How do u deal with slow AF?

How do YOU deal with slow AF?


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I use manual focus lots of times. At the same time, I leave metering to auto. So I think your votes need to have more than 2. Coz I think FM2 doesn't have auto metering.
 

that's why FM2 is good if u can think/press fast...
it's AUTO AELOCK and FOCUS LOCK 8P
anyway I talking about AF only... cos like that funkamania shots if u are stuck in the audience u can just F-LOCK and anyhow shoot... converted to a dummy cam haha...p&s

also AF refers more to digicams since they're GROSSLY slow...
 

That's not call AE lock. Its on full manual mode.
Almost all SLR can be switched to full manual mode.

Also AF refers to lens. Metering and lens AF are 2 different things. You can hv the lens on MF while letting the camera do its own metering. And AF do not refer to Digicams only. Most modern SLR lens have AF options.

But of coz, during low light situation, AF of these lens can be quite slow. Another situation is when light condition is varying at high speed. Yet another is a moving object situations. In all these situations, its much better to switch the lens to MF. Leaving the metering to the camera will enable u shoot faster.
 

One of the biggest disadvantages of non-SLR-type digicams is that the AF is pretty slow. in the range of about 1.5 - 3 (my exp.) Remember, digicams are but a tool, and the question you asked is a good question, but IMHO (no offense) i feel that the answers are technical and unless you buy a better, faster, much more expensive camera is not going to solve your problems.

I got a few assumptions to make when you ask that question. Firstly, is that, AF is a must, like when you are moving around looking for targets of opportunity. I'm talking strictly in slow AF here. If MF and your own reflexes allow you to be a one man AF system then go ahead. If you only can use AF, then this must be recognised as a limitation.

You might moan the countless opportunities wasted when the AF is too slow. Argh, blur! oh no, don't block the view! those kind of things. How I deal with it is simple - I don't let go of a subject. and I choose my subjects carefully. of course real fast action photography with a wide range of motion and distance (two kids in animal suits running around for example) your AF will have problems, coupled with the normally excellent DOF most digicams have, the AF will not work well.

So what I do is since I don't have to pay for film, I'll just AF, fire fire fire fire, AF again, fire fire fire, and sooner or later there'll be just this AF that works, and fire fire fire fire fire fire fire fire fire.

Remember, the greatest photographers have countless film rolls on hand. Darn national geographic lug around an icebox filled with film rolls on a day shoot. The animals moving, a cheetah bounding across, screw the AF. Just fire fire fire fire, AF, fire fire fire, then there'll be this perfect(or almost perfect, easily solved in PSHOP) AF focus, and the perfect composition, and the target is munching on a piece of chocolate bars after running around and getting tired. SHOOT!

How I deal with it is I explore a different avenue of photography. Focus more on your other factors that can be helped. Composition, exposure, contrast, range of colors and stuff.

You'll still learn, and when you get a good AF camera (please please let me strike 4D, just once! and the d1x is mine!!) then all these skills will be employed, then you can start brushing up on 'how to deal with a fast AF'.

Again, just my $0.02.

Yours,
Kelvin
 

I totally disagree here...
shadus pls dun take everything literally can? isn't the ability to AUTO aelock and f-lock fully manual? I know the lingo but I like to dabble... sheesh... the point IS AF here... so what metering are u talking about? under lowlight conditions unless u have a fast shutter ur lightspeed AF is still going to get u dizzie lizzie...

anyway if the solution for every problem is to get better equipment then all those sbugs b4 1990 can go eat grass liao.. I always tell pp with p&s how to maximise their capabilities instead of saying their cams cannot make it.

I understand that there ARE some conditions where consumer dcams dun cut it (pfah prosume my donkey, more cons than pros), but of cos we dun really expect to catch basketball shots with great DOF and super freeze with our puny coolpixes ;P...

As for shooting till the cows get in focus, well akin that to the dumb assassin who continues to try and shoot the president when obviously either his eye or his scope is not zeroed. Rather, he should make sure he can hit that particular distance dead-on and stick to that. Otherwise assassins should carry grenade launchers just to make sure he gets ALL of them... before the whole entourage just laughs at his shooting and crawl away.

as for great photographers, they are those who know the limitations of their gear and work with or around them, hence nature shooters have blinds instead of always buying ultra-duper-supra-quintessonian zoom lenses, which would be F5.6 and still look like a space cannon; sports photgraphers are ready to squat at the bylines aiming their NONzoom 600 or 1000mms and ready to run with it; instead of lamenting that their top-of-the-line F5 or D1 is too slow. Hence they burn lots of rolls so that they get a good composition and not becos their AF is too slow. It's the human that's slow.

my whole point stemmed from the chingay and funkamania shots and by my own semi-journalistic experience where the stage is fixed, the "creative" viewpoint is not too important besides a nominally good perch, therefore a fixed focus is sharp and fast. not sharpest but faster than the zigzigzig of a consumer dcam.

as for the FM2, as long my eye can see the pic I can beat any non pro SLR u have in AF.
 

Hey, you asked a question which I assume is sincere. Hence, I gave my best answer. I dun understand your point at all.

If u dun want an answer, please dun post insincere questions.
 

rather pointless to argue if both replies go off-topic. AUTOFOCUS.
 

Erm, any fire extinguishers around here? Come on guys, it's just a small miscommunication down here. He post his opinion, i post my opinion and you post your opinion. He disagree with me, i say fine okay i'll try your way and see if it works. I disagree with you (let's say) and then you say fine, i'll try your way and see if it works. then you disagree with his way, and then you say fine I'll try your way and see if it works.

In short, we all are constantly learning, if there's one thing that's definite is that nothing is definite. So keep the forum a happy place, Osama's still out there ya'know?

Yours most most most Sincerely,
Kelvin.

*updated* i quit this thread. :p i hate to see a post with 'so?' in it.

*updated2* woops! That was the first post! Hahaha sorry see wrongly.
 

I respect that, but I dun respect arguing about technicalities. I dun aspire to be a courtroom lawyer.
But it's true, I am a bit hot today. Whe-ew.
 

I'm sorry, but I am still very confused about wht you're so hot about? :dunno:

You asked wht to do with slow AF
Myreply in simple word is use MF.

Your vote indicates FM2. So I was concern that you might confused manual metering with MF, so I added in that you can use auto meter with MF.

What's your problem here??? :confused:
 

*laughs* must be overburned from the sun @ chingay yesterday! Here you go!

*toss denizenx a ice-chilled mama brewed barley drink* as my momma use to say :"Tian qi re, he dian yi mi sui xiao xiao qi!'.

You know, denizenx, it takes a lot to know that one is hot today. And even more to admit it. I respect you for that.

Coolly (heh) yours,
Kelvin
 

alamak! I guess it's kelvin that's catching unwarranted flak....
sheesh guess I shld not post any more polls...

8P <--- tongue-in-cheek
XP <--- die from exasperation

just now was 8P, then 8<, now XP...

shadus shadus shad~~~~us... I was saying MF... why metering? I dun care about metering... just AF here...
you can have the perfect exposure but ur AF caught some other object...

hahahahhahaha give up... think the ppl come in at night sure got comments one...
 

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