Camera didn't appear focused!??
by april henderson
on
May 12, 2008 at 10:28:05 pm
Hi...I have a sony fx1, and I was rather surprised today. I video taped some people out in sailboats about 50 meters away. So I zoomed out as far as possible and set focus to infinity. However, the sailboats and the camera did't really focus. First I did manual focus then auto focus, however, neither produced a clearly focused image.
I was really disappointed to see that.
The camera had no problem focussing on things closer.....
Can you think of what could cause that? Is this a part of the camera that breaks down frequently?
Re: Camera didn't appear focused!?? by April Henderson on May 12, 2008 at 11:50:53 pm
Thanks a million. I'd love some feedback. It isn't my software. Because I noticed in my viewfinder today while taping that images weren't in focus well. I am wondering whether I've just reached the limitations of my camera. But I thought the digital HD cameras would produce crisp images regardless of the zoom distance provided the focus was adjusted properly.
To summarize again: when zooming in on nearer objects like within a 25 meter range, I taped nice crisp images. However, when zooming in on boats maybe 50 meters away, I couldn't get a clear focus. Is that just the limitation of this camera you think? Or did something go wrong?
Re: Camera didn't appear focused!?? by Douglas Spotted Eagle on May 13, 2008 at 2:26:58 am
I'm not clear on how you shot this.
a-appears to perhaps be DV
b-obviously cropped
c-it appears that nothing is in focus, which is likely operator error rather than camera error.
HD does NOT provide "crisp" images any more than SD does. It merely shows what is in focus better, as it's higher resolution. In fact, focus is what is the greatest challenge for those making the transition from SD to HD, IMO. Were it me, I'd have used the focus assist tools with a black and white viewfinder.
Post a small section of the original stream, it'll make it easier to figure out what you've got going on.
Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASST
Certified Sony Vegas Trainer
Aerial Camera/Instructor
Re: Camera didn't appear focused!?? by April Henderson on May 13, 2008 at 2:55:03 am
Hi...I'm really grateful for your advice.
Well basically, I was manually focusing.....and I adjusted counterclockwise to focus, but it just couldn't focus any more. I rotated the ring to it's maximum position. Going clockwise just made it more unfocussed. Both manual and auto focus couldn't focus any better on this shot. It seems really odd to me.
Anyways, here's a five second clip rendered in the highest quality settings for a WMV file.
Re: Camera didn't appear focused!?? by April Henderson on May 13, 2008 at 3:43:29 am
i just tested outside on my street. My camera simply can not produce a sharp focus beyond about 50 meters. I think there is error in it's focusing mechanism. In manual focus, focus distance is also displayed in meters (50 meters, 100, 150), but they don't correspond to reality whatsoever.
Re: Camera didn't appear focused!?? by Douglas Spotted Eagle on May 13, 2008 at 3:50:46 am
What you've uploaded isn't raw footage, it's a WMV file, so effectively useless to see anything with.
Could be there is a problem with your cam, but without seeing actual video or actual raw screenshot...it's a crap shoot at best.
Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASST
Certified Sony Vegas Trainer
Aerial Camera/Instructor
Re: Camera didn't appear focused!?? by Jeff Brown on May 13, 2008 at 2:46:56 pm
April,
Douglas has much more experience than I, but judging from your description and the still, I would guess that there is a mechanical problem with the lens / servo assembly. Something is preventing the lens elements from traveling enough to focus at infinity.
Me, I'd immediately take the camera to your dealer, if they are local.
