How do I focus?

[Lawrence Keeney]

Jukka,

Thanks for the link. I now understand. My guess on how it worked was pretty close.

Lawrence

Lawrence,

In this web page you'll find answer with diagrams of how AF system
based on contrast works
http://www.howstuffworks.com/autofocus3.htm

Jukka

--
http://www.sirucats.com
http://sivut.koti.soon.fi/jjg47/jukka/index.htm

 

[Lawrence Keeney]

Dr. Gonzo,

You hit the nail on the head. My OOFs are because both of my grandchildren are white with blonde hair.



Lawrence

I live in Hawaii, and my photo subjects are often of much darker
skin and hair ... perhaps this is why I have fewer focusing
problems?

Here is an example of frustration that just happened to me:

Consider the following picture (speed:1/250, aperture: 2.4), speed
priority to reduce OOF due to a slower speed:

http://www.pbase.com/image/817060

Zooming the face of my daughter, you clearly see it is OOF:

http://www.pbase.com/image/817093

Now notice the hair of a my wife on the right side of the photo:

http://www.pbase.com/image/817092

They are actually focused!.

Go figure why the olympus choose to focus on that!.

Seb.

--

• Dr. G.

E-10 FAQ: http://www.tokenasians.com/articles/e10faq.html

 

[sebMarc]

Yes i think Gonzo is right. My wife is a brunette and focus is sharp on her.

Seb.

You hit the nail on the head. My OOFs are because both of my
grandchildren are white with blonde hair.



Lawrence

I live in Hawaii, and my photo subjects are often of much darker
skin and hair ... perhaps this is why I have fewer focusing
problems?

Here is an example of frustration that just happened to me:

Consider the following picture (speed:1/250, aperture: 2.4), speed
priority to reduce OOF due to a slower speed:

http://www.pbase.com/image/817060

Zooming the face of my daughter, you clearly see it is OOF:

http://www.pbase.com/image/817093

Now notice the hair of a my wife on the right side of the photo:

http://www.pbase.com/image/817092

They are actually focused!.

Go figure why the olympus choose to focus on that!.

Seb.

--

• Dr. G.

E-10 FAQ: http://www.tokenasians.com/articles/e10faq.html

 

[ARH1956]

What concerns me most sbout the E 20 is this; I have had very little trouble with my E 10 in the year I've owned it. Using the same techniques with the E 20 I've seen out of focus pictures increase from 4-5 out of 100 with my E 10 to 15-20 out of a 100 with my E 20. I enjoy the E Series very much, & was OK with the out of focus frequency with my E 10, but am dismayed by the increase of the E 20.

 

[Bram Bos]

same techniques with the E 20 I've seen out of focus pictures
increase from 4-5 out of 100 with my E 10 to 15-20 out of a 100
with my E 20. I enjoy the E Series very much, & was OK with the out
of focus frequency with my E 10, but am dismayed by the increase of
the E 20.

Since contrast focusing on the E's makes use of the same CCD that
captures the photo could it be that the increased resolution of the
CCD makes it more complex for the software to determine a proper
focus? Just guessing here...

cheers,

Bram

----------------------------------------------------------------------Amsterdam, The Netherlands http://www.pbase.com/brambos

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

My only experiences with the E20 were indoors in a convention hall and I didn't notice any difference in focusing. What I find interesting is that others have reported the exact opposite experience as you (Jaja comes to mind).

If what you say is true I wonder if it could account for the rash of OOF threads we've been having recently?

What concerns me most sbout the E 20 is this; I have had very
little trouble with my E 10 in the year I've owned it. Using the
same techniques with the E 20 I've seen out of focus pictures
increase from 4-5 out of 100 with my E 10 to 15-20 out of a 100
with my E 20. I enjoy the E Series very much, & was OK with the out
of focus frequency with my E 10, but am dismayed by the increase of
the E 20.

--- Dr. G.E-10 FAQ: http://www.tokenasians.com/articles/e10faq.html

 

[ARH1956]

What concerns me most sbout the E 20 is this; I have had very
little trouble with my E 10 in the year I've owned it. Using the
same techniques with the E 20 I've seen out of focus pictures
increase from 4-5 out of 100 with my E 10 to 15-20 out of a 100
with my E 20. I enjoy the E Series very much, & was OK with the out
of focus frequency with my E 10, but am dismayed by the increase of
the E 20.

--

• Dr. G.

Well, what I said is true. This is my everyday experience with both cameras. I appreciate the extra resolution & Microdrive support of the E 20, although the 380 Microdrives worked perfectly in my E 10, & the other upgrades but I'm somewhat perplexed on this focussing issue. I talked with Olympus Support last week & their suggestion was to return the E 20 to them. They E-mailed me the instructions for returning the camera.