S5Is Focusing in general, how?

[AJW1100]

Apologies if this this is one of those, "Oh no ,Not another one who can't use the search" I have spent a good hour or two searching and getting very jealous at the results some appear to be getting. But I am having not much fun trying to get the focus correct. I am a real point and hope when on distant shots but often want to use close up or Macro and this is where I find there is no focus help through the viewfinder, either it focuses on the wrong bit or I have really got it wrong.
I have the camera on single setting so it only focuses when the button is pushed halfway, however, I do not know if its focused correctly or not, on my previous cameras there was a visible means of checking, either a split screen or prism so when the split halves were one you were in focus or when the prism became clear you were again in focus. This camera only seems to have a small outlined box with no indication of the actual focus at all:(

Is there something I have missed? I have read the section that says you can only use Manual Focus if your not on AUTO but as | am not sure what all the others do this gives me a problem as I need the camera to do the hard work while I do the focus and push the button!!

[low orbit]

If you're talking about autofocus, it should have a series of prompts and beeps from memory (it's been a while since I used one).

Should go from orange box (focus area) to green box. You can also move the area in which the camera focusses inside around with the d-pad (you press set from memory).

Manual focus on that beast is a tricky one - it can be done but for best results use a tripod - you can also do a 2x zoom into the area you want to focus on.

Macro - there are 2 modes - normal macro - and super macro. You can have the camera almost on top of the subject in that one. I think you press and hold the macro button to get to it.

Question - why would you want to manual focus anyway? And if it's focussing on the wrong bit then move the camera so that subject is in the area it focusses on, semi press the shutter, recompose, and fire.

Hope that clears some things up. Feel free to fire more questions.


[edit] p69 - p79 in the manual should help you

Cheers.

[watt100]

for macro shots I use manual focus and watch the scale on the right. sometimes it helps to lock in a set distance, say 4 inches or centimeters, etc. and move the camera until the manual focus within the LCD screen comes in clear.

[AJW1100]

Thank you for your replies, if I knew what I was talking about or understood more about the intricacies of photography I would probably find this much easier. Lets just say my first camera was large, boxy and black and the film was around the size of a small loo roll, I think it was a 120 B&W film, my Dad was still into glass plates!! I digress....

I am on auto and want to focus on a particular item say a flower pot with lots of details that I want to get very clear, I am looking through the view finder and the square box is red I push the button half way and the box goes green. I take the shot then look at it on the PC, the area behind the pot is in focus, the detail on the pot is very nearly on focus but not quite, as you will imagine this can be very frustrating. With my old AE1 I could manually focus and 'know' it was right, this is just 'hope' you've got it right.

As low orbit rightly put it:

Manual focus on that beast is a tricky one

I think I need to play with it more, but if you cannot adjust it in auto mode I will have to learn about all the other settings, but that's not what I bought the camera for :(:(

[watt100]

I think I need to play with it more, but if you cannot adjust it in auto mode I will have to learn about all the other settings, but that's not what I bought the camera for :(:(

then you may have been mistaken about buying the camera.
the S5 does fine on auto and the scene modes for average shots but for detailed "super macro" you will need to learn the manual settings to get the best results

[lanslub]

Just point to the subject until until a green box appears. you're then in focus.