E-m1 quick question on focus point selection

[Sringo]

Quick inquiry on a friend's E-m1 I'm using for the next couple of days, does anyone know if it's possible to select fewer focusing points than the stock 81 or so that the camera shows? I'd like to use manual selection but it's a pain to thumb through all the points to get to the area I'm trying to focus on.

 

[Garry Schaefer]

Yes, certainly. You can either select the central nine points or a single point. I almost always use the single point, focus with a half press and recompose before taking the image with a full press. This puts you in control of where the camera focuses.

 

[Danielvr]

Quick inquiry on a friend's E-m1 I'm using for the next couple of days, does anyone know if it's possible to select fewer focusing points than the stock 81 or so that the camera shows?

Yes. Press OK to bring up the Super Control Panel from which you can change all important shooting settings. Go to the AF box (below WB), press OK to change AF settings, press up/down arrow to change AF targets.

p.s. if it may of help, you can download the PDF manual HERE .

 

[PalosCsaba]

Quick inquiry on a friend's E-m1 I'm using for the next couple of days, does anyone know if it's possible to select fewer focusing points than the stock 81 or so that the camera shows? I'd like to use manual selection but it's a pain to thumb through all the points to get to the area I'm trying to focus on.

Hi Sringo,

unfortunately, no, if you want to select manually from the smallest focusing points, there are 81, and there is no possibility to reduce their number. (Except for the electronic teleconverter that crops the middle and lets 25 points active.)

On the other hand, there is some help, if you don't like to push the arrow buttons several times. You can push one arrow button, and then use the front and real dials to move the focus point selection.

Also, you can configure the Fn1 button to get back to your home position ( [...]HP ).

If you don't stick to the EVF (I do), you can also set the focus point on the touch screen.

But yes, I agree, it can be a pain to move the focus point if you want to follow some action and the composition changes all the time. I suppose it will be even more painful on the OM-D E-M1 II with its 121 points.

Csaba

 

[Tommi K1]

Multiple ways.

1) set one of front Fn buttons to AF selector and then use front and rear dials to move AF point. This is fastest method to any camera.

2) Set one Fn button as AF home (AF HP) and pressing it will switch between two modes, a home that is registered point by you and the size and then the normal your another selected point and size. When you press HP button the AF point changes to size you set and jumps to position you registered. Press again and it jumps to previous again. This way you can have ie. Single small point at any position and then secondary registered 9-point at center for fast situations, pressing HP button would jump between these two then.

3) Set AF point by touching a touch screen, just disable the AF+Release and use just AF. This is great when shooting from a waist level, but doesn't work so well with side articulating screens and requires a tilt screen to be useful in quick moments.

4) You can use a D-pad like now to go through AF points like now.

5) Use C-AF+tracking so you can lock AF point to subject and then compose as wanted.

 

[Tommi K1]

But yes, I agree, it can be a pain to move the focus point if you want to follow some action and the composition changes all the time. I suppose it will be even more painful on the OM-D E-M1 II with its 121 points.

Csaba

That is why tracking is for slowly moving subjects (on Nikon it is 3D focusing) where you lock to target and AF point is selected while you recompose continually.

And this is why E-M1 II uses gyroscope to assist tracking so it performs better than on DSLR.

 

[wolfie]

Quick inquiry on a friend's E-m1 I'm using for the next couple of days, does anyone know if it's possible to select fewer focusing points than the stock 81 or so that the camera shows? I'd like to use manual selection but it's a pain to thumb through all the points to get to the area I'm trying to focus on.

Depends on what you're trying to do!

If you work from the rear LCD, enable touch af to either select the focus, or enable touch & shoot to touch the target and shoot immediately.

If you have firmware 4.0/4.1 then you can use CAF - continuous AF by keeping the AF point on you subject with the shutter button half pressed. Works pretty well even on fast objects, but *you* have to keep the subject under the AF point. On my first use I tracked my cat heading across the lawn towards me and got 17/18 shots in focus., so dont believe the doom-sayers that E-M1 CAF is useless.

Tracking AF works on slower moving targets typically and agin for best results you need to follow the target and keep it centered.