ShakaZulu
Contributor
Am I correct, or can someone advise me on how to get macro shots with this camera. Anything in the 5 to 10 cm range is out of focus?
A85 Macro mode sucks..........
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Jamdiver
Guest
Interesting Shaka, is your camera zoomed at all?
Sometimes I find it easier for my camera to focus in macro mode when it's not zoomed at all.
I'm not familiar with the macro mode in the A85 but I would imagine that a subject within 5-10cm should be close enough for it to focus in on??
Can you give a little more detail on how often shots are out of focus and what exactly you're focusing on?
Sometimes I find it easier for my camera to focus in macro mode when it's not zoomed at all.
I'm not familiar with the macro mode in the A85 but I would imagine that a subject within 5-10cm should be close enough for it to focus in on??
Can you give a little more detail on how often shots are out of focus and what exactly you're focusing on?
OP
ShakaZulu
Contributor
Jamdiver:
I've been trying it on land........tried the following:
Auto Mode - Macro selected
Flash ON/OFF
Zoomed IN/OUT
Me Drunk/Sober
Still doesn't focus?
Camera Specs:
Normal AF: 46 cm (18.1 in.) - infinity
Macro AF: 5 - 46 cm (2.0 in. - 1.5 ft.) (W)/
26 - 46 cm (10 in. - 1.5 ft.) (T)
Manual focus: 5 cm (2.0 in.) - infinity (W)/
26 cm (10 in.) - infinity (T)
Wonder if I should try manual?
Jamdiver
Guest
Very odd, did the camera always have problems focusing in macro mode.
Is the camera or your hands steady when you take the shot??
Sometimes moving the camera back by a few cm will result in the whole shot being blurry, I half press the shutter first to get the camera to focus then press the shutter button down completly.
I have a Canon Powershot A610 but I imagine that yours would perform similiarly.
I don't know if manual would make much difference, how about a test, take a pic of a common object, maybe like a pen or something in a well lit area in macro mode.
It should focus fine...
Is the camera or your hands steady when you take the shot??
Sometimes moving the camera back by a few cm will result in the whole shot being blurry, I half press the shutter first to get the camera to focus then press the shutter button down completly.
I have a Canon Powershot A610 but I imagine that yours would perform similiarly.
I don't know if manual would make much difference, how about a test, take a pic of a common object, maybe like a pen or something in a well lit area in macro mode.
It should focus fine...
havnmonkey
Contributor
try manual focus...
also try moving the camera [itself] until you find the focus then work from there.
also try moving the camera [itself] until you find the focus then work from there.
CUDA_Rick
Registered
I also have the A85 and usually get good close ups in macro mode.
Here are some of the things I have learned:
The focus distance when zoomed is MUCH greater; you have to back off considerably.
I go to the menu settings and turn AIAF "OFF." This forces the camera to focus on the center frame and makes focusing easier and faster.
On dimly lit subjects there is sometimes not enough contrast for the camera to focus; I leave the focus assist light "ON" even though it might scare the subject.
One of the useful features of this camera are the indicator lights right above the display. The lower one will flash when the camera cannot focus.
Also, with AIAF "OFF" the square in the center of the display will turn from yellow to green when the camera is focused.
If none of this works, you might have a bad autofocus.
I haven't had any problems at all with my A85 and it works great in macro mode; I shoot most of my UW shots in this mode.
Good luck!
Here are some of the things I have learned:
The focus distance when zoomed is MUCH greater; you have to back off considerably.
I go to the menu settings and turn AIAF "OFF." This forces the camera to focus on the center frame and makes focusing easier and faster.
On dimly lit subjects there is sometimes not enough contrast for the camera to focus; I leave the focus assist light "ON" even though it might scare the subject.
One of the useful features of this camera are the indicator lights right above the display. The lower one will flash when the camera cannot focus.
Also, with AIAF "OFF" the square in the center of the display will turn from yellow to green when the camera is focused.
If none of this works, you might have a bad autofocus.
I haven't had any problems at all with my A85 and it works great in macro mode; I shoot most of my UW shots in this mode.
Good luck!
Hey, Shaka... I'd let Sean take a look at it. I'm sure he can figure out if it's a camera issue or a user issue.
For my Canon camera (S80), the most important thing to remember in macro mode is not to bother with the zoom at all. Be sure you pull all the way back to the widest angle possible, click over to zoom, and then you should be able to get a lock on anything between approx 3" to 1' away. It gets trickier the closer you get, so pay attention to that little green square that shows you're locked in, and if at first you don't succeed, reposition a bit and try to get a lock again. Another possibly helpful tip (mentioned above) is to turn off the focus that lets the camera choose any of the 9 "zones" and forces it to focus on the spot in the middle.
Finally, when you're underwater, make sure there is enough light to get a focus lock. In the murk, even during the day, it can be tough, and housings frequently block the focus-assist light, so try using your drive light to put a bit more light on the subject and see if it helps.
Good luck!
For my Canon camera (S80), the most important thing to remember in macro mode is not to bother with the zoom at all. Be sure you pull all the way back to the widest angle possible, click over to zoom, and then you should be able to get a lock on anything between approx 3" to 1' away. It gets trickier the closer you get, so pay attention to that little green square that shows you're locked in, and if at first you don't succeed, reposition a bit and try to get a lock again. Another possibly helpful tip (mentioned above) is to turn off the focus that lets the camera choose any of the 9 "zones" and forces it to focus on the spot in the middle.
Finally, when you're underwater, make sure there is enough light to get a focus lock. In the murk, even during the day, it can be tough, and housings frequently block the focus-assist light, so try using your drive light to put a bit more light on the subject and see if it helps.
Good luck!
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