bad focus on A80

[jeremyhockey9]

Hello, I'm a newbie to the forum. I've had my A80 for about a month now and overall, I love it. The only problem is that sometimes, my pictures are slightly blurry. I mostly use the program function and the camera seems to lock focus. I'll take the same photo numerous times and sometimes it is sharp, others not. Am I doing something wrong?
-Jeremy

[mapollo]

Do you use the 9 point AiAf focus. I found that turning this off and using the centre point focus makes taking a sharp shot a little easier.

David...

[Davey]

I agree.

After much frustration and a whole bunch of ruined holiday photos,i eventually found out that by simply turning off the AiAf function, much sharper shots can be achieved.

Just stick the A80 on P, press the Menu button, scroll down one and switch off the little trouble maker.

Happy shooting.

[jeremyhockey9]

OK-I turned off the AIAF on my Canon A80 and I'm still having very bad luck focusing my pictures. I've been taking pictures for many years and know what I'm doing. The only time it works well is outside on sunny days. I brought my camera to a function last night that was indoors and granted, it was rather dark in the room, but I was using a flash (alternated between auto and P modes) and I would say 3 out of 40 pictures came out sharp. I tried moving closer/farther back and no help. I had other people try and they had similar results. Could there be a defect with my camera? Any help? Please!!

[Davey]

Hi Jeremy.

The information i gained about the AiAf was only passed on to me a couple of hrs before i posted it on the forum and therefore the few shots i took before i posted my comments, although well focused,may just have been those lucky few, but then it all started again.

This weekend i've been out and taken loads of shots with the AiAf function disabled and can honestly say that on the whole the photo's are not very sharp which is leading me to believe that the camera isn't that great, after all why does it need coaxing in to taking good, sharp shots?

I'm now seriously thinking of trading the camera in for something better, i've dabbled in photography for years and never used a piece of equipment that's so hit and miss.

If anyone can suggest any other way to consistantly get sharp shots please help otherwise it's good bye A80.

[BlurHead]

It might sound stupid... but are you guys pressing the button halfway before taking the picture in order to let the focus adjust?

I don't know... I agree the AiAF can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but I have no problem with my A80's focus.

[stopbath]

The A80 reads the CCD and looks for sharp contrast on between pixels. If it can't find any, it gives up, warns the user (orange square instead of green) and the camera will then take a photo anyway. Also, just because the conputer attained what it thought was a great contrast, does not mean it actually captured good focus. (This is not a Canon thing, but prevailant with this type of focusing system.)

The reason for this focus system is used is that it's cheap (no extra hardware) and it overcomes the Infra Red problem of inability to focus past a certain distance (I think it's like 15 feet)

If you want great focus all the time, get a camera that employs both passive focus (off the CCD) and Infra Red focus (for low light situations) But these cameras will be bulkier, and costlier...

If the camera can't lock focus, go to manual. If using flash, set the F stop to 5.6 to 8, and set the distance to where you most likely will be shooting, then most of your shot will be focused. (And you'll cut down on time waiting for the camera to try and find focus...)

[Davey]

Well, after trying and trying and much good advice, i think i'm getting on with the A80 a little better, see:

http://www.myalbum.davesgallery.photoshare.co.nz/

I think the problems i have had are really from expecting miracles when to achieve a sharp shot you need to set the camera up properly and also give it time to do whatever it needs to.

One of the best pieces of advice i received was to put the camera on "P" mode, set it at 5.6 and get snapping, it really does work well in most conditions, oh and try using the flash as a fill in too this seems to make for warmer shots.

The camera could be great in the right hands, i expected to just point and shoot but this is more of a thinking mans camera and with that in mind just think before you shoot.

Good luck.

[Alnath]

I have C1 and C2 set up as aperture and shutter priority modes but with center focus, easy to hand then.

[jeremyhockey9]

Davey, do you put it in "P" mode or is it "Av" mode? I put it in Av mode and set the aperture to 5.6. It does focus a little better but still not great. My main problem is in dim-lit conditions like restaurants and bars. Maybe i"m expecting too much but I've used my friends' digital cameras and they focus much better than my A80. I'm not an expert but I know how to press the shutter button and take pretty good photos with my normal camera. I'm not trying to do anything fancy here, just take pictures of friends and I feel that I should be able to just point, shoot, and get pretty decent results. I don't know...I'm sending mine back today toget serviced just in case something is wrong with it. If they say it's fine, I'll probably exchange it for another model.

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[Davey]

Hi Jeremy.

Try this site, it's a bit long winded but in places it will really help.

http://www.geocities.com/albertyang/

"P" setting is best with an iso 50.

I do know what you mean about pointing and shooting but it just depends on how simple you want your photography to be?

For me personally, i'd like to keep trying with it, i know it's not simple but something tells me it'll be worth the effort.

Also, you could use the C1 and C2 to customise your settings to get the best for you.

Good luck.