Touch AF vs joystick AF

[Henry Richardson]

All of my m4/3 bodies (E-M1 II, PEN-F, E-M10 II, E-M10, E-M5, GX7 II/GX85, G3) have touch AF, I think. I shoot with my left eye so I turned it off on all the cameras after getting them because I often had the AF point move when I didn't want it to move. My recollection is that there are 2 modes:

1. AF point will be where you touch the rear screen
2. AF point will move relative to the current position as you slide your finger/thumb on the rear screen

I always thought that while using the EVF that #2 would be really cool to use if I shot with my right eye like most people do.

Then the E-M1 III, E-M1X, OM-1, G9, etc. added a joystick to move the AF point. Is that really much better than #2 above?

--
Henry Richardson
http://www.bakubo.com

 

[Photongraphy]

Not better. I think the joystick is intended while using the EVF, I can't see myself using touchscreen AF with the camera at my face.

 

[alcelc]

I guess the joy stick might move the focus point slower than touch AF.

If you don't need to move the focus box quickly, joy stick operation should be alright.

No experience on the Touch AF of OMDS cameras. On my pannys, I make use of the Direct Focus Area as my one time Touch AF. Assign it to a fn key will do:

• hit the fn key to engage DFA, you can use Touch AF immediately,
• after the shot, hit the fn key + DISP to return the focus box to the center.

In other time, switch off Touch AF and Touch PAD AF in Menu then it will never go away by accident.

 

[Henry Richardson]

Not better. I think the joystick is intended while using the EVF, I can't see myself using touchscreen AF with the camera at my face.

See mode #2 that I mentioned. It is designed to use almost exactly like the joystick. You use the rear screen (with no image on it) and move your thumb like the trackpad on a laptop. It does pretty much exactly the same thing as far as moving the focus point around as the joystick does. It works really great. But, using it or the joystick is not so great for those of us who use our left eye. Both work great for people who use their right eye though.

It is no real difference using the rear trackpad touch screen and using the joystick when you have the camera at your face.

--
Henry Richardson
http://www.bakubo.com

 

[Photongraphy]

Not better. I think the joystick is intended while using the EVF, I can't see myself using touchscreen AF with the camera at my face.

See mode #2 that I mentioned. It is designed to use almost exactly like the joystick. You use the rear screen (with no image on it) and move your thumb like the trackpad on a laptop. It does pretty much exactly the same thing as far as moving the focus point around as the joystick does. It works really great. But, using it or the joystick is not so great for those of us who use our left eye. Both work great for people who use their right eye though.

It is no real difference using the rear trackpad touch screen and using the joystick when you have the camera at your face.

Maybe my head's just too big

But I will give it a try

 

[alcelc]

It is the OFFSET option under Touch AF in Custom Menu of Panny cameras. But it is only available under Touch PAD AF (shoot with evf) only.

However I found it can still move the focus point by accident, just not as easy as EXACT option only.

 

[Pedagydusz]

Not better. I think the joystick is intended while using the EVF, I can't see myself using touchscreen AF with the camera at my face.

See mode #2 that I mentioned. It is designed to use almost exactly like the joystick. You use the rear screen (with no image on it) and move your thumb like the trackpad on a laptop. It does pretty much exactly the same thing as far as moving the focus point around as the joystick does. It works really great. But, using it or the joystick is not so great for those of us who use our left eye. Both work great for people who use their right eye though.

It is no real difference using the rear trackpad touch screen and using the joystick when you have the camera at your face.

My problem with the (quicker) method of using the finger/thumb to move the AF point is that my nose is even more efficient at it - and very much unpredictable!

 

[SteveY80]

I'm a big fan of moving the focus point around using the touch screen on my GX9. The tilting screen is always within easy reach of my thumb, whether I'm using the screen and tapping directly where I want to focus, or using the EVF and sliding around the focus point. I've never missed having a joystick on that camera.

