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AF settings advice for Dynamic Tracking


Paul925

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I'm not sure why you'd want focus magnification in AF-Continuous focusing mode...?

With AF-C, you're telling the camera to do all the focusing for you. Why do you need magnification in that mode? What are you looking to see? 

 

I'm just looking for an explanation; have no idea what the need or desire is.  :)

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I'm not sure why you'd want focus magnification in AF-Continuous focusing mode...?

With AF-C, you're telling the camera to do all the focusing for you. Why do you need magnification in that mode? What are you looking to see? 

 

I'm just looking for an explanation; have no idea what the need or desire is.  :)

 

Great question... I do not like how AF freezes in AFs mode so I use AFc which allows the shutter to be forced. AFc is usually correct but may not be focused on my intended target. So, 90% of the time I use Manual Focus Override and Focus Mag is helpful, especially in low light.  I created a workaround by assigning Focus Mag to the custom button on the top plate, but would still like to know if there is another way, freeing up the custom button for something else... ;)

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 Sorry, still not getting this. That lets you change the behavior of the AE-AF Lock button, but not to which button AE-L is assigned.

 

Not sure you can do this. If it is to be possible, you need to be able to add AE-AF lock to favourites. You can then assign that to different buttons. Having it as a quick press on the front button is very usable, as you can do this without moving your right hand off the grip (I have a long press assigned on this button to drive mode). 

 

Wilson

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I still don't understand this. It seems as it is not possible to configure the front function button to AE lock unless you have your own special edition of the SL software?

 

I found the problem with AFc and fast moving objects was that it would take the photo even if the camera was not focused, so I stick with what Jono uses: Point AFs and spot exposure. I also have AE lock only as a quick press on the front function button, so that I can lock exposure prior to focus. This is very useful in wide range lighted areas, remembering that there is far more headspace and recoverable information in the dark areas than in over-exposed. 

 

 

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I still don't understand this. It seems as it is not possible to configure the front function button to AE lock unless you have your own special edition of the SL software?

 

The default function of the front button (#1 on the diagram inside the front page of the manual) is AE/AF lock with a short press. You can alter this on ANY of the firmwares (and there is only the original production FW supplied in November and the update in December) with Customise Control in the set up menu (the second item in the sub menu Customise Control) is the AE/AF lock button. That offers you a sub sub menu to allow you to change this function. If you cannot find this you are doing something wrong and need to read the manual in more detail. It is all in there, if very confusingly laid out and in more or less shorthand. 

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The default function of the front button (#1 on the diagram inside the front page of the manual) is AE/AF lock with a short press. You can alter this on ANY of the firmwares (and there is only the original production FW supplied in November and the update in December) with Customise Control in the set up menu (the second item in the sub menu Customise Control) is the AE/AF lock button. That offers you a sub sub menu to allow you to change this function. If you cannot find this you are doing something wrong and need to read the manual in more detail. It is all in there, if very confusingly laid out and in more or less shorthand. 

 

 

I'm in the same boat as adli, I can't set up my SL the way you describe, unless you're confusing exposure preview with AE lock (which seems unlikely given your experience).  OK let's agree that what Leica calls the FN button is button #1 on the Camera diagram. The shutter release button is #25. The default functions for pressing button #1 is NOT AE/AF lock, but exposure preview, cycling through aperture and shutter exposure previews. A long press defaults to Gray Card color balance.  The default function of the shutter release button #25 (half pressed) with the camera in AFs or MF mode is AE lock. There is no way on my Leica SL (firmware 1.2) to (1) assign AE/AF lock to favorites as previously suggested, or  (2) assign AE/AF lock to button #1 (FN button). You can custom assign exposure preview (not AE-lock) to the various soft buttons. You can also change default behavior of the shutter release button (#25) via the Setup->Customize Control->AE/AF lock button, as per the slightly confusing chart on page 223 of the English manual....

 

I confirmed these defaults by resetting my camera, btw.

 

I currently configure my SL as MF, with 'back button' AF (AFs or AFc) via the joystick, button #25 does AE-lock with half press.  Button #1 is configured to do exposure compensation with a long press (the default being the Top camera button). Short presses can't be reassigned in my world.

Edited by JeffWright
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That explained a lot, thanks!

 

 

The default function of the front button (#1 on the diagram inside the front page of the manual) is AE/AF lock with a short press. You can alter this on ANY of the firmwares (and there is only the original production FW supplied in November and the update in December) with Customise Control in the set up menu (the second item in the sub menu Customise Control) is the AE/AF lock button. That offers you a sub sub menu to allow you to change this function. If you cannot find this you are doing something wrong and need to read the manual in more detail. It is all in there, if very confusingly laid out and in more or less shorthand. 

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I've been testing firmware 2.0 all day. 

 

Now I wouldn't say that I know how the focus tracking has improved ... I've never used it before, and don't really know what or how to use it now. But the face recognition focus setting works much better than before and the three or four shots I tried on passing traffic with Tracking set on seemed to work well too. 

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Part of the reason that the whole AFs v AFc v Dynamic tracking interactions are difficult to understand (apart from the poor quality of the manual) is that they don't do the same as other cameras do. Here is what I take the manual to be saying:

 

AFs is real focus priority release

AFc is really release priority

 

Dynamic Tracking is really AFc in other systems.

