p.2 #1 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
SGinNorcal wrote:
How you describe this reminds me of some recent experiences with the 70-300. Often/most of the time, no complaints. But I've noticed on two occasions where my photos of an elk herd were slightly out of focus. The first time, I thought I had let shutter speed drop a little too low. But again last week I experienced it again on the same subject. Good light and good shutter speed, but same result. My theory is that its a low contrast situation, the elk are brown and close to the same color as the grassy brush they are moving in. In the same set of photo's I have birds in flight in excellent focus at 420mm (w/ 1.4) while the elk are blurry. Even those at lower focal lengths don't look as sharp as they should. ...Show more →
Yeah I used to remember back in the old CDAF only days things like a high contrast background stealing focus over a low contrast subject was fairly common. The hybrid PDAF/CDAF cleaned that up but I think it can still happen sometimes, haven't noticed it myself recently though. Gotta be careful if you have the MF override on as well, some of them are really easy to move unintentionally. I haven't noticed any issues with my 16-55 mk1 aside from the issue mentioned above when I used it with CDAF only body, saw it often then.
p.2 #2 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
SGinNorcal wrote:
How you describe this reminds me of some recent experiences with the 70-300. Often/most of the time, no complaints. But I've noticed on two occasions where my photos of an elk herd were slightly out of focus. The first time, I thought I had let shutter speed drop a little too low. But again last week I experienced it again on the same subject. Good light and good shutter speed, but same result. My theory is that its a low contrast situation, the elk are brown and close to the same color as the grassy brush they are moving in. In the same set of photo's I have birds in flight in excellent focus at 420mm (w/ 1.4) while the elk are blurry. Even those at lower focal lengths don't look as sharp as they should. ...Show more →
I have sometimes wondered if low contrast is an issue. I know it was years ago when I used the 55-200 for a travel lens on a XE1. That combo would sometimes simply refuse to focus in low contrast situations at 200mm.
I first started noticing this when I was photography birds wit a Canon FF system side by side with my XT5 and the Fujifilm 100-400. I’m aware of some potential challenges there, especially in those low contrast (often with fog or at twilight) conditions and with moving birds. But I had the problem even in good light and with stationary birds at times. I’d get some sharp images, for sure, but the percentage was much lower than I expected based on my work with the FF system. (And that system, BTW, is not exactly optimized for BIF, to say the least!)
Lower contrast may have been an issue in the last few months — I was in Scotland (and a few other places) where it was often cloudy and rainy. However, when I look at shots I did with the 50-140 the outcome is much more reliable than with the 16-55.)
I’ve also used the two systems side by side in Death Valley several times. Again, I’ve gotten some good stuff with the Fujifilm system there, where I mostly used the 16-55 and the 100-400, including a few that I checked very carefully that have excellent sharpness. Then there are others from the same location (usually in excellent light) where things just didn’t end up fully dialed in. (And for these I was usually using a tripod.)
When everything works, the results are excellent. But…
(And I still only see this with the two zooms. I don’t see it with my Fujifilm primes.)
p.2 #3 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
gdanmitchell wrote:
I have sometimes wondered if low contrast is an issue. I know it was years ago when I used the 55-200 for a travel lens on a XE1. That combo would sometimes simply refuse to focus in low contrast situations at 200mm.
I first started noticing this when I was photography birds wit a Canon FF system side by side with my XT5 and the Fujifilm 100-400. I’m aware of some potential challenges there, especially in those low contrast (often with fog or at twilight) conditions and with moving birds. But I had the problem even in good light and with stationary birds at times. I’d get some sharp images, for sure, but the percentage was much lower than I expected based on my work with the FF system. (And that system, BTW, is not exactly optimized for BIF, to say the least!)
Lower contrast may have been an issue in the last few months — I was in Scotland (and a few other places) where it was often cloudy and rainy. However, when I look at shots I did with the 50-140 the outcome is much more reliable than with the 16-55.)
I’ve also used the two systems side by side in Death Valley several times. Again, I’ve gotten some good stuff with the Fujifilm system there, where I mostly used the 16-55 and the 100-400, including a few that I checked very carefully that have excellent sharpness. Then there are others from the same location (usually in excellent light) where things just didn’t end up fully dialed in. (And for these I was usually using a tripod.)
When everything works, the results are excellent. But…
(And I still only see this with the two zooms. I don’t see it with my Fujifilm primes.)...Show more →
What type of shots are you taking? With a 16-55 and, I'm assuming landscape apertures it would be odd to have a shot totally blurry due to focusing issues? Can you be more specific as to the issues and types of shots you are experiencing it under?
p.2 #4 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
rbf_ wrote:
What type of shots are you taking? With a 16-55 and, I'm assuming landscape apertures it would be odd to have a shot totally blurry due to focusing issues? Can you be more specific as to the issues and types of shots you are experiencing it under?