It's a different story with my G9 because the larger body makes reaching the screen an awkward stretch even when it's flat against the back of the camera. When it's flipped out the side hinged FAS design means that the touch functionality is effectively disabled. I'm supporting the lens with my left hand, holding the grip and working the controls with my right, so a screen hanging off the side is inaccessible. For me that makes a joystick, even one as poor as the G9's model, a necessity on an FAS camera.

 

[Photongraphy]

Not better. I think the joystick is intended while using the EVF, I can't see myself using touchscreen AF with the camera at my face.

See mode #2 that I mentioned. It is designed to use almost exactly like the joystick. You use the rear screen (with no image on it) and move your thumb like the trackpad on a laptop. It does pretty much exactly the same thing as far as moving the focus point around as the joystick does. It works really great. But, using it or the joystick is not so great for those of us who use our left eye. Both work great for people who use their right eye though.

It is no real difference using the rear trackpad touch screen and using the joystick when you have the camera at your face.

Maybe my head's just too big

But I will give it a try

Tried it - and learned it's not for me; it's cool, but less accurate ánd my big fat nose gets in the way (Can't blame Oly for that though).

 

[Skeeterbytes]

All of my m4/3 bodies (E-M1 II, PEN-F, E-M10 II, E-M10, E-M5, GX7 II/GX85, G3) have touch AF, I think. I shoot with my left eye so I turned it off on all the cameras after getting them because I often had the AF point move when I didn't want it to move. My recollection is that there are 2 modes:

1. AF point will be where you touch the rear screen
2. AF point will move relative to the current position as you slide your finger/thumb on the rear screen

I always thought that while using the EVF that #2 would be really cool to use if I shot with my right eye like most people do.

Then the E-M1 III, E-M1X, OM-1, G9, etc. added a joystick to move the AF point. Is that really much better than #2 above?

Hi Henry,

You might want to compare against Door #3: AF targeting pad. It enables dragging the focusing point/pattern around the frame with your thumb on the LCD while watching through the finder. It's slick. I believe this feature is commonly confused with touch AF/AF+shutter release, which I find a boon for tripod work but not handheld work.

The joystick for me is mostly an answer in search of a question, but I do use it for recentering focus.

Cheers,

Rick

 

[Photongraphy]

All of my m4/3 bodies (E-M1 II, PEN-F, E-M10 II, E-M10, E-M5, GX7 II/GX85, G3) have touch AF, I think. I shoot with my left eye so I turned it off on all the cameras after getting them because I often had the AF point move when I didn't want it to move. My recollection is that there are 2 modes:

1. AF point will be where you touch the rear screen
2. AF point will move relative to the current position as you slide your finger/thumb on the rear screen

I always thought that while using the EVF that #2 would be really cool to use if I shot with my right eye like most people do.

Then the E-M1 III, E-M1X, OM-1, G9, etc. added a joystick to move the AF point. Is that really much better than #2 above?

Hi Henry,

You might want to compare against Door #3: AF targeting pad. It enables dragging the focusing point/pattern around the frame with your thumb on the LCD while watching through the finder. It's slick. I believe this feature is commonly confused with touch AF/AF+shutter release, which I find a boon for tripod work but not handheld work.

The joystick for me is mostly an answer in search of a question, but I do use it for recentering focus.

Cheers,

Rick

Isn't this Henry's #2?

 

[Skeeterbytes]

All of my m4/3 bodies (E-M1 II, PEN-F, E-M10 II, E-M10, E-M5, GX7 II/GX85, G3) have touch AF, I think. I shoot with my left eye so I turned it off on all the cameras after getting them because I often had the AF point move when I didn't want it to move. My recollection is that there are 2 modes:

1. AF point will be where you touch the rear screen
2. AF point will move relative to the current position as you slide your finger/thumb on the rear screen

I always thought that while using the EVF that #2 would be really cool to use if I shot with my right eye like most people do.

Then the E-M1 III, E-M1X, OM-1, G9, etc. added a joystick to move the AF point. Is that really much better than #2 above?

