LX3 AF modes - help deciphering which does what

[charlesphoto]

Any of you out there with some experience with the LX3/D-lux 4 give me some advice on the various AF modes.

What works best for you?

What is Q-AF? (I understand C-AF but the manual is poorly written in describing Q).

Any other tips and tricks? I will probably shoot nothing but RAW and convert in LR so the scene modes etc I could care less about.

Thanks!

Charles

 

[mazor]

Hi, I think Q-AF may automatically AF once the camera stops moving. It seems the LX3 can detect to a certain extent how fast and when the camera is in motion, hence how the intelligent ISO can work out whether to use a higher than usual ISO to compensate for camera movement or shake. C-AF on the other hand will ignore whether the camera is stationary or moving, and just keep hunting for more subjects to lock focus onto.

Both Q-AF and C-AF are handy features to use as the camera keeps refocusing on subjects without having to half depress the shutter button. The negative side of having these features on is that your battery will drain faster.

For me, I prefer to depress the shutter button half way to aquire focus lock so on most programs modes I have those disabled. But for one of my custom functions I use C-AF in conjunction with tracking AF, whereby I select a subject with my centre AF point, and it will lock onto it. Moving left and right, forwards and backwards, the LX3 will track it and continuously refocus just like face recognition, except it can be for subjects without faces. This feature is simply brilliant as I can track ants, or animals much easier. My bigger DSLRs do not have this feature!

Hope this helps

Mazor

 

[charlesphoto]

Thanks. That explains it. Sounds like it will be a lot of trail and error. Fun camera!

 

[mazor]

Wow, love the 24mm distortion on your dog pic.

Nice action shot. Notice how the LX3 defaults the internal flash sync to 1/30 hence why you are getting very nice motion blur.

Mazor

 

[charlesphoto]

Actually, I wish you could get even longer shutter speeds without using red eye reduction. Oh well, can't have everything....

 

[mazor]

You can make longer shutter speeds, just use the "M" mode and choose shutter speed manually to whatever you want.

red eye reduction can be turned off inside the menu system

mazor

 

[charlesphoto]

Of course!