Digital zoom for focusassist?

A

Ageeth

New member
Hi guys,
On my late Sony EX1 and on my DSLR (Canon 1D mark 4) I could and can digitaly zoom in on the shot and focus exactly. Okay, we do have a focusassist with the red outlines, but wouldn't it be a great software update to implement this feature.

By the way. If I use a Lumix lens, why can't I zoom in with a normal zoom button (there is one on the remote but doesn't work)?

Thanks.
 
Panasonic is aware of the desire by others to have at least 1:1 focus zoom, however, their engineering department said it was impossible to implement on the AF100. I heard this directly from Panasonic.
 
FYI, if you want to spend the bucks, the Cineroid offers 1:1 - it's one of the features I like about it. I don't know about the other EVFs (RedRock/Zacuto), but it is nice to have a modular finder. I had some initial problems with my Cineroid, but they are (hopefully) fixed now.

Not meant to criticize Panasonic (it seems that every time someone mentions a distraction with the AF they are labeled as harbingers of evil) but if this feature is possible on an accessory, why wasn't it possible to incorporate it into the camera?

Not a problem for me, because I seldom use the camera finder, but others seem to want it badly.
 
Like Mac I got the Cineroid (& had an issue with it, now fixed) and use the 1:1 feature constantly.
I don't know how Panasonic has set up their viewfinder & screen but when just about every other HD camera and monitor (cheap & expensive) I've used has this feature I'm really surprised that they say it is impossible for it to happen.
 
Most of the third party EVF and LCD screens offer 1:1 or even more! I know the Zacuto and smallHD offer it as well. I *always* use an LCD because I cannot stand the built in focus assist myself. Others have had better luck with it, but I just cannot get results that I am satisfied with. Of course, once you go to a really nice LCD like the DP6, you are really spoiled. I use the fold out LCD with the waveform monitor on it and this has actually been really nice.
 
Personally I find the red highlighting/peaking function of the AF100 to be much much easier to operate for manual focus, especially during a shot where digital zoom in can be confusing.

Noah
 
It's one of those things you really need to try and see if you like it or not. I really tried, but I found the default setting was too restrictive and unless the spatial frequency on detail was high enough, it wouldn't show focus on the subject or, if I use the function to enhance it, the range of red is too much. If they had included maybe a function in the menus to dial in how much you wanted, it would probably work better for me. I found the peak function in the DP6 to actually be easier to use, and have used it before on focus pulls, which if I want to pull focus without marking anything, peaking is an AWESOME function for that.
 
Basically, there's no way it's going to happen on the current AF100. If you need that feature, you have to get some manner of external monitor. No reason to argue about it, it's not gonna change, so -- external with 1:1 is the only way to get 1:1. You can get that, like Rick said, on practically any external. I didn't get to see it but Ruige is making a little monitor with 1:1 for like $379. SmallHD has their new little DP4 with it, for $549.

Nobody likes the situation, but the situation isn't gonna change, so we have to do what we have to do. I think the focus-in-red is entirely serviceable, but not nearly as attractive as having the 1:1 option.
 
I have developed a love/hate relationship for FIR. Under some circumstances it works great and is all I could ever ask for but sometimes... not!

One thing I do at times to help get spot on focus is to open up the lens as wide as possible (if it is stopped down). Then I can use the shorter dof bokeh to help me know where I am. This isn't always a solution though. At times getting tack focus can be a challenge.

Also, I use Barry's flashlight trick but in an odd way sometimes. After Barry wrote about it I bought a little flashlight. It has a silver metallic serrated grip along the handle and I have found that this metallic grip lights up the FIR like crazy. FIR just likes the sharp edges and the silver catches the light well, I suppose. Anyway, on my last shoot when focus was a challenge I kept tossing the penlight to the actor and asking her to hold it close to her face. That really worked well in a situation where focus was otherwise impossible.
 
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Definitely always open the iris up all the way, that's one of the basic fundamentals of getting sharp focus. You want the DOF as shallow as possible so that the only thing in focus is your subject. You can stop back down after focusing, but definitely open up during focusing (and if it gets too bright, slap in some ND to bring it back under control).

That's a good idea with the sharp edges -- the FIR needs a sharp edge to work. That's what the flashlight trick was intended to accomplish (putting a sharp edged highlight reflection right in the eye). You can obviously accomplish the same thing by using an actual focus chart or even a little Siemens star, just have them hold it up in front of their face while you lock in focus.
 
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