GH4 never tried auto focus... help?

W

wwjd

Well-known member
k, camera has been in full manual mode since I got it. BUT, I'd like to mess about with the mostest AUTO Focusing mode in video. Does that exist? Can I point and have it look for focus while it is recording and me not hitting the button to force refocus? Settings for this?

I'm using the 12-35mm auto lens
thanks!
 
Yes, but um, I'm not sure you want that. Very high chance of the AF system going off to do its own thing and screwing up your footage.
 
I understand that. Like I said, NORMALLY, I use manual ALL THE TIME. But, for a one man project, I need the auto to pull focus for me while I am doing something else. It will take several takes for the desired look, but that is fine. It is a controlled shoot.

WOULD BE COOL if Panny would put programmable rack focus in the next firmware. :)

Or, some geneticist grow me a third arm? :D
 
You can enable Continuous AF in the video options then. I'm not sure what you're shooting so maybe you might want to turn on either face detect or the 23 point area AF system.

When you mean doing something else, does that mean you'll be away from the camera?
 
Yeah, I'm filming the computer screen from a side angle while I TYPE something with both hands, and can PAN the camera on a motorized pan/tilthead, but focus will get lost, and I wouldn't mind it jumping a bit (like it will) and can pick the shot with the smoothest movement.

I discovered it will keep refocusing if I hold the button down, but obviously I can't do that. Just messing around really. Maybe it won't work in the end.

Going for a look like this, but moving following focus. (yes, I could get a friend to come over and do it, but then it loses that solo fun!)

P1020038.jpg
 
Ok, if you can somehow work a way to use the touchscreen to activate the new focus point, you can try doing that instead.
 
so, there is no live fully auto focus that constantly hunts with no buttons held or pressed?
 
wwjd said:
so, there is no live fully auto focus that constantly hunts with no buttons held or pressed?
Click to expand...

There is continuos AF setting that will attempt to refocus while recording and there is also focus tracking, where you tell the camera what "feature" you want the camera to focus on as it moves while recording. I don't think tracking will work for what you are doing, continuous AF might, but I've found it to be slow.
 
Focus Mode Lever:
Set to MF, to focus manually, peaking is available in this mode. Autofocus via touch screen is also available in this mode.
Set to AFS/AFF, to auto focus using the shutter button pressed halfway. Personally this is the mode I prefer when using auto focus and this camera.
Set to AFC, in this mode holding the shutter button pressed halfway auto focusing is constantly preformed to match the movement of the subject.
 
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