Help!!! A70 autofocus in dim light /indoors

[sg678]

Hi.
I recently bought a A70, my first ever digital
camera. The autocus seems to have a problem
when taking pictures indoors, especially
in the evenings/night. The focus is messed up.

On an average about 40 % of my indoor
pictures come out with bad focus.

Does anybody else have this problem..?
Is there something I am doing wrong..?
or is it the camera..?

Please help, I am really dissappointed. My friend
bought the Olympus 3.2 MegaPixel from Costco
for 3/4th of price I paid with much better
results.

Thanks

[stduc]

You may have a problem camera. But before you go rushing back to the store for a refund there are some simple tests you can do.

Make a bold black an white checkerboard design, about A4 size with 2 inch squares. See how well the camera focusses on it at various light levels and distances. - See how your friends camera does.
Always half press the shutter in low light to verify that the autofocus failed light doesn't come on.
If taking flash shots indoors I find that Av mode set to f5.6 or smaller gives better results than auto.

It seems to be that the A series is not the best point and shoot camera available. I never advise anyone who wants a point and shoot camera to get one. There is no other pocket camera to beat it though on price for manual features and flexibility. But you do have to have some knowledge of photography and use the manual modes - when it can't be beat for performance in my opinion. - Of course the A80 is better - but then I would say that!

[wod02]

Check that the auto focus assist beam is enabled in the menu settings. This allows the orange lamp near the flash to help in low light situations (it is very visible when in use so you should see if it is activated).
I hope this helps.

[stduc]

I forgot to add. In low light situations, camera shake becomes very important. A lot of focus problems in low light are blamed on the auto focus system when actually its camera shake preventing the focus lock. If you have a tripod or other suitable support you should be able to see if this is your problem or not.

[stopbath]

The checker board is a great test!

The camera focus operates on finding a contrast between dark and light. If you try focusing on a low contrast object in dim light, the camera physically can't focus. Find another object at the same relative distance to focus on. Something with light and dark right together. The camera will have a much better chance of focusing. If the ambient light is not high enough to provide good contrast, set the focus to manual and go. I've done this and gotten good results. Set the f stop high to increase depth of field (5.6 or higher).

[Don Schaeffer]

One review criticized the low light autofocus of the A70 saying that it isn't stong enough for very low light. It works fine when there is some light. Maybe what you got is all you can expect.

--Don

[greg30127]

sg678 wrote:
Hi.
I recently bought a A70, my first ever digital
camera. The autocus seems to have a problem
when taking pictures indoors, especially
in the evenings/night. The focus is messed up.

On an average about 40 % of my indoor
pictures come out with bad focus.

Does anybody else have this problem..?
Is there something I am doing wrong..?
or is it the camera..?

Please help, I am really dissappointed. My friend
bought the Olympus 3.2 MegaPixel from Costco
for 3/4th of price I paid with much better
results.

Thanks


This is not a problem with the camera. The A70 (and the A-series in general) have very weak auto focus assist lights. They require you to be aiming at a fairly high contrast subject, and be fairly close (4ft or closer) in order to work their best. Otherwise, you simply have to turn up the lights.

This isn't a defect - it's just not great design on this series. Overall it's a very good camera, but this is it's weak spot. As an example, Sony P-series cameras have very bright orange lamps that work up to 9 feet from the camera. The Canon A-s are not that strong.


Greg

[jinushaun]

Yes, the A70 has focus/softness issues. I find picking spot metering helps.