Focus Point

[GRAHAMJ]

Good morming people, I have a question about the Focus point on the OMD. In fact 2! Is it possible to change the size to smaller and how do you stop it from moving around the grid when ever it wants to?
I, being a sad person with loads of spare paper and too much time on my hands, have download the manual to read but I must be missing were it is in it.

Many thanks.

Graham

[Loup Garou]

I know what you mean. In the Auto mode it reads the full frame but in P, A, S and M modes you can set it manually to what you wish. Go to the Super menu by pressing the button to the right of the hotshoe, choose the focus grid and the central rectangle (if that is what you prefer) by moving the arrow buttons. You'll quickly find out how it works.

[StephenL]

Unfortunately, you can't reduce the size of the focus point, except in manual focus magnified view. However, a crumb of comfort is that it seems to be pretty precise on the focus point being the dead centre of the square.

[Loup Garou]

I can understand that the focal 'point' grid is a bit big in the auto but why would anyone want to change it in the other modes? I thought the smaller rectangle is quite narrow and you can alter its position in the focus grid to suit your choice.

[peak4]

Originally Posted by StephenL

Unfortunately, you can't reduce the size of the focus point, except in manual focus magnified view. However, a crumb of comfort is that it seems to be pretty precise on the focus point being the dead centre of the square.

Oh yes you can, I hadn't realised until it was pointed out to me by Zuiko

If you set Fn2 to multi-use Magnify; press Info and or Fn2 until the green square appears, then hit Info, and you can zoom the green square to different sizes. press info or Fn2 again and it remembers the size even when you change modes.

[StephenL]

Unfortunately this doesn't work if you have the histogram or highlight/shadow clippings display, which is how I work.

[peak4]

Originally Posted by StephenL

Unfortunately this doesn't work if you have the histogram or highlight/shadow clippings display, which is how I work.

So do I broadly, If I can stand the larger focus area then I just carry on as normal.

If on the other hand I want something more precise, I leave the camera set to histogram for general framing, zooming exposure control etc. but just before firing the shutter, a short press of Fn2 displays the smaller focus area and after release a longer press resumes the histogram display ready for the next shot.

Not ideal perhaps, but the best I've found so far.

[PeterBirder]

Originally Posted by peak4

So do I broadly, If I can stand the larger focus area then I just carry on as normal.

If on the other hand I want something more precise, I leave the camera set to histogram for general framing, zooming exposure control etc. but just before firing the shutter, a short press of Fn2 displays the smaller focus area and after release a longer press resumes the histogram display ready for the next shot.

Not ideal perhaps, but the best I've found so far.

Yes that's what I do. Works OK for me.

Regards

[Ross the fiddler]

The other way I get the focus point & size is when I use the touch to focus setting to give me the focus point exactly where I want it & the size can be adjusted at the right hand side slider. After that, I can still use the EVF if I want. The smallest setting (at 14 X) is ideal for photographing birds in trees & concentrating on their eyes.

[GRAHAMJ]

Thanks for the help I will try all your ideas out to see which one I prefer.

Many thanks

Graham

[ayewing]

Thanks to all who contributed to this most useful thread. This is just the sort of information I am struggling to find in the manual. I am most impressed that it is possible to adjust the size of the focus point - a most useful feature when trying to focus on a small bird and not on a leaf in front or behind it.

Having taken delivery of my OMD a week ago I have sorted out most of the "standard" settings but I think the learning curve will continue for some time as I explore the more subtle capabilities of this remarkable camera.

Archie

[StephenL]

To be picky, I'm not sure that this alters the size of the "focus point" at all. After all, the focus point is just that - a point. It will always be in the centre of the box, no matter what size the box is. You cannot adjust the position of that point within the constraints of any of the fixed-size 35 squares, or AF Targets as Olympus calls them (p44/45 of the manual).

What it does do is allows you to aim with more accuracy.

[andym]

Originally Posted by StephenL

To be picky, I'm not sure that this alters the size of the "focus point" at all. After all, the focus point is just that - a point. It will always be in the centre of the box, no matter what size the box is. You cannot adjust the position of that point within the constraints of any of the fixed-size 35 squares, or AF Targets as Olympus calls them (p44/45 of the manual).

What it does do is allows you to aim with more accuracy.

Tend to agree with you Stephen.In my mind the focus box is square ,the box you see after magnifying and setting to x14 is oblong which I think is just showing the magnified size.

[Ross the fiddler]

Originally Posted by StephenL

To be picky, I'm not sure that this alters the size of the "focus point" at all. After all, the focus point is just that - a point. It will always be in the centre of the box, no matter what size the box is. You cannot adjust the position of that point within the constraints of any of the fixed-size 35 squares, or AF Targets as Olympus calls them (p44/45 of the manual).

What it does do is allows you to aim with more accuracy.

Originally Posted by andym

Tend to agree with you Stephen.In my mind the focus box is square ,the box you see after magnifying and setting to x14 is oblong which I think is just showing the magnified size.

Thanks, I'll have to investigate that further, but it seems to select the birds in the branches better.

[StephenL]

Originally Posted by Ross the fiddler

Thanks, I'll have to investigate that further, but it seems to select the birds in the branches better.

Perhaps because, by using a smaller box, there's less room for error when aiming. But if you could accurately estimate where the exact centre of any box were, you'd achieve more accurate focussing?

The other possibility, which I've just thought about, is that within any box the camera focusses on the closest object. So by using a smaller box, there's less room for the focus point to wander around.