any ideas

i read all the threads regarding this but nobody noticed that the
autofocus works differently in the differnet modi

any ideas how to go back in FW version?

erhard

i do have also a sony 707 which i like a lot but this FZ1 is really
a nifty little very flexible camera

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
John Reed

Nikon CoolPix 4500 Panasonic DMC-FZ1 (w/FZ2 upgrade)

Erasmus41 · Apr 10, 2004

I hesitate to argue with you, John, as it was many months ago since I did the tests, and I can't recall if the behaviour differed with the flash up or down. It was pretty conclusive with it down. I challenged everybody (including Panasonic Bob) to dispute it, but nobody ever has. In the interests of avoiding internecine strife, why don't you try it?

John_Reed said:
Erasmus41 said:

erhard said:

i feel this is not right
could you please confirm my finding - also i did this without flash
in night mode

Erasmus41 said:

erhard said:

i used to have FW version 1.04 and upgraded my FZ1 to 2.00

i noticed by playing around that the autofus works very well in low
light when the modes witch is in normal recording mode (the red
camera symbol) however when i go to night mode it is not good at
all - kind of weird

also the LCD becomes very dark in night mode - unfortunately i
don't know how my camera behaved before the upgrade in these 2 modes

any ideas

i read all the threads regarding this but nobody noticed that the
autofocus works differently in the differnet modi

any ideas how to go back in FW version?

erhard

i do have also a sony 707 which i like a lot but this FZ1 is really
a nifty little very flexible camera

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
John Reed

Nikon CoolPix 4500 Panasonic DMC-FZ1 (w/FZ2 upgrade)

John_Reed · Apr 10, 2004

Hey, these are friendly discussions, not "internecine wars." We accomplish a lot through this forum by having open discussions and debates. I just tried the night scene mode with two FZ1v2s; my old one and my wife's new one. With subjects closer than 5m, both still focused, in fact. Sometimes focus locks, sometimes it doesn't, but they certainly did focus. It seemed to be a function of whether or not I was pointing at a vertical line in the viewfinder, which wasn't easy to see, since the EVF was nearly dark. My old camera actually dimmed a little less than my wife's camera did, at the same light level. The bottom line is, don't think the FZ1 is "malfunctioning" because of this "night scene" focusing anamoly. Agreed?

Erasmus41 said:
I hesitate to argue with you, John, as it was many months ago since
I did the tests, and I can't recall if the behaviour differed with
the flash up or down. It was pretty conclusive with it down. I
challenged everybody (including Panasonic Bob) to dispute it, but
nobody ever has. In the interests of avoiding internecine strife,
why don't you try it?

--
John Reed

Nikon CoolPix 4500 Panasonic DMC-FZ1 (w/FZ2 upgrade)

AO · Apr 10, 2004

Erasmus41 said:
I hesitate to argue with you, John, as it was many months ago since
I did the tests, and I can't recall if the behaviour differed with
the flash up or down. It was pretty conclusive with it down. I
challenged everybody (including Panasonic Bob) to dispute it, but
nobody ever has. In the interests of avoiding internecine strife,
why don't you try it?

My FZ1v2 in night mode at fool zoom happily focuses on the window frame (2m distance, cloudy daylight outside) but not on anything on the opposite end of the room.

My theory is that f/6.5 indoors does not allow enough light for an accurate focus.

--
Tentative location of the unofficial FZ1 FAQ:

AO · Apr 10, 2004

AO said:
My FZ1v2 in night mode at fool zoom happily focuses on the window
frame (2m distance, cloudy daylight outside) but not on anything on
the opposite end of the room.

My theory is that f/6.5 indoors does not allow enough light for an
accurate focus.

More than that going on. In [A] mode the camera focused in conditions that defied the night mode.

Hmmm...

Somebody should compare the [A] mode (at f/6.5 and f/8 pictures) to [Night] mode and see of there any differences in the resulting pictures.

--
Tentative location of the unofficial FZ1 FAQ:

AO · Apr 10, 2004

erhard said:
i've ordered another FZ1 - this camera is a steel for $249

Nope, it is still plastic...

--
Tentative location of the unofficial FZ1 FAQ:

John_Reed · Apr 10, 2004

AO, with the A mode available, as I said in my earlier post, I think the only reason you'd want the Night Scene would be for the images combining dark scenery and flash-illuminated foreground subject(s). I haven't tried long shutter speeds with A mode and flash. Hmmmmmm.

