E-P1- Focussing

[369]

Hi,

I am playing around with my e-p1 and i have having trouble with getting sharp pics. Should I put it in single AF or Continious AF. Also single point or multipoint point. I have gone through Brian's videos and it has helped a lot.

Thanks

 

[BruPri]

Here's what I've been using:
AF Mode: Still Picture S-AF+MF
AF Area [ o ] (single center, this way the AF isn't just grabbing the first thing it sees with the most contrast anywhere in the frame)

 

[nokiamia]

I'm no expert, but S-AF is meant for a single shot, not moving target. C-AF is when your target moves. Both should be able to give you sharp images.

But to be sure of a sharp image, these tips would help:

1) Static target
2) Eliminate micro-movements from your camera (don't breathe! or use tripod)
3) Fast shutter speed (>1/x sec, x being your actual focal length)
4) Turn on image stabilizer
5) Don't shoot with aperture wide open ( something like >f/4.0 *lens dependent*)

 

[squeegee]

Personally I wouldn't use continuous focus....

Have you tried it on your e-p1? As far as I can tell, it wouldn't ever do anything useful, it just sits there continuously re-focusing / bouncing the lens back and forth, roughly 2 times a second, even when focusing on a stationary object. The result is it's never in focus...

I can't imagine what they were thinking with that feature, if it were a fast moving object like a car, the focus wouldn't be fast enough to catch it focused, if it were anything slower, you would have focused and snapped the photo already...

 

[squeegee]

Oh as for the autofocus area, I always use single point , centred. If I want something else in focus I'd just point it there to focus first or use manual focus.

If you're using multi point, that might be your problem. Notice the green box lights up when you take a picture. That's where the focus is being done. This means if the green box pops up somewhere other than where you want... then the item you want won't be in focus. It seems to be some what of a random guess as to what the focus location is with multi... so I never use it. I like to know exactly what I'm focusing on.

 

[369]

What focal length do you set for the IS 1. I have at it 50mm.
Also, I have now changed to single point and and center weighted.
Now the green box comes up and the disappears, that's how it should right,

 

[dannat]

have you updated the software for both lens & camera?

 

[nokiamia]

It's good to know what problem you're facing for sharp images. Blurry or out of focus? Blurry is due to hand motion or camera shake. Easily rectified through a faster shutter speed. Out of focus issue is mainly due to focusing.

Be aware that if you recompose a shot (by pressing half-shutter, then move the camera), you might also get out of focus, especially when you use big aperture such as f2.8 as the DOF is very thin.

 

[bilzmale]

What focal length do you set for the IS 1. I have at it 50mm.

Setting the focal length is only needed for legacy lenses with no electrical connection to the camera. With the native :43: lenses let the camera take care of this automatically.

 

[369]

I updated the firmware from 1.3 to 1.4 (body) and i can see the difference. Also, taking out the memory card helped. It took less than 5 min on my Mac.

I wanted to know what filters can I use to protect the front of the lens. I am planning to take the cam to the beach soon.

 

[PeterB666]

I wanted to know what filters can I use to protect the front of the lens. I am planning to take the cam to the beach soon.

I do a lot of seaside photography and stopped using "protective" filters a long time ago. While they may offer some protection, they also increase the chance of flare. That's important for me as I often shoot into the sun at dawn.

What I do use when I need a filter is a Cokin P series holder and neutral density (ND) and graduated neutral density (GND) filters. I also have a polariser but rarely use it. Ligher ND and GND filters and a polariser can be useful on a beach - probably a 2-stop is a good compromise but a 3-stop if things are really bright.

The LCD of the E-P1 doesn't like light reflected up from the sand. A big problem on a bright day and light coloured sand. I have a Delkin LCD shade which helps somewhat.

If you are stuck with the 14-42 Olympus kit lens, you cannot get away with the cokin holder and filters as it is too heavy for the AF motor.

The rotating front element makes any polariser a pain. The front element rotates slightly changing focal length and a lot when focusing.

Hope this info is of help.

Cheers

PeterB666

 

[369]

peter thanks for the response.
Today, I was trying the HD video and I have a few questions. first to view it on HD on TV I will have to buy the mini HD cable right?
Second, i had set it to C-AF but when I played back the video, it had horrible motor noise. ow do you guys use it. I tried Single Af and that again has it own limitations. Is video capability useless in this cam. My wife is looking forward to use it this weekend at a birthday party, I hope you guys can give me a solution.

lastly, when i try to play back the video with the inbuilt music, it only plays the video with the muisc for like 2-3 sec and then starts from the beginning again and again. ANy solutions to that.

 

[tpsfoto]

As far as the flare is concerned .... do they offer an Olympus lens shade for it?

 

[Gwendal]

Setting the focal length is only needed for legacy lenses with no electrical connection to the camera. With the native :43: lenses let the camera take care of this automatically.

On this point : when indeed using legacy lenses, what focal length should you input in the IS ? actual length or 35mm equivalent ?

More of the same : I assume the "3) Fast shutter speed (>1/x sec, x being your actual focal length)" is more like a rule of thumb ? And obviously, does "actual focal length" refer to real FL or 35mm equivalent ?

 

[Streetshooter]

Gwen,
You put in the actual focal length of the lens..... the camera does the math faster than we can... if the actual focal length is not listed, use the closet to it...

For the old school rule about shutter speed and focal length use the 2x conversion....

So, a 40mm lens uses 40mm for IS and 80mm for shutter speed.
shooter

 

[CalebPhotographer]

Personally I wouldn't use continuous focus....

I can't imagine what they were thinking with that feature,

Video

 

[squeegee]

Video

hahaha have you tried it with video?

It doesn't work any better, it sits there bouncing the lens back and forth even when things are still in focus.

I think things will get better in the future... but I'd agree with the plethora of postings suggesting that it's best to use manual focus in video right now.

 

[CalebPhotographer]

You just asked what they were thinking. It seems like a logical solution.

Personally I use my legacy lens for everything. There are new silent lenses that are supposed to be coming which I assume would make better use of the C-AF.

 

[Ray Sachs]

hahaha have you tried it with video?

It doesn't work any better, it sits there bouncing the lens back and forth even when things are still in focus.

I think things will get better in the future... but I'd agree with the plethora of postings suggesting that it's best to use manual focus in video right now.

May be the quality of the lens more than the camera. I tried the Pany 14-140 for a couple of days a few weeks ago and it handled CAF on video pretty well. Quite well actually, although I wasn't dealing with fast moving subjects. That lens is optimized for video and is heavy as a tank as a result (I did not keep it for that reason), but it works.

-Ray

 

[jpmccormac]

Focal Length Setting

You do know that the 'focal length' setting is only for use with lenses that are NOT 4/3 or Micro 4/3, right?

What focal length do you set for the IS 1. I have at it 50mm.