Leica q2 focus flaw still not fixed

[Everyframecounts]

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I must say I am very disappointed in Leica’s customer service. I have waited for them to fix a major focus issue on the q2 since I got the camera last year. In AFs mode the camera will refocus between the frames in burst mode. Making burst modes all useless except in tracking or AFc mode. In other words you cannot lock the focus point in AFs mode. I have reached out to tech support and provided them with videos and had long negotiations with them about the fault and they have acknowledged the issue but do not seem eager to fix it. I shoot for my profession and have been Ambassadeur for other brands previously and have never experienced such bad product service. With the legacy of leica I was expecting more and have given them a year to fix this issue. After all, a 5000 grand camera is expected to perform the basic tasks of a camera in 2020. Well anyhow. Decided to switch brand to Sony. 

[nico4444]

18 minutes ago, Everyframecounts said:

After all, a 5000 grand camera is expected to perform the basic tasks of a camera in 2020.

Well, that's where you are wrong. The Q2 wasn't marketed as a do it all camera and it obviously isn't one, so when you made the conscious choice of purchasing the Q2, you must have taken every compromise into consideration, right?

21 minutes ago, Everyframecounts said:

Decided to switch brand to Sony. 

Probably the best choice given Sony's AF technology.

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[Everyframecounts]

AFs is expected to work as AFs. Focus reframe and shoot. The q2 will leave all frames after the first one out of focus. This is a fault in the camera not a feature. I was expecting them to fix it since its almost a year already with no reaction to it except promising the techs will look into it.

in other words, not expecting it to do anything but what its promoted to do. To have a working auto focus system. If auto focus is not compatible with burst mode why is it marketed with high rate burst mode? The AFs mode only works in single frame mode. As the bug will reset the focus point after every frame trying to refocus where the focus point happens to be. In other words, acting as a AFc mode except it tries to refocus between the frames even though you never let the shutter up. 

Edited October 10, 2020 by Everyframecounts

[ajmarton1]

I also got the Sony ar7iv to complement my M systems as I was not happy with the older SL.  I LOVE it. The AF and eye detection (human and animal settings) is first class. I also got the adapter so I can use my M lenses. Good luck with it. 

[Jared]

13 hours ago, Everyframecounts said:

I must say I am very disappointed in Leica’s customer service. I have waited for them to fix a major focus issue on the q2 since I got the camera last year. In AFs mode the camera will refocus between the frames in burst mode. Making burst modes all useless except in tracking or AFc mode. In other words you cannot lock the focus point in AFs mode. I have reached out to tech support and provided them with videos and had long negotiations with them about the fault and they have acknowledged the issue but do not seem eager to fix it. I shoot for my profession and have been Ambassadeur for other brands previously and have never experienced such bad product service. With the legacy of leica I was expecting more and have given them a year to fix this issue. After all, a 5000 grand camera is expected to perform the basic tasks of a camera in 2020. Well anyhow. Decided to switch brand to Sony. 

I am confused by your issue...

I put my camera in AF-S mode (single AF). I move my AF point where I want it. I put the camera in a continuous drive mode (low, medium, or high speed). I half press to focus. Camera focuses and locks. I keep the shutter half pressed. Whenever I am ready, I fully press the shutter to start the series of photos. Focus remains locked as long as I hold the shutter down. Even if I pan the camera away from the subject, focus point doesn’t change. The original single AF point is used for the entire series. This seems as expected. How is your experience different?

[Everyframecounts]

Seems like yours is acting properly. I have now tested 6 different q2 cameras and all are faulty. When i do as you describe the focus is trying to refocus between every shot thruout the burst series to wherever the focus point has been moved to. In other words not keeping the original focus point. I thought it was faulty unit first i had but after trying every colleagues q2 i knew and had the same result i thought it is a firmware issue. I sent a video of the behavior to leica and the tech department was supposed get back on this issue but they have never given me a solid anwser. Only that they re looking into it if they can fix in next firmware etc etc. so i would have thought they would have recognized faulty behavior but does Not seem in their interest to take care of this. Very disappointing. 

