G3 Manual Focus

[vdb007]

I am a amateur, just bought the G3 today.

1. Could someone suggests on how to use the MF (Manual Focus) feature on a G3 ???


2. And also sometimes when I take the pictures they come out to by blurry and bad focus, any suggetions ???

3. Which could be good online store with reasonable price to buy the external flash along with tele/wide angle lens ???

thanks !!!
Vanshdeep B

[Deckyon]

1. Could someone suggests on how to use the MF (Manual Focus) feature on a G3 ???
I use the MF set to infinity when taking pictures of a. stuff further away than 30 feet, b. astrophotography, c. Macros

2. And also sometimes when I take the pictures they come out to by blurry and bad focus, any suggetions ???
There are a few things to do here. I set, in the menu, AF Type to Single instead of Continuous. Steady yourself before taking the picture. use a tripod when you can. When I first got the G3 I was also disappointed with the focus. It is a little slow, but after a while, it gets easier to work with.

3. Which could be good online store with reasonable price to buy the external flash along with tele/wide angle lens ???
The accessories are fun and useful, but you will not get any good pictures until you really know your camera. Learn it first and start getting more shots in focus (see above) before adding on accessories, or else you will be dissappointed. I know you wanted "cheap", but I would recommend sticking with the Canon lenses (Tele-TC-DC58N and Wide-WC-DC58N.) Others will stand by their 3rd party glass, but I am under the understanding that Canon specifically designed the Tele and Wide to work just with the G3. I have gotten wonderful results from my Tele (Canon-TC-DC58N) and would not dream of buying anything other than a canon lens. As for the flash, I use a Promaster 5550DX with the CN module. Others will profess nothing but canon works, but this flash works like a charm. I tried both the 420 and the Promaster back to back on my camera, and they both worked the same way. I got the Promaster because it was $100 less than the Canon. As far as stores go, try a local retailer first and see if you can get your hands on the products first and try them out. That is what I did and I got the same price as I would have if I ordered it online, and I did not have to pay shipping.

My final bit of advice is to sit down and read the manual, front to back. Then sit down with the manual and read it front to back, trying all the stuff they talk about with the camera.. I did this a couple times, and it has helped me immensly. I still carry the manual with me, just in case.

[msvadi]

vdb007 wrote:
3. Which could be good online store with reasonable price to buy the external flash along with tele/wide angle lens ???



I bought 420EX from http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
for $160. Works excellent. A lot of people will tell you it's the best way to go.

[msvadi]

Deckyon wrote:
As for the flash, I use a Promaster 5550DX with the CN module. Others will profess nothing but canon works, but this flash works like a charm. I tried both the 420 and the Promaster back to back on my camera, and they both worked the same way. I got the Promaster because it was $100 less than the Canon.

Does Promaster flash support E-TTL feature? It was my understanding that you can get this function only with canon flashes and all non-canon flashes will always fire at full power (unless the flash has some controls).

[Deckyon]

msvadi - I can control the output of the flash with the flash output on the camera. It does the same thing as the Canon flash. Your assumption is incorrect, as other flashes than the Promaster also support the E-TTL.

the only thing that does not fire off is the IR Assist. But, then neither will the Canon flash's fire. I can put the Promaster on the 10D and it fires the IR Assist and everything just fine. Same with the Canon Flash.

I spent $120 for the Promaster Flash WITH the Canon module where the store was selling the Canon 420 for $220. Since sitting down with both flashes and trying them both out, there was no need to spend the extra money if I was not going to get any other benefit than a canon faceplate.

[msvadi]

okay, just to be sure (sorry, I'm slow today ;) ): you get a pre-flash from Promaster when you use it with G3? or you have always adjust flash power manually?

about the price, like I said, you can get 420EX from a reliable seller. It's certainly comparable with $120 that promaster with a module cost you.

[Man-Fai Wong]

Interesting. But I don't see anywhere that says the Promaster is E-TTL though. Also, it seems a bit hard to find -- not available from major dealers. The few online dealers I found via google search all want about the same $160 price for flash + module as the Canon 420ex from B&H.

It's nice that the flash would be reusable w/ other brand cameras, but even then, you'll have to pay ~$60 for each different module.

RE: manual focus question, I use it also for preset fixed focus shooting to take advantage of high DoF (depth of field) in low light/indoor situations where I need fast response from the camera. I save the setting to a custom mode for this. The hyperfocal method using f5.6, manual focus to 5ft at full wide angle is a popular one for this although I'm not crazy about its limitations (on zooming and background exposure).

RE: using AF, if the subject is hard to focus on, try focusing on something else at same distance that has high contrast and vertical line element (and then recompose for the actual subject). That works best for the G3. Also, avoid trying to focus on red objects. One trick people use when horizontal line element, but not vertical, is available is turn the camera 90 degrees so the element looks vertical to the camera.

RE: where to buy stuff, for Canon tele and wide converters, I suggest YesMicro.com for ~$235 shipped combined. I just ordered the pair the other day, and they're waiting for me at home right now. They also carry the Canon adapter for ~$15, but I use Lensmate (from lensmateonline.com) instead. For the flash, if you want to get the 420ex, I suggest BHPhotoVideo.com -- just get the imported/grey market version for $160.

Enjoy!

_Man_