Leica CL Wandering focus point

[Louis]

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In my case and shooting, it would slow down my shooting in looking for the focus point after each shot and often, not finding it because of some lighting condition. If there was an option in the menu to set the FP automatically in the center, it would help my shooting enormously.

 

Godfrey, I hope you did find out how to magnify with MF lenses. More specially with third party lenses when the adapter has no electrical connection with the camera? In this case, the top wheel will not magnify.

[ramarren]

I believe you can control magnification with the arrow keys if you're not using one of the Leica mount adapters on the CL, but I'd have to look it up in the manual. 

 

The Leica M Adapter L is always on my camera, any other lenses I fit are adapted to Leica M mount. That way, the camera always asks me if I want to select a profile or not if it doesn't see a lens code, and the right top wheel I always have set to be focus assist magnification.

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[Louis]

I believe you can control magnification with the arrow keys if you're not using one of the Leica mount adapters on the CL, but I'd have to look it up in the manual.

 

The Leica M Adapter L is always on my camera, any other lenses I fit are adapted to Leica M mount. That way, the camera always asks me if I want to select a profile or not if it doesn't see a lens code, and the right top wheel I always have set to be focus assist magnification.

Right. It is not explained in the manual and we had much discussions with Jono and others in DPR and other friends. As I was using Nikkor lenses via Novoflex adapter, no one could explain why I couldn’t magnify. After hours of playing with the camera, I finally discovered that since Novoflex doesn’t have any communication with the camera, the camera could not recognize the MF lens. But at the same time, accidentally, i noticed that with the back I can magnify.

 

The Leica M Adapter L is always on my camera, any other lenses I fit are adapted to Leica M mount. That way, the camera always asks me if I want to select a profile or not if it doesn't see a lens code, and the right top wheel I always have set to be focus assist magnification.

Edited July 31, 2018 by Louis

[Don Morley]

My wish or vote is for a button (Any) to be dedicated to moving the single point focusing back to the central position whenever I press it as I prefer this as a starter position from which I can make my own decision as to where, or indeed if I wish to move it away from to wherever else I might require my camera to auto focus on.

 

For what it is worth I would even be happy if it were achieved without button pressing. For instance where the single focus point ALWAYS reverted back to the central position whenever the camera was switched off and then on again, though I accept this way of working might not please everyone.

 

Whatever, this is THE one big let down of a otherwise potentially superb system camera.

[ramarren]

Okay, so I've been thinking about this problem a bit and trying to observe what might make it happen. Since I don't have any AF lenses, it doesn't affect me, but ...

 

- In normal shooting, I have my camera in the Leica Protector half case. Mostly to give my fingers a little more meat to hold onto, and to make the body a little taller for easy gripping (I have largish hands). With the camera in the half case, the four-way controller buttons are slightly recessed and I have to reach into the recess in which they sit to actually touch a button. I don't believe I'd ever hit one of them by accident. 

 

- Working on the tripod or copy stand, I usually take off the half case for easy access to the card when I've finished a set of captures but want to keep the setup in place for another set. With the camera out of the half-case, the buttons stand proud of the surface of the camera by a few mm and I often touch one by accident. Since the cameras on a stand of some sort, it's not such a big deal as I don't usually hit one hard enough to actually depress it, but if I were handling the camera and gripping it, it would be easy to. 

 

So ... The half case would seem to solve the problem for me, if I had AF lenses. Of course, it's incompatible with the grip, which I don't use. The Arte di Mano case has a nice grip bump built into it, that might be a solution for those who want to have both. 

 

The right options to manage control of the AF home point would be a couple of command functions like Olympus has in my E-M1... one function sets the home point where the user wants it, another function allows the user to:

• assign the home function to a button of their choice to place the AF point
• enables the home function to actuate after every exposure
• disables the home function

That covers all the bases and is a tried and true methodology. 

 

If the CL had a home function like that, I'd set the button to use for it as the center button on the four-way controller with a long press, leaving the default short press to be turning the info overlay on the screen on and off. That long press seems a natural extension of the short press to me, since the AF focus point indicator is just another bit of the info overlay.

[scott kirkpatrick]

....

 

If the CL had a home function like that, I'd set the button to use for it as the center button on the four-way controller with a long press, leaving the default short press to be turning the info overlay on the screen on and off. That long press seems a natural extension of the short press to me, since the AF focus point indicator is just another bit of the info overlay.

A return function is important to me as well, and there aren't enough buttons on the CL to go the Olympus/Sony route of having reprogrammable F1, F2, F3, etc available (plus that doesn't sound like Leica's UI style).  Frankly, I would rather see a long press on the center of the 4-way pad be back button AF, and "restore focus cross hairs" be a side effect of switching the camera off, but I know I am in the minority.  As much as possible, this would move towards CL/SL common function.  There is a fairly simple return operation -- just double tap on the LCD when touch input is active.  But that doesn't work with the camera to your eye.

