Friday, December 09, 2005
Problems with Focus
You can rely on your digital camera's autofocus capabilities for most pictures. However, some things can confound autofocus mechanisms.
If you're taking pictures at the zoo and try to photograph a caged or fenced animal, the camera may instead focus on the bars of the cage or the links in the fence. Autofocusing sometimes also goes awry when you shoot highly reflective objects.
In these situations, the following techniques may solve the problem:
Use the focus-lock to set the proper focus distance.
Switch to manual focus, if your camera offers that option.
If you're working in multi-spot focus mode, switch to center-spot or adjustable center-spot mode. (Again, not all cameras offer these options.)
If the lighting is dim, add more light. Most cameras have trouble focusing in low lighting because they can't "see" well enough to measure the subject-to-camera distance.
When a picture is seriously blurry, you may have forgotten to set the correct focus mode.
For minor blurriness, the problem may not be related to focusing at all. Instead, you may be moving the camera slightly when you take the picture, or your subject may have moved.
If you're taking pictures at the zoo and try to photograph a caged or fenced animal, the camera may instead focus on the bars of the cage or the links in the fence. Autofocusing sometimes also goes awry when you shoot highly reflective objects.
In these situations, the following techniques may solve the problem:
Use the focus-lock to set the proper focus distance.
Switch to manual focus, if your camera offers that option.
If you're working in multi-spot focus mode, switch to center-spot or adjustable center-spot mode. (Again, not all cameras offer these options.)
If the lighting is dim, add more light. Most cameras have trouble focusing in low lighting because they can't "see" well enough to measure the subject-to-camera distance.
When a picture is seriously blurry, you may have forgotten to set the correct focus mode.
For minor blurriness, the problem may not be related to focusing at all. Instead, you may be moving the camera slightly when you take the picture, or your subject may have moved.
