Olym C2040Z - AF slow

[Altec]

Noticed that the autofocus for the olym C2040 is rather slow, almost 0.5 -1 sec lack between pressing the shuttle button and when the picture is taken. This happens even with full-time AF enabled.

Of course, this can be bypassed by pressing the shuttle button down half way, wait, then taking the picture.

Anyone with similar experience?

 

[YSLee]

Sounds about right for the camera.

 

[Altec]

How do the other cameras compare? Read that the Canon G2 has a very fast AF.

 

[KanuAMBC]

Actually all consumer class dig. cams are slow in focussing. Nuthing beats SLRs when it comes to AF focussing.

 

[Altec]

Why is that so?

No reason why DC AF should be slower.

 

[mpenza]

Originally posted by Altec
Why is that so?

No reason why DC AF should be slower.

because DC did lots of calculations before focussing.

Taken from http://www.shortcourses.com/using/cameracontrols/chapter1.htm

There is a delay between the pressing the shutter release and the actual taking of the picture. This is because when you first press the button, the camera quickly performs a number of tasks. It first clears the CCD, corrects white balance to correct for color, meters and sets the exposure, focuses (on auto focus cameras) the image, and finally fires the flash (if needed) and takes the picture. All of these processing steps take time and the action may have passed it's peak by the time the picture is actually taken.

 

[YSLee]

Originally posted by Altec
Why is that so?

No reason why DC AF should be slower.

COST CUTTING!!!! :rbounce:

 

[fcpga]

went to the Olympus course, when someone mention that the AF system is slow, he was being 'suan' by the instructor for being 'dumb'

according to him, its the ignorant user, you need to press down half-way, to lock the focus first, then at any time when you like depress fully,

this way, you break the process into 2 step, one is to pre-focus, and then the instant snap. The instant snap process is less than 1 sec for sure.

another way, turn on full time auto focus, then its purely point and shoot.

all the setting are there, its just that user who never bother to read the manual and complaint about the problem when they are ignorant.

all the above are when the instructor said, but he put it in a very 'nice' way, so as not to embarass the person asking the question

 

[mpenza]

check this out for some testing on shutter lag and other stuff:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/C24/C24A7.HTM

 

[denizenx]

olympus instructor trying to cover up. how do u pre focus when u eg swing across and stop at a point? esp panning... pre focus is useless, as is fulltime focus... digicams lah...
I believe it is cost cutting, otherwise a simple mpu upgrade is easy... and digital components never talk in anything longer than microseconds, so what's with the 0.5-1 sec?

 

[Altec]

Originally posted by fcpga
went to the Olympus course, when someone mention that the AF system is slow, he was being 'suan' by the instructor for being 'dumb'

according to him, its the ignorant user, you need to press down half-way, to lock the focus first, then at any time when you like depress fully,

this way, you break the process into 2 step, one is to pre-focus, and then the instant snap. The instant snap process is less than 1 sec for sure.

another way, turn on full time auto focus, then its purely point and shoot.

all the setting are there, its just that user who never bother to read the manual and complaint about the problem when they are ignorant.

all the above are when the instructor said, but he put it in a very 'nice' way, so as not to embarass the person asking the question

Uh... if you read my post, you would have noticed that I already pointed all that out ... without having gone for the course.

BTW, what else did they teach?