NEX-7 has a new auto focus button

[Joel]

We'll see how the NEX system develops and where its strengths lie, have a play and read the reviews etc. then see where it fits in.

Basically, we are spoilt by the uniqueness and the quality of the R1 which is one of those isolated evolutionary peaks it's very hard to climb down from to scale another peak.

I'm really happy where I am now. The R1 took me to my ARPS and will probably shoot my F panel and no one will have any idea it's a 5-year old bridge camera.

 

[HeavyDuty]

(snip)... It's unknown if the nex 7 #8 button can be programmed that way but Sony is looking into that for me today (which is what they had told me yesterday).

Oh please please please please...
--
Ken in Illinois
http://www.pbase.com/kjford

 

[nopt]

Fingers crossed, that would be an excellent feature.

 

[HeavyDuty]

Yes - I know but it's not as efficient as keeping the camera in manual focus mode and pushing the button to engage AF mode. In the A77 the button can be programmed that way. It's unknown if the nex 7 #8 button can be programmed that way but Sony is looking into that for me today (which is what they had told me yesterday).

Any word from your source?
--
Ken in Illinois
http://www.pbase.com/kjford

 

[rishi o']

Unfortunately he told me he'd check on it the next day. The next day came and went with no response. I sent him a follow up note with no response still. Have a bad feeling...

Yes - I know but it's not as efficient as keeping the camera in manual focus mode and pushing the button to engage AF mode. In the A77 the button can be programmed that way. It's unknown if the nex 7 #8 button can be programmed that way but Sony is looking into that for me today (which is what they had told me yesterday).

Any word from your source?
--
Ken in Illinois
http://www.pbase.com/kjford

--
Rishio
http://www.rishio.com

 

[Richard Butler]

rishi o' wrote to me asking whether the AF/MF button on the NEX-7 will focus the camera when it's set to MF mode. And I'm pleased to be able to report that it does.

If the camera is set to AF then the AF/MF button engages MF (and you can define whether you have to hold the button or not).

If the camera is set to MF then the AF/MF button engages AF.

I hope this helps.

Richard - dpreview.com

 

[HeavyDuty]

If the camera is set to MF then the AF/MF button engages AF.

I hope this helps.

Richard - dpreview.com

Richard - it switches to AF, or it actuates AF for as long as the button is pressed and reverts to MF on release of the button?

Thanks!
--
Ken in Illinois
http://www.pbase.com/kjford

 

[rishi o']

Great news. That was the last thing I needed to know before I put my old gear up for sale and switch over!

rishi o' wrote to me asking whether the AF/MF button on the NEX-7 will focus the camera when it's set to MF mode. And I'm pleased to be able to report that it does.

If the camera is set to AF then the AF/MF button engages MF (and you can define whether you have to hold the button or not).

If the camera is set to MF then the AF/MF button engages AF.

I hope this helps.

Richard - dpreview.com

--
Rishio
http://www.rishio.com

 

[sroute]

Great news. That was the last thing I needed to know before I put my old gear up for sale and switch over!

Yeah!

I did the foolish thing and sold my X100 before knowing this. I often put the camera in manual focus mode and use the back AFL to engage autofocus and then tune, as I do with my DSLR. It'd really have killed me not to have that feature.

Probably I'd have gotten over it though.

 

[rishi o']

If the camera is set to MF then the AF/MF button engages AF.

I hope this helps.

Richard - dpreview.com

Richard - it switches to AF, or it actuates AF for as long as the button is pressed and reverts to MF on release of the button?

Thanks!
--
Ken in Illinois
http://www.pbase.com/kjford

Good point Ken. I wonder if I understood what he said correctly. I'm assuming that in manual focus mode, you can just press & hold the MF/AF button to engage the AF while it is pressed down and then let go of the button and still be in MF mode.
--
Rishio
http://www.rishio.com

 

[HeavyDuty]

I hope that's what he meant...
--
Ken in Illinois
http://www.pbase.com/kjford

 

[rishi o']

I hope that's what he meant...
--
Ken in Illinois
http://www.pbase.com/kjford

Here's what I wrote to him:

I just realized there was a bit of ambiguity in what you said about the AF/MF button. I am assuming you meant that when in manual focus mode, pressing and holding the af/mf button engages the autofocus and when you obtain autofocus you simple let go of the button and you are still in manual focus mode. Meaning pressing it doesn't switch you into AF mode, it just activates autofocus and mimics a half-shutter press. Does that make sense and is that what you implied? I was looking to be able to customize the button to work like this.

and here's what he said:

I haven't got the camera with me, but I'm pretty sure when I tried it earlier, it only focused when you hold the button (as per a half-press), it doesn't switch between AF and MF modes.

