Auto-focus on E3

Originally Posted by yorky

Has anyone any experiances at focusing accuratly on moving objects with the 510 and the 14- 54 lens

Late answer for foruming but anyway...

No, not with the E-510, but the E-500. It worked fine for moderate fast movements like a child on a swing swinging back and forth. That was my test scenario for the E-500 kit zooms (14-45 and 40-150) and the ED50/2 macro. With those lenses it did not work in C-AF. With the 14-54 it worked perfectly. I havent tested the E-3 yet, but I expect to be even better since it definitely is faster than the E-500. I suppose the E-510 is somewhere in between, I expect it is faster than the E-500, so you should not have problems with that.

Originally Posted by Rens

250 swb's point about the outer focus points being smaller than the central one is something I'll investigate. If it's true, seems daft to me.

Hi Rens,

Did you manage to investigate? I am thinking of actually testing each focus point to find the borders but I haven't come up with a good and reliable methode to do it yet. Any ideas?

[Rens]

Hi Olyflyer, sorry, I've been busy and didn't get round to this.

I see there's another unhappy E3 owner on dpreiview with focus issues. Even if it turns out he's not using the AF properly (unlikely, I'd say), there is still an issue when so many people who've had no problems for years with other cameras hit problems with the E3.

Olympus really should realise they have to devise systems compatible with their customers.

I hope they can do something about this, either fix the problems or change the AF system so it's easier to fathom.

My own camera is working better now. I'm sure I haven't changed anything (and I have the images proving there was a problem); very odd. I just hope it stays like this, but it leaves a disquieting uncertainty.

Rens

[Ian]

Out of interest, do E-3 users tend to prefer the standard or small sensitivity setting for the AF points?

And what about release priority - which setting do you prefer?

Ian

[ianc]

Originally Posted by Ian

Out of interest, do E-3 users tend to prefer the standard or small sensitivity setting for the AF points?

And what about release priority - which setting do you prefer?

Ian

I always use small sensitivity and release priority on for continuous and off for single.

Ian C.

Originally Posted by Ian

Out of interest, do E-3 users tend to prefer the standard or small sensitivity setting for the AF points?

And what about release priority - which setting do you prefer?

Ian

I always use Small sensitivity and release priority OFF for both. Beep switched off most of the time, except when I am alone.

I find Normal sensitivity quite bad and unpredictable, working only for flat images. One never knows where the camera is going to focus when sensitivity is set to Normal. I like to have control and really wish Olympus could find a way to make the AF area narrower or adjustable in a menu.

Cheers.

Originally Posted by Rens

Hi Olyflyer, sorry, I've been busy and didn't get round to this.

Hi Rens,

This is as far as I got as well. Just no time for the engineering part of photography.

Originally Posted by Rens

I see there's another unhappy E3 owner on dpreiview with focus issues. Even if it turns out he's not using the AF properly (unlikely, I'd say), there is still an issue when so many people who've had no problems for years with other cameras hit problems with the E3.

Yes, I noted and commented. I even posted some samples out of my own cameras. But honestly, I think in that specific case I suspect user error. The fact that a person has been successful during many years with an E-1 does not exclude user errors with a new and more sophisticated camera like the E-3. In that specific case, he uses LV and I think that is bad, not made for hand held portrait work, especially since he focuses first, recompose and shoot. I believe the camera will focus once again after recomposition, but I can be wrong since I don't use LV and so I am no expert. I am however definitely positive that a camera can be held more stable if held in the classical way, looking through the OVF.

Originally Posted by Rens

My own camera is working better now. I'm sure I haven't changed anything (and I have the images proving there was a problem); very odd. I just hope it stays like this, but it leaves a disquieting uncertainty.

Rens

You mean it got better on it's own? You are joking, right? My camera got better the same day I received the second body but I doubt if I kept #1 it could ever become better...

Anyway, I think I can get better but not my camera. That is as it is made and delivered to me, only I can improve my own style and way of use of the camera, not the opposite. But I am glad if you feel your camera got better and you are happy with it.

[Rens]

Originally Posted by OlyFlyer

I believe the camera will focus once again after recomposition, but I can be wrong since I don't use LV and so I am no expert. I am however definitely positive that a camera can be held more stable if held in the classical way, looking through the OVF.

You mean it got better on it's own? You are joking, right?

I think you'll find the metering isn't fixed, but you can recompose with the focus fixed even in live view. I do this regularly.

I also find I can hold the camera at least as steadily at waist level as to my eye. Holding it out in front is wobbly, of course, a complete waste of time.

Yes, I know I should be joking, but it's better now, honestly. I checked all the settings over and over, and could find no reason why it was front focusing. Two days later I checked again and it was OK.

I'd changed the battery in the meantime (have to do this a lot I find, but it's not a problem), otherwise I'd changed nothing. Of course there's a possibility I'd done so unknowingly, there always is, but I'm pretty sure not.

But as long as it behaves, I'm not grumbling.

I do like the image quality. I haven't even investigated RAW yet, the jpegs are so good. Much nicer colours than my old Sony R1 and my son's Nikon D70.

