3x3 AF did not work for softball, and 75-300.

[ac12]

OK not totally.
3x3 AF area would sometimes lose focus, and focus on the ground or something other than my subject. Rather frustrating to lose those shots.
But it did work for the fast switch to the player catching the ball for an out.

I was just too rusty and slow, to get the shot. My usual first game problems.​

The zoom ring on the 75-300 was just too sticky for me. The zoom ring did not zoom easily and smoothly. I may have to look into getting a MC20 for the 40-150.

 

[Phocal]

This is why I only use a single autofocus point.

 

[Pstmstr]

I've tried various focus types as well and usually go back to single point, continuous auto focus. Is your 40-150 not enough reach for softball? Unless you're shooting outfielders I would think it would be plenty. I'm fortunate that my granddaughter plays third base and my grandson catches.

 

[ac12]

I've tried various focus types as well and usually go back to single point, continuous auto focus. Is your 40-150 not enough reach for softball? Unless you're shooting outfielders I would think it would be plenty. I'm fortunate that my granddaughter plays third base and my grandson catches.

I walk the field, some of those shots were from the end of the outfield fende on the foul line, and from the rise beyond the outfield fence shooting to home, so yeah it was a reach. Full zoom 300mm, and I could have used more (like the 100-400).
Unlike the baseball field, the softball outfield fence is not marked with a distance sign, so I don't know how far it is from home plate.
And I was also shooting the outfielders. Right field is the hardest to get a shot of, due to distance and the sun is in that direction.
I shoot for the AD, so I "try" to get all the players.

 

[mfturner]

When I photo my dog running, with my m5.3, definitely I do best with a single Af point so long as I can keep that point in the dog. She bounds up and down as she runs though, so I have experimented with other options when really zoomed in. The 5 point cross mode does ok sometimes, but other times it grabs the grass behind the dog, which may be what you are seeing. Tracking (CAF-TR) actually works sometimes, so if I can get a single Af point on the dog and hold it, then I'm probably happiest with that while the tracking stays locked. I'm experimenting with short bursts, re-grabbing focus with each short burst. I haven't messed with the CAF settings yet. Don't know if any of that gives you ideas that might help. Good luck.

 

[PakkyT]

A lot of times shooting sports is understanding the sport and anticipating where the action is likely to be. For baseball/softball, if you are shooting random players standing at their positions, then AF works fine. However if you have a runner on 1st who is well known as a base stealer and a catcher who is well known as having a great arm, then you should be ignoring the pitcher and batter and already be pre-focused on second base.

 

[ac12]

A lot of times shooting sports is understanding the sport and anticipating where the action is likely to be. For baseball/softball, if you are shooting random players standing at their positions, then AF works fine. However if you have a runner on 1st who is well known as a base stealer and a catcher who is well known as having a great arm, then you should be ignoring the pitcher and batter and already be pre-focused on second base.

Exactly my problem, since I shoot ALL the high school sports, I rarely get to know the players in any one sport.
Spring is normally jammed with the most sports, and it is even worse this year (29). Being an old man with limited endurance, I limit myself to 2 game days per week, and no sequential days (such as Thur+Fri). That limits how many games I can shoot. I figure I can shoot about two games per sport, so I can't shoot enough games to learn the team. So I have to play it by ear, more that I would like to.

 

[ac12]

In many sport I do shoot with single point AF.
This is because there are too many players on the field or court, often very close together (like football and basketball). So I have to pick out MY subject from the other players.
With single point AF, the OOF is my fault when I miss the player with the AF point. And I have a LOT of in focus backgrounds

I've been "trying" to see where I can get the 3x3 area focus to work, to make it easier for me. But where it seemed like it might work, it also failed, because I can't switch quickly between single point center and 3x3. Example, once the batter hits the ball, I have to use whatever AF method is configured, to get the catch. I don't have time to switch from single point to 3x3.

Frankly I just need more practice. The first game of the season for a sport is normally my "warm up" game, to get the kinks out of my joints, and relearn to shoot the game. This covid "time out" made me really rusty, and I felt clumsy.

 

[Phocal]

But where it seemed like it might work, it also failed, because I can't switch quickly between single point center and 3x3. Example, once the batter hits the ball, I have to use whatever AF method is configured, to get the catch. I don't have time to switch from single point to 3x3.

Setup C1 to use 3x3 and C2 to use single point and assign them to a button. Use 3x3 for batter and when they hit the ball press button for C2 and instantly be is single point. Just make sure you setup all the other settings the same and what ever is applicable. I know they have changed how the Myset and Custom Mode work between models but on my original EM1 this would be easy to do. With my X I have some setup but just use the dial and know somewhere along the line you couldn't assign them to a button but it looks like on my X I can. Not sure how it all works on models other than the two I have experience with. I hope that all made sense, if not let me know.

 

[ac12]

Setup C1 to use 3x3 and C2 to use single point and assign them to a button. Use 3x3 for batter and when they hit the ball press button for C2 and instantly be is single point. Just make sure you setup all the other settings the same and what ever is applicable. I know they have changed how the Myset and Custom Mode work between models but on my original EM1 this would be easy to do. With my X I have some setup but just use the dial and know somewhere along the line you couldn't assign them to a button but it looks like on my X I can. Not sure how it all works on models other than the two I have experience with. I hope that all made sense, if not let me know.