That said, there is the option of whether the button toggels or needs to be held - I know what that does if you start in AF mode, but I don't haven't tried both options from MF mode.

so it's looking pretty good to me. It's one of those features that's so hard to explain to those who've never used it..

--
Rishio
http://www.rishio.com

 

[HeavyDuty]

Thanks for following up with him - it's looking promising.
--
Ken in Illinois
http://www.pbase.com/kjford

 

[rishi o']

I had an email with Michael from Luminous Landscape and he tells me that the Nex 7 does NOT allow the AF/MF button to be configured such that it locks focus by pressing it when the camera is in manual focus mode.

I believe this contradicts R. Butler's observation that it does support it so we are back to square 1. Sadly, I think that Michael is correct here since he seemed to understand clearly the feature I was talking about. I really hope this is not true..

Rishio
http://www.rishio.com

 

[Richard Butler]

I had an email with Michael from Luminous Landscape and he tells me that the Nex 7 does NOT allow the AF/MF button to be configured such that it locks focus by pressing it when the camera is in manual focus mode.

I believe this contradicts R. Butler's observation that it does support it so we are back to square 1. Sadly, I think that Michael is correct here since he seemed to understand clearly the feature I was talking about. I really hope this is not true..

I've just tested it on a NEX-7 running fw1.00

Set the function of the AF/MF button to 'Hold' in the 'Setup' menu (it just swaps between AF and MF mode, if set to 'Toggle' oddly enough).

Set the camera to MF (not DMF) in the 'Camera' menu

Defocus the lens manually.

Hold the AF/MF button and it performs an AF acquisition.

Release the button and it reverts to MF mode, but now in focus.

Can we confirm that this is what you're trying to achieve?

Richard - dpreview.com

 

[Richard Butler]

Hold the AF/MF button and it performs an AF acquisition.

Release the button and it reverts to MF mode, but now in focus.

Just for the purposes of clarity - it tries to AF while you're holding the AF/MF button. If you release, it reverts to MF.

Richard - dpreview.com

 

[Pangloss]

I had an email with Michael from Luminous Landscape and he tells me that the Nex 7 does NOT allow the AF/MF button to be configured such that it locks focus by pressing it when the camera is in manual focus mode.

I believe this contradicts R. Butler's observation that it does support it so we are back to square 1. Sadly, I think that Michael is correct here since he seemed to understand clearly the feature I was talking about. I really hope this is not true..

It really wouldn't be the first time that Michael is wrong...

I've just tested it on a NEX-7 running fw1.00

Set the function of the AF/MF button to 'Hold' in the 'Setup' menu (it just swaps between AF and MF mode, if set to 'Toggle' oddly enough).

Set the camera to MF (not DMF) in the 'Camera' menu

Defocus the lens manually.

Hold the AF/MF button and it performs an AF acquisition.

Release the button and it reverts to MF mode, but now in focus.

Can we confirm that this is what you're trying to achieve?

Richard - dpreview.com

Yes Richard. Thanks for confirming that indeed the AF/MF button can be configured for AF acquisition in manual focus mode. It can be a very useful feature in some situations.

--
Andrew
Novice photographer

 

[HeavyDuty]

Hold the AF/MF button and it performs an AF acquisition.

Release the button and it reverts to MF mode, but now in focus.

Just for the purposes of clarity - it tries to AF while you're holding the AF/MF button. If you release, it reverts to MF.

Richard - dpreview.com

Richard, thank you!
--
Ken in Illinois
http://www.pbase.com/kjford

 

[rishi o']

Confirmed. Thanks for testing this and describing it clearly. This thread can now rest in peace!

I had an email with Michael from Luminous Landscape and he tells me that the Nex 7 does NOT allow the AF/MF button to be configured such that it locks focus by pressing it when the camera is in manual focus mode.

I believe this contradicts R. Butler's observation that it does support it so we are back to square 1. Sadly, I think that Michael is correct here since he seemed to understand clearly the feature I was talking about. I really hope this is not true..

I've just tested it on a NEX-7 running fw1.00

Set the function of the AF/MF button to 'Hold' in the 'Setup' menu (it just swaps between AF and MF mode, if set to 'Toggle' oddly enough).

Set the camera to MF (not DMF) in the 'Camera' menu

Defocus the lens manually.

Hold the AF/MF button and it performs an AF acquisition.

Release the button and it reverts to MF mode, but now in focus.

Can we confirm that this is what you're trying to achieve?

Richard - dpreview.com

--
Rishio
http://www.rishio.com