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What's on your XF feature request list ?

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Just curious here…

...from looking at the manual (sorry, I don't have a dealer to call) it sounds like you have to manually (via the front and side dials) move the lens in MCUs to the far and near points (of the area you want in focus). Then the user needs to decide on the number of exposures.

Is it not possible to just point and focus (with the shutter release button, as per shooting an image) to set each of the limits of the DoF ?
Again, you CAN point at a subject, autofocus, and set that as the near or far point of the focus stack.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
The problem I have with just moving the wheel is that in many scenes that is a lot of focus motor units and the wheel is only moving in increments of 10.
If you flick the dial it accelerates the units it is changing in.

Or use one of the other methods like autofocus or manual focus to set the two points. This will be faster for large changes.
 

Paul2660

Well-known member
Again, you CAN point at a subject, autofocus, and set that as the near or far point of the focus stack.
I will go on record with diagreeing with this statement as it does not work correctly most of the time.

Yes you can point with AF and set the first point in this case the far point. But if you then go back and re focus with AF for the other point in this they near point the camera records the same point it did previously in this case the far point. 4 out of 5 times it does it wrong.

Paul C
 

fotohouse

New member
I would like to know what features XF owners would like to see
become reality. With the open platform architecture, honestly
I'm not sure what the limits are.
*I would like to see the internal Profoto transmitter have channel
And group options like the on camera transmitters have.
*I Would love to see a Truefocus type feature enabled, heck all the
Parts to the puzzle all already there!
*Another tweak to A/F performance would be welcomed, just
That last little bit��

Cheers everyone and have a great week!��
This...and an even better battery solution, more secure viewfinder latch, optimized load up, and a few more magical requests haha.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Again, you CAN point at a subject, autofocus, and set that as the near or far point of the focus stack.
TBH in the end I found it easier just to set focus points by clutching the lens into MF, focus, clutch back to AF and store the value and then repeat for the other near/far point.

The problem for me is that I have the rear XF body button set to one tap AF. Since this is the start button for the focus stack program it pretty much stops me from being able to use the point & shoot approach for near / far setup (other than going in/out of stack mode I suppose).

so, I'd like an option to assign the focus stack start to a different button than the rear XF body button ....
 

Wayne Fox

Workshop Member
I will go on record with diagreeing with this statement as it does not work correctly most of the time.

Yes you can point with AF and set the first point in this case the far point. But if you then go back and re focus with AF for the other point in this they near point the camera records the same point it did previously in this case the far point. 4 out of 5 times it does it wrong.

Paul C
Agreed.

Doug keeps claiming you can use AF for this but he doesn’t offer anything other than check with your dealer. I’ve tried this a number of times, and it just doesn’t work very well, and isn’t correct most of the time. By the time you fiddle around with it, for me it’s easier to just do it manually. I have yet to hear of anyone that can reliably AF the far or near point, set it, then AF the other point and set it. The second point rarely, if ever just “sets” - and you can’t trust the number you get because you don’t know if it happened to be the rare occasion where it’s right.

there are no instructions or any examples from anyone that I can find to explain how to use Autofocus for focus stacking. All the examples I have found (from Phase, DT etc) talk about focus stacking for studio situations which require large numbers of exposures. No where does it talk about using the tool with AF as the primary way to achieve focus, and all of them talk about “finding” the focus points using the dials on the camera to move the motor.

I don’t think the tool was designed with how I would like to use it. I have no problem with that, I just can’t figure out why if it’s supposed to work that way, no one but Doug seems to know how to do it.
 

algrove

Well-known member
You guys know more than, but my attempts with focus stacking have all worked well. I did notice with 35, 55, 80, 110, 150 and 240 that rotating dial for far focus (infinity for most of my work) came in about 24-25 (and you can hear the focus motor rebelling when you are setting the far point at too low a gear point, but once you get within the lenses AF infinity point the AF motor smoothes out and accepts the gear point you have selected), hit front silver button and then setting near point was whatever the particular lens needed from about 60 to 200, then hit rear silver button. Rotating the dial for the number of stacks, I used around 10 to 15 just to be safe. I am still traveling and did not download the helicon stack software on this macbook. Will do my importing of these stackings in a week when back home on Mac Pro.

Is all one has to do is watch the focus point on the lens as it rotates through the various focus points. I also use looking at the lens focus point to quickly get to my near focus point after setting the far point. I keep rotating the wheel for the near point while watching the lens until I see the lens focus point getting close to what I want even before checking in VF or LV the precise focus plane I want. For me that has made the whole operation much faster, especially when far and near points are greatly different.

