leica Q2M autofocus issues with faces

[vir2l2k]

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can't seem to get a sharp picture of my baby lately with my q2m. I'm using face autofocus which is very unreliable and slow, hardly ever seems to focus on the eyes. this makes shooting with f1.7 really hard. unfortunately leica disable the field autofox rectangle resizing for the q2m so I'm left either with spot focus or manual focus. any picture with my old iphone makes a sharp face but the q2m just can't keep its focus on my babies eyes when she's moving. I've tried with and without OIS, servo focus vs. still focus. it gets slightly better at higher aperture with burst images but it's still horrible. I didn't notice that before with my q2m. is something defect or is the autofocus just so bad that I've only realized it now?

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[jaapv]

Show us an example 

[LocalHero1953]

Face detect AF on the Q2 is poor (I don't have the Q2M). I find it unusable. This may be because of older tech, less processing power, or just the effects of such a wide angle lens (identifying small faces in a large scene takes more processing power than with a more 'focused' scene).

You can control the area within which AF works by using the crop settings: set it to the smallest crop and AF will only work within that frame. Unfortunately face recognition does not seem to work any better. On the other hand I find that multi-field focusing within that crop is acceptable for my sort of use. 

Vastly improved face recognition is one of two things I am hoping for from the Q3, along with better low light capability.

Edited October 16, 2022 by LocalHero1953

[hedleyw]

1 hour ago, LocalHero1953 said:

You can control the area within which AF works by using the crop settings: set it to the smallest crop and AF will only work within that frame.

I wasn’t aware of that - a useful tip, thank you.

[Le Chef]

Try switching to manual focus and use zone focusing.

[wda]

I am not sure about zone focusing on a baby, but manual focusing is easy and accurate, with auto-magnification. 

[rtai]

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I had the Q2M for 4 months and in the process made some beautiful images but lost many more due to the crap AF. I ended up switching to zone when I really really didn’t want to miss a shot, so it dawned on me why not just get the M10M. My Eos 1n from 24 years ago had much better AF performance and I dare say ditto the screwdriver Nikons.

[Paul B]

On 10/16/2022 at 3:06 PM, Le Chef said:

Try switching to manual focus and use zone focusing.

That's a good idea, but when you pay so much money for a top of the range camera it should be more than capable of doing what is a basic task! wake up and dont put up with it, tell Leica,  if no one writes to them and talks to them Leica wont change 

 

[Le Chef]

33 minutes ago, Paul B said:

That's a good idea, but when you pay so much money for a top of the range camera it should be more than capable of doing what is a basic task! wake up and dont put up with it, tell Leica,  if no one writes to them and talks to them Leica wont change 

 

I’m perfectly happy with my Q2 and how it works.

[MJFinelli]

I wasn’t happy with the q2 auto focus so I sold it and picked up an m10. I then sold that and picked up another a2, now I love the auto focus.. works really well compared to the m10 😆

[Aram Langhans]

The Q2 checks a lot of boxes for me but you are correct about facial autofocus.  It does not work in any dependable manner.  If the light is bright, it might lock on, but forget it for inside shooting under normal inside lighting.  I suspect it is a horsepower issue and perhaps some algorithms that are not up to the other manufacturers,  But I think the SL2 facial rec is just fine from what I have heard, so horsepower of the Maestro III must be the main difference.  They should have put that processor in the Q2 for what they charge.  Hopefully a Q3 will have the horsepower boost needed to make that feature actually work.

[Leica Guy]

On 10/16/2022 at 3:05 AM, hedleyw said:

I wasn’t aware of that - a useful tip, thank you.

I have had a Q and now Q2 plus recently a Q2M for 6 years total. I was not aware that a tighter zoom / crop box limits the area that AF including face detect AF works. Thanks a bunch LocalHero1953  

I do agree the face detect AF is disappointing, but it does seem to work for me if I ensure that the subjects face is dominant in the viewfinder. Possibly covering 1/3 or more of the image. 

For all the faults and idiosyncrasies of the Q2 and Q2M, I still greatly enjoy using both. They’re my main travel cameras. 

Your mileage may vary. 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Leica Guy

[Farrell Gallery]

When one way doesn't work, try another. Too many expect a camera to conform to us, rather than we learn its quirks and strengths, and adapt to it. Often inconvenient for a time, but we are better because of it. It's not Sony in that regard.....but the glass....it's like comparing Milli Vanilli to Freddie Mercury. Zone focus may be a better option in this case. 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Farrell Gallery