D90GH1_eric
Active member
This is a follow-up thread to explore the various limitations in the use of AF with the GH1 during videoing. It is not clear if there are good technical reasons why these functions are the way they are or if these are simply oversights, which I hope Panasonic can fix in future firmware updates.
The problem: as many of you already know that if you use AF for video, the AF hunting is annoying.
Solutions:
1. One potential solution is to use AF tracking to lock on to the moving object; however, as we discovered this function is curiously disabled for video.
2. There are other solutions but they may all create noise and camera shake. One solution is to use the AF-L button. However as I discovered, you can only use this button ONCE during videoing. After you program the AF-L/AE-L button to perform the AF-L-hold function, at the beginning of your video, you can press the AF-L to lock focus, later you can press it again to un-lock and the camera will re-focus (provided that you are using kit lens that can do that). However you cannot then press the AF-L button to re-lock the new focus. Why can't we, why? Panny????
3. Thus beside MF, your choices of blocking the AF hunting are: (1) turn the focusing mode dial on the left between MF and AFC/S to lock AF and then allow AF to occur. You can do this as many times as you want during a given video session. This is a two-hand operation and the clicking will create noise. (2) You can half-press the shutter release to lock focus, later release it to un-lock, and then half press again to lock. This can be done as many times over as you want. Again this will cause the camera to shake and create noise, and it is tiring to hold the shutter release in a half-pressed position for too long.
4. Another solution is to simply allow AF-S when using the kit lenses as opposed to force it to AF-C. This hopefully can be done by a firmware update.
The problem: as many of you already know that if you use AF for video, the AF hunting is annoying.
Solutions:
1. One potential solution is to use AF tracking to lock on to the moving object; however, as we discovered this function is curiously disabled for video.
2. There are other solutions but they may all create noise and camera shake. One solution is to use the AF-L button. However as I discovered, you can only use this button ONCE during videoing. After you program the AF-L/AE-L button to perform the AF-L-hold function, at the beginning of your video, you can press the AF-L to lock focus, later you can press it again to un-lock and the camera will re-focus (provided that you are using kit lens that can do that). However you cannot then press the AF-L button to re-lock the new focus. Why can't we, why? Panny????
3. Thus beside MF, your choices of blocking the AF hunting are: (1) turn the focusing mode dial on the left between MF and AFC/S to lock AF and then allow AF to occur. You can do this as many times as you want during a given video session. This is a two-hand operation and the clicking will create noise. (2) You can half-press the shutter release to lock focus, later release it to un-lock, and then half press again to lock. This can be done as many times over as you want. Again this will cause the camera to shake and create noise, and it is tiring to hold the shutter release in a half-pressed position for too long.
4. Another solution is to simply allow AF-S when using the kit lenses as opposed to force it to AF-C. This hopefully can be done by a firmware update.