Hi Henry,

You might want to compare against Door #3: AF targeting pad. It enables dragging the focusing point/pattern around the frame with your thumb on the LCD while watching through the finder. It's slick. I believe this feature is commonly confused with touch AF/AF+shutter release, which I find a boon for tripod work but not handheld work.

The joystick for me is mostly an answer in search of a question, but I do use it for recentering focus.

Cheers,

Rick

Isn't this Henry's #2?

Not my interpretation. #2 for me is dragging the focus point across the back display and does not work while using the EVF. #3 is dragging the focus pattern around the frame either while using the EVF or the back panel.

Cheers,

Rick

 

[BBbuilder467]

I had a P&S with the joystick and it was a lot like using the 4-way to set focus, except I didn't have to move my thumb. I could have probably done it with my left eye. It was perfect for using my right eye.

 

[Henry Richardson]

All of my m4/3 bodies (E-M1 II, PEN-F, E-M10 II, E-M10, E-M5, GX7 II/GX85, G3) have touch AF, I think. I shoot with my left eye so I turned it off on all the cameras after getting them because I often had the AF point move when I didn't want it to move. My recollection is that there are 2 modes:

1. AF point will be where you touch the rear screen
2. AF point will move relative to the current position as you slide your finger/thumb on the rear screen

I always thought that while using the EVF that #2 would be really cool to use if I shot with my right eye like most people do.

Then the E-M1 III, E-M1X, OM-1, G9, etc. added a joystick to move the AF point. Is that really much better than #2 above?

Hi Henry,

You might want to compare against Door #3: AF targeting pad. It enables dragging the focusing point/pattern around the frame with your thumb on the LCD while watching through the finder. It's slick. I believe this feature is commonly confused with touch AF/AF+shutter release, which I find a boon for tripod work but not handheld work.

The joystick for me is mostly an answer in search of a question, but I do use it for recentering focus.

Cheers,

Rick

Isn't this Henry's #2?

Not my interpretation. #2 for me is dragging the focus point across the back display and does not work while using the EVF. #3 is dragging the focus pattern around the frame either while using the EVF or the back panel.

I just enabled it on my E-M1 II and I can drag the single focus point around using my thumb while looking through the EVF. Works great if I use my right eye because my face isn't in the way, but it is very uncomfortable for me to use my right eye so I use my left eye. I can do it also using my left eye, but my face is in the way. My recollection is that my E-M5, etc. work the same way until I disabled the functionality in the menu.

--
Henry Richardson
http://www.bakubo.com

 

[Henry Richardson]

Not better. I think the joystick is intended while using the EVF, I can't see myself using touchscreen AF with the camera at my face.

See mode #2 that I mentioned. It is designed to use almost exactly like the joystick. You use the rear screen (with no image on it) and move your thumb like the trackpad on a laptop. It does pretty much exactly the same thing as far as moving the focus point around as the joystick does. It works really great. But, using it or the joystick is not so great for those of us who use our left eye. Both work great for people who use their right eye though.

It is no real difference using the rear trackpad touch screen and using the joystick when you have the camera at your face.

My problem with the (quicker) method of using the finger/thumb to move the AF point is that my nose is even more efficient at it - and very much unpredictable!

Do you shoot with your left eye?

 

[Henry Richardson]

I guess the joy stick might move the focus point slower than touch AF.

If you don't need to move the focus box quickly, joy stick operation should be alright.

Dragging the AF point around with your thumb moving on the rear screen (like a trackpad on a laptop) it moves around fast.

No experience on the Touch AF of OMDS cameras. On my pannys, I make use of the Direct Focus Area as my one time Touch AF. Assign it to a fn key will do:

• hit the fn key to engage DFA, you can use Touch AF immediately,
• after the shot, hit the fn key + DISP to return the focus box to the center.

In other time, switch off Touch AF and Touch PAD AF in Menu then it will never go away by accident.

 

[Henry Richardson]

The joystick for me is mostly an answer in search of a question, but I do use it for recentering focus.

On all my Olympus bodies I have the red dot button programmed to recenter the single AF point.

--
Henry Richardson
http://www.bakubo.com