AO said:
AO said:

My FZ1v2 in night mode at fool zoom happily focuses on the window
frame (2m distance, cloudy daylight outside) but not on anything on
the opposite end of the room.

My theory is that f/6.5 indoors does not allow enough light for an
accurate focus.

Click to expand...

More than that going on. In [A] mode the camera focused in
conditions that defied the night mode.

Hmmm...
Somebody should compare the [A] mode (at f/6.5 and f/8 pictures) to
[Night] mode and see of there any differences in the resulting
pictures.

--
Tentative location of the unofficial FZ1 FAQ:

--
John Reed

Nikon CoolPix 4500 Panasonic DMC-FZ1 (w/FZ2 upgrade)

erhard · Apr 10, 2004

can i now conclude from this discussion so far that
1. we are not quite clear how the night portrait mode works and

2. there is no real night mode (forget portrait) or better said automatic mode that goes beyond 1/8 exposure time (that is valid for FZ1 before upgrade, FZ1v2 has the aperature mode for that that purpose) and

3. the LCD viewfinder remains VERY dim in night portrait mode even it can do better as we see in normal mode at the same available light

btw i checked - in night portrait the green light flashing starts at 3x zoom (FZ1v2)- 1x and 2x is fine

erhard

John_Reed said:
Erasmus41 said:

I hesitate to argue with you, John, as it was many months ago since
I did the tests, and I can't recall if the behaviour differed with
the flash up or down. It was pretty conclusive with it down. I
challenged everybody (including Panasonic Bob) to dispute it, but
nobody ever has. In the interests of avoiding internecine strife,
why don't you try it?

Click to expand...

--
John Reed

Nikon CoolPix 4500 Panasonic DMC-FZ1 (w/FZ2 upgrade)

Erasmus41 · Apr 11, 2004

That's about right, I guess. I wonder if the FZ10 manual has a better explanation of night portrait mode? But, given the title of his thread, I don't suppose FZ10 owners will be following it...

erhard said:
btw i checked - in night portrait the green light flashing starts
at 3x zoom (FZ1v2)- 1x and 2x is fine

erhard

John_Reed said:

Erasmus41 said:

I hesitate to argue with you, John, as it was many months ago since
I did the tests, and I can't recall if the behaviour differed with
the flash up or down. It was pretty conclusive with it down. I
challenged everybody (including Panasonic Bob) to dispute it, but
nobody ever has. In the interests of avoiding internecine strife,
why don't you try it?

Click to expand...

--
John Reed

Nikon CoolPix 4500 Panasonic DMC-FZ1 (w/FZ2 upgrade)

Click to expand...

Guerito · Apr 11, 2004

AO said:
erhard said:

i've ordered another FZ1 - this camera is a steel for $249

Click to expand...

Nope, it is still plastic...

LOL

Just to clarify, yes you can revert to a previous version of firmware…it you have a copy. One caveat, it may be necessary to rename the old version to a newer version than is already on the camera. Perhaps there are some f/w designers that could provide a tool to do so (though I don‘t know why you would want to).

John_Reed · Apr 11, 2004

I see. And Panasonic conveniently provided a way to make a copy of your system firmware before upgrading? I don't think so. Do you have knowledge to the contrary?

Guerito said:
Just to clarify, yes you can revert to a previous version of
firmware…it you have a copy. One caveat, it may be necessary to
rename the old version to a newer version than is already on the
camera. Perhaps there are some f/w designers that could provide a
tool to do so (though I don‘t know why you would want to).

--
John Reed

Nikon CoolPix 4500 Panasonic DMC-FZ1 (w/FZ2 upgrade)

Guerito · Apr 12, 2004

I think you missed the point John. You see, the firmware chip is rewriteable. If it were not, one could not have upgraded to version 2. As I already pointed out, if someone had the skills to design a tool to backup a pervious version of the software, then if could be reloaded onto the firmware chip.

John_Reed said:
Guerito said:

Just to clarify, yes you can revert to a previous version of
firmware…it you have a copy. One caveat, it may be necessary to
rename the old version to a newer version than is already on the
camera. Perhaps there are some f/w designers that could provide a
tool to do so (though I don‘t know why you would want to).

Click to expand...

--
John Reed

Nikon CoolPix 4500 Panasonic DMC-FZ1 (w/FZ2 upgrade)

FZ1 autofocus after upgrade

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