Hmmm, I have to think about how I can pull this off.

This is where we need more custom configurations.
I have C1 = auto WB, and C2 = custom WB for the funky lighting in our gym, only leaving C3 free (which could be the 3x3).
I have to see what buttons are free, then test assigning C1 and C3 to those buttons.

 

[Phocal]

Hmmm, I have to think about how I can pull this off.

This is where we need more custom configurations.
I have C1 = auto WB, and C2 = custom WB for the funky lighting in our gym, only leaving C3 free (which could be the 3x3).
I have to see what buttons are free, then test assigning C1 and C3 to those buttons.

let us know what you come up with

 

[fortwodriver]

Hmmm, I have to think about how I can pull this off.

This is where we need more custom configurations.
I have C1 = auto WB, and C2 = custom WB for the funky lighting in our gym, only leaving C3 free (which could be the 3x3).
I have to see what buttons are free, then test assigning C1 and C3 to those buttons.

I think you're mixing up the AF custom registers with the four camera-custom registers. On some of the Oly bodies, you can have three custom AF area shapes that you can choose from using the AF shape selection, which is separate from the camera custom-setting storage area.

Did you try it?

 

[Holoholo55]

Frankly I just need more practice. The first game of the season for a sport is normally my "warm up" game, to get the kinks out of my joints, and relearn to shoot the game. This covid "time out" made me really rusty, and I felt clumsy.

Agreed. No matter how many times you've done it before, getting back out after some time away requires practice and warm-up to get the feel back. Hang in there!

The easiest zooming lens I had was a Panasonic 45-200. I used it in place of my 40-150 R to get more range to shoot kids soccer games, but I wasn't happy with the IQ and the image was no good until I stopped down to f8. The zoom ring was so "loose" that it had bad zoom creep. If I was shooting the moon, I'd have to hold the zoom ring in place to keep it from zooming back out. I replaced it with a 4/3rd 50-200 SWD+EC-14 which was far better IQ-wise, but had a pretty stiff zoom ring. The 40-150 Pro has a much smoother and easier to zoom ring, mainly because its an internal zoom. That makes a big difference compared to the telescoping zoom of most others. I tried my friend's PL 100-400, but found it to have a rough zoom ring. The Oly 100-400 is pretty smooth, but does take effort (telescoping zoom).

 

[RAH]

I have always wondered if a lens with internal zoom would have no zoom creep, or just less, or maybe even just as bad but you cannot see it so you don't know (and cannot do anything about it). Obviously, I guess, it depends on the lens, but I have kind of been assuming that lenses with internal zoom don't creep. (It's not just annoying, but I think the real worry is that you will go out-of-focus because of the creep and you won't know it)

 

[emersonik]

About the stiff zoom ring: I think only the "pro" lenses are smooth. The exception to the rule in my arsenal is the 14-150.

 

[ac12]

About the stiff zoom ring: I think only the "pro" lenses are smooth. The exception to the rule in my arsenal is the 14-150.

Well the pro zooms are smooth, but over dampened (to me). Instead of the plastic/plastic friction/sticking, it is DRAG.
So they trade one problem for another.

The Panasonic-Lumix 12-60 (not a pro lens) is an example of a non-pro lens with a smooth/light zoom ring.

 

[Holoholo55]

About the stiff zoom ring: I think only the "pro" lenses are smooth. The exception to the rule in my arsenal is the 14-150.

I found the PL 100-400 to have a somewhat rough zoom ring. Less smooth than I expected. I dunno about the PL 50-200. The 40-150 Pro was definitely the smoothest I felt. The standard Olympus Pro zooms (12-40, 12-100) are pretty smooth.

 

[ac12]

I have always wondered if a lens with internal zoom would have no zoom creep, or just less, or maybe even just as bad but you cannot see it so you don't know (and cannot do anything about it). Obviously, I guess, it depends on the lens, but I have kind of been assuming that lenses with internal zoom don't creep. (It's not just annoying, but I think the real worry is that you will go out-of-focus because of the creep and you won't know it)

Leverage.
The less you turn the zoom ring, to get the lens to extend, the shorter the lever on the zoom ring side, and the longer the lever on the extending lens side. So . . . it is harder to turn the zoom ring, but easy for the lens to self-extend (creep).
The simple solution is to make the zoom ring side of lever longer, so that their is less leverage on the extending lens side of the lever.
All you do is make the zoom ring turn more. Instead of 60 degrees, turn it 90 degrees. Instead of 90 degrees, turn it 120 or 150 degrees.

Weight is also a factor.
The mass of the extending zoom mechanism is more than the mass of the internal zoom mechanism, so there is more weight pushing down on that side of the lever.

As for the Olympus pro zooms with internal zoom, IMHO, Olympus solved the creep problem (if any) by over dampening the zoom mechanism. There is so much drag that the zoom can't creep. To me, that is poor design.

 

[John King]

About the stiff zoom ring: I think only the "pro" lenses are smooth. The exception to the rule in my arsenal is the 14-150.

My 75-300 II is very smooth in its zoom action, but also positive - i.e. not 'sloppy'.

The shop demo was not very smooth.