[PhotoCruiser]

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As it works on Jareds Q2 may it be that Everyframecounts have a setting what is making his camera bevae different?

Chris

[Everyframecounts]

53 minutes ago, PhotoCruiser said:

As it works on Jareds Q2 may it be that Everyframecounts have a setting what is making his camera bevae different?

Chris

No that is not the case. If i use the rear button AF-L for focusing it will behave as it should, locking the focus point in the initial spot. It has been tested with all possible combinations on 6 different q2s. Local leica techs could not explain this behaviour leaving them as puzzled as me and leica factory techs will not respond. What would explain that all units ive come across to test have been purchased within a fairly short period of time making it possible that they are from the same batch. The firmware update did not however fix this issue which makes me believe it could be a mechanical issue in the shutter release and not a firmware issue. Here is an image where u can see the settings.

 

ps. And this behavior would have no logic as it will leave every frame out of focus after the first one. I just did a test. Focused in a nearby object reframed so that the fpoint was pointing at an object 3 meters away with the shutter 1/2 way down all the time. First frame sharp on the initial nearby object, approx 20 frames later it would reach the background object by trying to focus little by little between the frames making 1/20 frames sharp. This can noway be an intentional behavior of any camera. Acting like a weird midway between afs and afc making it all a mess. 

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Edited October 11, 2020 by Everyframecounts

[Everyframecounts]

21 hours ago, Everyframecounts said:

 

ACTUALLY, it does exactly the same in AFc mode as i now tried it. in other words in burst mode neither my AFs nor AFc mode works correctly. In both it it goes to this limp mode where it tries to refocus between every frame. So both AFs and AFc with spot, field, tracking or face will leave all but first frame completely out of focus. 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Everyframecounts

[PhotoCruiser]

vor 3 Stunden schrieb Everyframecounts:

In both it it goes to this limp mode where it tries to refocus between every frame.

It sounds normal to me that the camera wit AF on refocus on every shot and obviously the bursts are daster as the AF locks.
It is my belive that for this use the AF Tracking was invented and implemented also on the Q2
Would you mind to explain why you need AFs or AFc in burst mode?

However as i (and a lot of others too) wrote several times, the Q/Q2 is not the "i can do all camera" and does not claim that, no camera i know of is it.
The Q series does not particularly good on high speed and macro photography, there are much better cameras for that.
I have 10 times cheaper compact cameras who do particular taske better than the Q series, but all of them they lack at least the optical quality.
My more expensive Nikon D800 is a wonderful camera doing almost everything perfect and has interchangeable lenses for special purposes, but
the camera is heavy and bulky and i wanted something smaller with a fixed lens.

Chris

 

[Everyframecounts]

55 minutes ago, PhotoCruiser said:

It sounds normal to me that the camera wit AF on refocus on every shot and obviously the bursts are daster as the AF locks.
It is my belive that for this use the AF Tracking was invented and implemented also on the Q2
Would you mind to explain why you need AFs or AFc in burst mode?

However as i (and a lot of others too) wrote several times, the Q/Q2 is not the "i can do all camera" and does not claim that, no camera i know of is it.
The Q series does not particularly good on high speed and macro photography, there are much better cameras for that.
I have 10 times cheaper compact cameras who do particular taske better than the Q series, but all of them they lack at least the optical quality.
My more expensive Nikon D800 is a wonderful camera doing almost everything perfect and has interchangeable lenses for special purposes, but
the camera is heavy and bulky and i wanted something smaller with a fixed lens.

Chris

 

You do not seem to understand what i am trying to say. I am not expecting the camera to do anything beyond its design. The problem is that i cannot lock the focus point in burst mode. If i focus reframe and shoot (which is the oldest and most basic and camera technically the most simple and profound way of shooting and focusing since the invention of manual focus and brought over to auto focus, so no not expecting any do it all circus here) i will have the first frame in the burst locked where i initially set the focus. Thereafter the camera will try in between the following frames to refocus wherever the spot focus point may be at that given time. In other words not locking the focus as the sole intention of afs mode is. In afc mode it behaves exactly the same, in other words not continuously focusing but lumping between frames. This misbehavior makes makes the burst mode useless in all but manual focus mode. I cannot believe this is intentional or by design from the manufacturer. 
 

