90-280/2.8-4

[MediaFotografie]

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I should have asked also: are those the full frame or just a small crop? i.e. how big is the focus box in relation to this image. I agree, it looks like it picked the trees in front.

 

it's only a small crop; it "should" not focus the tree, but the clock - but maybe the SL does?

I have a lot of similar examples all showing little problems with AF at large distances and 280mm (and I think with two Apo-Elmarits, my own and the one I tested last month).

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[LocalHero1953]

I haven't tried either lens at long distances - I'll have to check.

[MediaFotografie]

I haven't tried either lens at long distances - I'll have to check.

 

 

Thank you!

[jrp]

I've a little problem with the new Apo-Elmarit-SL 90-280: I get better results in manual focus mode then autofocus at large distances and 280mm. 

 

Here's a typical example at 1:1, left side MF, right AF, all other settings are the same (280mm, f 4,8). Didn't understand this...

 

 

Well the picture on the right is focused on the tree.  What this suggests is that the focus point, as shown on the screen, is not where the camera is actually focusing.  I'm sure that someone like Digilloyd will have discovered this miscalibration and it got it fixed in the latest firmware. Are you running that?

[MediaFotografie]

Well the picture on the right is focused on the tree.  What this suggests is that the focus point, as shown on the screen, is not where the camera is actually focusing.  I'm sure that someone like Digilloyd will have discovered this miscalibration and it got it fixed in the latest firmware. Are you running that?

 

 

Of course, FW 2.0;

the focus Point wasn't on the tree.

[LocalHero1953]

There was a kerfuffle about focussing with the 24-90 before the last firmware update - some people saw errors like this but not at distance: the examples were on nearer brick walls. I did quite a bit of focus testing with the beta firmware at about 2m and found no errors at all.

[wildlightphoto]

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Looks like the AF has picked the tree in the foreground rather than the steeple. I see the on some of the more recent Nikon DSLR's you can fine tune your AF.  Maybe the SL should have had this feature. 

 

Wilson

 

 

Fine-tuning the AF only applies to cameras where the image capture surface and the AF-detection surface are not the same.  With the SL (and other mirrorless EVF cameras) the capture surface is used for AF as well.  There's no possibility of a mechanical calibration error, unlike CaNikon DLSRs.

[thighslapper]

Of course, FW 2.0;

the focus Point wasn't on the tree.

 

From my testing of the 'focus issues' with this and the 24-90 it is apparent that the point of focus lies at the bottom or just below the vertical bar on the green spot cross ....... and focus is fixed so everything in front of this point is in focus. 

 

I suspect if you repeated this and chose a point further up the tower instead it would be ok. I've had similar 'errors' where the focus point lies adjacent vertically to much closer foreground objects. 

 

Unfortunately Leica give us a 'spot' and not an indication of the actual area used for spot focussing ..... a box would be nice ........ but as a general rule if you keep the cross at the top ...... or slightly above your focus point, it should be ok. 

Edited May 7, 2016 by thighslapper

[MediaFotografie]

From my testing of the 'focus issues' with this and the 24-90 it is apparent that the point of focus lies at the bottom or just below the vertical bar on the green spot cross ....... and focus is fixed so everything in front of this point is in focus. 

 

I suspect if you repeated this and chose a point further up the tower instead it would be ok. I've had similar 'errors' where the focus point lies adjacent vertically to much closer foreground objects. 

 

Unfortunately Leica give us a 'spot' and not an indication of the actual area used for spot focussing ..... a box would be nice ........ but as a general rule if you keep the cross at the top ...... or slightly above your focus point, it should be ok. 

 

thank you! I will try this today, I very short first shot looks better.

Also I will try different AF setting (all before were AFs, 1-point, static).

 

I like LUF!

 

 

   ;-)

[LocalHero1953]

I have done some tests. Shots from the bedroom window, on four different focus points using AFs-spot and MF (with focus peaking for confirmation).

Taken in aperture priority mode at f/4, and F=280mm. All handheld, so not as rigorous as it might be. No processing in LR/PS other than to create these pairs.

First the overall scene:

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Edited May 7, 2016 by LocalHero1953

[LocalHero1953]

In all the following pairs, AF is the left hand image, MF is the right hand image. All 100% crops (1000x1000)

First: the most distant: focused on the chimney and television aerial.

MF looks more accurate, though AF does not look poor, and it does not appear to have picked up the nearer roof line

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[LocalHero1953]

Second, tried to focus on the pitched roof tiles. MF was tricky, as the focus peaking was very weak.

If anything it is the MF which is slightly front-focused, but not much in it.

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[LocalHero1953]

Third, focusing on the guttering, white window frame and reflections.

Neck and neck here - no obvious problems. I expected the AF to pick up the air vent below, which is about a street width closer, but it didn't.

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[LocalHero1953]

Fourth and last, the air vent itself. AF had a bit of trouble with this: a couple of times it found the window frame behind, but as long as I placed the AF point on the air vent it was OK.

Both look OK.

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Edited May 7, 2016 by LocalHero1953

[LocalHero1953]

You may draw your own conclusions, but mine are:

I don't see the same problem that you did mediafotografie, within the bounds of error in my manual focusing and holding the focus point steady on the target.

I will try some other checks with more challenging scenes.

[MediaFotografie]

Hello Localhero,

 

thanks a lot!!!

 

This afternoon I took my good old Manfrotto 055, the SL and the Apo-Elmarit-SL and tried many settings - with a little surprising result.

 

First, basic settings were ISO 100, f 4,0, OIS off, 280mm; and I shoot the same old church which ist about 1,2km/4.000 ft away; I changed MF and AF and all AF settings.

 

What came out: MF and AF are of equal quality, if I used AFc (with single-point AF and field). But AFs doesn't hit the focus like AFc and MF; the result is similar to the one I showed yesterday.

 

So I have a solution for my workflow (I don't understand the poor result of AFs in my setting, but it's no problem for me).

 

Thanks to all the friends here giving good hints to solve the problem

 

 

thomas

Edited May 7, 2016 by mediafotografie

[MediaFotografie]

...here's an example: left AFs, right AFc (similar to MF); all my other unsutisfactoring results were AFs too

 

 

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[wlaidlaw]

I think you may need to have a discussion with Wetzlar. The problem is that they will just say: "Send your SL and 90-280 back to us and we will check". At least you are in Germany, so not as big a heave as sending from other countries. It definitely looks as if on AFs, your focus point is picking up lower down the image than in AFc. I don't think you can reload the latest firmware on the SL like you can on the M's, otherwise I would suggest that as a no risk option. 

 

Wilson

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[adamdewilde]

I think you may need to have a discussion with Wetzlar. The problem is that they will just say: "Send your SL and 90-280 back to us and we will check". At least you are in Germany, so not as big a heave as sending from other countries. It definitely looks as if on AFs, your focus point is picking up lower down the image than in AFc. I don't think you can reload the latest firmware on the SL like you can on the M's, otherwise I would suggest that as a no risk option. 

 

Wilson

 

 

 

My camera was doing this for a while (picking up at the bottom just outside the box rather then center). It corrected itself though for no reason. 

Edited May 7, 2016 by adamdewilde

[wlaidlaw]

Could someone please post a picture of the tripod support, preferably with an small Arca type plate on it if you happen to have one? 

 

Wilson