Image looks soft?

jaypass

jaypass

Well-known member
I have a weird issue that's cropped up recently with my AF100. I've had the camera for 4 years, and have been generally happy with the image. But lately, it seems like something is off.

It's always been a challenge to nail focus with the AF100, but I think I was pretty good at it...Now, though, it seems like I never hit my mark. Ever. All of my shots look soft. It's almost like a back focus issue - Sometimes while focusing it feels like there isn't an actual critical focus point to be found. Am I crazy? Is this an issue that can happen with this camera? Are there any tests I can run to see if something is wrong with it?

I use all Lumix lenses with the camera. 12-35, 35-100, and 45-175. For some strange reason, it seems like the 12-35mm looks the worst. I would think wide lenses would be easier to focus, but that one looks awful for some reason, and it used to be my goto lens. I don't even use it on that camera anymore, I've had such trouble with focusing it lately.

I've also started to wonder if maybe it's my eyesight, and that I just can't see that LCD like I used to. I suppose that's possible, but I have a GH3 that I keep in focus on a regular basis without nearly as much trouble.

Speaking of the GH3, I'm also wondering if that's the issue. Maybe the GH3 is so sharp that when I edit that footage with my AF100 footage, the AF footage just looks soft because the GH3 is so sharp?

For what it's worth, I dropped the camera from about 4 feet up a few months ago. The Lumix 12-35mm lens was attached, and the camera had a Zacuto baseplate on it. It landed flat on the baseplate. Nothing on the camera looked or sounded broken. Also, I used the camera in 10 degree Fahrenheit weather this winter, and the 12-35 lens just stopped focusing entirely. Turning the focus ring did nothing, and switching to autofocus yielded a "MF ONLY" error message. When I brought the camera inside and let it warm up the lens seemed to work fine though.

I feel like I'm going crazy here. Maybe it's nothing, but I don't know - Why would it become so painfully noticeable just recently?
 
Have you compared your focus ability using the viewfinder vs LCD vs external monitor?

Have you tried to focus on a focus chart from a known distance and checked your lenses against that?
 
Usually if the wider end of your lenses can't focus then your back focus needs to be adjusted.
 
David - I usually don't use the viewfinder. I do have a 7" Marshall monitor, and it hasn't been helping me much. Image looks soft on there. It is a cheap monitor though. Unfortunately I don't have a focus chart.

Here's some screen grabs...The first is very unscientific, just ran out to my backyard and got a quick shot this afternoon...Imported the MTS files directly into Premiere CC and exported a JPEG from the sequence. 1080/24p. Shot on my Lumix 12-35mm, 200ISO, ND3, F2.8, zoomed all the way in to 35mm. Focus was set to 11 meters...according to the focus in red, the well should be in focus.

The concert and interview shots were from a project I did with a local band this May, and these two shoots were when I first noticed a problem. They just don't look right to me. What do you guys think? Am I crazy or does something look off? Would some Vimeo footage help?
 

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Stills look fine. Going from the GH3 back to the AF100 you will notice the poor resolution/clarity. It was one of the reasons I upgraded.
 
Hard to tell from those grabs.

You might find a focus chart online and run over to Kinkos and have them print it out and mount in to foam backer board.
 
Did you try checking it live on a large screen and really pixel peep while recording? Play back and see how it compares. Lawn looks nice by the way. Crosshatch is the way to go.
 
Hey guys..I didn't want to revive this thread, but I have a quick update!

Apparently this was user error. I had some wonky scene file combination that was just muddying up the image. I hadn't used the AF for a while, and finally went back and started playing with it...I don't know exactly what I was using, but once I went back to one of the stock scene file settings I found the image looked like normal again. Still not as sharp as my GH3 or new GH4, but certainly not soft and muddy like I was dealing with over the summer.

Thanks for the help everyone!
 
For what it's worth, I dropped the camera from about 4 feet up a few months ago.
Click to expand...


Hmmmm...that will do it!

I would do tests with a focus chart.

Mine is very sharp (never been dropped)...and I would know if something had changed just from the monitor.
 
Looking at those stills its looks like typical AF100 footage with the detail dialed down in the settings.

If your worried about your eyesight being a bit off use the rear eyepiece (viewfinder diopter adjustment) and adjust the focus control on the eyepiece focusing on screen text /displays as your reference, i.e. look at the on screen text (battery symbol etc) and adjust focus ring of the eyepiece until its optimal.

Then you know your eyeball camera interface is ok.
 
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