[Louis]

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Besides having the camera on the eye, many prefer to turn the back screen off. Therefore, the pressure on the back button seems to be more practical.

Edited July 31, 2018 by Louis

[ramarren]

I prefer not having the camera to my eye so much of the time. I feel that draws people's attention to me and gets in the way of making photographs. I tend to do as much camera setup (setting ISO, approximate focus zone, aperture, maybe shutter speed and a quick glance at exposure evaluation) with the camera at waist level, before raising it to my eye. I then pick it up, pinpoint the focus I want, frame, make the exposure, and put it down again. It's the same way I've always used my Ms, Hasselblads, Rollei 35s, et cetera.

 

When using a tripod or copy stand, I almost never use the viewfinder except for final, critical focusing. It's just much easier to see the settings on the LCD most of the time, unless I'm in bright sunlight. I work with it in this situation much the same way I worked with the ground glass on a view camera.

 

For this reason, I leave the EVF/LCD on Auto most of the time. Batteries be damned... Just buy more of 'em.

Edited July 31, 2018 by ramarren

[stevegaskin]

This is going to sound silly but I’ve think I’ve just found out why the focus point has been defaulting to the bottom left position. I use my left eye for viewing through the EVF, and I believe as I pull the camera towards my eye, my nose (it’s not that big, honestly), must touch the screen bottom left, which sets the focus point. So, when I view through the EVF, that’s where it’s positioned and then I have to reposition either using the directional arrows or by removing the camera from my eye and touching the screen in the centre. Obviously this means that the same problem will then reoccur. The only way I can overcome this is to set the EVF to ‘Extended’ in the display settings. This setting disables the LCD for Live View and therefore touch control. You can still use the LCD for menu settings and playback.

 

It’s a pity that there’s not a ‘disable touch’ feature as this would solve the problem and still allow Live View.

 

I’m going to try this setting over the coming weeks to see how well I get on with it.

[Louis]

I am using extended evf most of the time, but that does solve my problem of looking after the focus point (square) before each shot. This is not practical when I have to shoot fast. I still wish we could set the focus point going to center after each shot.

[grahamhoey]

Another vote for using the center button to reset the focus point to center. Prefer a short press to do so but long press would also work.

[hrgeek]

Automatically recentering seems to me miss the point. The problem is that simply carrying the camera in my hand, the palm of my hand moves the focus field to somewhere other than the center. A single additional menu command that lets me lock the focus field so that I don’t inadvertently move it is all I need. Imagine trying to focus a Leica M with the focus patch being in some random location every time you put it to your eye. Users of M’s are used to focus-and-recompose. That’s all I want to do with the CL. The nice thing about the TL2 is that it’s easy to move the focus field but it’s impossible to move it inadvertently while carrying it by your side as inevitably happens with the CL.

[Le Chef]

The alternative is that the focus point remains locked on the center until you issue a command that allows it to move.

[Don Morley]

Have you tried manual focusing as an alternative? For street photography you can preset a typical range and fine tune the focus setting given time. Practise to gain confidence.

 

I find that manual focusing is excellent on the CL.

David is of course right BUT what then is the point of buying a auto focus camera with wich you have to switch the AF off just to be sure of it focusing in the right or intended area? Come on Leica enough of us have complained about this for quite long enough now so please sort it. Don

[ramarren]

I have no problem with AF sensor point moving since I use only M and R lenses on the CL, so far at least. I love how well it works.

 

I did find a problem where how I hold the camera occasionally had me pressing on the LCD right about where the left dial lock soft button is, so I'd find myself trying to adjust the EV compensation mapped to that dial and nothing would happen. I solve this now by using the firmware v2 left button "all controls lock" function to lock ALL dials and the four-way touch pad with a one-touch press, and unlock them similarly with a one-touch press when I need them. Only the shutter release remains active when the "all lock" is engaged, and of course the left button.

 

I don't know whether this will also lock AF touch points on the LCD, but it might. If it does, it's a very easy solution to the problem and only takes a moment to use.

Edited September 22, 2018 by ramarren

[cirke]

On 7/26/2018 at 1:48 AM, Louis said:

the focus point remains where you last positioned it.

no, never 

[cirke]

https://www.macfilos.com/2018/01/29/2018-1-26-locking-the-leica-cl-focus-point-an-update-but-no-action/

[jaapv]

I can only agree one hundred percent. My take on the wandering focus point: 😡😡😡😡.

Apparently at Leica nobody ever carries the camera on a strap and all camera developers lack noses...

[dfdann]

Excellent article. PLEASE LEICA !!!

Dan

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Hallo,

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[tommonego@gmail.com]

Ii don't know if this helps, but the focus point can be locked by lightly depressing the shutter, take you finger off and readjust the focal point. I only have the 23 as an autofocus lens, but I use this a lot, I also haven't found the jumping a problem because of this. 

Tom