Richard Griffith
Established
Recently been thinking of getting the G1. I know it's autofocus has been praised but I would know a bit more about how well it focuses on moving subjects. For example would it be good enough to use to take pictures of my son playing rugby or tennis? I don't think I would use it for anything more high spped than that!
Another query that has just sprung to mind - If use eg a CV lens via adapter, can the camera still be used on aperture priority?
Many thanks
Richard
Another query that has just sprung to mind - If use eg a CV lens via adapter, can the camera still be used on aperture priority?
Many thanks
Richard
JoeV
Thin Air, Bright Sun
There are those who have reported that the G1 is not the ideal sports camera; I haven't worked with mine enough in sports situations to tell.
If you do have problems, you can always zone focus ahead of time, for instance on a section of ground you expect the action to move through, and wait for the action to come into your "target area." This prefocus method can be done best in manual focus, for if you're in autofocus and you prefocus, then cycle you finger off and back on the trigger button the autofocus will change (it will attempt to reacquire a target,) whereas when the top left focus mode knob is in "MF" you have full control of the lens focus ring, regardless of the shutter button.
One downside of any electronic view camera (LCD or EVF) is the delay time between the event actually happening (e.g. a boy's foot contacting the ball) and you seeing it happen on the screen; by the time you react to the view on the screen, the event in real time may have already passed. The delay time I'm referring to has nothing to do with autofocus, which may or may not have its own, additional, delay time.
One way around this is to use your free eye to view the action optically, timing the shutter release in real-time, after the scene has been composed on the electronic screen. For sports or other action with telephoto focal lengths you have little option, but for wide-angle, close-in shooting, like fast-action street photos, an accessory optical finder on the hotshoe is a real boon.
As for using a manual focus lens on the G1 using adapter rings, you set the camera to Aperture priority, "shoot w/out lens" feature in the menu enabled, and set the aperture manually on the lens; the camera will choose the correct shutter speed automatically. You also have the option of enabling the zoom focus feature in the menu, activated by a two-button push sequence, which magnifies the center portion of the image to assist manual focus.
I haven't yet used legacy lenses manually, but do so on occasion using the 14-45 kit lens. I prefer not to use the zoom focus feature, as manual focus is very easy to distinguish in the EVF itself, and I find the zoom focus assist to be an annoyance that interferes with my composing the scene at the moment of shutter release.
~Joe
If you do have problems, you can always zone focus ahead of time, for instance on a section of ground you expect the action to move through, and wait for the action to come into your "target area." This prefocus method can be done best in manual focus, for if you're in autofocus and you prefocus, then cycle you finger off and back on the trigger button the autofocus will change (it will attempt to reacquire a target,) whereas when the top left focus mode knob is in "MF" you have full control of the lens focus ring, regardless of the shutter button.
One downside of any electronic view camera (LCD or EVF) is the delay time between the event actually happening (e.g. a boy's foot contacting the ball) and you seeing it happen on the screen; by the time you react to the view on the screen, the event in real time may have already passed. The delay time I'm referring to has nothing to do with autofocus, which may or may not have its own, additional, delay time.
One way around this is to use your free eye to view the action optically, timing the shutter release in real-time, after the scene has been composed on the electronic screen. For sports or other action with telephoto focal lengths you have little option, but for wide-angle, close-in shooting, like fast-action street photos, an accessory optical finder on the hotshoe is a real boon.
As for using a manual focus lens on the G1 using adapter rings, you set the camera to Aperture priority, "shoot w/out lens" feature in the menu enabled, and set the aperture manually on the lens; the camera will choose the correct shutter speed automatically. You also have the option of enabling the zoom focus feature in the menu, activated by a two-button push sequence, which magnifies the center portion of the image to assist manual focus.
I haven't yet used legacy lenses manually, but do so on occasion using the 14-45 kit lens. I prefer not to use the zoom focus feature, as manual focus is very easy to distinguish in the EVF itself, and I find the zoom focus assist to be an annoyance that interferes with my composing the scene at the moment of shutter release.
~Joe
Richard Griffith
Established
Joe
Many thanks for the detailed reply. I shall go down to my local camera store this week and just give it a try. I'm sure they will let me try taking photos on passing traffic to see how well the autofocus works on moving objects
Many thanks for the detailed reply. I shall go down to my local camera store this week and just give it a try. I'm sure they will let me try taking photos on passing traffic to see how well the autofocus works on moving objects
Photon42
burn the box
If sports is your primary intent, get something else. The whole process of focussing and shutter action is not even up to a D70, I'd say.
BillBingham2
Registered User
Joe,
You sparked an interesting idea in my mind. Some cameras these days come with the ability to capture a sequence of shots (at lower res) when you push the button. What is stoping someone from creating a sports mode that would be constantly filling and flushing the picture buffer so that you could actually save say five frames that happen the moments before you pressed the button? Nothing to display so the power you would eat should not be TOO high, or perhap it's turned on by a half way depression of the shutter button. I know that sounds kind of silly but we have to deal with event handling time in the CPU.
Richard, I do almost all my work with my GRD in Snap mode. Lazy-mans prefocus. I'm working on developing the same setting for my GX-100 @ 72mm.
Best thing to do is shoot, keep notes as to what and how and review. Same thing we did years ago with a photo journal learning to take pictures. The most important thing is the review. Best thing is that it's free and quick (no souping involved).
B2 (;->
You sparked an interesting idea in my mind. Some cameras these days come with the ability to capture a sequence of shots (at lower res) when you push the button. What is stoping someone from creating a sports mode that would be constantly filling and flushing the picture buffer so that you could actually save say five frames that happen the moments before you pressed the button? Nothing to display so the power you would eat should not be TOO high, or perhap it's turned on by a half way depression of the shutter button. I know that sounds kind of silly but we have to deal with event handling time in the CPU.
Richard, I do almost all my work with my GRD in Snap mode. Lazy-mans prefocus. I'm working on developing the same setting for my GX-100 @ 72mm.
Best thing to do is shoot, keep notes as to what and how and review. Same thing we did years ago with a photo journal learning to take pictures. The most important thing is the review. Best thing is that it's free and quick (no souping involved).
B2 (;->