x-pro1 auto focus speed

willie_901 said:
The APS-C Fuji's are complicated too use. They are not like DSLRs and they are not like optical RFs. There are two finder modes and three focus modes. There is a macro mode. I find switching between the EVF and OVF is required to get the best overall focus performance. Different situations require different techniques. There are menu settings that significantly impact how the AF performs. I can imagine numerous sets of parameter selections that would make focusing extremely frustrating. I also know there are choices that make focusing efficient and accurate. I think user impressions reflect these complications because during the first weeks of my X100 ownership I was frustrated too. But then I found out how to make the AF meet my needs.


The Fuji APS-C X cameras' AF hardware and firmware is a weakness. Many other APS-C and m4/3 systems are stronger. None of these have optical finders compatible with AF. So, in the end you are faced with another compromise. It's hard to sort all of this out. And it's hard for a new user to evaluate the X series AF on the spot. The AF works for me, it does not work for others.
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Brilliant encapsulation that tracks exactly with my own experience.

First and foremost, the X-Pro1 is not a dilettante's camera. It has a steep learning curve and it requires some commitment and experimentation to get to the point where you can use it effectively. After a week I was despairing. After three weeks I love it and I'm regularly getting photographs that please me in dynamic situations.


DSCF0281 by Semilog, on Flickr

A key was to program a logical set of custom settings (C1-C7) that work effectively, and to learn, as Willie says, how to use the AF optimally. At this point I still miss shots with the 35, but no more so than I did when using a 50 Summicron on the M. The 18 is a stellar lens for street work and it is much faster focusing.

For me this investment of effort has absolutely been worth it and I am now at a point where I am almost as effective with the camera as I am with the M6 that I've been using for fifteen years.
 
Everything's a compromise. I find this camera a real pleasure to use, despite its flaws--it has character, which is something in short supply in the market-driven world. If you can master the AF and make it reach its potential, you should be able to make some great pictures with it.
 
mabelsound said:
Everything's a compromise. I find this camera a real pleasure to use, despite its flaws--it has character, which is something in short supply in the market-driven world. If you can master the AF and make it reach its potential, you should be able to make some great pictures with it.
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The truth has been spoken.
 
Custom settings are only relevant for jpegs.

However your point is well taken. The digital camera UI is as bad as the mobile phone 's before the iPhone. As long as everyone's interface is equally inconvenient, no change is in sight.
 
semilog said:
First and foremost, the X-Pro1 is not a dilettante's camera. It has a steep learning curve and it requires some commitment and experimentation to get to the point where you can use it effectively. After a week I was despairing. After three weeks I love it and I'm regularly getting photographs that please me in dynamic situations.
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The same has been true for me as well, although it was only after a recent five-day mini-vacation where I captured more than 4,500 photos on the streets of NYC that finally pushed me toward the top of the learning curve. This is especially with the 35mm lens, which is a substantially longer focal length (and also slower focusing) than the lenses I am accustomed to using and which therefore took some time for me to feel comfortable with. But once I did, I started achieving (IMO) reasonably decent results, a few samples of which are below...

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willie_901 said:
Custom settings are only relevant for jpegs.
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Yes and no. Lightroom is now keying its raw conversion starting-point off of the data for the JPEG file, and the custom settings also set ISO. That's useful because it limits the range of ISO settings that I need to scroll through and I can get where I need to be by muscle memory rather than by looking at a menu.

In addition the JPEG engine on this camera is so good, particularly for black and white, that I find myself using the JPEGs 90% of the time.

The rest of the time I'm using RPP64 to do my RAW conversions. So much better than the kludge that Adobe shipped in LR4. There's a great discussion thread on RPP64 over at the X-forum, with lots of participation by the devs.
 
once you understand how this camera works, I have almost no problems with speed or accuracy, in fact far far more focus issues with motion from handholding than AF. Here is an action shot with the " slow to focus" 60 mm
happysm.jpg
 
A valuable tip for improved focussing speed that I picked up from another forum:

- set to AF-S

- resist the habit of pressing the shutter halfway down in order to focus. Just press all the way.

There may be a slight pause, but I find it's vastly quicker than what may be the intuitive way. It even works with the 60mm, which can hunt for ages if you do it the conventional way.
 
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