GH2 MANUAL VS AUTOFOCUS

[Mirrorkisser]

Hi everyone,

i am new to this forum and did not find any search option.

I bought the GH2 a couple of days ago. I hacked it and want to use it for filming only.

Now i noticed that the auto focus does a lot of pumping. Several time i was getting out of focus although there was not too much object movement. Now i was considering the manual focus.

How many people here are shooting with manual focus only? Is that practicable or is it too much hazzle when you are shooting on your own and need to pay attention to many other details?

Any help is highly appreciated!! Thank you very much!

Best,

[Axel]

As a matter of fact, autofocus is not smart. If you use a steady-cam, you will need it. There are some problems to be adressed:

> in too dark OR too bright places the autofocus won't find the outlines and starts pumping. Solution: Use a wideangle with the so-called [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocal_distance][color=red][i]hyperfocal distance[/i][/color][/url]. Disable autofocus.
> the best chance to get continuous autofocus is in an evenly and well-lit place with the focus area set to center (the multiple-point measuring - sorry, don't know the english name - gets distracted more often)
> unfortunately, the autofocus' server is often loud enough to be audible in quiet scenes. Sounds as if Robocop was operating the cam.

Manual choices are better. If someone is not experienced enough to make the right decision, he becomes so quite fast, so that his decision then is better than the program's. True for all automatic parameters.

[Mirrorkisser]

Hi Axel, thank you very much for your advice. Das hat mir sehr geholfen! I guess over time i will get used to the manual focus. And i aswell noticed a difference in well lit places. I just ordered me a faster lens and will see how that helps me :-)

Thank you very much again!

[Henk Willem]

During a shoot I constantly switch between auto and manual. Auto is great for preparing a fairly steady shot: focus, composition, shoot. But with movements of changing depth of field: use manual.