Auto focus hunts when indoors...

[miatadan]

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I had my X-Vario sold until moment when my friend tried to take in door pictures .... A lot of times camera refused to lock on focus ( at 18mm /28mm f/3.5 in 35mm format ) Room had curtains closed ,even if lights on not bright as I use only 40watt equivalent light bulbs.

 

When I put camera on tripod, focus would lock and be accurate even at 70mm in 35mm format f/6.4

In both cases no flash used.

 

Is this normal? My friend claims his Nikon D90 does not have this issue with its kit lens Nikkor AF-S DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR. Now he is saying Leica electronics, focus no good compared to D90 released in 2008.

 

Dan

[jlindstrom]

Probably going to get pummeled for this.. but your friend is probably right. But then again, the X Vario isn't supposed to be competing with a dslr and especially not in the af game.

 

Old as ot may be, the Nikon D90 has a quite capable af and in general it was/is a quite nice camera.

 

Shooting indoors in dark: I would be inclined to set the lens at it's widest, set manual focus to 2-3 meters, up the iso and set aperture to 5.6 - 8 depending on light levels. That should get you enough dof so you don't have to focus at all. Try to beat that with af ;-)

 

//Juha

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[2wk]

Yes, It is not a DSLR. You have to learn to use the autofocus most effectively. It needs contrast to lock. The AF assist light helps a lot, but can be annoying in some situations. I actually have no problems with focusing indoors and have even shot an event strictly with this camera... in poor lighting.

[miatadan]

Yes, It is not a DSLR. You have to learn to use the autofocus most effectively. It needs contrast to lock. The AF assist light helps a lot, but can be annoying in some situations. I actually have no problems with focusing indoors and have even shot an event strictly with this camera... in poor lighting.

 

 

It was when my friend was trying to shoot photos , that he found it not locking. Suspect this is because holding camera away from you, it is more difficult to hold steady. With EVF finder and holding camera to your eye, I am sure there be less focus issues.

[2wk]

Also try the different AF modes. 11-point is the fastest. It may not always pick what you want, but its quick. One of my favorite parts of this camera is the manual focus, especially for zone focusing. I set it for 10 feet and snap focus with a continuous burst. I am finding a high success of capturing a decisive moment where AF wouldn't help me one bit.