Olympus 60mm lens focus limit switch with GH5

I'm just learning to use the 60mm lens w/my GH5 camera. First dive I put the focus limit switch to .19-infinity. This setting allowed great versatility (up close macro, or larger subjects from 2-3m away). Unfortunately in this position, the lens/camera tended to focus on the furthest item in the field of view. For example, when trying to focus on a small fish that was up close, the camera/lens would focus on a fan coral in the background. I could manually work around the issue by focusing the camera on my hand then moving the camera to focus on an object, but that was a pain.

I eventually put switch to the .19-.4 position, and resigned myself to not being able to focus outside that range.

I'm wondering if there is a way to program the limit switch function in the camera.

I don't think so, the switch is mechanical. You might be able to modify a port to allow you to poke that switch though.

Bill

I'm just learning to use the 60mm lens w/my GH5 camera. First dive I put the focus limit switch to .19-infinity. This setting allowed great versatility (up close macro, or larger subjects from 2-3m away). Unfortunately in this position, the lens/camera tended to focus on the furthest item in the field of view. For example, when trying to focus on a small fish that was up close, the camera/lens would focus on a fan coral in the background. I could manually work around the issue by focusing the camera on my hand then moving the camera to focus on an object, but that was a pain.

 

I eventually put switch to the .19-.4 position, and resigned myself to not being able to focus outside that range.

 

I'm wondering if there is a way to program the limit switch function in the camera.

I have set this lens for the close range and found to be to limiting. In days of olde, I would prefocus at the desired distance, lock focus and aim at the subject( a tip from Jim Church). Also, switch to manual focus to tweek.

Regards,

Bob

I use the full range with mine as it limits what you can shoot. I tended to have the opposite problem with mine if it was focusing close it was fine, but it would lock onto floaties in the water when trying to focus further out.

Don't know how many programmable buttons you have on the camera but you could try to program one to turn on focus peaking, focus on something at the distance you want (requires rear button focus so that the camera won't try to refocus as you take the shot) then go back to your subject and rock in and out using the the focus peaking to guide when to take the shot. A focus light may also help to give more contrast to your subject (being closer it is more brightly lit)

Manual focus is really not practical as it is so slow on this lens, that is it takes lots of rotation of the MF ring to get any change that is noticeable. When you put it in the housing the gearing on the zoom gear slows it down even more!

You could try adjusting your AF settings, it sounds like it is set to rapidly AF on whatever is under the AF sensor. Are you using single of continuous AF? There are a range of settings in the manual, look under setting the focus mode. Make sure you are using a single AF point, using an array it will pick the sensor placed over the object with the most contrast to focus on.

I have an EM-1 MkII and it appears to have a way to assign a focus limiter to a button, so maybe search through what programmable function buttons you have available.

Use pin-point AF to focus precisely where you want to. You can move the focus point using the D-Pad (or does the GH5 already have the joy stick?). Focus will be slightly slower, but should be accurate at exactly where you are pointing it at.

Yo Chris,

"I have an EM-1 MkII and it appears to have a way to assign a focus limiter to a button, so maybe search through what programmable function buttons you have available."

Please explain how to do this.

I used the button normally assigned to stop down next to the lens, AF limiter is one of the options in the list for that button. So that's menu - B -- button function and select the bottom one in the list and scroll to AF Limiter and select it.

It only seems to work with the full range selected in the 60mm macro, so if you have accidentally selected a limited range, you can't change it with this function. You hold it down and scroll to different available distances.

You will need to go to another menu setting: Menu A1 -- AF limiter -- on -- distance settings -- setting 1,2 or 3 -- then set your range in metres.

The setting seems approximate that is to say I set 0.2 to 2m to try and it limited AF to something no more than 1 m or so away. So it seems to work but, try it out and set your max distance by trial and error.

There is also a preset MF distance, I have programmed to fn 2 button, I have it set to focus about 700mm away of about the distance needed for a medium size fish. The problem I get is the lens won't rack out to greater distance and focuses on floaties if you have been shooting small macro and you suddenly want to shoot a larger subject, and that's the workaround I use for that issue.

Thanks Chris,

Good to know.