Perhaps this helps. Excuse the basic descriptions. I want to add that I am using this feature for landscape.
 

aztwang

Member
Btw, once it's dialed in, the focus stack function works perfectly. Just wanted to share that :thumbup:
Good to hear!!...Just for giggles Graham you should do a quick video for the folks that seem to be having problems or maybe a detailed step by step explanation....FWIW
 

Paul2660

Well-known member
To me it's really moot anyway, as none of the software tools can really handle wind movement. Both Helicon and Zerene stacker have trouble whenever the subject has even the slightest movement. In a studio, where you are shooting a static subject, the tools work great, but outdoor, where there is wind (at least where I live), movement, even the slightest amount can totally corrupt a stack.

I guess that this way all the Phase One demo's seem to be indoors in the studio for product shoots, where the tool performs wonderfully.

Back to Graham's comments, you can also just write down a solution and use in the future, The far and near numbers will work over and over and once you know the range of the lens in question, I agree with Graham, it's just easier to dial in a solution.

Paul C
 

Craig Stocks

Well-known member
Bulb shutter speed

Second curtain flash synch (maybe it's there now but I can't find it)

Focus stack calculate the needed number of frames

Not really an XF firmware feature but the lack of a remote release is a joke at this point.
 

Wayne Fox

Workshop Member
You guys know more than, but my attempts with focus stacking have all worked well. I did notice with 35, 55, 80, 110, 150 and 240 that rotating dial for far focus (infinity for most of my work) came in about 24-25 (and you can hear the focus motor rebelling when you are setting the far point at too low a gear point, but once you get within the lenses AF infinity point the AF motor smoothes out and accepts the gear point you have selected), hit front silver button and then setting near point was whatever the particular lens needed from about 60 to 200, then hit rear silver button. Rotating the dial for the number of stacks, I used around 10 to 15 just to be safe. I am still traveling and did not download the helicon stack software on this macbook. Will do my importing of these stackings in a week when back home on Mac Pro.

Is all one has to do is watch the focus point on the lens as it rotates through the various focus points. I also use looking at the lens focus point to quickly get to my near focus point after setting the far point. I keep rotating the wheel for the near point while watching the lens until I see the lens focus point getting close to what I want even before checking in VF or LV the precise focus plane I want. For me that has made the whole operation much faster, especially when far and near points are greatly different.

Perhaps this helps. Excuse the basic descriptions. I want to add that I am using this feature for landscape.
not saying it doesn't work when shooting a stack, that seems to work quite well. What doesn't work is using AF to determine and set the two focus points. Yeah, you can sort of do it if you do a few extra steps (like pop the lens from AF to Manual and back), but even then it isn't 100% accurate. But it really could be much easier with a rework of the tool and the interface for it.

My IQ3 100 arrives today, so using LV focusing and the focus stack tool will be a much different operation now. I assume I can AF the near point, move to the tool, verify focus with LV and set the number. then I can use LV to set the far point in the tool.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Bulb shutter speed

Second curtain flash synch (maybe it's there now but I can't find it)

Focus stack calculate the needed number of frames

Not really an XF firmware feature but the lack of a remote release is a joke at this point.
We had a decent size batch of short XF Cable releases come in and sell out within a couple days, presumably based on pent up demand.

We still have the long XF Cable Releases in stock.

I'd expect more soon. Of course I expected the first batch "soon" a while ago.
 

Wayne Fox

Workshop Member
Good to hear!!...Just for giggles Graham you should do a quick video for the folks that seem to be having problems or maybe a detailed step by step explanation....FWIW
I think Graham has the same issues we all have if trying to use AF to set the two points. For example, one frustration is many landscape shooters have the rear button set to focus and the shutter button to only release. To use the focus stack tool you have to disable this use of the rear button, as that's the button that triggers shooting the stack.