Most likely focus beyond infinity. A Fuji AF-S problem. Image is not out of focus, but overall soft with no critical sharpness anywhere. Can happen with every lens, though I haven't seen it with my 50f2 or 90f2.
p.2 #5 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
rbf_ wrote:
What type of shots are you taking? With a 16-55 and, I'm assuming landscape apertures it would be odd to have a shot totally blurry due to focusing issues? Can you be more specific as to the issues and types of shots you are experiencing it under?
I”m not especially looking for an analysis of what might be causing the problem, but these are mostly landscape shots where the issue shows up… though also in some handheld urban shots.
I would typically use f/5.6 as a default aperture on my APS-C system.
As mentioned, the issue seems specific to two lenses, the 16-55 and the 100-400. I don’t see it on the 50-140. And it is inconsistent — I will sometimes get quite sharp shots and sometimes get inexplicable fuzziness.*
- - -
* To anyone who is interested, feel free to steal “Inexplicable Fuzziness” as the name of your new band.
p.2 #6 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
Nielk Mike wrote:
Most likely focus beyond infinity. A Fuji AF-S problem. Image is not out of focus, but overall soft with no critical sharpness anywhere. Can happen with every lens, though I haven't seen it with my 50f2 or 90f2.
If nothing in the image is in focus, the image is out of focus. I saw this crop up more than I was comfortable with on the 10-24.
Wouldn't you know switching brands fixed the issue completely, like so many other parts of the Fuji experience
p.2 #8 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
RoamingScott wrote:
Wouldn't you know switching brands fixed the issue completely, like so many other parts of the Fuji experience
I'm not the type to jump brands often especially over what I see as a minor issue. For me it means that I'll keep using the 70-300 as I do, a lightweight telephoto that usually does the job and doesn't bother me to be in my pack for miles of not being used. If I'm intentionally going out to take telephoto shots, I have two choices that are better, just a massively larger form factor. That said, I wouldn't mind understanding the issue enough to minimize it.
p.2 #9 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
Low contrast causes problems with AF, in early systems it was only Contrast Detect, my Nikon F801 got on OK with zebras but plain coloured surfaces were hopeless,. Even Phase Detect likes to have something to lock on to. Cho9se something with detail at least to focus on.
If nothing was sharp in the picture, for any of several reasons, you wouldn't press the button would you?
p.2 #10 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
SGinNorcal wrote:
I'm not the type to jump brands often especially over what I see as a minor issue. For me it means that I'll keep using the 70-300 as I do, a lightweight telephoto that usually does the job and doesn't bother me to be in my pack for miles of not being used. If I'm intentionally going out to take telephoto shots, I have two choices that are better, just a massively larger form factor. That said, I wouldn't mind understanding the issue enough to minimize it.
I'm not specifically advocating for anyone to switch, but for me, it was an annoyance that cropped up more than I liked, was kind of hard to catch in the field, had me overshooting in case it happened, and simply doesn't happen on my main system now.
p.2 #12 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
RoamingScott wrote:
If nothing in the image is in focus, the image is out of focus. I saw this crop up more than I was comfortable with on the 10-24.
Wouldn't you know switching brands fixed the issue completely, like so many other parts of the Fuji experience
Unlike with focus beyond infinity, normal OOF images have some area that is in focus - only not he one that was intended to be in focus. But focus beyond infinity just renders an overall slightly soft image that only reveals that softness upon closer inspection. Nothing is in critical focus, neither near, nor far, nor anywhere in between. The Focus Distance Limiter function can mitigate that - but only if one uses lenses that are at infinity focus when the distance indicator is at infinity. Fuji zooms are not par-focal. So at the wider angle, those lenses have infinity focus before the distance indicator is at infinity (often at 5m or 10m) The 10-24 is a prime example of that problem and I sold it because of that.
p.2 #13 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
SGinNorcal wrote:
I'm not the type to jump brands often especially over what I see as a minor issue. For me it means that I'll keep using the 70-300 as I do, a lightweight telephoto that usually does the job and doesn't bother me to be in my pack for miles of not being used. If I'm intentionally going out to take telephoto shots, I have two choices that are better, just a massively larger form factor. That said, I wouldn't mind understanding the issue enough to minimize it.
To minimize the issue: 1) Use manual focus; 2) Point the camera at something not too far away (say 100m); 3) Confirm focus with focus peaking; 4) Use the Distance Limiter Function (but that doesn't work with zoom lenses)
p.2 #14 · BACK TO FUJI with my 2nd X-H2-based system
gyoung143 wrote:
Low contrast causes problems with AF, in early systems it was only Contrast Detect, my Nikon F801 got on OK with zebras but plain coloured surfaces were hopeless,. Even Phase Detect likes to have something to lock on to. Cho9se something with detail at least to focus on.
If nothing was sharp in the picture, for any of several reasons, you wouldn't press the button would you?
Gerry
Problem is: Focus Beyond Infintiy - You don't see the overall softness in the EVF. Only if you zoom in. So when you take the image, all seems fine. Only upon closer inspection at the PC do you notice the lack of critical focus.
