Zfc: Why are self-timer photos out of focus?

[drusus]

Does anyone know how autofocus works on a Zfc when taking self-timer (delay) photos?

I took several group photos with the Zfc's self-timer, but they all turned out out of focus. I then tested using the self-timer option but could not reliably get pictures in focus. I noticed that I often pressed the shutter down in one stroke, thus bypassing the half-press and thus preventing autofocus from doing its thing. But I tried it then with explicitly half-pressing, and without me in front of the camera, but several photos still were out of focus.

Can someone describe what the camera's autofocus system do when shooting with a delay? Is focus (and exposure, for that matter) set during the half-press that precedes pressing the shutter button at the start of the delay? Or does the camera automatically perform the same operations that occur at half-press, but just before the photo is taken?

Setting were:

late afternoon sunshine, outdoors, ISO 100, shutter speed 1/30, f7.1, focal length about 40mm literal (60mm equivalent).

The group was 19 people in 2 rows, about 4 feet in front of a wall. The wall and each row were soft, slightly out of focus.

Drusus

 

[Born2Code]

Where was the autofocus box when you tripped the shutter?

 

[SoCalAngler]

The camera attempts AF and locks exposure when the shutter button is released, not when the delay has passed. It does this in both AF-S and AF-C.

With a group I pre-focus on someone in the group. If just myself in the image change to manual focus an pre-focus on a position where I will stand.

Alternatively I will use SnapBridge and trigger remotely with face detection enabled.

 

[drusus]

Where was the autofocus box when you tripped the shutter?

Autofocus box? What autofocus box? I am not used to looking at it. But perhaps that's what the multiple rectangles indicate. I always thought they referred to the area on which matrix metering is based.

Thank you for setting me straight. In order to get the camera to focus where I want it to, in the future I will look at the focus indicator. (Boy, do I feel stupid)

 

[drusus]

The camera attempts AF and locks exposure when the shutter button is released, not when the delay has passed. It does this in both AF-S and AF-C.

With a group I pre-focus on someone in the group. If just myself in the image change to manual focus an pre-focus on a position where I will stand.

Alternatively I will use SnapBridge and trigger remotely with face detection enabled.

Thank you for clarifying. I will make sure to make sure the camera has prefocused on the group (and I will no longer stand in front of the camera when I press the shutter; I should have known that the very convenient articulating screen would cause problems at some point).

And thanks for the manual focus tip for lone selfies (are they called "bymyselfies"?)

 

[Rene Gr]

The camera attempts AF and locks exposure when the shutter button is released, not when the delay has passed. It does this in both AF-S and AF-C.

With a group I pre-focus on someone in the group. If just myself in the image change to manual focus an pre-focus on a position where I will stand.

Alternatively I will use SnapBridge and trigger remotely with face detection enabled.

Thank you for clarifying. I will make sure to make sure the camera has prefocused on the group (and I will no longer stand in front of the camera when I press the shutter; I should have known that the very convenient articulating screen would cause problems at some point).

And thanks for the manual focus tip for lone selfies (are they called "bymyselfies"?)

I add my favorite tip: Consider back-button-focus! I first thought it was not for me and I could not get used to it. But now I cannot think of returning to the half-press method.

In your case, you can pre-focus with the AF-ON button and then press the shutter standing in front of your camera.

Of course, manual focus is an alternative too.

 

[drusus]

The camera attempts AF and locks exposure when the shutter button is released, not when the delay has passed. It does this in both AF-S and AF-C.

With a group I pre-focus on someone in the group. If just myself in the image change to manual focus an pre-focus on a position where I will stand.

Alternatively I will use SnapBridge and trigger remotely with face detection enabled.

Thank you for clarifying. I will make sure to make sure the camera has prefocused on the group (and I will no longer stand in front of the camera when I press the shutter; I should have known that the very convenient articulating screen would cause problems at some point).

And thanks for the manual focus tip for lone selfies (are they called "bymyselfies"?)

I add my favorite tip: Consider back-button-focus! I first thought it was not for me and I could not get used to it. But now I cannot think of returning to the half-press method.

In your case, you can pre-focus with the AF-ON button and then press the shutter standing in front of your camera.

Of course, manual focus is an alternative too.

Thank you! Do you mean that back-button focus remains set even after I let go of the button, and dis not overridden by the next half-press of the shutter button? Or do I need to change any settings to get the behavior you described?

 

[Rene Gr]

The camera attempts AF and locks exposure when the shutter button is released, not when the delay has passed. It does this in both AF-S and AF-C.

With a group I pre-focus on someone in the group. If just myself in the image change to manual focus an pre-focus on a position where I will stand.

Alternatively I will use SnapBridge and trigger remotely with face detection enabled.

Thank you for clarifying. I will make sure to make sure the camera has prefocused on the group (and I will no longer stand in front of the camera when I press the shutter; I should have known that the very convenient articulating screen would cause problems at some point).

And thanks for the manual focus tip for lone selfies (are they called "bymyselfies"?)

I add my favorite tip: Consider back-button-focus! I first thought it was not for me and I could not get used to it. But now I cannot think of returning to the half-press method.

In your case, you can pre-focus with the AF-ON button and then press the shutter standing in front of your camera.

Of course, manual focus is an alternative too.

Thank you! Do you mean that back-button focus remains set even after I let go of the button, and dis not overridden by the next half-press of the shutter button? Or do I need to change any settings to get the behavior you described?

No. That would now work. It would refocus once you press the shutter. For true BBF, you need to disable the shutter focusing.

 

[Laqup]

Nobody has mentioned it: independent of other focus issues 1/30s is much too slow for group photos. Try at least 1/125s or even faster.

 

[Nev C]

The simplest way is to just use manual focus.