 

So Sony AFa = Leica AFs + Dynamic Tracking

 

Nikons can be set up to release only when in focus, or release irrespective, or a compromise. 

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Part of the reason that the whole AFs v AFc v Dynamic tracking interactions are difficult to understand (apart from the poor quality of the manual) is that they don't do the same as other cameras do. Here is what I take the manual to be saying:

 

AFs is real focus priority release

AFc is really release priority

 

Dynamic Tracking is really AFc in other systems.

 

So Sony AFa = Leica AFs + Dynamic Tracking

 

Nikons can be set up to release only when in focus, or release irrespective, or a compromise. 

 

 

After reading the manual and experimenting my understanding is:

 

AFs + Static focuses once when the shutter button goes from unpressed to half pressed. Depending on the brightness of the scene and its contrast, it may take a while before the camera thinks the selected area is in focus (if ever). When the button is full-pressed, the camera will take the shot only if it thinks the area is in focus. If it fails to find a focus (say the scene is too dark), it won't take the shot. If the distance to the selected area of the scene changes, the position of the focussing element in the lens will not change. This is useful, for instance, if you want to focus on a face by half pressing the shutter button, then reframe by panning the camera followed by taking the shot by full pressing the shutter button.

 

AFc + Static starts focussing on the selected area when the button goes from unpressed to half pressed. If the distance to the selected area changes (either the camera moves forward or backward, or the object moves forward of backward, or both) the camera continually updates the position of the focussing element (if the ambient noise is low, you should be able to hear the focus motor working). The camera may or may not be able to maintain good focus, but even if it doesn't, it will take the shot when the shutter button is full pressed. Note that the camera still monitors the same area on the sensor for good focus; if you point the camera away from the object you originally focussed on, it will refocus on the object that is imaged onto the area of the sensor that was originally chosen. 

 

Dynamic focus is intended to be even more sophisticated than AFc + Static by maintaining good focus on the object that was selected when the shutter button was half pressed, even if that object moves around in the field of view. As you can imagine this is harder to do and requires more complicated algorithms and more compute power than AFc + Static. Through computation, the camera has to figure out where the object has moved laterally in the field of view and maintain focus on that object.

 

dgktkr

Edited by dgktkr
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Glad to use currently only manual lenses. When 2-3 weeks are passed and everybody still likes the update, then I will try to update and find out about the "improved" features.

I am a bit careful now, after more than 3 decades of computer usage.    :unsure:

Maybe Leica could fix the (re)numbering problem in the meantime?

 

Stephan

Edited by steppenw0lf
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After reading the manual and experimenting my understanding is:

 

AFs + Static 

 

AFc + Static 

 

Dynamic focus 

 

dgktkr

 

 

Hello,

thanks for your clarification.

 

You describe the two cases   (AFs and AFc) when Static is on.

But shouldn't you also describe the two cases

AFs + Dynamic           and          AFc + Dynamic  to be logical ?

Or do you want to say that AFs or AFc do not matter anymore when Dynamic Tracking has been selected.

Meaning that Dynamic Tracking overrides the other settings ?

 

Can you please confirm one way or the other ?

 

Thanks.     Stephan

Edited by steppenw0lf
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Hello,

thanks for your clarification.

 

You describe the two cases   (AFs and AFc) when Static is on.

But shouldn't you also describe the two cases

AFs + Dynamic           and          AFc + Dynamic  to be logical ?

Or do you want to say that AFs or AFc do not matter anymore when Dynamic Tracking has been selected.

Meaning that Dynamic Tracking overrides the other settings ?

 

Can you please confirm one way or the other ?

 

Thanks.     Stephan

 

 

Yes, I suppose, to be systematic and complete, AFs + Dynamic and AFc + Dynamic should be included, but that becomes a bit more involved to sort out.

 

As near as I can tell, Dynamic overrides the difference between AFs and AFc: focus is continually updated as the object locked onto moves around in the field of view. And if the green color of the brackets/rectangle that follow the object indicates a lock and readiness to take a shot, then I haven't noticed a difference between AFs and AFc when Dynamic AF mode is active.

 

When in Dynamic AF mode, if the scene gets dark enough, the camera doesn't track objects around in the field of view, even though it does seem to find focus because the brackets/rectangle turn green. If the scene gets even darker (F/3.6,ISO 3200, 0.4s), occasionally the brackets/rectangle will turn red when the shutter button is half pressed, which I believe indicates failure to find a good focus.

 

There are some quirks that I'm seeing that I haven't yet figured out the patterns to. One occurs during dynamic focus. If I put a shoe on a rug and position the location of the autofocus field on the shoe, when I half press the shutter button, the field that the camera tracks sometimes is centered in front of my choice and sometimes behind.

 

dgktkr

Edited by dgktkr
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Regarding dynamic tracking, the Leica manual states on page 212 that dynamic tracking behavior is the same notwithstanding AFs or AFc selection. Also, I discovered that dynamic tracking does not kick-on in low light when the AF assist lamp is activated. The camera switches to AFs equivalent behaviour - which I suppose makes sense.

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