And I think we all agree that once you can determine the two points, the camera shoots the stack very efficiently and it's a great feature. But once you move to the tool, there is no way to simply AF on the near point, set, AF on the far point, set, compose and then fire off the sequence. Usually AF will only successfully get you one of the two points, and that requires focus, moving to the tool, touch the gear icon and then often that point will work and can be set for one of the two positions. but if you AF again, you leave the tool, and if you the AF on the other point, go back to the tool, touching the gear usually doesn't achieve what you want, sometimes it does nothing, sometimes it seems to cycle and land on a number that may or may not be correct, sometimes it goes to the same number as the previous setting.. If you move to the tool, click the lens to manual and back, then touch the gear, that sometimes seems to work.
 

sc_john

Active member
I think Graham has the same issues we all have if trying to use AF to set the two points. For example, one frustration is many landscape shooters have the rear button set to focus and the shutter button to only release. To use the focus stack tool you have to disable this use of the rear button, as that's the button that triggers shooting the stack.
Wayne,

I am new to the XF, so I may be making 2 mistakes that result in a correct action :)ROTFL:), but I find that the rear button works to initiate the focus stack even though I have camera set to back button focus. Based on Graham Welland's comments in Post #25, I have had success using the following process...

1.) In regular shooting mode, use AF to set desired distant point (in my set-up, using the rear button for AF activation).
2.) Swipe into Focus Stack Tool, touch the gear symbol (camera appears to determine MCU's), then set distant point for stack with front top key.
3.) Swipe back to regular shooting mode, clutch lens from AF to MF, manually bring focus to general area of desired near point, clutch back to AF, set AF on desired near point.
4.) Swipe into Focus Stack Tool, touch gear symbol, then set near focus point with rear top key.
5.) Remaining in Focus Stack Tool, use rear dial to set desired number of exposures, push rear button to initiate sequence of focus stack images.

It appears to work in the 4 or 5 trials I did. These tests were all indoors, due to weather, covering a range of 4' to 15' with 55mm LS. When examining in C1 with focus mask on, I can see the green focus indication march across the images from far to near points. Zooming into 100% and examining images in C1 verifies the in-focus area marches across the images in the stack.

It sounds more complex than it is, also. Again, I acknowledge that I am a neophyte on the XF, but it seems to work.

John
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
John,

That's exactly the workflow that I ended up with. It's a bit cumbersome, especially if you forget to swipe out of the stack panel and press the rear button to AF and accidently trigger the stack function ... :facesmack: (followed by expletives!)
 

algrove

Well-known member
I think Graham has the same issues we all have if trying to use AF to set the two points. For example, one frustration is many landscape shooters have the rear button set to focus and the shutter button to only release. To use the focus stack tool you have to disable this use of the rear button, as that's the button that triggers shooting the stack.

And I think we all agree that once you can determine the two points, the camera shoots the stack very efficiently and it's a great feature. But once you move to the tool, there is no way to simply AF on the near point, set, AF on the far point, set, compose and then fire off the sequence. Usually AF will only successfully get you one of the two points, and that requires focus, moving to the tool, touch the gear icon and then often that point will work and can be set for one of the two positions. but if you AF again, you leave the tool, and if you the AF on the other point, go back to the tool, touching the gear usually doesn't achieve what you want, sometimes it does nothing, sometimes it seems to cycle and land on a number that may or may not be correct, sometimes it goes to the same number as the previous setting.. If you move to the tool, click the lens to manual and back, then touch the gear, that sometimes seems to work.
Wayne
Not trying to argue at all, but I have the rear button set to LV. However, when XF screen in stacking mode that same button initiates the stacking sequence and I have never had to disable any of my settings to use the focus stacking.
 

Paul2660

Well-known member
Onr quick note. You can trigger the stack also via the camera controls on the backs LCD. That is how I have always done it. Takes two extra steps but you don't have to disable the other release on the rear of the XF.

Paul C
 

DrakeJ

New member
To get back to topic, another ting I'd like to see is full Profoto integration, not just set the power levels on different groups but also TTL and HSS support (for focal plane shutters).

Still, the two things I want the most would be something similar to true focus (which also takes into account movement along the focal plane) and image stabilization. Both of these features are a possiblity with the current technology and they even have a patent for the image stabilization.
 

Dan Santoso

New member
Hi All,

I have another troubleshoot questions for xf n 3 100:
1. When the xf idle for a few mins and i press the shutter, there is a delay before the lcd turn on when i half press the shutter. Can i get rid of this delay?

2. Xf n 3 100 is on, thetered to c1. Turn off the xf for some time, come back, turn on the xf and suddenly the shutter is released (maybe), it triggers the strobe then automatically then the system is off again. What is this? Happen 2-3 times today.

3. I shoot in M. After turn off for a while when i power my xf again it show TV not M. How to set default to M? This always happen when i leave for a while.

Can some help?

Thanks
 
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