e-30 Focus hit or miss

[c3ham]

Hi

I feel as though the auto focus system on the e-30 is a hit or miss i seem to be getting alot of shots that are just slightly out of focus to my eyes anyways here are some example of my e-410 vs e-30 see if you guys agree or im just being to picky

i used centre focus point with the camera mounted to a manfrotto 190cxpro3 tripod with an ir remote and images were shot in high quality jpeg



http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4401197537_e17bcc8004_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4401194937_1792fc2249_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4401959084_98270d9d8a_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4401190261_871d355fde_b.jpg

i thing the images from the e-410 look sharper the e-30 14-42 image looks out of focus to me

thanks for looking
Craig

[StephenL]

The E-410 images look more contrasty but in my opinion are of the same sharpness. Did you shoot Raw or Jpeg? Remember the E-410 has a very different anti-alias filter to the E-30 and so may be sharpened differently in camera.

[Paul_S]

I agree with Stephen, inceased contrast gives a false impression of increased sharpness and that seems the case here.:)

[bassman]

My first impression was contrast, but would like to see what results you get using manual focus before adjusting anything else.

I follow this with interest as a new E-30 owner, complete with HLD-4 grip. I'm under the impression this beast needs a bit of taming !

Regards Mark.

[Ian]

The 14-42 is a much cheaper lens than the 12-60, not that I'm saying that the 14-42 is a bad lens - it's excellent for the price. But you should remember that the 14-42@f/5.6 is at full aperture, but the 12-60 at 5.6 is stopped down from f/4 and you would expect a lens to work better stopped down to a certain extent.

Ian

[oly_om]

Blow out your mirror box (the bottom area over the AF sensor) before conducting any AF tests. Dust will throw things off. Make sure also you use 'S-AF', release priority for 'S-AF' to OFF and if you want to be critically accurate when are nearby distracting objects within the centre circle surrounding the centre square AF point, set the AF size from Normal to Small. In general, for reliable single-AF, use the diamond pattern rather than the single centre point - it is also quicker to get an AF lock.

Andy

[jonsey]

reading this with interest,
i too have had focus `smearing` while using this camera, my results have been very hit and miss, even with the pro 14-54ii, i have tried all settings apart from the detailed focus set up, but to no avail, sadly, i find myself grabbing my e510 as first choice when out on walks....:(

jeff

[Ian]

reading this with interest,
i too have had focus `smearing` while using this camera, my results have been very hit and miss, even with the pro 14-54ii, i have tried all settings apart from the detailed focus set up, but to no avail, sadly, i find myself grabbing my e510 as first choice when out on walks....:(

jeff

Sounds like a fault with the camera as most people get good results with the E-30. Andy's advice to ensure there is no dust obscuring the AF sensors under the mirror is good, so try that first, and if you don't get anywhere, then make sure you get the camera seen to before the warranty expires.

Ian

[jonsey]

ian,
i too think this may be the case, however, as stated, the results are hit and miss, i`ll percevere, but ill take it for repair/service if problem remains. :mad:

jeff

[bassman]

I'm trying to get my head around the AF FOCUS ADJUST procedure at the moment following a test I did a few days ago.

E-30 14-54 mk1 on tripod, at 54mm, taking pic of a barcode on an address label. Was very very close but I acheived a sharper image when I used manual focus !

[c3ham]

hi guys and thanks for the replies i ended up using this guide http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/cameras/1ds3_af_micoadjustment.html#AF_test_image to setup the focus adjust and am getting better results so far, i ended up with a +4 adjustment for wide and tele with the 12-60.

craig

[StephenL]

That looks like a useful link. Thanks for posting!

[bassman]

Using my own simple test I had arrived at +3 for both wide and tele ends of my 14-54mm Mk1 . Have just downloaded focus test chart, great link, thanks.

Applaud Olympus for adding this AF ADJUSTMENT on the E-30, gives the user great control over camera/lens combinations.

[garethlovering]

Where does this link below show anything for the E30?