Incidentally, live view is well worth investigating. Lots of the time the viewfinder is better, but there are many occasions when live view gives pictures when you just couldn't get your eye behind the OVF. And for taking photos without spooking your subjects, talking to them without a camera in front of your face relaxes them greatly. Give it a try, it's why I first looked at the E3.

Best wishes, Rens

[Invicta]

Originally Posted by Ian

Out of interest, do E-3 users tend to prefer the standard or small sensitivity setting for the AF points?

And what about release priority - which setting do you prefer?

Ian

I noticed in C-AF and all target AF mode that the red confirmation mark is not displayed in the view finder nor when playing back pictures. I guess this is due to the time required but it makes me wonder that since you do not know which AF target was used how can you say it is out of focus?

Release priority I have on in C-AF as with fast moving items the predictive focus gives the best chance of getting the shot.

Ideally I would like a quick way to move between standard and small sensitivity, can this be assigned to the fn button?

Originally Posted by Rens

Incidentally, live view is well worth investigating. Lots of the time the viewfinder is better, but there are many occasions when live view gives pictures when you just couldn't get your eye behind the OVF. And for taking photos without spooking your subjects, talking to them without a camera in front of your face relaxes them greatly. Give it a try, it's why I first looked at the E3.

I did investigate the LV, that's why I don't use it. It is too slow, noisy and the LCD is just too lousy. At low magnification the image does not have details, at high magnification there is too much electrical noise. IMO, the LV is useful only for emergencies, like high and low angle, or for studio work from tripod.

It also introduces dust on the sensor and just sucks all the juice out of the battery too fast. With the OVF brightness and size of the E-3, I find LV not as necessary as I would have thoght it was in case of the E-500 I had. In fact, even for macro taken from tripod and manual focusing, I prefer the OVF. Maybe the day I am ready to clean my image sensor once a day I will be a more frequent user of it, but not just yet.

[Rens]

All more or less true except for the emergencies bit. By treating LV this way you lose the option of interesting perspectives in many situations.

And I personally take most of my business pics in the studio with a tripod. Given the choice between LV and permenantly bending down, I use LV and love it.

For landscapes, I find I take lots of low angle photos. The vast majority of pictures I see are taken from head height, to me this can be tedious. Of course there are many other occasions when LV gives no advantage. Then of course I use the OVF.

Why so many photogrophers are quite angrily prejudiced against the use of LV, I can't imagine. With articulating screen (it's worthless without one) LV is a wonderful extra option and doesn't detract from standard OVF use.

It comes down to what each individual feels happy with. I'm happy to use LV frequently while having no problem with those who don't want to. Oddly, some OVF photographers are less understanding of those preferring to use both LV and the OVF.

Incidentally, back to the original thread, I took a series of test photos last night with both my original 12-60 and new 50-200 lenses. I took one manual focus and five AF pictures at both ends of both lenses. The light was good, the subject flat and distinctive, and I used a tripod and two second delay. The camera was set for S-AF, small focus centre spot.

So ideal conditions, really.

I'm happy to say that nearly all were excellent. In fact at the short of the 50-200, all the AF pics were better than my MF one.

My next test sometime in the future will be on a more difficult subject than a distinctive flat box.

Best wishes to all, Rens

[DerekW]

A good solution is to the VA-1 VariAngle finder, you get optical view and standard shutter releasing. Obviously LV is great for awkward camera positions but if you want low position and quick response then the VA-1 is a useful solution.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Rens

OlyFlyer says:


"A lot of people refuse to admit that the E-3 is indeed having some global problems with the AF. It is a nice camera but there are some improvements need to be made. I really hope Olympus is not going to listen to all those saying it is a learning curve, user error or that it is an individual camera that is wrong and so on. I hope they take their work more seriously and do some more serious tests and come up with a better solution than telling us we are doing things wrong."

He's right, trying to pretend (often out of misguided loyalty) there isn't a problem with at least some cameras will make it less likely that Olympus feel compelled to correct it.

250 swb's point about the outer focus points being smaller than the central one is something I'll investigate. If it's true, seems daft to me.

Best wishes to all, Rens

I think OlyFlyer has rather specialist requirements and preferences.

But he is right, E-3 live view is compromised by the need to flap the mirror so much, but that certainly doesn't - in my view - make it useless and I use it a lot.

Be careful about your observation that the AF is more accurate than your MF shots. That could mean your viewfinder is out of adjustment. You can verify this by using live view manual focus using the magnified critical focus view. This is THE most accurate focus method as you see what the sensor sees.

Ian

[Rens]

I did indeed use the live view manual focus. Maybe I focused too quickly, but the AF was better for just one of four sets of pictures.

Live view also offers the histogram, which I use a lot.

Yes, the flapping mirror is a pain. But a pain I can live with, the OVF is always there if for when it's more appropriate.

Best wishes to all, Rens

To all people who use LV a lot, do you encounter the 'High temperature warning' often?

In my experience, I get this warning after 20-30 minutes. To avoid it, I switch LV off whenever possible. This, of course, increases the number of 'mirror dances'. I use only ISO 100 with LV.

Moshe