Autofocus

With TCs it's very frustrating to rely on autofocus. The TC takes quite a bit of light away, and the focus system has trouble doing its work because of that.

Ive set up my camera to focus with the focus lock button, and to remove any focus operation from the release button. This can be done on my camera with menu items. So, i focus with the focus lock button until Im close to the framing of the object I want. Then I stop using AF, and move my whole housing back and forth slightly to get sharp focus. When I think ive got it, I press the release button (which has no AF function anymore) to shoot the image.

If you cant reprogram the function of your buttons, you can achieve similar results by focussing with your normal AF button, then holding the AF-LOCK key and moving your housing back and forth until you're happy, and then release the shutter. This is obviously more difficult as you need to hold 2 buttons.

Ive come to rely on this mix of AF and MF a lot. I like that I can just AF immediately of something happens, but go MF if I want, without having to flip any gears or whatever.

Cor

Then I stop using AF, and move my whole housing back and forth slightly to get sharp focus. When I think ive got it, I press the release button (which has no AF function anymore) to shoot the image.

Cor,

Can you be specific as to how you "stop using AF" on your camera? Maybe because I've only used AF on my D70S, it's hard for me to envison exactly how you are doing this on your camera. I'm interested in attempting to use a TC for the first time on my trip to Indonesia this fall, and I can see I will need to change my usual way of shooting an image so I won't be too frustrated.

Ellen

Normally the release button (the one you press to take the picture) also does AF if you press it halfway. But even if you quickly press it, it often does a minute bit of AF. This is not good if you dont want any AF but instead are trying to do MF. I dont want the shutter release to mess up my carefully achieved manual focus.

For the D70, check custom menu 15. Set it to AF-ON. This will move AF to your AF-L button, and removes AF from your shutter release button.

Im not saying you should do this. Try for yourself if you like this or not. It may take some getting used to. But for TC/macro use , I find AF absolutely useless.

If this isnt clear, let me know what is unclear and i'll try and explain.

Cor

For the D70, check custom menu 15. Set it to AF-ON. This will move AF to your AF-L button, and removes AF from your shutter release button.

 

Try for yourself if you like this or not. It may take some getting used to. But for TC/macro use , I find AF absolutely useless.

 

If this isnt clear, let me know what is unclear and i'll try and explain.

It's very clear to me, thanks, especially when you said to check custom menu 15. But I will have to do a complete turnaround in how I use my camera. In a Nikonians class I took on the D70S, the instructor basically trained me to use that button for AE only. And that's how I've been using my camera so far. I've actually just changed the custom menu to AF-ON on my D70S and will experiment with this a bit to see how I like it.

Thanks for your help!

Ellen

With the Subal (and many other housings) the best thing to do is just switch the camera to M on the CSM AF switch.

For the rare occasions I don't use AF - this is what I do.

Alex

It's very clear to me, thanks, especially when you said to check custom menu 15. But I will have to do a complete turnaround in how I use my camera. In a Nikonians class I took on the D70S, the instructor basically trained me to use that button for AE only. And that's how I've been using my camera so far. I've actually just changed the custom menu to AF-ON on my D70S and will experiment with this a bit to see how I like it.

For normal photography im sure you'll be fine with what you learned in class. Maybe even with a TC you'll be fine. But if you want to do MF with a TC, this is one easy way to do it without having to have MF gears on your lens and housing. One benefit of this method is that you only need to use 1 hand.

I use a menu preference set to switch between regular menu settings and this AF/MF setting.

Cor

I also use the same method employed by Cor and have done this for many years. I migrated to housings (film and then digital) after using a Nikon RS and a Subeye for some time, and I was used to one handed shooting, and the control of power manual focus. When I first used a housing (F100 Subal) in 2002, I quickly discovered that the regular autofocus didn't work with my methods that well; I'd end up with inadvertent hunting, or the focus points wouldn't be in the right place for the composition. I was also (and still) switching back and forth between housed systems and my Subeye, so I wanted it to work similarly. Started using the same type of AF-ON and manual fine tune with housing approach. I called it "manual focus assist" . It works for me.

But Alex gets such wonderful macro results; he's proof that other methods work just as well or better!

Linda

Ive set up my camera to focus with the focus lock button, and to remove any focus operation from the release button. This can be done on my camera with menu items. So, i focus with the focus lock button until Im close to the framing of the object I want. Then I stop using AF, and move my whole housing back and forth slightly to get sharp focus. When I think ive got it, I press the release button (which has no AF function anymore) to shoot the image.

thanks Cor - this is on my list of things to try It is how I use my MF for macro, so it seems a good way to take advantage of AF

But Alex gets such wonderful macro results; he's proof that other methods work just as well or better!

i agree Linda - the great shots folks take using AF is amazing - and why I would love to get it working for me

Lndr-

My problem is that I don't understand the problem.

Using autofocus my only problem is the initial focus. My AF105VR tends to hunt as Alex reports. However, once I get that initial focus I get a focused picture whenever I press the shutter, also as Alex reports.

So I don't see how your rocking back and forth will help.

I think what they mean is that if you cannot get an initial focus regardless of what you do, you can focus on something else roughly the same distance, once that is in focus, lock it by pushing on the focus lock button.....recompose to your main subject and move back and forth till the subject is in focus....