“Would you mind to explain why you need AFs or AFc in burst mode?” Well, the other option would be manual focus right? As the camera only has AFs and AFc mode options for autofocus.

I understand many of you want to see this as user originated fault. But I can assure you shooting over 150.000 frames per year making my living as a photojournalist for 20 years I know exactly how autofocus should behave. Also I have had techs already look into this assuring the faulty behavior, so I am in no need of arguing about is it supposed to work like this or. It’s not, period. The reason i am bringing up this issue is because Leica don’t seem interested in addressing it and to see if others here on the forum might have ended up with faulty units too. 
 

 

EDIT: There have been others with the same issue. I have last december lesft the last reply to the thread here but dont know if someone got it fixed. 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Everyframecounts

[nico4444]

3 minutes ago, Everyframecounts said:

You do not seem to understand what i am trying to say. I am not expecting the camera to do anything beyond its design. The problem is that i cannot lock the focus point in burst mode. If i focus reframe and shoot (which is the oldest and most basic and camera technically the most simple and profound way of shooting and focusing since the invention of manual focus and brought over to auto focus, so no not expecting any do it all circus here) i will have the first frame in the burst locked where i initially set the focus. Thereafter the camera will try in between the following frames to refocus wherever the spot focus point may be at that given time. In other words not locking the focus as the sole intention of afs mode is. In afc mode it behaves exactly the same, in other words not continuously focusing but lumping between frames. This misbehavior makes makes the burst mode useless in all but manual focus mode. I cannot believe this is intentional or by design from the manufacturer. 
 

I understand many of you want to see this as user originated fault. But I can assure you shooting over 150.000 frames per year making my living as a photojournalist for 20 years I know exactly how autofocus should behave. Also I have had techs already look into this assuring the faulty behavior, so I am in no need of arguing about is it supposed to work like this or. It’s not, period. The reason i am bringing up this issue is because Leica don’t seem interested in addressing it and to see if others here on the forum might have ended up with faulty units too. 

Agreed. AFs might not be very used by most, but since it is advertised as a feature of the camera, then it should work appropriately.

Interestingly, I recall having used it only once with the Q taking pictures of random seagulls following our boat. May give an idea of its practical use case for others.

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[PhotoCruiser]

vor 2 Minuten schrieb nico4444:

Agreed. AFs might not be very used by most, but since it is advertised as a feature of the camera, then it should work appropriately.
Interestingly, I recall having used it only once with the Q taking pictures of random seagulls following our boat. May give an idea of its practical use case for others.

Would Tracking not be more indicated to track seagulls or any other fast moving object?

Chris

[nico4444]

9 minutes ago, PhotoCruiser said:

Would Tracking not be more indicated to track seagulls or any other fast moving object?

Chris

The seagull were moving at the same speed of the boat, so I managed to capture some close-ups with the Q, which was the only camera I had with me at the time. Obviously, Sony's autofocus tracking would have worked the same if not better, but in my scenario, the Q's AFs was sufficient and it was a nice feature to have had in the moment.

[nuc001]

Does it work if you use the D-pad to move the focus point to the desired object and then use burst mode? The centre-focus & recompose method seems to be confusing the camera. 

[Everyframecounts]

2 hours ago, nuc001 said:

Does it work if you use the D-pad to move the focus point to the desired object and then use burst mode? The centre-focus & recompose method seems to be confusing the camera. 

. Yeah if i keep the focus point at the object all the time it will kinda work, but it will still try to refocus constantly between the frames making the burst very inconsistent, so not really as it should. And shooting that way makes no sense anyway, as long as object moves a little or i need to reframe slightly it will on something else. AFs means ir focues a single time and thats it, and thats what it should do. Seems like some people have it working that way. 
 

i was looking thru the web and there seem to be quite a few experiencing same issue as i, but could not find anyone who had got it solved or at least posted about it.

Edited October 12, 2020 by Everyframecounts

[DenverSteve]

Disregard -  I see that this is 3 years old.

Edited February 23, 2023 by DenverSteve