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What's the purpose of Touch AF? (NX300)

Started Jan 19, 2016 | Questions
Dimi Koan
Dimi Koan Junior Member • Posts: 26
What's the purpose of Touch AF? (NX300)

I've just recently bought NX300 and I've found there are several Touch AF options:

I understand how "Off" , "AF Point", "Tracking AF" and "One touch shot" can be used. But there's one more option "Touch AF" when camera instantly autofocuses on touched area. But when I half-press shutter button to shoot camera auto-focuses there once again. What's the point of focusing twice then?

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Samsung NX300
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markyboy81 Veteran Member • Posts: 4,778
Re: What's the purpose of Touch AF? (NX300)

I've just recently bought NX300 and I've found there are several Touch AF options:

I understand how "Off" , "AF Point", "Tracking AF" and "One touch shot" can be used. But there's one more option "Touch AF" when camera instantly autofocuses on touched area. But when I half-press shutter button to shoot camera auto-focuses there once again. What's the point of focusing twice then?

I've found this as well on the nx1, would also like to know.

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Sendeva Regular Member • Posts: 319
Re: What's the purpose of Touch AF? (NX300)

With the NX1 i found it usefull in conjunction with (AF lock) touch screen it focuses click (AF ON) butten to lock focus.

Hope this was useful.

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Tugela Contributing Member • Posts: 755
Re: What's the purpose of Touch AF? (NX300)
1

Dimi Koan wrote:

I've just recently bought NX300 and I've found there are several Touch AF options:

I understand how "Off" , "AF Point", "Tracking AF" and "One touch shot" can be used. But there's one more option "Touch AF" when camera instantly autofocuses on touched area. But when I half-press shutter button to shoot camera auto-focuses there once again. What's the point of focusing twice then?

The touch focus allows you to choose what exactly the camera focuses on. Although it can be used like that, it is not intended solely to focus the camera. When it does focus twice, think of it more as initial trial run, to see if focus is possible. Also, if the lens is already focused on or close to a difficult to focus object, it refocuses much faster than if it were to try from scratch.

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Dimi Koan
OP Dimi Koan Junior Member • Posts: 26
Re: What's the purpose of Touch AF? (NX300)

Tugela wrote:  When it does focus twice, think of it more as initial trial run, to see if focus is possible. Also, if the lens is already focused on or close to a difficult to focus object, it refocuses much faster than if it were to try from scratch.

I cannot confirm this. From my experience re-focusing takes about the same time as initial focusing.

The behaviour I would love:

1. Touch AF, 2. I fine-tune focusing manually, 3. I press the shutter button to shoot.

But currently when I press shutter it refocuses loosing my perfect focusing.

Surely I can achieve a similar result with "AF point" option:

1 Touch to set AF point, 2. Half press shutter to autofocus 3. Adjust focusing manually while holding shutter button 4. Press to shoot

The drawback here is that I need to hold shutter before shooting. Another one is that when I shoot another time my perfect focus is lost by auto-focusing. Well I can switch to manual before shooting but it's kind of a hassle to do it each time. So for me that each time re-focusing thing is ruining potentially really useful option.

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